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.

Photo by James Yarema on Unsplash

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

Forbes: Venezuela Sinks Further Into Oblivion — Debt Level Doubles Over One Year

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Venezuela’s human-made economic calamity just took a turn for the worse. The country’s national debt is now almost double the level of the GDP. At the end of the second quarter, total borrowing hit 198.4% of GDP, up from 102.8% a year earlier, according to a recent report from the Washington D.C.-based think tank, the Institute of International Finance. Read more here.

Sinking Ship

Photo by Felipe Labate on Unsplash

TheStreet: Buy Freeport McMoRan to Profit From Thawing U.S.-China Relations

By SIMON CONSTABLE

If you want to profit from a possible end to the U.S.-China trade war, then buy shares in U.S.-based copper miner Freeport McMoRan.

"Freeport is a buy because I believe we get a China deal," said Adam Johnson, author of the financial newsletter Bullseye Brief. Read more here.

Copper mine

Photo by Victor on Unsplash

WSJ: What Is ‘Investor Positioning’?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Little sparks the interest of investors more than insight into where the market will move next. That’s why you will hear Wall Street pros talk about “investor positioning.” In the simplest terms, it refers to readings of whether professional investors are collectively bullish or bearish on a particular asset class. At certain times, these readings can help signal a future move in prices. Read more here.