Emerging Markets
Turkish Lira Sinks to Fresh Low – WSJ.com
China issues fresh curbs on shadow banking
China services industry growth slows, confirms year-end cooldown
China Bond Yield at 16-Year High
Europe
Where Deflation Risks Stir Concerns – WSJ.com
Spirit of Swedish labour model under threat – FT.com
France ‘sliding back into recession’ as Spain picks up – Telegraph
Video: Chancellor George Osborne: 2014 a year of hard truths – Telegraph
Private sector adds 150,000 jobs in fourth quarter – Telegraph
“Employment growth rising at pace not seen since late 1990s according to data from respected Markit/CIPs composite purchasing managers index “
Sales fell 2.2% in December at medium-sized retailers | Business | The Guardian
Japan
Shinzo Abe unveils a concerted effort to raise Japanese workers’ pay.. – Project Syndicate
Japan’s Aging Reflects Asia’s Future – Japan Real Time – WSJ
Technology
T-Mobile to buy spectrum licenses from Verizon Wireless | Reuters
D-Link’s Tiny 802.11AC Router Turns Tethered Internet Into Usable Wi-Fi
LG Will Power 70 Percent of Its New Smart TVs With WebOS
GM begins its 4G car rollout with Chevy Corvette, Impala, Malibu and Volt
Roku TV puts a set-top box inside your television | The Verge
Taiwan’s Government Says No To Bitcoin ATMs | TechCrunch
How the NSA (may have) put a backdoor in RSA’s cryptography: A technical primer | Ars Technica
Markets
Carlyle and Fortress outline plans to tap retail investors – FT.com
Shale boom leaves investors underwhelmed – FT.com
“To be fair, the US shale boom has richly rewarded those shareholders who were smart or lucky enough to be in at the beginning. Later arrivals who picked the right companies – generally the ones such as Continental Resources and EOG Resources that focused on oil rather than natural gas – have also done well. Overall, however, the US independent exploration and production sector has achieved spectacular feats in developing shale production, but done nothing to excite its shareholders for years. Like other technological advances, the refinements in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing that made the shale revolution possible have delivered more of their benefits to consumers than to producers or investors.”
BBC News – Bitcoin crosses $1,000 on Zynga move
Bitcoin’s Future Foretold By Developer Momentum | TechCrunch
Business
Do you have to be attractive to get ahead in business? – Telegraph
“In 2013, a baby was born every 31 seconds in Japan and someone died every 25. That six-second difference helped prompt the biggest natural fall on record in Japan’s population, the latest health ministry estimates for the year show.”
North America
Vancouver condo market stays flat – The Globe and Mail
Cull the Stupid Tax Breaks – Bloomberg
Recent Mexican Reforms and the Impact on the United States-Becker – The Becker-Posner Blog
Larry Summers on the risk of bubbles and excess leverage
A Weekend of Fedspeak – Tim Duy’s Fed Watch
Al-Qaeda Takes Over Iraqi City That Cost 100 U.S. Lives 10 Years Ago | TIME.com
Forecasts
What Will Central Banking Look Like in 2014? – Real Time Economics – WSJ
“Here’s a guide to the outlook for central banks, large and small around the world. Follow the links for more:”
Eurasia Group – Top Risks 2014
“Since 2008, the world’s biggest risks have been economic. None of the feared crises was as likely to take place as expected (because of underlying political stability!), but from eurozone meltdown to fears of Chinese soft/medium/hard landings to the US debt crisis, analysts have spent the past five years worrying about how to stave off financial implosion.That’s over. In 2014, big-picture economics are stable if not yet comforting.”