Brian Gongol
Competition in global markets flows both ways
Americans spend a lot of time talking about global competition as a threat. But competition flows in both directions -- witness the massive flow of investment money into the United States as the US Treasury rate has risen; that flow of investment has been negative for many emerging-market economies. Is that fair to them? Tough to say. But the net impact of the (slow) rebound in the US economy and the resulting withdrawal of government and Federal Reserve stimulus to the US economy will likely mean painful effects in smaller countries. Just as water tends to seek its own level, investment dollars tend to seek the market rate of return, no matter where that rate can be obtained. During the slowdown, emerging markets looked opportune; with the US economy doing better, the risks involved with those other economies no longer look quite rewarding enough...at least, not to people with short-term time horizons. (It is worth noting that Federal Reserve research disputes the widely-held belief in a connection between "quantitative easing" in the US and the flow of new dollars into small-nation economies. But lots of other practicians seem to disagree.)
"[G]overnment should only remove power and wealth from individuals when it has an excellent reason to do so"
The Economist defines its political stance. And it's an excellent one.
The rise of part-time jobs
And also apprenticeships. Both are reactions to disparities between what the labor market demands and what is being supplied. In the case of apprenticeships, we most certainly should expect to see further developments that seek to make the skilled trades easier to join. A very substantial shortage of skilled workers to do hands-on trade work has been hitting the Midwest hard for quite some time. Our expectations of work will continue to be challenged for a while as technology and rising living standards play tug-of-war with people's working lives.
The things pilots won't tell you but should
"If this weren't a campaign, you wouldn't have spoken that way"
The Economist reports on the debate between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her challenger, and notes Merkel's means of putting the challenger in his place.
Google retires its "Latitude" location-sharing service
Routinely and frequently sharing your location on the Internet isn't a very good idea, anyway, so this shouldn't affect a lot of lives. But this is just another example of a Google service that's been cancelled. Many others have met the same end. They really want you to use Google Plus instead.
