11/30/17 Spain - Economy: Barcelona port container traffic rises by historic 36%

The third quarter of 2017 was the best ever seen for container traffic for the Barcelona port, which grew by 36.8%.

Total port traffic surged by 31.2%. The port authority said that the increase was due to a sharp acceleration in traffic that began in early 2017. Container traffic rose by 31% from January to September: a total of over 2.2 million TEU.

All cargo transport sectors did well during the quarter, with trans-shipment rising by a whopping 129.8%. Foreign trade continued growing, with imports up by 9.3% (434,146 TEU) and exports by 3.5% (523,326 TEU). As concerns markets,

Asian countries saw the most growth in trade, especially the UAE at +11.3%. Trade with China also rose (+9.6%) as well as with South Korea (+14.2%), India (+13%), Japan (+10%) and Vietnam (+6.2%). Growth in ro-ro (ferry) traffic rose, which affects trade especially with Italy and North Africa, rising by 6% in the first nine months of the year.

Passenger traffic rose by 2.7% in the nine months in question at the Barcelona port, with a surge in passengers on ferries from Italy, the Balearic Islands and North Africa, rising by 11.4%. The number of cruise ships docking at the port fell by 1.9%.

EU-Digest

U.S. Economic Forecast: Growth of the economy to continue through 2018

For the first time since the middle of 2014, the US economy has sustained 3 percent growth for two consecutive quarters, providing strong momentum into next year. The current Conference Board forecast calls for 2.8 percent growth during the final quarter of 2017 and 2.5 percent growth in 2018.

This would represent the economy’s best 2-year run since 2005.

Business investment has awakened from the doldrums this year, rising by more than 4 percent after falling into negative territory in 2016. Confidence in the manufacturing sector has been especially strong.

The composition of growth supports a long-term improvement in productivity. Capital equipment has risen at an 8.7 percent annual rate during the past two quarters, while investment in warehouse structures is up more than 20 percent since the end of last year. These investments demonstrate a renewed firm commitment to increased efficiency.

Consumer spending eased a bit in the third quarter, but with The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index still strong and housing prices rising, expect a robust holiday season.

One encouraging sign was the pickup in motor vehicle spending thanks to renewed demand following the two hurricanes. Should employment growth rebound quickly from last month’s storm related decline, tighter labor markets should translate into a renewed wage acceleration which could boost spending late this year or into 2018. The possibility of federal income tax cuts could do the same.

The economy enters 2018 in good position to maintain strong growth from 2017.

Current Fed chair Janet Yellen and new Fed chair nominee Jerome Powell may raise rates slightly faster as a result. These expectations have led long-term rates to rise modestly.

The dollar has also started strengthening since early September after weakening through much of 2017, creating less favorable terms of trade. Higher capital costs and the possibility of a less supportive external environment for growth have not rattled the market yet.

With growth prospects strong for 2018, profits should grow robustly as well, rewarding those businesses that increase investment levels.

Read more: U.S. Forecast | The Conference Board

USA: SHOP TILL YOUR TABLET RUNS OUT OF JUICE: Cyber Monday was largest online shopping day in US history - by Lauren Thomas

Digital transactions on Monday reached a record $6.59 billion, Adobe Insights unveiled Tuesday in its final update on the holiday weekend.

That marks a 16.8 percent increase from a year ago, and makes Monday the largest online shopping day in U.S. history.

Mobile also had a record day, Adobe found, saying smartphones have become the "de facto device" for on-the-go shopping. Mobile sales on Cyber Monday reached $2 billion for the first time.

"This year, mobile shopping was dominant both in the morning and afternoon, and desktop only staged a comeback in the evening when people were home," Taylor Schreiner, director of Adobe's Digital Insights division, said.

Adobe measures 80 percent of online transactions from 100 major U.S. retailers.

European Health Systems: Not enough prevention: EU health systems report

Only 3 per cent of EU countries' health budgets is spent on prevention, with 80 per cent spent on treatment of diseases, the EU Commission reported on Thursday in a set of 28 'country health profiles'.

The reports, along with a 'companion report', suggest a rethinking of European health systems is needed to 'ensure they remain fit-for-purpose and provide patient-centred care'
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"We need better access to primary care so that the emergency room isn't people's first port of call," said Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis: "And we need to enshrine health promotion and disease prevention into all policy sectors to improve people's health and reduce pressure on health systems."

The reports provide an in-depth analysis of EU Member States' health systems.

Read more: Not enough prevention: EU health systems report — EUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politics

Global Military Spending: Which country spent the most on its military last year?

US military spending in 2016 topped that of China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, India, France, UK, Japan, Germany and South Korea combined 

Global military spending in 2016 totalled $1.69 trillion, according to the SIPRI.

The top 10 countries accounted for 73 percent of this total, they were: The USA, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, India, France, UK, Japan, Germany and South Korea.

US military spending surpassed that of the other top eight countries combined, with the rest of making up only 27 percent of the figure.

Note EU Digest: This is scandalous with so many people living in poverty around the world. Bottom line: use of weapons creates only more chaos and disaster. 

Read more: Which country spent the most on its military last year? | Euronews

Germany: Chancellor Angela Merkel moves left as German politics realign

Earlier this year, with the far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) coming off a string of regional election triumphs, most observers expected Angela Merkel to become more conservative. Some within her own parliamentary bloc indeed demanded she do just that. But the opposite has happened. If anything, the chancellor and the CDU-CSU have maneuvered further left.

Part of the reason is the dictates of electoral numbers. The results of the September 24 national election meant that, with the extremes of the AfD and the Left party being deemed off-limits, Merkel's only viable coalitions involve either the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) or the left-wing environmentalist Greens. There is no non-left path to power.

But changes to political culture and Merkel's own personal inclinations have also encouraged realignment and effectively shifted the center further to the left. It was part of the accepted wisdom in Germany in the last 30 years that the conservatives' natural allies were the business-friendly Free Democratic Party (FDP), which has leaned towards the conservatives as coalition partner since the early 1980s, but had been in a coalition with the SPD before that.

Read more: Chancellor Angela Merkel moves left as German politics realign | In Depth | DW | 24.11.2017

USA: Looking Into the Crystal Ball: 22 Predictions for 2018

1. The artificial intelligence (AI) hype bubble will burst.

2. Face-to-face interactions will increase.

3. More beauty consumers will move to Indie brands.

4. Mental health house calls will become more common.

5. The money will be in the 35-plus demographic.

6. More people will strive for simplicity.

7. "Big Data" will become "Big Fresh Data."

8. Trust will be tech's biggest hurdle.

9. Artificial intelligence (AI) will drive smart video meetings.

10. The divide between machine learning (ML) haves and have nots will grow.

11. Cybersecurity will be table stakes for executive competency.

12. Ownership will decrease.

13. The subscription model will become standard for all industries.

14. Enterprises will think smaller.

15. Corporate America will increase its role in our political, legal and social lives.

16. Consumers will expect more voice controls.

17. Reach and scalability will continue to remain vexing problems.

18. Data will take the gossip out of the real estate industry.

19. Machine learning will begin to transform business at every scale.

20. Expect to see even more data-driven hires and acquisitions.

21. The tech industry will continue its transformation into an experience business.

22. Wellness will play an even larger role across all industries.

Details: read more click here: Looking Into the Crystal Ball: 22 Predict