Journalism/Media
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Puts More Money Into Business Insider – WSJ.com
Marc Andreessen’s news-business fairy tale : Columbia Journalism Review
“Marc Andreessen has some outlandish predictions about the future of the journalism business: “I am more bullish about the future of the news industry over the next 20 years than almost anyone I know. You are going to see it grow 10X to 100X from where it is today.” Sorry, but those numbers are crazy town, as Poynter’s Rick Edmonds notes.”
RT reacts to anchor Liz Wahl quitting on air — RT USA
“Ms. Wahl’s resignation comes on the heels of her colleague Abby Martin’s recent comments in which she voiced her disagreement with certain policies of the Russian government and asserted her editorial independence. The difference is, Ms. Martin spoke in the context of her own talk show, to the viewers who have been tuning in for years to hear her opinions on current events – the opinions that most media did not care about until two days ago.”
Exclusive: RT Anchor Liz Wahl Explains Why She Quit – The Daily Beast
“Liz Wahl wasn’t just disgusted by the Kremlin-funded TV network’s handling of Ukraine, she says in an exclusive interview. RT’s coverage of the entire world “made me feel sick.””
Ukraine
BBC News – Ukraine crisis: Crimea parliament asks to join Russia
Russia needs to defend its interests with an iron fist – FT.com
MUST READ. Links do not equal endorsements, however. “The disintegration of the Soviet Union was not viewed as a defeat by the Russian people, but the west treats Russia as a defeated nation all the same.”
Ukraine’s other crisis: an economy in freefall (+video) – CSMonitor.com
Putin’s Ukraine Gambit Hurts Economy as Allies Lose Billions – Bloomberg
Emerging Markets
The Trillion Dollar Question: Who Owns Emerging Market Government Debt | iMFdirect – The IMF Blog
Europe
BBC News – UK service sector growth remains strong, PMI survey says
BBC News – Eurozone business growth accelerated in February, PMI survey says
Optimism in services sector at decade high – Independent.ie
El salario medio en las grandes empresas cae un 0,7% en enero | Economía | EL PAÍS
Salaries at large Spanish companies fell 0.7% year on year in January.
España paga intereses mínimos por su deuda a medio y largo plazo | Economia | EL PAIS
Spain sold 5.004 billion euros of bonds in the three to five year maturity with record low yields. Ten year yields are now 3. 356%.
House prices rising at fastest annual rate since 2007, Halifax reports | Business | theguardian.com
Lehman creditors to recoup their money – Telegraph
Was Lehman a case of insolvency or illiquidity. I generally believe solvency was the problem. This fact that even unsecured debtors in the UK are being made whole changes the calculus. The US was a wholly different matter though.
IMF calls for ECB rate cut, quantitative easing | Reuters
North America
‘Beige Book’: Winter’s Impact Blunts Modest Growth Across U.S. – WSJ.com
ISM Data for January and February Suggest Sharp Slowing in Q1 GDP
Calculated Risk: ISM Non-Manufacturing Index decreases to 51.6 in February
“The February ISM Non-manufacturing index was at 51.6%, down from 54.0% in January. The employment index decreased sharply in February to 47.5%, down from 56.4% in January. Note: Above 50 indicates expansion, below 50 contraction. “
A Lackluster Start to the Year – Tim Duy’s Fed Watch
Banks Enriched by Junk Resist U.S. Regulator Standards – Bloomberg
Asia/Australia
Inside China’s Military Spending – China Real Time Report – WSJ
BBC News – Australians priced out of housing, report says
Japanese Officials Discuss Perceived Decline in U.S. Military Might – Japan Real Time – WSJ
Markets
Is Gold Becoming Another Regular Old Commodity? | PRAGMATIC CAPITALISM
Accessible luxury snaps at heels of mega brands | Reuters
Elsewhere
You Should Be Eating a Lot Less Sugar – Real Time Economics – WSJ
Chipotle Warns It Might Stop Serving Guacamole If Climate Change Gets Worse | ThinkProgress
Bitcoin
How the “world’s first Bitcoin bank” was robbed blind | Ars Technica