The devaluation of the yuan in August 2015 as China responds to lower exports, the appreciation of the euro and the yen, and the U.S. Federal Reserve's plan to raise rates

08/12/2015

China's currency appreciated 9.2% against the euro and 57% against the Japanese yen with its soft peg to the dollar in 2013-2015. The 8.3% decline in China's exports for July 2015 over the prior year led to the policy action to devalue the Chinese currency, the yuan on August 11, 2015.

Linked Articles

China is trying to save its economy with a cheaper currency - The Washington Post

Washington Post 08/12/2015

Matt O'brien, Matt, O'brien

Wall Street Journal 08/12/2015

Editorial

Errors made by the IMF, Syriza Tsipras far left government, leading to the third bailout program of 2015 for Greece

07/06/2015

Just when the first signs of growth in the economy were taking place in 2014 the IMF held back on a 7.2 billion euro payment to Greece which would have increased liquidity to the private sector for growth. The IMF hope to gain leverage with a future Syriza far left government. The first half of 2015 led to economic anxiety in Greece with a failed negotiating strategy of Syriza far left government focussing only on the debt and not on the economy. The damage led to about 85 billion in addtional financing needed following the closing of Greece's banking system in July 2015.

Linked Articles

IMF Warns Eurozone That Greece Needs Far More Debt Relief

Wall Street Journal 07/15/2015

Ian Talley, Ian, Talley

New York Times 07/06/2015

Gikas Hardouvelis, Gikas, Hardouvelis

The lack of individual accountability of bank management in the U.S. and Britain 2009-2015

06/13/2015

Linked Articles

More Defendants Wanted

Wall Street Journal 09/16/2015

Editorial

Economist 06/13/2015

Economist.Com

The women's vote in 2016 U.S. presidential election and the antiincumbency mood of 2016- risks for Clinton running a cautious campaign and big risks for Trump

06/11/2015

Hillary Clinton needs a vigorous campaign away from the cautious instincts of the early days of her campaign, as Trump seeks to deflect criticism by attacking Hillary Clinton, say experts. The risks are high for Trump if the effort backfires alienating the vast majority of women, including Sanders supporters, independents and traditional Republican moderates. This is one of the wild twists of the campoaign of 2016- a candidate apparently making sexist comments to attract the support of white women voter- and men.

Linked Articles

Hillary Needs More Than the Obama Coalition

Wall Street Journal 06/11/2015

William A. Galston, William, A., Galston

New York Times 04/28/2016

Amy Chozick, Amy, Chozick, Ashley Parker, Ashley, Parker

The lack of individual accountability in large legal settlements made by the U.S. Justice Department since 2009

05/22/2015

Linked Articles

More Defendants Wanted

Wall Street Journal 09/16/2015

Editorial

New York Times 05/22/2015

The Editorial Board, The, Editorial, Board

Ban on election advertising on commercial television and radio in Britain and strict limits of $29.5 million for each party in general elections- contrast with the U.S.

05/02/2015

Britain disproves the popular belief that an ever upward trajectory for election spending is inevitable. The 2010 general election in Britain cost half that of the 1880 general election in 2002 prices, say researchers. In the U.S. spending has increased to the point where candidates may be spending more time fund raising than talking about the issues. The 2016 presidential election in the U.S. is estimated to lead to $10 billion in spending. India, Brazil, and other developing countries face a similar situation.

Linked Articles

Britain’s Campaign Finance Laws Leave Parties With Idle Money

New York Times 05/04/2015

Stephen Castle, Stephen, Castle

New York Times 05/02/2015

Eric Lichtblau, Eric, Lichtblau

The Obama administration's efforts on the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), after losing allies in Asia and Europe to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

04/17/2015

The Obama administration pushes a free trade pact that includes the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. This free trade pact is now seen as a U.S. effort to counter China in the Asian region. India, UK, Germany, France, Italy and other European countries decided to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank sponsored by China, on its merits, after the U.S. refused to join.

Linked Articles

TPP: Momentum on Trade Deal Bolsters U.S., Japan Efforts to Counter China

Wall Street Journal 04/17/2015

Jacob Schlesinger, Jacob, Schlesinger, Mitsuru Obe, Mitsuru, Obe, And Mark Magnier, And, Mark, Magnier

Wall Street Journal 04/17/2015

William Mauldin, William, Mauldin

U.S. shale oil producers confounding Saudi price strategy- (1) 77 U.S. companies acting like tech startups with access to capital markets

03/14/2015

Linked Articles

OPEC’s Problem: There Is No Minister of Shale

Wall Street Journal 06/03/2015

Greg Ip, Greg, Ip

Wall Street Journal 03/14/2015

Erin Ailworth And Benoit Faucon, Erin, Ailworth, And, Benoit, Faucon

Learning in shale oil production for cost efficient ways suggest continuing growth in U.S. shale oil supplies for 2015-2020

03/06/2015

Linked Articles

U.S. Producers Ready New Oil Wave

Wall Street Journal 03/14/2015

Erin Ailworth And Benoit Faucon, Erin, Ailworth, And, Benoit, Faucon

Wall Street Journal 03/06/2015

Liam Denning, Liam, Denning

Lt. Gen "Ben" Hodges, Commander U.S. Army in Europe, on the Russian moves towards Mariupol in eastern Ukraine in Feb. 2015

02/08/2015

Ben Hodges describes the Russian threat to peace in Eastern Europe under president Putin and the need for U.S. preparedness.

Linked Articles

The View From NATO’s Russian Front

Wall Street Journal 02/09/2015

Sohrab Ahmari, Sohrab, Ahmari

New York Times 02/08/2015

Rick Lyman, Rick, Lyman

Deep differences in 2015 between Alexis Tsipras of Syriza and the Merkel government in Germany on debt forgiveness and the bailouts for Greece

01/26/2015

The deep differences between Greeks and Merkel operate at two levels. On the level of austerity policies Greece shares the view with other EU countries, the governments of Hollande in France and Renzi in Italy that austerity is not the best course for the eurozone. This view is also shared by people in Spain facing unemployment exceeding 20%, though the government of Rajoy in Spain like that of Samaras in Greece lived with the austerity policies with some changes. At this level there is also support from within Merkel's coalition government from Social Democrats. The other level of deep differences is on debt forgiveness and bailouts where Greece has to find its own way out in negotiations hoping that the EU and the IMF will agree to make concessions based on action taken by Syriza to ensure prudence in fianncial management. On issues such as minimum wage one would expect Syriza to be firm and make concessions where the hardship does not fall on the poorer and working class, winning support from the Social Democrats in Merkel's coalition. Beyond the symbolic moves and posturing the actual negotiations are likely to take into account the eurozone's need for help on the fiscal side desired by the ECB's Draghi to support monetary easing to fight deflation, and the need to keep the eurozone intact at a sensitive time. Syriza for its part is aware that a majority of Greeks favor staying in the eurozone.

Linked Articles

Greece’s new prime minister wants Germany to pay for Nazi war crimes - The Washington Post

Washington Post 01/26/2015

Ishaan Tharoor, Ishaan, Tharoor

Washington Post 01/27/2015

Griff Witte, Griff, Witte

The challenges facing K-12 education in the U.S. in 2015 with a larger proportion of children from less affluent and poor backgrounds, and two thirds of American children failing math and reading proficiency required levels in 8th grade for 2015

01/17/2015

With a majority of children in California, Texas, and some midwestern states in the U.S. from less affluent or poor backgrounds, and about two thirds of all American students failiing to meet required proficiency in math and reading at 8th grade, the educational challenge of of creating a well qualified work force to build America's future is daunting. Eight years of policy changes in education and private efforts have failed to produce adequate results.

Linked Articles

U.S. student performance slips on national test - The Washington Post

Washington Post 10/28/2015

Emma Brown, Emma, Brown

Washington Post 01/17/2015

Lyndsey Layton, Lyndsey, Layton

Looking back at Hong Kong and China today and yesterday- China in 1842 and in 1945, nationalism and commercial interests of foreign powers

01/09/2015

A wariness with foreign powers in China stems from the influences left behind from the British commercial interests and the Japanese invasion of China. Compared to that period, the period of collaboration on an equal footing and playing field is is a short and recent one that has taken place for just three decades 1985-2015. Fears that the accelerated development in China could slow down without a strong central government, combine with the awareness of the need for western technology and open communications in today's global economy to accelerate the development, create in the Chinese mind a problem that needs to be tackled carefully to continue progress. Awareness of the huge inequalities and corruption in the rush towards modernization, need to tackle extensive contamination of air and water, and need for social security and healthcare for an aging population create a new urgency for careful policy making to sustain progress.

Linked Articles

Gentlemen Drug Dealers

Wall Street Journal 01/12/2015

George Walden, George, Walden

New York Times 01/09/2015

Thomas J. Christensen, Thomas, J., Christensen