Tuesday, January 7, 2025

How to Make Greenland Great Again

If Trump really wants a stake, it would be smarter to rent than buy.
Bloomberg

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Today's Agenda

MAGA Goes to Greenland

So, let me get this straight: Donald Trump got reelected on the grounds that he would make eggs cheaper, secure the border, withdraw from global conflict and thrust the country into a new isolationist age complete with universal tariffs.

Since then, he's not only walked back his promise to lower grocery prices, he's pushed "America First" in a new, imperialist direction in order to "protect the free world." Just today, he said he will rename an entire body of water — the Gulf of Mexico! — to the Gulf of America. It's just one of the many 0ff-the-wall ideas he's floated in recent weeks, such as, "Canada could become the 51st state!" and "Perhaps we ought to take back control of the Panama Canal?" and "What about snatching up Greenland?" He even sent his eldest boy to scope out the prospects:

Although Don Jr. and his camera crew touched down in Nuuk this morning, Greenland — which is geographically part of North America but constitutionally part of Denmark — is *not* for sale. The Danish king made that abundantly clear when he revised the royal coat of arms this week. Plus, no matter what Elon Musk says, I bet the people of Greenland won't want to fork over their free health care for the headache-inducing employer-sponsored coverage the editorial board says we have in the US.

And maybe they won't have to: While Andreas Kluth says Trump's trash talk carries dangerous undertones, he's skeptical that the incoming president will actually follow through on his plans to seize Greenland, invade Panama or annex Canada. "But he wouldn't defend Ukraine either; nor, possibly, Taiwan or even Japan or Estonia," he warns (free read).

In the event that Trump is serious about redrawing America and buying the Arctic territory, Liam Denning has a question for the real estate tycoon-turned-president: "Why own when you can more profitably rent?"

Think about it, says Liam: Greenland isn't just some "beautiful" place to be bought, it's a wild, ecologically sensitive area that sits on the doorstep of climate change. The odds of Trump — a man who repeatedly denies the impact of global warming — convincing 57,000 residents to happily sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" are low.

Then there's the economics of it all: "The most promising deposits, those of rare earths, lie around Greenland's southern tip, which is below the Arctic Circle, meaning longer working seasons. Buying the whole island just to claim those would be like purchasing an entire building just so you could occasionally use the penthouse," Liam writes.

If Trump really knew the art of the deal, he'd take the easier route and rent Greenland instead. Read the whole thing for free.

Big Tech Shakeups

It's only Tuesday, but it's shaping up to be a rather hectic week for Big Tech. Here's a roundup of things on our mind:

  1. Mark Zuckerberg completed his vibe shift — which arguably began with the gold chains — by wearing a rare $900,000 watch while announcing Meta's plan to replace fact-checkers with a community note-like feature akin to the one used by Elon Musk's X. Reading between the lines, critics say he's capitulating to Trump. It's already not going well.
  2. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang pulled out all the stops for the chipmakers Las Vegas product event yesterday, including a Toyota partnership, an update for gamers and a sparkly leather jacket from Tom Ford — yours for $8,900! — but it wasn't enough for investors. Shares slid as much as 6% today, a worrying sign considering John Authers says the S&P 500 is increasingly reliant on the chip titan's performance:
  3. Apple CEO Tim Cook faces backlash as Apple Intelligence continues to generate false news alerts, from Rafael Nadal's coming-out story to Nikki Glaser's alleged death. Apple promises to update its AI in the "coming weeks," but has yet to acknowledge the errors. "These flubs might seem comical or inconsequential," writes Dave Lee, "but it would be a mistake to write the problems off as trivial, especially if you're an Apple investor."
  4. Parmy Olson spoke with Aravind Srinivas, the founder of Perplexity AI, an "answer engine" rivaling Google. With its user base growing to 15 million and valuation soaring from $1 billion to $9 billion in 2024, she calls Srinivas a "credible outsider" who could reshape online search.
  5. Last but not least, we have perhaps the one reprieve from artificial intelligence: low-skilled work. Even if automation replaces broad swaths of the workforce, Kathryn Anne Edwards says physical labor will still be needed for tasks like unloading luggage, delivering meals and providing care in hospitals and nursing homes.

Telltale Currency Charts

The economic impact of Justin Trudeau's resignation is clear: After announcing he was ending his post as prime minister of Canada after nine years, the Canadian dollar's free fall — which began when Trump was elected — ended. Where does the government go from here? "Canada must hold an election by October and is very likely to install a new right-wing government," writes John Authers. "The rest of this year promises to be chaotic as the governing Liberal Party chooses Trudeau's successor, who will then have to deal with Trump while trying to rebuild the party's chances with the Canadian electorate. Good luck with that."

The euro, meanwhile, is fast-approaching parity with the dollar. Normally, Marcus Ashworth says that would "be a competitive boon for a manufacturing export-led economy," but this time is different: "Demand from two of the European Union's main trade partners, China and Russia, is hamstrung by major domestic weaknesses and sanctions. What's worse, the weaker euro will stress the other side of the trade equation. With natural gas rising to the highest for two years, the energy import bill will likely head northward."

Further Reading

Free read: Costco thinks diversity is one reason why shoppers are so obsessed. — Beth Kowitt

With congestion pricing, New Yorkers are enjoying a faster commute. It may not last. — Tyler Cowen

Elon Musk is exploiting Europe's soft underbelly. — Lionel Laurent

Private equity wants a slice of your 401(k). — Matt Levine

How quickly is Asia's middle class growing? Not fast enough. — Karishma Vaswani

Bitcoin's roaring success is undeniable. But it's still not money. — Mark Gilbert

British retailers aren't happy about the effects of Rachel Reeves' budget. — Andrea Felsted

Democrats ought to do an autopsy on one of their favorite words of 2024: weird. — Frank Barry

ICYMI

What happens when TikTok's trend machine dies?

A scary-strong windstorm is pummeling Southern California.

JPMorgan plans to bring staff back to the office full-time.

New Jersey says bye-bye to basic reading and writing.

Kickers

A murder mystery at the South Florida airport.

Bad Bunny adds "very sexy newscaster" to his résumé.

Americans with dementia are grieving social media.

Notes: Please send rare watches and feedback to Jessica Karl at jkarl9@bloomberg.net.

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