Written by Econintersect
Early Bird Headlines 26 November 2019
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, published Monday, Wednesday and Friday, which has many more headlines and a number of article discussions to keep you abreast of what we have found interesting.
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Notice: We have changed the form of content coverage for Early Bird. We will provide discussion only for Asia Markets news and a small number (often 1 or 2) other articles. The remainder of the content will be headlines (with links) only.
Key Articles
Global
- Asia stocks mostly higher; Alibaba makes blockbuster debut in Hong Kong (CNBC) Stocks in Asia mostly rose on Tuesday following record finishes overnight on Wall Street. Hong Kong-listed shares of Chinese tech behemoth Alibaba also popped on their debut, becoming the world’s largest listing so far in 2019. Hong Kong-listed shares of shares of Alibaba surged about 6.6% on the day, ahead of the broader market as the Hang Seng index dipped 0.2% to close at 26,939.21. Mainland Chinese shares mostly saw gains on the day. The U.S. dollar index was higher at 98.308 after touching an earlier low of 98.276. Oil prices were mixed in the afternoon of Asian trading hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures largely flat at $63.66 per barrel. U.S. crude futures, on the other hand, shed 0.1% to $57.95 per barrel. Spot gold was down 0.1% to $1,454.19 per ounce by 0331 GMT, having fallen to its lowest since Nov. 12 earlier in the session. U.S. gold futures inched 0.2% lower to $1,453.80. U.S. treasury yields were narrowly lower.
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U.S.
- Federal judge: McGahn must comply with House subpoena (Associated Press) A federal judge on Monday ordered former White House counsel Donald McGahn to appear before Congress in a setback to President Donald Trump’s effort to keep his top aides from testifying. The outcome could lead to renewed efforts by House Democrats to compel testimony from other high-ranking officials, including former national security adviser John Bolton. Not even the president’s closest aides who receive a subpoena from Congress can “ignore or defy congressional compulsory process, by order of the President or otherwise,” Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote in ruling on a lawsuit filed by the House Judiciary Committee.
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- The Devin Nunes-Ukraine allegations, explained (The Washington Post) The House Intelligence Committee just finished hearing from a dozen witnesses, many of whom said President Trump’s allies were pushing unsubstantiated allegations about Joe Biden in Ukraine. Now, a Ukrainian American who worked with Trump attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani says he wants to testify that the top Republican on the committee was helping them dig up dirt on Biden, too. That’s the allegation now facing Rep. Devin Nunes (R, CA): that he was in on the very thing Congress has launched an impeachment inquiry into Trump over. Nunes has said stories reporting this are “demonstrably false.” This article reviews the allegation, the players, what Nunes has said about all this and what Democrats might do to look into it.
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China
- Hong Kong leader refuses to give ground after poll setback (Associated Press) See also Exclusive: China sets up Hong Kong crisis center in mainland, considers replacing chief liaison (Reuters). Hong Kong’s embattled leader Carrie Lam refused to offer any concessions to anti-government protesters despite a local election setback, saying Tuesday that she will instead accelerate dialogues and identify ways to address societal grievances. The low-key race was viewed as a barometer for public support for more than five months of pro-democracy protests. Lam said the central government in Beijing didn’t blame her for the election outcome.
Nearly 3 million voters cast their ballot in a record turnout that gave the pro-democracy bloc a landslide victory with 90% of seats and control of 17 out of 18 district councils.
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Other important articles
U.S.
- ‘Rule of law is what sets us apart’: Richard Spencer’s scathing final letter as Navy secretary (USA Today)
- Supreme Court blocks House committee from immediately reviewing Trump’s financial records (The Washington Post)
- House Dem reverses course on impeachment as polls show declining support (Fox News)
UK
- Fears child poverty may rise to record 60-year high under Tories (The Guardian) Thinktank Resolution Foundation predicts social crisis will worsen if Boris Johnson wins general election.
- Donald Trump is unpopular in Britain. That’s why he’s being used to attack Boris Johnson (CNN)
A sterling surge after the UK election could be short-lived as Brexit gets even more complicated (CNBC)
Albania
Israel
- Attorney general: Israel’s Netanyahu not required to resign (Associated Press)
Iran
India
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China
- A ‘phase two’ US-China deal looks less likely as Washington and Beijing struggle on ‘phase one’ (CNBC)
- Yale’s Stephen Roach says US manufacturers won’t move out of China so easily (CNBC)
Philippines
Australia
- Koala factcheck: have the Australian bushfires put survival of the species at stake? (The Guardian) Claims that koalas are ‘functionally extinct’ after the bushfires are overstated. But there are very real threats to their future.
Colombia
Canada
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