Forbes: CEOs Sink Into Pit Of Gloom, Goldman Study Says

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Bosses in corporate America are losing faith in the future of the American economy.

How they feel about the economy has fallen to its lowest level since the financial crisis back in 2008-2009, according to a recent report from Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs. Read more here.

Photo by Mark Stuckey on Unsplash

Forbes: Burned Saudi Investors Face More Malaise Ahead As Economy Craters

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Saudi Arabia is on track for a year of extremes.

On the one hand, the country is set to sell off a small stake in its state-owned oil company Aramco at a possible valuation of up to $1.7 trillion. That could make the IPO the largest ever if the proceeds hit more than $25 billion.

That may be the highlight of 2019 in Saudi, as most other economic signals look dire. Read more here.

Bob Waters, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Korn Ferry: Merlot from Malmö

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Sure, you may enjoy bottles from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Napa Valley, and Rioja. But some innovators are banking that the next great wines may come from Sjaelland and Malmö.

A series of unusually hot summers has led some entrepreneurs to make wine in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, locales where the climate historically has been far too cold to grow vines of sufficient quality to make decent wine. Up from only a handful 15 years ago, around 150 commercial wineries across Scandinavia are breaking the mold of what it means to run a vineyard in Europe, demonstrating how the region’s leaders can innovate while playing to their strengths. Read more here.

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Briefings Magazine: Layoffs -- The New Normal

By SIMON CONSTABLE

“Here’s your next project: you’ll be eliminating 10,000 jobs in Europe,” my boss said, handing me a fat folder replete with financial data. Less than a year since graduating business school, I’d be leading the charge in this downsizing. In my role as a financial analyst, I’d have to deal with lawyers, accountants, actuaries, and many other functionaries at my employer, a multinational industrial company. Soon enough, my final report would go to the CEO and his team, presenting a plan costing hundreds of millions of dollars. And all along, my gut reaction never changed: ugh. Read more here.

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Forbes: Borrowing Binge -- World Debt Hits Record Of More Than $250 Trillion

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The world is drowning in debt.

The amount of money owed hit a record of $250.9 trillion at the end of the second quarter. Read more here.

Korn Ferry: A Big Step Toward ‘Living Wages’

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The debate keeps gaining steam—that people who earn minimum wage can’t make ends meet. Now, a voluntary program in the United Kingdom has produced a large buy-in from firms in a way that is turning heads. Read more here.

Korn Ferry: Germany’s Surprising Manufacturing Woes

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It’s been called the engine of growth for all of Europe. Only now it has stalled—big time.

Germany’s industrial sector, so reliable and critical for so many years, has hit a serious slump that experts worry could spread across the continent. According to recent figures, manufacturing output shrank for the 10th straight month in October. Worse still, there are signs that the contraction will continue for longer, with orders for new business falling for the 13th month in a row. Read more here.

Bundestag, Germany

Photo by Ansgar Scheffold on Unsplash