How the deal was done

Official Chinese account of the negotiation of the accord at Copenhagen, emphasising, of course, their own role:

Two strikes from recession, not three

"The challenge for the government now is that whereas Hawke and Keating had ’86 terms of trade, ’87 stock market crash, ’90 recession, we’ve had all three, in effect, within the space of about a year and all feeding off each other in various kind of negative synergy ways." Extract from Business Spectator interview with Finance…

Chinese savings rate & the gender balance

Tea leaves

If this is not merely a temporary effect of the stimulus but the start of a long-term shift of industrial production away from China's coast it would not be a surprise to find that it was oriented more strongly toward supplying domestic demand than export markets. Transport and handling costs, for example, would make domestic markets…

Risk and liberty

Interesting new book "What Price Liberty" from UK academic, Ben Wilson. You can download the book from the publishers (Faber & Faber) from now until 4 June for whatever price you think it's worth.