New Zealand Needs Skilled, e.g., Sex Workers

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in at 4/26/2018 11:46:00 AM
Me love you long time in Kiwi-land. Believe me, I was looking for something else when I found this rather amusing news story from the New Zealand Herald. Prostitution being legal in New Zealand, it turns out that their immigration authorities recognize sex workers and escorts as "skilled workers" going by the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO). It determines who gets how many points. That is, they use a point-based system for determining immigration: Would-be migrants can claim valuable points as skilled sex workers or escorts, according to information on Immigration NZ's (INZ)...
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70s Redux: Stagflation, Trade Wars & More

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in , at 4/20/2018 09:27:00 PM
US spars with Russia and China, oil spikes, stagflation returns...whaddya mean we're not in the 70s? The Trump administration's combative attitude towards China and Russia make it seem as though the 70s never really went away. The Chinese stand accused of using nefarious means to enhance state capabilities--by undermining pillars of Western capitalism like technology to their own benefit. Meanwhile, the Russians are accused of engaging in all sorts of underhanded actions to destabilize countries aligned with the United States. You sure it's not 1979? While Russia is a shadow of its former Soviet self, China is set to overtake...
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Should the World Bank Still Lend to China?

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in , at 4/16/2018 01:17:00 PM
There's an interesting behind-the-scenes discussion going on at the World Bank about the Chinese still receiving loans from the development lender. Not only is a country well on its way to becoming the world's largest economy still borrowing, but it's actually the largest borrower at its International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) arm, which charges at market rates plus a relatively small spread. From the Financial Times: China was the IBRD’s top borrower last year, according to the World Bank, with $2.4bn in funds committed. That was 11 per cent of the IBRD’s lending and more than it committed to education...
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Mad Donald and 'Rejoining' Trans-Pacific Partnership

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in at 4/13/2018 12:54:00 PM
Why would CPTPP members bother aggravating themselves with Trumpified FTA negotiations all over again? In an earlier post discussing the "renegotiated" Korea-US free trade agreement, I told you that you're better off following Trump's various dalliances with card-carrying members of the adult entertainment industry in search of something substantial. We now receive news that, during a talk with lawmakers from rural states worried about an American trade war with China, Trump sought to calm them by not only claiming that one is not inevitable but also that he's looking into rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)....
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From US-China to World Trade War, Auto Edn

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in , at 4/07/2018 03:25:00 PM
If you want yourself beaten up in world trade, the Trump administration has the best example...in automobile trade. Apparently not done after baiting China--supposedly, Trump now wants to apply 25% tariffs on $150B instead of "only" $50B worth of PRC-sourced goods--we receive news that the Great American Leader now wants to punish the Europeans, too. The circumstances of this forthcoming trade bust-up are even more unbelievable if you think about them. Let me explain. Recently, the Trump administration has proposed rolling back environmental regulations the previous Obama administration set on automobiles to benefit American...
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From US-China to World Trade War, Farm Edn

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in , at 4/07/2018 03:01:00 PM
Trump may start a chain of events wherein soybeans become the casus belli for world trade war. The usually-reliable trade commentator Chad Bown, currently of the Petersen Institute of International Economics, has identified the way an American-Chinese tit-for-tat trade spat can become a wider conflict involving the rest of the world. It is no big secret that the PRC is now taking aim at constituencies very loyal to Trump. Namely, agricultural regions of the United States. In my most uncharitable moments, I'd simply say "you get what you deserve" for voting for Trump and leave it at that. However, there are additional nuances...
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US-China Trade War: Ready, Aim

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in at 4/04/2018 03:40:00 PM
Dragging the world economy into his idiocy: Trump unleashed in the international political economy. I'll offer short commentary here since it's been largely anticipated. Yesterday, the United States Trade Representative lifted some of the fog of trade war I talked about earlier by unveiling a list of China-originated products targeted for 25% tariffs in line with its Section 301 findings. The USTR originally suggested $50B worth of goods to be targeted; Trump himself increased the amount to $50B. There was some (false) hope before that the US and China could pre-negotiate a less extensive list, but the equity markets were...
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Visit USA? You Must Be Joking Pt I

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in at 4/03/2018 04:53:00 PM
Avast ye coloreds! You're not wanted in Trumpland...go back to your s__thole country, etc. There's good stuff over at Politico on how the number of visas to the United States--including the tourist visas I am emphasizing here--has fallen significantly since Trump became president.  No real explanation is required about why this is happening since his bigotry knows few bounds--against people of dissimilar color, creed, gender, gender identity, or other non-Trumpian elements. In short, if you're not a white male, you're not wanted in Trump's America. I will have more on the reduction of tourism to the United States--its...
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