As a new week is before us, our team decided to headline our weekly Notation with a thought that struck a chord with us on what drives our continued journey of service.
It has also been a challenging week throughout the world. In the United States, inflation has reared its' ugly head, the Infrastructure Bill (Part of President Biden's Build Back Better Agenda) is due to be signed into law, President Biden's Approval continues to plummet as Mid Terms Loom with former PResident Trump continuing to exert influence. As we went to press, the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit found the Biden Admisntration mask mandate to be unconstitutional. We continue to observe ships lined in here in Southern California as they wait to unload their cargo in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach that underscores a challenging Supply Chain problem as the holidays loom.
Beyond the US, our team reviewed the latest Goldman Sachs global growth report (here noted in our Weekly notation) reflecting the challenge of a post-covid world. We also have been how Europe is struggling to contain another COVID wave as Russia hardball over gas and as a looming refugee crisis with Belarus looms. Austria will be ordering a major lockdown today.
We have also continued to assess ongoing challenges in the Middle East with the Aban Tribunal on the 2019 killings in Iran, the hostage diplomacy Iran undertaken exemplified by the continued detention of Nazanin Zargari-Radcliffe (whose husband just concluded a 21-Day Hunger Strike), as Iraq continues to grapple with the aftermath of the attempted assassination of Prime Minister Al Kazemi. We have also been assessing Pakistan (as inflation rages on and protest again Imran Khan rages) and the ongoing challenges in Afghanistan.
We have also been assessing the looming challenges in Africa as Libyan Elections loom (with the indicted son of the Ex-Dictator Ghadaffi running for President), the chaos in Nigeria, and the ongoing Islamic insurgency in the Sahel region. We have also been assessing the latest out of Tunisia as the President has seized all power. It is important to note that Tunisia is where the Arab Spring of 2009 began. There is also Ethiopia as famine looms in light of the disastrous war the Ethiopian Prime Minister launched against the Tigray People that threatens the fragile unity of Ethiopia. We have also been assessing the latest out of Asia as President XI of China looks to cement his power and as the son of the Ex-Dictator of the Philippines--A current senator--is running along with the daughter of the current President. Lastly, there is the looming election in Nicaragua as Daniel Ortega is set to win another term to cement his family's hold on power while all his opponents are either in jail or exile.
Challenging Times Indeed.....
 | Coming off a year of surging global growth and inflation, Goldman Sachs Research expects 2022 to be broadly defined by more moderate expansion and normalizing monetary policy as the world navigates the next leg of an unusual pandemic recovery. Our economists now see the Federal Reserve responding to above-target inflation with the first interest rate hike in mid-2022, joining several advanced and emerging economies that will already be well into their tightening cycles at that point. In China, the property market is likely to soften further, and macro policy looks set to ease only modestly, with policymakers doing just enough to stem major downside risks but stopping short of the level of easing in prior cycles. The combination of comparatively sluggish growth in China, a rebound in India, solid growth in Russia, and near-term acceleration in advanced economies should lead to another strong year of global expansion, with real GDP likely to rise 4.5%.
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A guide to the key elements of the agreement from the UN summit NOVEMBER 13, 2021 by FT reporters in Glasgow |
Brussels’ latest forecast suggests stronger growth will ease deficits NOVEMBER 12, 2021 by Valentina Pop |
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Governments agree to speed up climate action but fail to resolve deep divisions in Glasgow accord NOVEMBER 13, 202 Delta's summer surge by the numbers |
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Coronavirus cases are down 59% from the Delta variant's recent peak. Declining cases and the start of vaccinations for children 5 and up are promising signs at this point in the pandemic, but cases are still six times higher than they were in June. It's proven difficult to know what the future holds with this virus, but as the summer Delta surge subsides, USAFacts has six new charts for perspective on COVID-19 in the second half of 2021. Here's a sneak peek: - Alaska had the highest caseload during the four-month Delta surge, with 8% of its population infected. Maryland and Connecticut had the lightest caseloads, with just over 1% of their populations contracting COVID-19.
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- Before July, New Jersey had the country's highest cumulative COVID-19 death rate, with 297 deaths per 100,000 people. The Delta surge drove cumulative death rates in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana over 300 per 100,000 residents. By then, New Jersey had the nation's lowest COVID-19 death rate: two deaths per 100,000.
- The unvaccinated infection rate hit a Delta surge peak in the week ending August 21, when 737 out of 100,000 unvaccinated people were infected. The vaccinated infection rate that week was 121 new cases per 100,000 vaccinated people. See the chart below for cases among vaccination types.
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- The infection rate gap for vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans was the widest for those ages 12 to 17. For the week ending August 28, the weekly case rate among the unvaccinated in this group was 887 per 100,000 people. It was with 85 cases per 100,000 for vaccinated teenagers.
How are infection rates shifting for teens now? Or for the elderly? Click here for the data sorted by vaccinated and unvaccinated populations. |
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1 by Leslie Hook, Camilla Hodgson and Jim Pickard in Glasgow  |
Investor pressure on companies to be more disciplined on growth has reined in domestic oil production NOVEMBER 13, 2021 by Justin Jacobs in Houston   | |
The number of people who quit their jobs hit a record in September, according to data released by the Department of Labor on Friday. Read the full story here. PARIS — Vice President Kamala Harris said the time has passed for Democrats to reflect on the party's loss in the closely watched Virginia governor's race, one she previously called a harbinger for future elections. Read the full story here. Hunger-striking husband of aid worker imprisoned in Tehran calls meeting with British minister ‘depressing’ NOVEMBER 11, 2021 by Laura Hughes in London |
President Joe Biden needs history not to repeat itself as his administration starts coordinating with state and local governments over his much-hyped $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal. Read the full story here. |
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 | EDITORIALS By Washington Examiner |
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Premier Viktor Orban extends controls to petrol and diesel as he prepares for poll battle next year NOVEMBER 11, 2021 by Marton Dunai in Budapest |
Focus on high prices marks shift from earlier attempts to boost demand in pandemic-battered economy NOVEMBER 11, 2021 by James Politi and Colby Smith in Washington |
Rep. Jim Jordan is on the cusp of real power on Capitol Hill — if Ohio's redistricting process doesn't derail his congressional career first. Read the full story here. Falling fertility rates mean we could be preparing for the wrong future NOVEMBER 12, 2021 by Merryn Somerset Webb |
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 | US CAMPAIGN NEWS By David M. Drucker |
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 | LATEST WHITE HOUSE NEWS By Naomi Lim |
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