May 25, 2024

I read about the renewed focus on U.S. Indo-Pacific policy amid an era of strategic competition with China and the upcoming Biden-Trump election contest. A new book titled “Lost Decade” argues that the United States needs to embark on a “new and enveloping Pivot to Asia” to address challenges in regional engagement. The authors argue that the U.S. needs to acknowledge its multi-region interests, Asia’s significance, and China’s challenge to American interests.

There is also a discussion about the level and distribution of U.S. commitment to Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific, and how that positions Washington in its competition with Beijing as it develops its regional approach. The book evaluates the bid to boost U.S. commitment through assessments of metrics across security, economic and diplomatic domains as well as relative to Europe and the Middle East.

In other news, the future economic growth is seen as hinging on immigrants and the need for foreign-born workers to staff up due to the declining birthrate. This is seen as a major political and vital economic issue, with implications for the U.S. economy. Additionally, Cathie Wood has observed a Great Depression-like search for safety in the stock market. There is also a mention of a significant acquisition by European private equity firm Hg of Southern California provider of audit and risk management software, AuditBoard, for over $3 billion.

In the world of finance, there are several significant events happening. Astorg is preparing an auction for French food ingredients maker Solina, with a potential value of up to €4b. In another development, DraftKings has completed its $750m cash purchase of lottery ticket app Jackpocket. Additionally, EQT is considering a minority stake sale for waste management company Reworld, with a potential valuation of over $8b including debt.

Stay Well!