What We Read Today 22 October 2014

Econintersect: Every day our editors collect the most interesting things they find from around the internet and present a summary “reading list” which will include very brief summaries (and sometimes longer ones) of why each item has gotten our attention. Suggestions from readers for “reading list” items are gratefully reviewed, although sometimes space limits the number included.

• Why would the ECB buy corporate bonds? (Matthew C. Klein, FT Alphaville) It may be that the market for asset backed securities and covered bonds in simply not large enough for the massive bond buying the ECB may do. They may have to acquire corporate debt as well.

This does raise the question of how buying debt of large corporations will do much to boost lending to smaller firms, a stated objective. And the corporations are not issuing a lot of bonds anyway.

• Icahn: ‘Quite concerned that something is going to happen’ with stock market (Everett Rosenfeld, CNBC)

• Articles about conflicts and disease around the world

Ebola

What’s a hospital supposed to do if an Ebola patient shows up? (CNN Health)

NBC News Freelancer Ashoka Mukpo Declared Free of Ebola (NBC News)

The latest on the Ebola crisis (CBS News) Good summary.

Up to three Ebola-infected travelers might fly each month (CNN Health)

Nigeria

How 1 doctor saved Nigeria from Ebola catastrophe (Yahoo! News)

Turkey

Three Denver girls reportedly en route to Turkey detained, sent home (Reuters)

Obama Gave Turkey the Push It Needed (Bloomberg)

Syria

Islamic State: US probes ‘stray Syria air drop’ in IS video (BBC News)

Iraq

Consumed by Islamic State, Iraq’s Anbar province a key battleground again (Reuters)

Ukraine

Ukrainians Pray Election Can Revive Lost Zeal for Change (Bloomberg)

Global Banks Slashed Lending to Ukraine, Endangering a Recovery (The Wall Street Journal)

Russia

Russian bases to span entire Arctic border by end of 2014 (RT)

Hong Kong

Hong Kong protesters plan march after fruitless talks with government (Reuters)

Is Hong Kong China’s Future? (Bloomberg View)

Afghanistan

The truth emerges about Afghanistan, an indictment of our war. Now comes the hard part: learning from failure. (Fabius Maximus) – An introduction.

Afghanistan: ‘A Shocking Indictment’ (The New York Review of Books) – The full story.

North Korea

Japan to send officials to North Korea for update on abductee investigation (Reuters)

There are 10 articles discussed today ‘behind the wall’.

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