Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Mar 12, 2018 (II)

choi

(2) Brooke Sutherland and David Fickling, America's Biggest Losers in a Trade War.

Note:
(a) summary underneath the title in print: Trump may love Boeing and Caterpillar, but they and other US corporations will be hurt by tariffs on steel and aluminum
(b) There is no need to read the text. A bar chart in the article shows:

"US companies that reported more than %5 billion in revenue from China* in their last fiscal year

Apple ($44.8b)> Intel (14.8)> Qualcomm (14.6)> Boeing (11.9)> Micron Technology (10.4)> Broadcom** (9.5)> Las Vegas Sands (7.8)> Flex (7.2)> Texas Instruments (6.6)> Procter & Gamble (5.2).

* China revenue figures exclude companies that report Chinese revenue as part of larger Asian total, such as Caterpillar, Inc
** Incorporated in Singapore
Data compiled by Bloomberg"

(3) Lisa Du and Yuko Takeo, Automation's Bleeding Edge.

Quote:

"Convenience stores are ubiquitous Japan, numbering 55,310 as of January, according to the Japan Franchise Association. In total, they account for almost 17 percent of retail food and beverage sales.

"The national unemployment rate has dropped to a 25-year low of 2.4 percent

"The country's working-age population is shrinking: It fell to 76 million in January, from a peak of 87 million in January 1997.

My comment:
(a)
(i) summary underneath the title in print: Japan's convenience stores are experimenting with labor-saving technologies. Will consumers buy in?
(ii)
(A) buy in
"1: [literal] to make a financial investment in a business or similar venture
2: [figurative] to believe in and support an idea, concept, or system"
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc
https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/buy+in
(B) buy in: "British : to buy a large amount of (something)  <Be sure to buy in a lot of tinned food in case we're snowed up>"
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buy%20in

(b) There is no need to read the text.
(c) The article does not say many innovations. One it does mention is radio-frequency identification technology (RFID), but acknowledges its cost, besides: "A little red triangle warns customers to remove the [RFID] stickers before using a microwave -- they [sticlers] contain metal, which could spark explosion."

Why not plain old bar codes?

choi

(4) Andrey Biryukov and Evgenia Pismennaya, Cn Putin Make Russia Great Again?
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/a ... e-s-losing-russians

Quote:

"For many [Russians], the pain of the most recent recession—which at seven quarters was the longest of Putin's rule—lingers. Video simulations showing new missiles seemingly targeting Florida got most of the attention at Putin's state of the nation address on March 1, but he actually devoted more of the speech to promising to lift living standards that are lower than they were during his last campaign [in 2012].

"Putin's ambition at the start of his 18-year rule [prime minister 1999-2000; president 2000-2008; prime minister 2008-2012; president 2012- (in 2011, presidency was extended from 4 to 6 years): en.wikipedia,org for Putin] was to overtake Portugal in living standards—a milestone that looks increasingly out of reach. Incomes more than doubled in the first decade of his tenure, but they've stalled and are roughly where they were in 2010.

"With little prospect for another big runup in oil prices or an easing of Western sanctions, the Kremlin’s options for igniting growth are limited. The central bank estimates the best Russia can hope for is 1.5 percent to 2 percent a year. Among the factors holding back the economy are a shrinking workforce and years of underinvestment.

Note:
(a) summary underneath the title in print: A promised surge in government spending may not be enough to halt economy's slide
(b) The online version is identical to print.
(c) Regarding quotation 1.
(i) Anna Andrianova, Russian Recovery Sputters as Economy Continues Slog After Crisis. Bloomberg, May 17, 2017 ("GDP, which contracted for seven quarters before growing in the last three months of 2016").
(ii) Russia experienced great recession in 2008-2009 (in part due to its invasion of Georgia, Aug 7-12, 2008, which resulted in sanction imposed by George W Bush that was lifted by Obama in 2010). Russia pumped hundred of billions (in US dollars) into its economy but could not prevent negative GDP growth in the first two quarters of 2009 (recession lasted only two quarters that time, but was very deep)..
(d) CIA World Factbook (all 2017 estimates):
Portugal (population 10.9m; GDP per capita (PPP) $30,300)
Russia (population 142m; GDP per capita (PPP) $27,900)