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On Freeters and Other Exotic Creatures in a Land of Plenty
The sustainability of Japan’s society is in doubt for various reasons, writes Wim Romeijn. China, Europe, and even the United States are all said to be at risk of “Japanification”: a protracted malaise of low growth, low inflation, low interest
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China Syndrome: A Wilting Economy, Financial ‘Long-Covid’, a Collapsing Property Sector — and the Spectre of Deflation Hovering Nearby
The global economy is supported by four pillars; two are wobbly, reports Wim Romeijn, and one is being rebuilt. The first in a series of four CFI.co investigations… The world’s major economies are facing up to an era beset by
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Inverted Yield Curves and Central Bankers Pull Focus to the Tetons as BRICS Founders
Another day, another financial event — the 46th US Federal Reserve Summer Symposium — for Wim Romeijn to ponder… As BRICS leaders discuss ways to challenge US hegemony and overthrow the mighty dollar as the global reserve currency, the minders
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South Africa Looks on While Brazil and India Face Off China and Russia
Johannesburg BRICS Summit (22-24 August 2023) Is the Johannesburg summit anything more than just a chatgroup meeting for importers and exporters? Wim Romeijn reports. A champion of moderation, and its own interests, India seems determined to thwart plans by Russia
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Argentina Looks to Eccentric Outlier For an Economic Fix
A far-Right libertarian candidate has burst from nowhere to claim centre stage in Argentina’s election race. Javier Milei, a 52-year-old, self-described “anarcho-capitalist”, wants to shutter Argentina’s inept central bank, replace the long-suffering peso with the US dollar, abolish all but
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Behold the New War: Same as the Old War, but it Comes with an App
On the battlefields of Ukraine, massive military kit is trumping technology, reports Wim Romeijn. On the undulating plains of eastern Ukraine, tech wizardry powers and shapes a lethal cat-and-mouse game. Here, loss of human life and the destruction of military
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Oh Dear: The Sound of Your Keystrokes Could Leave You Wide-open to a Cyberattack
A simple video call could open your laptop to hackers, experts warn… University researchers have created an AI system to decipher words from the sound of typing — with more than 90 percent accuracy. That remarkable achievement comes with an
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Trusting AI in International Trade — the Road to Failure, or the Future?
Lord Waverley dons his techie hat and has a closer look at the potential applications of artificial intelligence… Generative AI is vital to national interest, regional prosperity, and tackling shared global challenges. It can help to grow economies, quickly and
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AI Set to Drive Nail in Coffin of Long Stagnation
From Excited to Ecstatic: Expectations of AI Drive Perception Recognised as one of the world’s most prestigious management consulting firms, though no stranger to controversy, McKinsey & Company is quite sanguine about the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) to the
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Data-Sharing: Privacy Agreement to Limit Prying by US Intelligence
Europeans can now complain if they think intelligence services gathered their data — and it’s business as usual for tech firms. The EU Commission and the US are creating a data privacy framework to ease concerns over the sharing of
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