Published March 20,2019 We are very sad about the two B737 Max crashes, that occurred within a short time of each other, and our prayers for the victims and their families. It is understood that authorities in multiple jurisdictions are investigating and final result are awaited – this is only my opinion based on information available and my personal experience! I think these unfortunate crashes may be attribute to 3 areas (1) Automation and (2) Crew experience (3) Software Issue(s). (1) Automation: Issue with Software based systems – if a sensor provides a wrong input, the software will provide contradictory
Computer Secruity, Computer Security, Cybersecurity, Tech Leadership, US Federal Government Oversight
Personal Privacy – A Mirage in today’s Tech World? Call to action to protect us!
Are we giving up our privacy for convenience without thinking about the consequences? It seems that we all desire data privacy, but our actions often seem to indicate otherwise! We have always been calling for users to be careful of what they post online. My kids are familiar with my saying to them all the time “think before posting / texting / tweeting anything online… because once you do, it will stay there forever!”. It is our view that people do not fully appreciate how pervasive our online digital footprint is and the amount of information (related every aspect
Economics, Financial Markets, US Federal Government Oversight, US Fiscal Policy, US Monetary Policy, US Stock Market
Fed’s Good Call today – Thank you for signaling a more data driven, cautious and market-friendly approach
(Published January 30, 2019) We are extremely delighted and relieved, in equal measure, that the Federal Reserve held its key interest rate steady today. “The case for raising rates has weakened somewhat,” Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said at the post FOMC Meeting news conference. He also indicated that a “wait and see attitude with patience is warranted”. “The U.S. economy is in a good place, and the current policy stance is appropriate” he said, but added there’s growing evidence of “crosscurrents,” such as slowing growth in China. “In light of global economic and financial developments and muted inflation pressures, the
Computer Security, Cybersecurity, Geopolitics, Tech Leadership, US Federal Government Oversight, US National Security, World Affairs
Race to 5G Implementation: Our National Security Considerations need to be paramount
Published Dec 24, 2018 Based on what we see and read in the media, “5G” stands for fifth generation of internet connectivity. This next-generation technology promises unprecedented speeds and coverage with more stability than existing telecommunication networks. This 5G network is expected to facilitate revolutionary technologies such as “autonomous vehicles” and “smart electricity grids” and provide a quantum leap in capabilities with connected (IoT) devices just as 4G enabled us to have applications like Uber. Among various benefits being reported is the promise of 5G to support building of “smart cities” with an advanced network that connects an array
“To Raise or not to Raise (Rates) is the Question….” – Conundrum facing the Fed this month
Published December 10, 2018 “To Raise or not to Raise (Rates) is the question…” – would best describe Federal Reserve’s position, if we were to apply the Bard of Avon’s immortal quote from Hamlet, to the likelihood of hiking the Interest Rate in their December 19 FOMC Meeting. Trade war fears along with the specter of a possible economic slowdown have sent markets down significantly in the last couple of weeks. Consequently, it is reported by CME that Investors currently see a 73.2% chance of a rate hike following the December Fed meeting, while a week ago, the probability for
US Stock Market correction – Is this specific Geopolitical Event the trigger for this round of Financial Crisis?
Published December 7, 2018 We are now deeply in the middle of serious US Stock Market slide with all indices down viz. Dow, NASDAQ, S&P 500 and the stocks in firm correction territory. Based on where we are, it appears that the Bears have invaded Wall Street and the Bulls are in full retreat. The TV and Financial Press is full of analysts and experts providing various reasons for this correction. The initial cause attributed by experts to this stock market slide may be characterized as a Global Synchronized Slowdown as opposed to Global Synchronized Growth that led to frothy
Huawei’s CFO Arrest during the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires last week – Part of Chinese Leadership Internal Power Struggle?
Published December 7, 2018 We have been seeing news that Huawei Technologies Co. CFO Meng Wanzhou was detained in Canada enroute to Mexico, for possible extradition to USA. It is reported that the Trump Administration was aware of the potential impact on trade talks with China but intent on showing resolve over Chinese companies accused of violating U.S. law. Meng’s arrest is part of an ongoing investigation by U.S. prosecutors into whether Huawei violated banking laws as it sought to evade sanctions against Iran by routing a series of transactions through HSBC Holdings Plc, according to reports in Bloomberg.
Cybersecurity tips to help keep you safe(r) from “Phishermen” during this Holiday Season
Published Dec 7, 2018 We are now entering the holiday season where we expect to give Thanks for our blessing and spend more time with friends and family. This is also the season of giving and we are all busy shopping, travelling, and doing other fun things like online shopping which will require significantly more cyber activity. Hence we have prepared these cybersecurity tips to help keep you safer from the most insidious of cyber-threats during this holiday season – Phishing. When you look in your email inbox, you probably expect to see messages from family, relatives, colleagues, customers,
Federal Reserve, buoyed by stronger economy, lifts rates again. Is it time to pause further Rate Hikes? Our Appeal to the Fed
Published on Dec 20, 2017 The Federal Reserve raised short-term interest rates by a quarter point last week as the U.S. economy continues to be on get healthier. The rate hike, which was widely expected, was the third this year as Policy makers pointed to the lower number of unemployed workers, increased spending by households, and bigger investments by businesses in recent quarters. This is the fifth time the Fed has lifted interest rates since the 2008 financial crisis and will now hover in a range of 1.25% to 1.5%. Overall, rates are still historically low. The Fed put
Full Global Recovery after Great Recession of 2007 has occurred – What Next for our Trade Negotiations?
Published in Oct 2017 Based on data published by International Monetary Fund (IMF), it appears that we have successfully recovered from the Great Recession of 2007. Global Growth has picked up around the world in what is being termed as “synchronized global growth” across the globe. Hence, ten years after the Great Recession started, global economic growth is accelerating and stock markets around the world are hitting record highs. The IMF stated that “The outlook is strengthening, with a notable pickup in investment, trade, and industrial production, together with rising confidence.” However, this has been tempered with the caveat
NAFTA 2.0 Renegotiations Kickoff – Fair and Favorable to our American Interests needed urgently
Posted before NAFTA Renegotiations started on Aug 15, 2017 Bilateral negotiations between USA, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to start tomorrow to renegotiate NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) which was earlier signed into law in the 1990s. NAFTA was negotiated with the premise that countries in North America had deep relationships and North Americans compete as a block (bound competitiveness). However, in the intervening two decades, we have seen that the business landscape has undergone a sea change since the original NAFTA was negotiated when internet commerce did not exist. In the guise of an Inclusive Trade Agenda,
Confrontation with North Korea – Deja Vu?
Published Aug 12, 2017: This week we had another, by all accounts, successful ICBM Test by North Korea aka DPRK (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea), which makes it two in a row. This coupled with separate successful Nuclear Tests in earlier years, has “upped the ante” in in the Korean Peninsula and now has the potential to cross some dangerous “red lines”. It can now be surmised that North Korea is probably working on “miniaturizing” the nuclear warheads to mount them on the cone of the ICBM to perform “integrated tests” of the entire ICBM system in coming months. If / when DPRK
President Trump Effect – Campaign Promises kept in the first 150 days – A+
Published June 15, 2017 It has been about 150 days since President Trump assumed the highest office in the land and it is refreshing to see a leader keep his campaign promises. He has been diligently pursuing his set out agenda and is reassuring to see him fulfill some important conservative objectives which we have enumerated below Official US Withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership: President Trump lost no time in fulfilling one of his key campaign promises to help the suffering US Workers who when the US TR (Trade Rep) issued a letter to the signatories of the TPP
Welcome….. President Elect Trump to the Oval Office…You have a Historic Mandate from the American People
Published earlier in Dec 2016 in my earlier Blog – Ported here in Aug 2017: We are very optimistic that election of President-Elect Trump to the highest office of our country, is a great watershed moment, akin to a breath of fresh air. He truly heard the angst of the American middle class, not merely listened to them as others have done in the past, and the American People repaid him in kind, by electing him to be our President. The “Trump Wave” also resulted in the people giving him a clear mandate with control of both the Senate and House
Our Endorsement in 2016 Presidential Elections: Donald J Trump for President
Published: Oct 24, 2016 We need to ask ourselves the following questions: How come more and more of our citizens express frustration and disillusionment today with the political institutions that govern the nation? How have we fallen so much into political and policy gridlock? How have both political parties moved either left or right of the nation’s political mainstream landscape? This angst was reflected in both parties primary elections where Donald J Trump has surprised the establishment, by ignoring convention and protocol on his way to securing the Republican presidential nomination, while a long-time socialist generated throngs of enthusiastic
Wells Fargo Fake Account Scandal – Lessons for Financial Institution Leadership and Banking Regulators
Published earlier in Oct 2016 in my earlier Blog – Ported here in Aug 2017: As we have all read in the news recently, Wells Fargo & Co is currently embroiled in a fake accounts creation scandal. It is understood that this was a multiyear “scam” where millions of unrequested, fee-generating customer accounts were unearthed at Wells Fargo (WFC), a bank traditionally considered “old school” and “conservative”. The alleged misconduct was revealed when the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Los Angeles City Attorney and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) fined the bank $185 million, alleging that more
BREXIT – how did Pollsters on both sides of the Atlantic get it so wrong?
Published earlier in July 2016 in my earlier Blog – Ported here in Aug 2017: As the dust settles and UK has officially elected to leave the EU with the BREXIT referendum, an event of epic geo-political implications that has sent shockwaves across financial markets, raised doubts over the fate of the European Union and forced the British Prime Minister Prime Minister to resign. Leading up to voting day, the vast majority of polls predicted the remain side would prevail. However the final results gave the leave side a victory margin of more than one million votes. The inaccurate Brexit prediction is
Silicon Valley Tech Titans Succession Planning
Published earlier in Sep 2015 in my earlier Blog – Ported here in Aug 2017: As you may have noticed, some of the original Tech Titans, who have founded great Tech companies and have changed our lives for the better forever, are now slowly planning their retirement. We saw this earlier this year with Google appointing a new CEO while Oracle a little while ago appointed two Co-CEOs. We believe that Messrs. Larry Page, Sergei Brin and Larry Ellision would have considered what happened to Steve Jobs, earlier in the 1980s, where he lost control of Apple to Sculley, and had to
Microsoft: The Boss is back – le bon temps roulette
Published earlier in Feb 2014 in my earlier Blog – Ported here in Aug 2017: You may have seen the news recently that Microsoft will now have a new CEO in place of Steve Ballmer. This had to be done in response to Wall Street angst with the direction that MSFT has been heading under Steve Ballmer. Along with this announcement came the news that Bill Gates will now assume the new role as “Founder and Technical Advisor” and spend considerable time “assisting” the new CEO and the technical teams. Microsoft is now at a crossroads and this was an opportunity for
Why do people always vote against their economic self interest?
Published earlier in Jan 2015 in my earlier Blog – Ported here in Aug 2017: We always wonder during elections why the middle class generally vote for candidates with conservative values (right side of the aisle) while the wealthy typically vote for liberal (left leaning) candidates. We believe that this occurs because middle class voters identify more with parties with conservative values who are typically socially conservative with pro-life, pro 2nd Amendment, anti-abortion, religious with family values agenda while wealthy voters tend to gravitate towards liberal parties who have a more “progressive” agenda with a pro-choice, anti 2nd Amendment, pro-abortion and non-religious