Get Smart Fast — 2/4/16
Bad debts have been a drag on economic activity ever since the financial crisis of 2008, but in recent months, the threat posed by an overhang of bad loans appears to be rising. China is the biggest source of worry. Some analysts estimate that China’s troubled credit could exceed $5 trillion, a staggering number that is equivalent to half the size of the country’s annual economic output.
Sterling has dropped about 5 percent since the day before the BOE’s November inflation report, touching the lowest level since 2009 last month. Even so, the U.K. currency has rallied since then and climbed the most in almost four months on Wednesday, as signs of a slowing U.S. economy helped derail bets on diverging policies between global central banks.
The number of Islamic State fighters in Libya, Pentagon officials said this week, has grown to between 5,000 and 6,500 — more than double the estimate government analysts disclosed last fall. Rather than travel to Iraq or Syria, many new Islamic State recruits from across North Africa have remained in Libya, in militant strongholds along more than 150 miles of Mediterranean coastline near Surt, these officials said.
GoPro’s shares, which have slumped 89 percent since reaching a record in October 2014, fell another 9 percent in extended trading.
The numbers are staggering: Authorities say Ezubo defrauded more than 900,000 people out of the equivalent of $7.6 billion by promising them returns as much as 10 times higher than the official deposit rate. That would make it the largest Ponzi scheme in Chinese history.
The company updated its logo, and new rider- and partner-app icons reflect the individuality of Uber’s local markets. In place of black, gray, and blue, Uber is embracing bright colors, and lots of them. Each of 65 launch countries will receive a toolbox of new brand assets that include tailored colors and patterns, new midcentury modern illustrations, and guidelines for photography. Uber hopes to develop a more flexible brand that can grow with the company as it develops new products and attracts new customers.
With investment experience covering nearly every region around the globe, including Southeast Asia, India, Europe, Latin America, North America and Africa, I knew that FPV would fill a gap in the early stage landscape. FPV’s portfolio has offices in 10 countries around the world — in those companies headquartered outside of the United States, we partner with local investors that we trust.
Paired with the high cost of car ownership and long commute times, Southeast Asia’s high smartphone penetration is ripe for ride-hailing services like Uber and Grab. Like its partners in the anti-Uber alliance, Grab is giving its pugnacious rival a run for its money in a battle for the hearts, time, and money of Southeast Asians.
With Jasper, Cisco gets a company that understands the burgeoning Internet of Things market. While the IoT term gets bandied about quite a bit, it simply means connected machines talking to one another over the internet. This could be industrial automation equipment on a shop floor, a connected car, a connected wind turbine or even a smart thermostat.
Self-driving boats that network with each other, swarms of micro-drones that a soldier can toss into the air and small bombs outfitted with technology borrowed from smartphones. They’re all among inventions being concocted by a secretive Pentagon office.
- The Pentagon budget will not be enough
Given the threats facing the United States, defense spending should be prioritized above non-defense spending. The so-called “firewall” between defense and non-defense discretionary should be broken. Non-defense discretionary spending should be trimmed in a responsible fashion, freeing more funds for defense.
