Written by Econintersect
Early Bird Headlines 14 October 2016
Econintersect: Here are some of the headlines we found to help you start your day. For more headlines see our afternoon feature for GEI members, What We Read Today, which has many more headlines and a number of article discussions to keep you abreast of what we have found interesting.
Global
Asia markets mostly higher as investors weigh China data, possible Fed hike; Thai shares surge (CNBC) Markets in Asia finished mostly higher on the final trading day of the week, reversing some early losses, as investors weighed price increases in China and the possibility of a U.S. interest rate hike later in the year.
Oil edges up on tighter US fuel market; doubts over OPEC cuts weigh (Reuters) Oil prices edged up on Friday, pushed by a tighter U.S. fuel market and as technical indicators attracted buying from financial players, but doubts over the feasibility of a planned production cut still weighed on markets. Following a dip in early trading, international Brent crude futures LCOc1 were trading at $52.18 per barrel at 0643 GMT, up 15 cents, or 0.29% from their previous close. After falling below $50 a barrel on Thursday, U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 was trading at $50.78 per barrel, up 34 cents or 0.67% from its last close.
U.S.
Clinton submits answers under penalty of perjury in email lawsuit (The Hill) Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on Thursday submitted written answers under penalty of perjury in a lawsuit about her use of a private email server while secretary of State, Politico reported. In the answers, submitted to conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch, the Democratic nominee wrote 20 times she didn’t recall the information that was requested, according to Politico. About her email server, lawyers for Clinton wrote (and she signed):
“Secretary Clinton states that she does not recall being advised, cautioned, or warned. She does not recall that it was ever suggested to her, and she does not recall participating in any communication, conversation, or meeting in which it was discussed that her use of a clintonemail.com e-mail account to conduct official State Department business conflicted with or violated federal record keeping laws.”
Trump says groping allegations are part of a global conspiracy to help Clinton (The Washington Post) Donald Trump issued a breathtaking call to arms Thursday as he emphatically denied allegations that he groped and kissed multiple women without their consent, charging that his accusers were part of a global conspiracy to extinguish his outsider movement. Scrambling to turn around his floundering campaign, Trump declared war on the media and multinational corporations, alleging they are colluding with Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton to orchestrate “the single greatest pile-on in history” and undermine his campaign, which he said was an “existential threat” to the global establishment.
Michelle Obama becomes Clinton’s most powerful weapon (The Hill) Michelle Obama proved her effectiveness as a surrogate for Hillary Clinton in the most dramatic fashion yet on Thursday. The first lady eviscerated Donald Trump in a speech in Manchester, N.H., hammering him for his rhetoric and behavior toward women.
Two speeches in two hours crystallize the state of Campaign 2016 (The Washington Post) Two speeches. Two Americas. A pair of apocalyptic arguments and one call to burn down the house. That’s the summation from just two remarkable hours Thursday that crystallized the final month of Campaign 2016. In back-to-back appearances, in what might be the two most compelling hours of the entire election, Michelle Obama in New Hampshire and Donald Trump in Florida delivered the fiercest, most provocative and hardest-hitting speeches of an election cycle that has been without precedent in hot rhetoric.
Russia
Russia Could Be Prepping for War, Orders All Relatives of Officials to Return Home (U.S. News & World Report) Russia could be prepping for a new “global war” and has reportedly ordered all the relatives of officials abroad home to Russia, according to a new report. Stanislav Belkovsky, a Russia analyst, is quoted by the Daily Star as saying:
“This is all part of the package of measures to prepare elites to some ‘big war’.”
South Korea
Samsung Electronics warns of $3 billion hit from Galaxy Note 7 discontinued sales (CNBC) Samsung Electronics said on Friday it expected to take a hit of about 3.5 trillion won ($3.1 billion) to its operating profit over the next two quarters from the fallout of its bungled Galaxy Note 7 recall. The South Korean tech giant said it expected the negative impact to be in the mid-2 trillion won range in the October-December quarter and about 1 trillion won for the January-March 2017 quarter as a result of discontinued sales of its Note 7 handsets. On Wednesday, Samsung cut its operating profit guidance for the third quarter by 33%, from 7.8 trillion won to 5.2 trillion won. Third-quarter revenue was also revised down from 49 trillion won to 47 trillion won.
China
China Overtook U.S. as Biggest Oil Importer in September: Chart (Bloomberg) China is now the world’s biggest oil importer, unseating the U.S. The country’s crude imports climbed to a record 8.08 million barrels a day in September, a year-on-year increase of 18%, customs data released Thursday showed.
Bermuda
Hurricane Nicole pummels Bermuda with wind, then spins away (Associated Press) Hurricane Nicole roared across Bermuda on Thursday, pummeling the resort island with winds up to 115 mph that snapped trees and peeled off roofs before the storm spun away into open water. The Category 3 system also flooded homes, damaged boats that broke away from their moorings and knocked out power to more than 27,000 customers who live in the British territory, which has sturdy infrastructure and is accustomed to heavy weather. By late Thursday afternoon, crews were clearing roads, and many islanders were posting pictures of calmer seas and clearer skies. For more details see Sig Silber’s frequently updated report at GEI.
Colombia
Colombia Extends Ceasefire With Rebels to Save Peace Deal (Bloomberg) President Juan Manuel Santos announced on Thursday that he is extending a ceasefire with Colombia’s largest rebel movement in a bid to give more time to efforts to save a peace deal rejected by voters. Santos said in a televised address that he was extending by two months the ceasefire with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia until Dec. 31. He made the announcement after meeting with students who have been organizing demonstrations across the country to demand the accord be implemented immediately despite it being rejected in a referendum.