In The News

Investors and Globalization’s Decline: Barron’s

Avi Salzman and Nicholas Jasinski March 18, 2019
The bout of protectionism and transactional approaches to trade will linger even after China and the United States reach a trade agreemen. “Globalization is being overwhelmed by populism, nationalism, and protectionism,” explain Avi Salzman and Nicholas Jasinski for Barron’s, adding that globalization has long moved in cycles and is “no longer the dominant force.” Trade growth has slowed,...

US Debt and Foreign Creditors: Wall Street Journal

Daniel Kruger and Kate Davidson February 12, 2019
Foreign investors are less keen to own US government bonds, but domestic investors pick up the slack for now. “Foreign ownership of U.S. government debt has been decreasing since it reached a peak of about 55% during the financial crisis in 2008, falling below 40% in November for the first time since 2003, according to the most recent Treasury data,” report Daniel Kruger and Kate Davidson for the...

New York Times: US Africa Strategy Counters China

Mark Landler and Edward Wong December 14, 2018
The United States plans to devote more funding and attention on Africa, according to National Security Adviser John Bolton. He suggests the threat for Africa is not poverty or extremism but expanding Chinese influence. “Bolton conceded that the United States had limited resources to compete with the tens of billions of dollars China is pouring into Africa,” report Mark Landler and Edward Wong for...

Guardian: Tackle Climate or Face Financial Crash

Damian Carrington December 11, 2018
Some of the world’s largest pension funds, insurers, rating agencies and asset managers are heeding warnings from climate researchers to demand phase-out on all coal burning, reduced carbon emissions and introduction of carbon taxes. As ministers arrive for a UN climate summit in Poland, more than 400 investors signed a Global Investor Statement describing refusal to acknowledge climate change as...

Economist: China’s Efforts to Win Over African Audiences

November 5, 2018
Growing ties between Chinese capital and African nations has attracted controversy in recent years. As an article for the Economist notes, “ever since the Kenyan government signed a deal in 2014 for a state-owned Chinese company to build a railway between Nairobi and Kenya’s main port in Mombasa, the project has attracted controversy.” Many Kenyans are suspicious over corruption due to the...

Korea Herald: Rise of Startups in North Korea

Cho Chung-un October 30, 2018
Economic sanctions against North Korea over the past decade increased unemployment and poverty, but also encouraged innovation. As a result, the country reports a rise in startup businesses as North Korea engages in more dialogue with South Korea and the United States. Choson Exchange is a nonprofit based in Singapore that has trained more than 2,300 North Koreans on economic policy and...

Folha De S. Paulo: Investors Eye Brazil Election

Taís Hirata October 27, 2018
Brazil, like many other democracies, is polarized over politics and foreign investment. Voters head to the polls on 28 October to select between far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro and leftist Fernando Haddad. Bolsonaro has led in the polls, and China eyes the outcome, concerned about Bolsonaro’s nationalist views. “The candidate, already known for his criticism towards former state companies that...