Mark Zuckerberg Learns the Game
Peter Isackson (Fair Observer) | With the integrity of a monopoly to ensure, Mark Zuckerberg, the enfant terrible, has taken a major step forward in becoming a Washington insider.
World economy
Thomas Cook Bankruptcy: Losses (and opportunities) for the Spanish tourism sector
Ana Fuentes | On Sunday, hours before the giant Thomas Cook announced his bankruptcy, several Spanish businessmen in the tourism sector tried to avoid the fall of the British operator with an injection of 107 million. It was not enough. The Spanish employer Exceltur estimates the losses at 200 million euros and thousands of jobs are at risk. Direct competitors such as Tui, shareholder of the Riu Group, AIG and Internet platforms, however, will benefit.
If robots take our jobs, what will it mean for climate change?
Laurie Wright (The Conversation) | Nearly half of the tasks currently undertaken by humans could already be automated, even at current levels of technology. Within the next decade it is likely large sections of society will be looking for new jobs.
Sustained 10% increase in oil price only cuts 0.1% from growth 10% in US and EU
Bankia Estudios | The sharp increase in oil prices produced by the attack on Saudi installations happened as a moment of weakness in the global economy with multiple centres of uncertainty (trade war, Brexit, global industrial recession, among others); however, it would have to be persistent and much more intense to derail global expansion.
Is China’s Belt and Road Initiative Strategic Genius, Arrogant Overreach or Something Else?
Atul Singh via Fair Observer | The Belt and Road Initiative is China’s bold and risky response to internal tensions and external pressure, but it is not backed by an inspiring idea.
Jerome Powell’s Penelope tactics
J. P. Marín-Arrese | Once again, Jerome Powell played down the need for monetary easing in the press conference following the Fed’s rate cut decision. His unconvincing delivery led Mr Trump to heap scorn on his uninspiring performance. For once, his bitter recriminations were fully justified.
Most innovation originates from customers, not companies
Gently Down the Stream of Trump’s Consciousness
Peter Isackson via Fair Observer | Politics and literature have much more in common than most people think, especially if we accept to consider Donald Trump as a major literary figure.
Risks are rising, but recession in the eurozone is not expected
Johannes Müller (DWS) | Three months ago, we warned that: “The outlook for the world economy is getting cloudier. Escalating trade tensions could trigger further downgrades.” Sadly, this has now come to pass. In several export-oriented economies, notably Germany and Japan, we had to cut our growth forecasts for both 2019 and 2020. For the U.S., we have left our 2020 forecast unchanged at 2%, but now expect just 2.3% for 2019, 0.2% less than three months ago.
The Power of Influence in Postmodern Culture and Politics
Peter Isackson via Fair Observer | From politics to science and the arts, we need to understand how “influence” works and how the notion has evolved in recent history.