Nick R. Hamilton 
Commentary In the wake of the 6th plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Chairman Xi Jinping has positioned himself to remain in power beyond the norm of two terms. Xi is likely to be the leader of the Chinese regime for many years to come. Given Xi’s continued leadership, it … Read more
LONDON—A planned pan-European payments network backed by 22 banks to compete with U.S. duo Mastercard and Visa appealed on Tuesday for public money, saying its private backers were not prepared to stump up all the cash needed. The European Payments Initiative (EPI) was launched last year and is seeking to get more banks and other … Read more
U.S. sailors who have their attempt to secure an exemption to the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate rejected have five days to get a jab, according to updated guidance released Monday. If they do not, commanders will begin processing them for discharge, the Navy said. The mandate deadline is Nov. 28 for active-duty sailors. Reserves have until … Read more
Pfizer on Tuesday said it submitted a request for emergency clearance for a pill designed to treat COVID-19. The treatment, known as Paxlovid, is meant to keep COVID-19 patients with mild or moderate symptoms out of hospitals. It reduced the risk of hospitalization or death in a clinical trial, according to an interim analysis the … Read more
U.S. price inflation will remain high until the coronavirus pandemic is officially over, says Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo. Speaking in an interview with CNBC‘s Hadley Gamble at the Adipec energy industry forum in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, Adeyemo noted that President Joe Biden has tackled many issues but conceded that more work needs to be done. … Read more
There’s an old saying on Wall Street that “gaps refill.” If it’s true, there’s a good chance that the sell-off in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) is about to end. Between the close on Oct. 18 and the open on Oct. 19, shares gapped up from $141.68 to $144.63. This shows up as a blank space (or a gap) on a chart. … Read more
WASHINGTON—U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday said she would visit tribal communities over the next year as her department continues to expand its engagement with Native American tribes, which were hit disproportionately hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yellen told the second day of a White House Tribal Nations Summit that nearly 100 percent of … Read more
Commentary The U.S. government just gave the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) a victory, and violated international law, by repatriating a former bank manager to China. The repatriation will chill internal resistance in China. On Nov. 14, China’s anti-graft watchdog announced that Xu Guojun, former president of the Bank of China’s Kaiping branch, was repatriated to … Read more
LOS ANGELES—The City of Los Angeles’ ordinance banning restaurants from offering disposable utensils and napkins to customers took effect Nov. 15. The ordinance prohibits facilities from having self-service disposable foodware dispensers and from offering them to dine-in and take-out customers, except when requested. The city council approved the ordinance in April with the aim of alleviating costs … Read more