Expanding the Legacy
US Fed Celebrates Death of Inflation
The US Federal Reserve celebrated the death of inflation with a bold interest rate cut. As the Federal Open Market Committee mulled its next move during a highly-anticipated meeting yesterday, its twelve members just hoped, and perhaps even prayed (this is, after all, America), that the reports of inflation’s death are not ‘greatly exaggerated’. The benchmark federal fund rate receded to five percent.
Turmoil to Erupt Regardless US Election Outcome
Whichever way US voters decide on election day, it’s the day after that causes most concern. A win by Donald Trump is unlikely to be contested by his opponents but promises to usher in a man who vowed to don the mantle of a dictator on his first day in office. Conversely, it is a foregone conclusion that a loss will be bitterly contested by Mr Trump.
Don’t Expect the Debate to Clinch the Deal Either Way
The showdown between the two contenders for the US presidency produced only winners. Campaign staffers on both sides declared their candidate victorious. To gauge who actually came out ahead, it is telling that mere minutes after both debaters had finished their closing arguments, Democratic campaign leader Jen O’Malley Dillon released a statement saying that Kamala Harris is ready for a second debate next month and asking, rhetorically, if Donald Trump would be up for that. He is believed to mull the question.
For Fun and Profit: Poking and Provoking ‘The System’
US right-wing podcast host and social media influencer Darryl Cooper probably personifies all that can go wrong when a little bit of knowledge merges with scepticism unbound in a mind wrecked by paranoia and hell-bent on causing disruption.. In his own words, Mr Cooper likes to post “provocative shit” to see how close he can “step up” to various lines without crossing them. It turns out that the lines are fluid or even non-existent in Mr Cooper’s lucrative business model: he merrily keeps pushing the limits regardless the absurdity he steps into and onto.
High Noon at X Corral: Brazilian Justice Faces Off Elon Musk
On Monday, the federal supreme court of Brazil voted unanimously to uphold the ban on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Last week, Alexandre de Moraes, one of the court’s justices, ordered the shutdown of X for its failure to comply with Brazilian law and its refusal to appoint a legal representative in the country. The platform went blank over the weekend as service providers scrambled to block access. Justice De Moraes also decreed that anyone using ‘technological subterfuge’ such as a virtual private network (VPN) to evade his ban would risk a fine of €8,000 per day.
Trump Campaign Entering Panic Mode
The prospect of a Trump 2.0 presidency keeps EU officials in Brussels busy with contingency planning. Meanwhile in the US, the prospect of a Harris presidency also causes concern, mostly over the way Mr Trump’s and his more ardent followers may respond to another ‘steal’. Some Republicans have already threatened a civil war should their candidate fail to win the election. “I’m afraid if we lose this one, it’s going to take a civil war to save the country, and it will be saved,” assured Senator George Lang of Ohio when he introduced JD Vance, Mr Trump’s running mate.
Nervous Markets Easily Spooked
After a few dismal days, global stock markets staged a rebound of sorts with Japan leading the surge as both the broader Topix index (+9.3%) and the tech-heavy Nikkei 225 (+10.2%) rose in tandem pulling up indices across Asia. In early-morning trading, European markets also recovered some of their losses although without the fanfare prevalent in the east. The Pan-European STOXX 600 advanced 0.6% whilst exchanges in Germany, France, and the UK registered modest gains but remained in a holding pattern. US futures edged higher as well, pointing to the presence of a few bargain hunters.
Former Bus Driver Steals the Will of the People
Nicolás Maduro, the former bus driver turned president of Venezuela, is a miracle worker. Under his inspired reign, the economy of the country lost three-quarters of its output, yet he somehow managed to convince a majority of voters to grant him yet another term in office - his third. President Maduro claims to have won Sunday’s election by securing 51% of the vote against the 44% that went to the opposition. He celebrated his dubious win with a grand fireworks display that lit up the sky over Caracas. Jubilant crowds were shown on national television as definitive proof that the nation looks forward to losing whatever has not yet been destroyed by Mr Maduro’s formidable incompetence at public administration.
‘The Madman’ Takes Charge
In his inaugural address to the nation on Sunday, delivered on the steps of the Argentina’s domed neoclassical congress, President Javier Milei (53) repeatedly reminded the crowd that “all the money” has gone and austerity looms. His message was met with roars of applause even as he warned the nation...
The Pinochet Legacy After 50 Years
On this day fifty years ago, a pleasant early-spring Tuesday, democracy fell to armed force in Chile. Absconded in La Moneda, probably one of the least gracious buildings erected by the Spanish colonial empire, the constitutional president of the country, Salvador Allende, fought a desperate fight against putschist generals. Plumes...
