Review

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin In his wonderful book American Happiness and Its Discontents , George Will wrote that Founding Father John Adams began each day with a tankard of beer. The anecdote read as incongruous. How could Adams have been so productive in light of how his days commenced? In a subsequent conversation with the author, he underscored that the U.S. was formerly a “drinking nation,” which we both marveled at for it not mirroring the present. This came to mind while reading Alex Epstein’s essential and excellent new book, Fossil Future: Why Global Human Flourishing Requires More Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas – Not Less . Epstein seemed to unearth the why behind Adams’s prodigious early morning drinking: unhealthy water. As Epstein writes about a third of the way through what will now be referred to as Fossil , “Drinking water for most people at most times, has been naturally dirty and or distant.” While the idealistic among us … [Read more...] about Book Review: Alex Epstein’s Excellent and Essential ‘Fossil Future’

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The first book I ever read on public policy was Compassion Versus Guilt . A collection of columns by the great Thomas Sowell, it was what I regularly referred to on all questions economic toward the end of high school, in college, and well beyond. I have it to this day, and it informs my thinking to this day. In many ways Sowell’s collection is a look back in time. Thanks to the internet, these kinds of compilations aren’t as common nowadays. This is unfortunate, but at the same time some writers are so prominent and popular that they still rate this kind of publication. Washington Post columnist extraordinaire George Will is one of them. Thank goodness. His latest collection of essays, American Happiness and Discontents: The Unruly Torrent 2008-2020 is nothing short of spectacular . Though a little under 500 pages, I read it in a few sittings so unputdownable was it. Every column had me wanting more, which meant a … [Read more...] about Book Review: With His Thoroughly Brilliant ‘American Happiness and Its Discontents,’ George Will Outdoes George Will

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Week in Review Asian equities saw another week of turbulent trading, with growth stocks seeing the brunt of the selling pressure on increasing concerns about global growth and monetary policy. Trip.com and other travel-related stocks rallied early in the week as Hong Kong and Macau scrapped quarantine requirements for visitors. Mainland China is expected to follow suit by shortening the duration of requisite visitor quarantines. The National Health Commission on Tuesday announced that it would provide loans to hospitals for medical equipment upgrades, sending many health care stocks higher. The US dollar’s rise appears to be peaking though the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) continues to make it more difficult to short the Yuan, protecting the currency’s value against the dollar. Key News Asian equities closed lower following yesterday’s US equity market meltdown except for India, after the Reserve Bank of … [Read more...] about PMIs & Real Estate In Focus, Week In Review

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin By Cathy Ward, Chief Operating Officer, SAP – Asia Pacific, Japan It may have originated in pulpy science fiction novels, but the idea of the multiverse – the notion that multiple parallel universes actually exist – has gained scientific and philosophical credence in recent years. As cosmologist George Ellis said, “Parallel universes may or may not exist; the case is unproved … As sceptical as I am, I think the contemplation of the multiverse is an excellent opportunity to reflect on the nature of science and on the ultimate nature of existence: why we are here?” It struck me that concept is actually very similar to how businesses plan for uncertainty. Because the past is no longer a reliable guide to our future, now is the time leaders have to prepare ourselves, our teams, and our businesses for multiple and diverse possibilities. That’s why we recently sponsored new research by Harvard Business Review … [Read more...] about Business In The Multiverse: How To Plan For Every Different Future

- A + A BENGALURU (Sept 30): Emerging Asian currencies inched higher on Friday (Sept 30) as the US dollar remained subdued, with the Chinese yuan firming after a report that the country's major state banks were told to stock up the yuan to stem its descent against the greenback. Reuters reported that the People's Bank of China (PBOC) had instructed state banks to ask their offshore branches to review their holdings of the offshore yuan and ensure US dollar reserves were ready to be deployed, the scale of which could be rather big. The yuan reversed early losses to climb 0.5%. The Indonesian rupiah climbed 0.2%, while the South Korean won and Taiwan dollar also edged higher. The dollar index, meanwhile, continued to hover near one-week lows. "Stabilisation measures can help to restore market confidence and act as speed bumps to slow the pace of local currency's depreciation," said Christopher Wong, currency strategist at OCBC. "However, these efforts may only … [Read more...] about Asian currencies climbs on subdued US dollar, stocks slump on growth woes

Foreign Affairs Sec. Enrique Manalo FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said on Wednesday that the country’s treaties with its allies, especially the United States (US), needed to be updated to adapt to the contemporary circumstances. During the Commission on Appointments committee on foreign affairs’ hearing on Manalo’s designation, Senator Risa Hontiveros inquired if updating the treaties with other nations is necessary. “Do you think our treaty relations with the United States — and perhaps even our other allies — should be updated to reflect the new reality or realities surrounding the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), so-called gray-zone tactics in our ocean to reflect those new realities?” Hontiveros asked Manalo. The chief answered: “Yes, your Honor. I think you were really on the correct path that we agree that our relations, of course, should always be constantly updated, especially nowadays.” “For example, in the case of the US MDT … [Read more...] about DFA’s Manalo believes treaties with allied nations need update

Banking circles on Thursday were abuzz with talk of an imminent acquisition of Gokongwei-owned Robinsons Bank Corp. by Zobel-led Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI). The Zobel group’s Ayala Corp. is actively selling noncore assets but that doesn’t mean it’s shying away from attractive deals, especially those within its core expertise such as banking. We’re told the announcement of the “merger” could happen as early as today, with BPI ending up as the surviving entity. This could also open a slew of new services for loyal clients of Robinsons Bank, which is owned by JG Summit Holdings and Robinsons Retail Holdings. —Miguel R. Camus CFO swap It’s typical of diversified conglomerates to rotate its key talents to broaden their experience, especially those at the C-suite level. As part of its “great transformation” to be the Philippines’ first “techglomerate”—one that ditches the traditional corporate framework in favor of an agile startup culture—Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) … [Read more...] about BIZ BUZZ: ‘Robinsons Bank of the Philippine Islands’

Ashutosh Sharma, Head of Investment for India, Prosus Ventures Prosus Ventures, an investor in some of India's prominent consumer tech unicorns such as Swiggy, Meesho, PharmEasy and Byju's , is now seeking deals in the business-to-business (B2B) and software as a service (SaaS) space as well, a top executive said, signifying a shift in strategy. B2B and SaaS firms spend lesser money and generate revenues early on, factors that could be playing on Prosus' (previously Naspers) mind as caution kicks in after a year of excess in India's startup ecosystem. The global technology investment firm has also started participating in early-stage funding, although it insists that cheque sizes of $50–60 million and above remain its sweet spot. In an interview with Moneycontrol , Ashutosh Sharma, Prosus Ventures’ Head of Investments for India, talks about corrections in start-up valuations, the business models of its portfolio firms Meesho and PharmEasy and its investment strategy. … [Read more...] about We’re late to the SaaS party, but we’ll continue to make more investments there: Prosus Ventures’ India Head

Illustration: Suneesh In February this year, 28-year-old Shivam, a computer operator at a government office in Madhya Pradesh, was looking at ways to upskill as he sought a job that paid better than the Rs 10,000 a month he earned. He came across a YouTube advertisement of Relevel, operated by SoftBank-backed edtech unicorn Unacademy. Relevel operates on a unique selling proposition—enable job seekers to take a test and secure a job in under 15 days of clearing the test. Shivam (name changed) immediately applied for an ‘HR & Talent Acquisition Specialist Test’ of Relevel. It was free and guaranteed a package of as much as Rs 10 lakh per annum for successful candidates. The Relevel Test has often been marketed by Unacademy CEO Gaurav Munjal on Twitter as ‘absolutely free and one that guarantees a job if you clear it.’ Your degree doesn’t matter. You could get your dream job irrespective of educational background by clearing this test, Munjal said. Too good to be … [Read more...] about A difficult candidate test, broken job promises and refund dispute: Unacademy’s Relevel comes under fire

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Not all supplements are the same, Henrietta Norton argues. Over ten years ago, she had the idea of a food-based supplement company, Wild Nutrition . She started it in her garden shed; today, it’s selling across the UK and Europe, and now hoping to make more of an impression in the US market. Trained as nutritionist, Norton was formulating supplements for British and European brands in 2010. While working for commercial supplement companies, she also advised individuals in a one-on-one setting with their specific concerns. Seeing hundreds of women in her private clinic, she started focusing on women’s health, particularly hormonal health. Meanwhile, Norton had been writing a book on endometriosis. When her editors asked her to make recommendations for readers on what supplements could help, she was stuck. “I just couldn’t make any recommendations with integrity. That’s when I knew I had to create them.” Food-based … [Read more...] about British Brand Works To Transform The Supplement Industry