“The 15 companies that repatriated the most after the 2004 tax break on the return of overseas profits later cut a net 20,931 jobs between 2004 and 2007 and slightly decreased the pace of their spending on research and development, found the report surveying 19 companies’ activity.”
“Even among tech companies, Apple’s rates are low. And while the company has remade industries, ignited economic growth and delighted customers, it has also devised corporate strategies that take advantage of gaps in the tax code, according to former executives who helped create those strategies.”
“Nationwide, charter schools reported an average graduation rate of 70 percent. Hawaii, Arizona, Indiana, Ohio and California have the highest percentages of low-graduation-rate charter high schools.”
“Examining the stories of successful startup businesses finds each co-founder often brings something special to the table that allowed the company both to get off the ground and then thrive.”
“In real terms, the US policy rate had been negative since 2008 (Graph 1, left-hand panel). The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) signalled that the shortfall of inflation below its 2% objective, and uncertainty surrounding economic conditions more broadly, were expected to warrant only gradual increases in the federal funds rate. Nonetheless, the decision marked a turning point in an era of extraordinary monetary accommodation.”
Airbnb’s current market valuation is set at $25 billion: fortunes will be made or lost based on the company’s ability to make its business acceptable to the cities and countries in which it operates. The company’s lobbying and PR efforts in cities across North America and around the world talk repeatedly of regular people occasionally sharing their own home (hence hosts with just one listing, or “single-lister hosts”).
“But, as Musk’s above-quoted statement suggests, the rise of AI has so far occurred in a regulatory vacuum. With the exception of a few states’ passage of legislation regarding autonomous vehicles and drones, very few laws or regulations exist that specifically address the unique challenges raised by artificial intelligence, and virtually no courts appear to have developed standards specifically addressing who should But, as Musk’s above-quoted statement suggests, the rise of AI has so far occurred in a regulatory vacuum. With the exception of a few states’ passage of legislation regarding autonomous vehicles and drones, very few laws or regulations exist that specifically address the unique challenges raised by artificial intelligence, and virtually no courts appear to have developed standards specifically addressing who should be held legally responsible if an AI causes harm.”
“While the non-oil private sector is relatively small in Saudi Arabia, it has potential to drive much of the growth. Already during the 2003–13 period, the non-oil private sector outperformed the economy as a whole, albeit starting from a low base. It grew at about 10 percent annually, much faster than the overall 6 percent GDP growth rate. Growth was broadly based, with consumption-based sectors such as transport, communications, retail and wholesale trade, and business services growing the fastest.”
In early 2015, 120.8 million adults were in middle-income households, compared with 121.3 million in lower- and upper-income households combined, a demographic shift that could signal a tipping point, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of government data.1
Fiscal Intelligence 