Even with the ongoing political and economic uncertainty, year-on-year sales growth remained around average levels in October. Macroeconomic trends continued in line with previous months, with stagnant house prices, falling real wage growth, and lower consumer credit expansion.  The final two months of 2019 are a crucial trading period for the high street, encompassing both the Christmas period and (a slightly later) Black Friday. Retailers will hope that consumer confidence can hold on until the new year despite the mixed...

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By David A. Dodge, Richard Dion, Serge Dupont, John M. Weekes, Michael Horgan and Valerie Hughes of Bennett Jones This is a special edition of the twice-yearly Bennett Jones Economic Outlook. In it, as always, we review the global economic and trade context and the short-term outlook for global and Canadian growth. In addition, we examine five key policy challenges that the Government of Canada and the minister of finance will confront and deal with in a new mandate. Government and...

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Reavis Page Jump LLP is proud to congratulate its attorneys named 2019 New York Metro Super Lawyers or Rising Stars and featured in the October publication of Super Lawyers Magazine and the Super Lawyers supplement to The New York Times.  Given to only 5 percent of attorneys in the New York Metro area, the Super Lawyers rating recognizes those esteemed by their peers for exceptional work in their practice areas. The Rising Stars distinction, awarded to only 2.5 percent of attorneys in the New York Metro area, is given to the...

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Uncertainty is the word of the moment. Uncertainty about global trade, about Brexit, about recessionary tendencies, about the situation in the Middle East, about… Yet, markets seem to have learned to cope with this environment and market participants seem to have understood that global central banks keep their expansionary monetary policies in place and are attentive to any signs of shortcoming. While we think that the FED is done for 2019, the European Central Bank’s (ECB) new asset purchase program has just...

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The board of the European Investment Bank (EIB) today agreed a new energy lending policy and confirmed the EIB’s increased ambition in climate action and environmental sustainability. “Climate is the top issue on the political agenda of our time,” said EIB President Werner Hoyer. “Scientists estimate that we are currently heading for 3-4°C of temperature increase by the end of the century. If that happens, large portions of our planet will become uninhabitable, with disastrous consequences for people around the...

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By Jacqueline Chiu, Alexa Driansky, and Ryan Poole, of AlixPartners As retail takes stock of another up-and-down year and gets ready for 2020, several key themes are emerging. In addition to the expected global economic slowdown and ongoing trade uncertainty that is likely to affect all businesses at some level in the coming year, retail is facing additional trying headwinds. Key among them is the fact that many retailers have taken on increased debt and, consequently, are needing to service...

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European companies are navigating a variety of social and equality-related issues impacting their workplaces and, according to Littler’s second annual European Employer Survey, are increasingly channeling their concerns into concrete actions. Faced with an aging workforce, rapidly evolving technology and market pressures requiring employees to do more with less, the vast majority of respondents are taking steps to support the mental health of employees. Improving workplace equality is also top of mind for European employers, with many taking greater action...

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How has Sweden managed to become a dream location for entrepreneurs and innovation despite high wages, strong unions, generous welfare, and regulated markets? What does the future of work look like in the age of digitalization and automation, and what lessons can be learned from Sweden and the US? The Seminar at Scandinavia House features: David Crouch, author of books Bumblebee Nation: The Hidden Story of the Swedish Model and Almost Perfekt: How Sweden Works and What We Can Learn From It Sarita Gupta,...

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Ogletree Deakins, one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, is pleased to announce that Scott Preston and Tiffany Hofmeister have joined the firm’s Indianapolis office as shareholder and of counsel respectively. Preston joins the firm from Jackson Lewis, where he was a principal and the Indianapolis office litigation manager. Hofmeister joins from Krieg DeVault, where she was senior corporate counsel. With the addition of Preston and Hofmeister, the Indianapolis office has grown to more than...

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On Thursday 14 November, the final three Commissioner hearings were held in Brussels for the French, Romanian and Hungarian candidates. Thierry Breton (France) and Adina Vălean (Romania) were approved by the relevant European Parliamentary Committees, while Olivér Várhelyi (Hungary) was blocked pending further scrutiny. French Commissioner-Designate Thierry Breton has gained approval from MEPs for the sizable ‘Internal Market’ portfolio. “Investing today for growth tomorrow” was key to Breton’s powerful opening speech which insisted on a vision of protection and transformation...

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