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evien-stark · 4 years

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✧I Need You✧ Chapter 57

You weren’t sure how you made it back up to the penthouse. A miracle, really, considering it felt like you were on the verge of collapse. But the team still had a job to do, and no one looked like they were ready to quit. So you couldn’t, either. Aside all that… you really needed the peace of mind that Loki was going to be going away in cuffs. After everything he’d done, not just to you, but to everyone, there would be no rest until you saw the absolute end to it all.

By the time the team got up there, he was just starting to rouse from his Hulk induced knock out. And while he was pushing himself to sit up, everyone drew weapons on him. It seemed a little silly, the seven of you gathered around him in a semi-circle, all powered up and ready to go even though the battle was about as over as it was going to get. He looked up with a confused and then sheepish expression.

“If it’s all the same to you… I think I’ll have that drink now.” Completely subdued, and trying for humorous. Really unable to read the room.

Tony stepped back. “Alright, get him on his feet. We can all stand around posing up a storm later.” Walking further away, he gestured around. “By the way, feel free to clean up.” He was moving too fast, only making it more evident that he was still off kilter. Trying to rush by everything so that he wouldn’t have to deal with what had just happened.

You didn’t really want to, either. “It’s gonna take a lot of man power to get the Tower up and running again...” Talking more to yourself, because you didn’t think anyone was listening. You had barely had the lights on for twenty-four hours and now it was somewhat destroyed. The penthouse most of all- well, the front room and balcony- and the STARK letters. Which ones were left…?

“Is that your subtle way of asking for some of us to stick around and sweep up glass?” Steve turned to look at you, hands on his hips.

Strange. This was all strange. Just a moment ago you’d been nearly sobbing to death in his arms because you thought Tony had been trapped and was going to die in space. Now he was looking at you with a half smile that felt like none of that really mattered. Or had happened.

How were you supposed to process this?

Nat came a little too close to you, you realized, holding that god damn stick up. It earned a small jump and a few quick steps back as she asked, “Who gets the uh... magic wand?”

“Be careful with that.” The words shot out of you, perhaps a little more aggressively than you meant. It drew everyone’s attention your way. “Just… there’s something in there that reacts pretty poorly with people.”

Yanked to his feet, Loki grinned. “Ah, still going on, aren’t you?”

Clint stepped in front of him, slapping a pair of heavy duty cuffs around his wrists. “Shut up.” Then, half turning to nod at you and Nat, “I’m with her. Don’t mess around with that thing unless you want your mind erased. And not in the fun way.”

Steve reached out to take hold of it, “STRIKE team is coming to secure it.” Just on cue, the elevator doors in the hallway opened, and out stepped a crew of very serious looking men.

“STRIKE?” Who were these people suddenly flooding your private space? There was only a single face you recognized, and he wasn’t dressed like the rest, instead of black gear, he was wearing a suit and tie. You’d seen him lingering around SHIELD some days.

So it made sense when Nat answered you. “Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies. They’re with us.” Us. SHIELD, she meant. Handing the stick to the guy in the suit, “Be careful with that.”

And, as he caught you staring, he smiled. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” Sticking his hand out, “Agent Jasper Sitwell.” You gave him a weak shake at best, not really sure what to make of any of this. He continued to smile. “Seems like you’re about to have a lot more work to do.” He handed the stick over to someone who appeared to be the top agent with him.

A pretty stoic looking dude. Said dude took it and put it in a case. As he snapped it shut, he turned to you with a gruff noise. “You got a problem?”

“Should I? Agent…?”

“Rumlow.” He picked it up by the handle, turning away abruptly. What was with these guys?

You supposed now was not a good time for introductions. Half the city had just been smashed to pieces by aliens. You weren’t the only one feeling worse for wear. All the more evidenced when you heard Steve speak into his comm, “I’m on my way down to coordinate search and rescue.”

People were dead. People were trapped in rubble. People were lost. Hurt. You had no right to feel like curling up. Or crying. “Do you need help with that?”

A roil of ire rumbled behind you and when you turned you saw a second Steve. Except when he spoke it was very mocking. “I’m on my way to coordinate search and rescue.” Then in a shimmer, Steve changed into you. “Ooh, do you need help with that?” Then it was Loki’s voice, coming out of your mouth. “I mean really, how do you keep your food down?”

Thor stepped forward, slapping what looked to be a muzzle over Loki’s face. You breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

He grinned. “Yes, that’s much better.” With the first team off the elevator, the doors reopened. Turning to the two of you, “Lady, Stark, are you coming?”

“In a second.” It took you approximately five of those to realize he wasn’t talking to just you.

“One sec, just packing my lunch.” Looking over, you saw Tony without his suit, but glove over hand, depositing the cube- the Tesseract- into a padded suitcase. So much was going on around you, were you really paying that little attention?

Apparently Steve had called this STRIKE team on the way up- that made sense. You weren’t really present for that. And while you’d been too concerned with everyone else around you, Tony had gone out on the balcony and retrieved the other source of problems. Everyone was working, and you were just standing around spacing out.

Realizing this somehow even more as Tony came over to you and tap-tapped your Heart Reactor for you, releasing your suit. Your body went into overdrive, hands zipping up to your chest protectively. Something he stopped, cradling your hands gently in his own. “Hey- easy. You’re alright. We’re winding down here, you don’t have to wear that right now.” Even he was no longer in his suit. “You wanna hang back? You look like you need to lie down.”

As if he had any right to talk. He was sporting a black eye in the making, and several cuts across his face. “No, I’m coming with you guys. ...what are we doing?”

His smile was fond but there was a leak of hurt coming from him. “We’re getting shawarma. Remember?” When it took too long for you to answer, he pulled your hand. “Come on. We’re holding them up.”

Everything was moving so fast. You had barely any time to process any of it. Mindlessly you just followed as he tugged you along. The elevator was a little snug with all of you in it, something that became even more clear as Hulk tried to be the last one in. Just about everyone held their hands up to stop him. A crowd of voices came shortly after, “Hey hey hey!”

Tony put the suitcase with the cube in it standing up and moved to sit in a crouch on top of it. “We’re at max capacity here, buddy, what’s it look like?”

Thor chimed in. “Take the stairs!”

Just as the doors were closing he began one of those mighty roars, and that hurricane of anger nearly knocked you over. He reeled back a punch and Tony warned him. “Stop. Stop!” Denting the doors as they shut all the way.

Nervousness swirled inside the small space from just about every occupant. You felt faint. But not terrible enough to speak up. “...there’s a lot of stairs.”

“He’s big. It’ll go quick.”

You gave Tony a dry look. “I don’t think it works that way.”

Down in the lobby, it seemed like every single Stark employee was on high alert. People were moving around in quick clouds. You idly wondered where Pepper was… you were going to need a lot of help moving forward. Even starting to think about what was going to be required gave you a headache. But as soon as your main team stepped off the elevator and started walking, everyone seemed to stop and look.

All eyes on you.

Before you could make it halfway to the door, another set of nearly identical people walked up on your group. What looked to be tactical SHIELD agents led by another man in a suit. This one you had seen as well. A lot more than the other one. He put a hand up to stop all of you. “Mind If I ask where you’re going?” What a great question.

Tony had said shawarma, but that couldn’t be right, could it? You had a murder in your possession and a cube- Thor spoke up, cutting your thoughts off. “We were thinking lunch, then Asgard. And you are?”

...oh. So you really were getting shawarma? After all this? There was so much to do… did you really have time for this?

Coming to his side, Tony gave Thor a little nudge. “Alexander Pierce. He’s the guy behind the guys behind Fury.”

“My friends call me Mr. Secretary.” He smiled, but the expression dropped quickly. “I have to ask you to turn the prisoner over to me.” Oh no. What a mess. Of course the big government dogs wanted a piece of Loki after what he’d done…

“Loki will answer to Odin himself.”

“No, he’ll answer to us. Odin can have what’s left. And we’ll need that case back, too.” Gesturing at Tony. “That’s been SHIELD property for over seventy years.”

Tony shrugged. “I’m not gonna argue who has authority here, but jurisdictionally speaking, we are on Stark property. That is my name on the glass, so...”

Shooting his hand out, Pierce practically demanded. “Just give me the case.”

So you stepped in front of them. “Mr. Pierce, listen. We’ll need a full debrief before we can start handing people and things over. Loki’s not from here. So we can start hashing out earth and Asgardian jail time in a more private setting. If you don’t mind.”

“I do mind. Don’t make a scene and we won’t have problems.”

At the very end of your rope, you weren’t sure you had the patience to deal with bureaucrats. “You’re on my property. So I’d suggest you back up and rethink this. Put in a request with my assistant and maybe I won’t wait until December to take a meeting with you.” Staring at him, unwavering.

He glared. “Well aren’t you just-”

Behind you, the stairwell door slammed open, sending a frenzy of people running and screaming as the Hulk came out yelling. “NO MORE STAIRS!!” He slammed a huge fist into the wall, punching a hole clean through.

This was a problem. As he caught sight of the people he roared again, and you knew you had to put a stop to this. If Hulk got outside in this mood, he could go on another rampage. And this time it wouldn’t be directed so easily.

Without a second thought you tap-tapped your reactor, suiting up and lifting off in a few quick jets. Hovering just in front of him you put your hands out. “Hey, hey! Listen to me!”

“NO LISTEN TO LADY!”

And as if you were an annoying bug, he reached out to take hold of you in that big hand of his, swinging you around and then holding you upside down, squeezing you almost hard enough to make your bones pop. Which was good. Because it dragged in a bout of white noise as the blood rushed to your head.

You felt yourself slip from his grip, down into that dark water. Face first, which was new. It was getting almost too easy to transition into these … what would you call them? Out of body experiences? Or maybe they were too intimately in body experiences. Whatever they were-

Shifting forward you stopped right in front of Hulk, holding your hands out, trying to calm that raging water with a burst of calm silvery light. Calm, calm calm calm- gentle, quiet- easy-

And just as finally you thought you’d figured things out, you reached over to the other body here- Bruce’s. Leaving a sort of sunset orange colored hand print on his shoulder as you touched him. It would have been nice to actually see the effect-

But you were promptly dropped for real this time, landing hard on your head in a heap of limbs quickly after. Another moment where you severely contemplated just lying there for a long time. Maybe you had. Tony’s voice was a too far away for comfort as you started coming to. “Hey- honey-”

You really needed a nap. Blinking your eyes open, you saw him just above you. Still in the lobby of Stark Industries. A few feet away, Bruce seemed to be waking up, too, Nat helping him up. “What happened?” You just wanted someone else to parse it out for you.

“Well you told a high ranking government agent off and then put the Hulk to bed in front of everyone. But for a second there it seemed like he was using you like a stress toy. So. ...can you not do that anymore? The suit’s not designed for that amount of force.” Still making jokes.

Which meant he was still not scurrying away from processing. Maybe you just needed to follow his lead. There was just too much to take in. “Should we get him some clothes from the gift shop?”

“I’ll have Happy take a run around the corner.”

“Oh. Is Happy here?”

“...you sure you don’t wanna go lie down?”

“You first.”

-------------------------------

It took a small bit of effort to coordinate your next closest assistant after Pepper and Happy (who also wasn’t your assistant), but eventually you did manage to snag someone to go get some clothes for Bruce. As well as organize a car to come pick all of you up. Happy was stationed with Pepper, and the both of them were in D.C. right now- something you were apparently expected to remember in the aftermath of getting beaten on all day by aliens.

And while Thor had said something about needing an open space to transport Loki home, Tony really insisted on shawarma. So that’s where you went.

It didn’t really seem like the place was up to serving customers, being somewhat right in the middle of the blast zone, but Tony offered them only too much money at the door. Their reluctance to invite your little group in eased not with the offering of money, however, but upon them realizing who you were. And while everyone went inside, you had to tell them to order for you and wait up-

Because you had seventy missed calls. Most from President Ellis. That seemed about right. And he’d left many voice mails, too. You had no idea what you were supposed to say to him. Or why it had to be you. But before you could even call him to tell him to stop calling you, Pepper’s name came up on your ID, so you answered her first.

Which was a mistake, because she started screaming at you. Most of which you couldn’t actually make out- her being worried, wanting to know what the hell was going on, what she was supposed to tell people, were you okay, was Tony okay, what happened to the Tower- should we put the party on hold?- but then she got to the crux of it all. “I have Ellis on the other line so if you could just-”

“No, not right now-”

“No but he won’t stop calling and he’s the president so I really think you should-”

“No, Pepper!”

“Okay- transferring him now!”

And the second he came on the line he started yelling, too. Your headache was building again. “How am I supposed to give an address when I don’t know what the hell went on out there?! You and Stark gotta give me something!”

“I know, Mr. President, but just listen to me-”

“Maybe we need to do something together- and where the hell am I supposed to get the funding for this clean up?? Should we do a joint statement?”

“Mr. President, listen, if you want to me to get on air with you, I will, but I need time-”

“The military is deployed down there and we don’t even have a body count yet- god do you think it’s in the hundreds?! What were those things?! Are they coming back?!”

“Ellis- fucking listen to me-”

“What am I gonna tell congress?! How soon can you get me a report?? How come it took you so long to answer me?! Are you-”

“Matthew will you shut the fuck up!?” Everything spilled over. But at least finally he stopped babbling at you long enough for you to hear yourself think, let alone the thoughts he was spewing at you.

“Excuse me?”

“I need time, Mr. President. I was in the middle of a fucking war like thirty minutes ago! I need time, sir. Let me finish what I’m doing and I’ll get back to you. That’s not an ask, by the way.”

“But you-”

“Goodbye, Mr. President. Don’t call me again. I’ll get back to you.”

There was only some small sense of relief when you just turned off your phone, knowing he wouldn’t listen to you. He’d just keep on calling. Why was this your job? What were you supposed to do? Turning back around, the sight of Thor just standing there spooked you.

He put his hands up. “I’m sorry- I did not mean to frighten you.”

You put a hand over your heart. It felt like you were very seriously on the verge of collapse. “No- it’s… it’s fine.” Deep breath. “What are you doing out here?”

“Your food is getting cold.”

He came out here to tell you to come inside and eat? “Uh- okay… I’m coming. I’m sorry.”

“Do not apologize, Lady.” Reaching forward, he put a steady hand on your shoulder. He seemed fond of that gesture. You didn’t mind it so much. “It is the wisest and strongest of leaders who worry how they will heal their people after war.”

But at that, you shyly shifted back. “Me? No. I’m not a leader- I’m not the leader. I was actually just on the phone with him.”

He nodded. “Your President Ellis, yes?”

Your brows went up. “...how do you know that?”

“Everyone can hear you shouting.”

It felt like your stomach dropped into your knees. How utterly embarrassing. “...oh.”

He angled his thumb back to point at the front of the shop behind him, “The windows there- they’re all broken. So. ...we heard everything.”

Reaching up, you pressed your hands to your cheeks, not really knowing what else to do. “Oh.” Heat flooded your face. Everyone must have thought you were absolutely losing it. “Okay. I’m sorry. Let’s eat.”

This lightened his mood. “Very good!”

Heading inside the shop with him, the woman sweeping glass gave you a wave, and you gave her a sheepish one back. It was all you could do to keep your head down as you came to the table where everyone was sitting- eyeing Loki who had been sat in the corner like a bad child. Tony patted the spot next to him. “Saved you a seat.”

“Thanks...” The mood in the room felt tired and somber. Everyone else seemed zoned out. Staring beyond their little plastic baskets of food. It got very quiet.

For almost too long a time. As it turned out, shawarma was pretty good. Lamb, pita bread, spices, tomatoes, onions, lettuce… you barely tasted any of it, too lost in thought. So much going on in your head that you couldn’t even hang on to a clear one for longer than a second.

Thor slamming his fist down on the table startled you yet again. “Damn!”

“What?!” Everyone’s attention went his way.

He hit his fist against the table again and then pointed at you. “I just thought- when you apologized on the roof earlier- I should have said, you may not know what you’re apologizing for yet.”

You weren’t sure you were a real person anymore. People of the city had just died. There were no less than two giant space whales beached on the tops of buildings, and one on an overpass. Stark Tower was slightly destroyed. Aliens had visited earth. Tony had practically died in space-

And Thor was lamenting the lost opportunity at a callback joke?

Before you could stop yourself, laughter just started pouring out of you. So hard that by the end of it you could barely breathe, and tears had started leaking past your lashes. And while everyone stared at you, nervous, at first, as Thor started to explain, “You see- that’s what she said to me earlier- and so I thought- that would have been clever-”

They all started laughing, too. Laughing until it hurt. Because what else could you do but laugh? If you didn’t, you might do something worse. That would come later. For sure.

But for now, as the laughter died down, leaving another long lull of silence, you couldn’t help but say, “Shawarma is pretty good.”

Several voices droned in agreement. “Yeah.”

“It’s alright.”

Tony’s hand reached for yours beneath the table and gave you a squeeze. You squeezed back.

Just holding on.

#Tony Stark #Tony Stark x Reader #INY Chapter Fifty Seven

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marvelsrp · 3 years

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S.T.R.I.K.E. TEAM The Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies, or STRIKE, is a team composed of the agency’s very best. The all-women STRIKE agents are deployed on the most dangerous, and most critical missions S.H.I.E.L.D. has to offer. Often times their missions are so secret that no one other than their members and Director Fury are privy to them. Loyalty and secrecy is paramount only to bravery and skill. THE DEPUTY Deputy Director Hill is second-in-command of S.H.I.E.L.D., and indisputably the agency’s most capable and loyal spy. Any moment she’s not at Fury’s side, she is working ops with STRIKE, where she serves as commanding officer. The commander is tough, pragmatic, but dependable and steady. While she has a reputation for being demanding of her team, she’s level-headed through the most dire moments. THE CAVALRY The most senior agent and main pilot for the team, Melinda May is a mystery. “The Cavalry” is an urban legend whispered in locker rooms throughout the agency, though few dare to use the moniker to her face. The story to how she got the name changes with every iteration, and none know the truth other than May herself. She seems to have little interest in the past, but instead stays focused on the present: mothering her team, offering her counsel, and executing the extraction. Despite her cold exterior, no one would go as far as the cavalry for her team. THE QUAKE Agent Johnson was always a star performer, excelling in marksmanship, espionage, and especially hacking information systems. But now she has something new to contend with: the emergence of a latent mutant ability. Thanks to her father’s unstable DNA, she’s developed the ability to cause tremors, and hence been nicknamed Quake. These powers are not only new to her, but to the agents around her who now have to adjust to a new normal. THE MOCKINGBIRD The main bruiser of the team, Bobbi Morse started her career as a biology PhD looking to serve. Her talent brought her to S.H.I.E.L.D., where she was part of the development and execution of their own super-soldier serum, granting her superhuman strength and durability. After taking the serum, Morse was trained in espionage by the agency to serve them further. Her bright mind combined with her augmented brawn brought her through the ranks into the most elite strike force that’s ever graced the earth. THE SPIDER As a child, Jessica Drew was became victim of a debilitating condition that threatened her life. Out of desperation, her father treated her with an experimental injection derived from spider DNA in order to combat her sickness. The treatment worked, with the side-effect of granting her spider-like abilities. Unfortunately she was later discovered by HYDRA, who took her into their organization. When S.H.I.E.L.D. broke into the HYDRA facility, Drew was found, and taken into the fold. While she has worked her way through the agency, taking on some of the most life-threatening missions possible, many within S.H.I.E.L.D.’s ranks disagree with her enlistment and refuse to trust her. This ad is brought to you by Marvels, a unique Marvel RPG coming soon to Jcink Premium. Join us on Discord for more information.

#marvelsrp #marvel rp #jcink #jcink rp #ch: melinda may #ch: daisy johnson #ch: jessica drew #ch: bobbi morse #ch: maria hill #ladies

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techcrunchappcom · 4 years

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New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/a-regulatory-rush-by-federal-agencies-to-secure-trumpslegacy-the-new-york-times/

A Regulatory Rush by Federal Agencies to Secure Trump’s Legacy - The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Facing the prospect that President Trump could lose his re-election bid, his cabinet is scrambling to enact regulatory changes affecting millions of Americans in a blitz so rushed it may leave some changes vulnerable to court challenges.

The effort is evident in a broad range of federal agencies and encompasses proposals like easing limits on how many hours some truckers can spend behind the wheel, giving the government more freedom to collect biometric data and setting federal standards for when workers can be classified as independent contractors rather than employees.

In the bid to lock in new rules before Jan. 20, Mr. Trump’s team is limiting or sidestepping requirements for public comment on some of the changes and swatting aside critics who say the administration has failed to carry out sufficiently rigorous analysis.

Some cases, like a new rule to allow railroads to move highly flammable liquefied natural gas on freight trains, have led to warnings of public safety threats.

Every administration pushes to complete as much of its agenda as possible when a president’s term is coming to an end, seeking not just to secure its own legacy but also to tie the hands of any successor who tries to undo its work.

But as Mr. Trump completes four years marked by an extensive deregulatory push, the administration’s accelerated effort to put a further stamp on federal rules is drawing questions even from some former top officials who served under Republican presidents.

“Two main hallmarks of a good regulation is sound analysis to support the alternatives chosen and extensive public comment to get broader opinion,” said Susan E. Dudley, who served as the top White House regulatory official during the George W. Bush administration. “It is a concern if you are bypassing both of those.”

Administration officials said they were simply completing work on issues they have targeted since Mr. Trump took office in 2017 promising to curtail the reach of federal regulation.

“President Trump has worked quickly from the beginning of his term to grow the economy by removing the mountain of Obama-Biden job-killing regulations,” Russell Vought, the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, which oversees regulatory policy, said in a statement.

If Democrats take control of Congress, they will have the power to reconsider some of these last-minute regulations, through a law last used at the start of Mr. Trump’s tenure by Republicans to repeal certain rules enacted at the end of the Obama administration.

But the Trump administration is also working to fill key vacancies on scientific advisory boards with members who will hold their seats far into the next presidential term, committees that play an important role in shaping federal rule making.

Few of the planned shifts have drawn more scrutiny and criticism than a Labor Department proposal to set federal standards for defining when a worker is an independent contractor or an employee, a step that could affect millions of workers.

Keep up with Election 2020

The issue has come to a boil as states like California have tried to push companies like Uber and Lyft to classify workers as employees, meaning they would be entitled to benefits such as overtime pay and potentially health insurance, a move that the companies have challenged.

The proposed Labor Department rule creates a so-called economic reality test, such as whether workers set their own schedules or can earn more money by hiring helpers or acquiring new equipment.

The department, in the proposed rule, said it cannot predict how many workers may see their status change as a result of the new definitions because of “uncertainties regarding magnitude and other factors.”

But it is nonetheless pushing to have the rule finished before the end of Mr. Trump’s first term, limiting the period of public comment to 30 days, half the amount of time that agencies are supposed to offer.

That has generated letters of protest from Senate Democrats and 22 state attorneys general.

“Workers across the country deserve a chance to fully examine and properly respond to these potentially radical changes,” said a letter organized by Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, and signed by 16 other Democratic senators.

The Departments of Labor and Homeland Security are using a tactic known as an interim final rule, more typically reserved for emergencies, to skip the public comment period entirely and to immediately enact two regulations that put much tougher restrictions on work visas for immigrants with special skills. The rule change is part of the administration’s longstanding goal of limiting immigration.

The Homeland Security Department is also moving, again with an unusually short 30-day comment period, to adopt a rule that will allow it to collect much more extensive biometric data from individuals applying for citizenship, including voice, iris and facial recognition scans, instead of just the traditional fingerprint scan. The measure, which the agency said was needed to curb fraud, would also allow it for the first time to collect DNA or DNA test results to verify a relationship between an application for citizenship and someone already in the United States.

A third proposed new Homeland Security rule would require sponsors of immigrants to do more to prove they have the financial means to support the individual they are backing, including three years’ worth of credit reports, credit scores, income tax returns and bank records. Anyone who accepted welfare benefits during the previous three years would be unable to sponsor an immigrant unless a second person agrees to do so.

The agency is limiting public comment on that change to 30 days as well.

Unlike most of the efforts the administration has pushed, the rules intended to tighten immigration standards would expand federal regulations, instead of narrowing them. They also come at a considerable cost, estimated to be more than $6 billion just for the new demands related to immigrants’ biometric data and proof of financial capacity for those sponsoring immigrants.

The Environmental Protection Agency, which since the start of the Trump administration has been moving at a high speed to rewrite federal regulations, is expected to complete work in the weeks that remain in Mr. Trump’s term on two of the nation’s most important air pollution rules: standards that regulate particulates and ozone that is formed based on emissions from power plants, car exhaust and other sources.

These two pollutants are blamed for bronchitis, asthma, lung cancer and other ailments, causing an estimated 7,140 premature deaths a year in the United States, according to one recent study. The agency is proposing to keep these standards at their current levels, provoking protests from certain health experts and environmentalists who argue that the agency is obligated to lower the limits after new evidence emerged about the harm the pollutants cause.

Scott Pruitt, who served as the E.P.A. administrator in the first 17 months of Mr. Trump’s tenure, set as a goal before he left office to get these new standards adopted by December 2020, even though the agency had previously expected they would not be finished until 2022.

Updated

Oct. 16, 2020, 9:19 p.m. ET

The agency also is rushing to complete a series of regulations that will almost certainly make it harder for future administrations to tighten air pollution and other environmental standards, including a limit on how science is used in rule making and a change to the way costs and benefits are evaluated to justify new rules.

Mr. Trump has played a direct role in pushing to accelerate some regulations. Among them is a provision finished this summer, nicknamed “bomb trains” by its critics, that allows railroads to move highly flammable loads of liquefied natural gas on freight trains. Mr. Trump signed an executive order last year directing the Transportation Department to enact the rule within 13 months — even before it had been formally proposed.

The change was backed by the railroad and natural gas industry, which has donated millions of dollars to Mr. Trump, after construction of pipelines had been blocked or slowed after protests by environmentalists.

But the proposal provoked an intense backlash from a diverse array of prominent public safety officials. Among them were groups representing thousands of mayors, firefighters and fire marshals nationwide and even the federal government’s own National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates fatal transportation accidents.

The gas is stored in 30,000-gallon rail tanks at minus 260 degrees to keep it compressed. But if accidentally released during an accident, it would rapidly expand by nearly 600 times as the temperature rises and cause what is known as a “boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion” that if ignited could not be quickly extinguished, potentially resulting in widespread injury or death if it occurs in a populated area, the firefighters warned.

“It is nearly certain any accident involving a train consisting of multiple rail cars loaded with L.N.G. will place vast numbers of the public at risk while fully depleting all local emergency response forces,” Harold A. Schaitberger, the president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, wrote in a letter opposing the proposal.

The Transportation Department still adopted the rule and rejected proposed speed limits for the trains, generating a petition for a court review by 14 states and the District of Columbia.

“Studies on how to safely transport liquefied natural gas by rail are still ongoing, and this administration has rushed to implement a rule that will needlessly endanger people’s lives and threaten our environment,” Michigan’s attorney general, Dana Nessel, said.

Even while the challenge is underway, the Transportation Department has moved to enact another rule easing safety standards, in this case removing a requirement intended to limit the number of hours truck drivers are allowed behind the wheel and to mandate rest periods.

Certain drivers who carry agricultural products would now be exempt from this federal mandate in a standard that would again be adopted as an “interim final rule,” meaning it would be put in place before any public comment is accepted, under the plan announced by the agency.

“Fatigued truck drivers remain a stubbornly high cause of fatal highway accidents,” said James Goodwin, a lawyer at the Center for Progressive Reform, a nonprofit group that tracks regulatory actions. “The law permits agencies to take short cuts when there are extraordinary circumstances that call for them. That is not present here.”

#agencies #federal #legacy #regulatory #secure #trump #Politics

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targetorate · 4 years

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Every company wants to grow, to achieve that zenith where it can be recognised as the market leader. Growth can come from wildly various sources, however, without a proper, on-point strategy, you are going to spend a lot of time on spinning your wheels but it won’t lead you to anywhere. And when you are thinking about expansion or unveiling new products, the last thing you want is to waste your valuable resources and the quality time. Those are more required to make your mark in the market at the right place and the right time. In order to tackle such situations, it is important to craft a carefully thought out plan.

Planning and strategy are of utmost importance as resources are limited, competition is fierce, and time-bound target deadlines are nipping at your heels. Without a structured plan you won’t know the right audience to chase or when is the right time to strike or the market is too saturated to similar solutions. Here comes the much talked about methodology – Go-To-Market (GTM) Strategy.

What is GTM Strategy? It is a way in which a company brings in a tactical approach that outlines the necessary steps to emerge victorious in a new market or with a new customer base. This new market or customer base can involve anything from launching new services and products to re-launching the brand or company or even stepping into a market with the current product. This strategy often begins with a single narrow scope hyper-focused on just one product. Every product and market is unique and this has to dealt thoroughly with suitable strategies. A GTM Strategy includes a structured business plan outlining the marketing plan, the target audience and the sales strategy, developed on the basis of research, expertise and market know-how. With a well-designed Go-To-Market Strategy you will be able to map out the market challenges and provide better solutions for your start-up, small business, medium business or even an enterprise.

Now, we are going to show you the best practices for preparing an effective GTM Strategy!

What Aspects Should You Consider When Making a Go-To-Market Strategy? What Will You Sell? This is the most crucial phase. The main objective is to understand the problems that you are addressing to solve through the product or the service. A company or product succeeds only when it is needed by the people. For instance, a recent survey report shows that almost 100 start-ups who shut down last year found that 42% didn’t solve a valid customer problem. Regardless of whether you are a large enterprise, or medium/small sized, a strong and evolving GTM strategy is central to the success of your marketing initiatives. When you put together your GTM Strategy you delve deep into the ‘why’ that led you to come up with the product or the service. Then you have to identify the product roadmap and how it will change and adapt to social evolution. Don’t forget to ask yourself where you will see your product after 6-months or a year. This thought will help you to work on a long-term strategic objective.

Who Are Your Audience And Buyers? Who and Where – these questions might sound trivial but hold an extremely important position while making the GTM Strategy. Until and unless you know your customer well, you will never be able to get the desired success. Before you chalk out your GTM Strategy, you need to know exactly your customers’ needs and demands. This involves both high-level knowledge like basic demographic info, as well as specific knowledge of your ideal customer—their wants, needs, passions, and preferences. Ask several questions like who are your ideal customers within those markets, what are the targeted groups and segments, and others. The answers to these questions will help you in getting the specific realistic customer profiles and you will be able to make better decisions and how to take things forward. Thus, your Go-To-Market Strategy will be on point with better assurance on results.

What Is The Competitive Landscape? It is as important as knowing your customers. You definitely need to know who are your opponents and how’s the battleground. How else will you react to the market necessities in a structured manner! A GTM strategy should be flexible enough to change constantly as per the demands and adaptive to adjust as the market growth. Get a complete idea about the market trends, the latest happenings. These will positively affect your launch and culminate towards your product or services success.

What Is Your Market Strategy? To start off with the strategical part understand how much you are aligned with your overall business plan. Post that, you have to plan cautiously to engage with customers to create value and hit the strategic objective. Outline your customer’s journey in four stages – Awareness, Consideration, Decision, Loyalty. These are necessary to support and sell the product. It is also suggested to use cases to understand your customers better because that’s how you will serve them better. Make sure you fully think through the process and consider these changes after repetitive thoughts.

What Is Your Pricing Strategy? Pricing your product or service may initially appear either vague and unusual, or remarkably straightforward and simply settled. In actuality, it’s apparently someplace in the middle. If you have limited experience with business management or finances, this would be a suitable time to consult an expert or bring one on your organisation in a more continual capacity. You’ll also want to refer to your product or service roadmap to gauge an idea of what you will need to charge your customers in order to make a profitable return. Furthermore, you will want to study at your adversaries to make sure the amount you are charging is reasonable for your buyer persona to make sure potential clients will be ready and willing to pay for your product or service. Also, look at your buyer persona to decide whether or not your price fits their passion for value, luxury, transparency, or other aims. However, before considering the actual number, look into other aspects like is it a one-time purchase, will it be a pay-per-use service, will there be subscription and others.

What Is Your Messaging Strategy? Content is a compelling way to get in the presence of potential customers and convince them that you’re knowledgeable and trustworthy. Think about what you can inform your users and how your content strategy can help promote your launch with things like blogs, posts, videos, ebooks, whitepapers and others. Your message should speak loud about the value you create and solve pain points or benefits to your customers.

Where To Position Your Brand And Offering? Knowing your product or service’s key characteristics and benefits will support you with success when it comes to positioning it in the market. Understanding how you stack up against opponents helps to make this move a little easier. Brand positioning is all about how you’re going to place yourself against other competitors in the market or business and what ensures your brand to stand above the other alternatives. Your brand positioning should inspire the making of your marketing strategy and messaging, and thus, your product or service launch. Keep in mind your buyer personas and company mission when forming your positioning for your product or service initiation. Everything should unite together, as each element is a direct representation of your organization as a whole.

How To Leverage Your Customer Insights? Consumers should have a uniform brand experience every time they associate with you. Recognising who your customers are, how they act and what they feel is invaluable for your business. The better customer insights you have, the better probability you have for producing a successful go-to-market strategy. A great way to accumulate insights is by surveying internal stakeholders within your business to better learn what customers are reporting them. This involves, but is not limited to, customer service representatives, your sales team and client-facing workers.

How To Identify Your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)? KPIs will be the metrics used to distinguish success factors in your Go-To-Market Strategy and should be aligned to your goals and sales objectives. For a product or service launch, an important KPI will be conversions, most likely designating that a purchase has been done. Conversions can designate multiple different ventures, defined precisely by your business. Maintaining the track of your KPIs will help you evaluate how your product or service launch is trailing against your goals and will also show areas in need of improvement.

Many people fear sales and business. However, with well-designed analytics and structured metrics, fresh sales AI technologies cropping up, business leaders can optimize their methods to accelerate sales. Establishing a successful company is not reserved for those entrepreneurs who’ve been honoured with special skills. Possibilities are, you’ve already created your product or service, and making a company is a very relatable process. You must be strategic and continue to evolve throughout the journey.

The benefits of GTM Strategy are as follows - Gain market position Develop tailored products and services as per market needs Accelerate reach to your customers Optimize Cost to reach Improved defining of target markets Better brand positioning Better risk management Adapt/transit to a new suitable business model Expand overseas Promote business In order to give the best results to businesses, Targetorate Consulting keeps all of the above-mentioned strategies and tactics in mind and helps you in creating a path that will take your business to the next level that you desire. With more than a decade of experience and a clientele of 500+, the company has been giving GTM Strategy to small, medium and large business across geographies successfully. Take your decision wisely and partner with us!

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vegas-glitz · 4 years

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Trade Agreements and Its Affect on the Indian Economic system

http://topicsofnote.com/?p=10324&utm_source=SocialAutoPoster&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Tumblr

INTRODUCTION:

India is a democratic and political nation with a perfectly streamlined administrative framework, and an currently present combined economy, with a loaded working experience of private sector operations. Also out there in India is a vast stock of experienced manpower and entrepreneurial class, a fairly good basic infrastructure and a good keep track of report of fulfilling previous international obligations.

The current bout of financial reforms in India commenced in the eighties, mark the two a continuity and a break with India's write-up-independence development tactic. India's approach for enhancement was mainly influenced by :

o The cynicism of plan makers about any doable assistance from the rest of the planet by way of investments, transfer of technology and trade and

o Reservation concerning ability of market forces to convey about of their have, an optimum allocation of sources, consequently balancing the country's two principal objectives - 'growth' & 'equity'.

o The Exterior globe is not always an unfriendly just one, in particular right after the present working day technological adjustments and adjustments in the political - financial relations between nations.

o The domestic financial system has now achieved a threshold where for superior utilization of assets the advantages of the sector forces can be harnessed, by suitable market place welcoming macro and micro financial procedures supporting the two in greater expansion and a lot more fairness.

Because 1997, and specially following 1985-86 the Federal government has embarked upon a series of financial reforms foremost towards liberalization and deregulation. The earth trade in industrial services quantities to US$ 1440 billion in the yr 2001 which is 23% of goods trade. In India it accounted to 49% of GDP in 2000-01 with Agriculture 27% and Production 23% of GDP.

Since Feb 2000, negotiations are on the go in WTO to develop & 'fine tune' the GATS. The negotiations have aroused fears globally. A rising number of community governments, trade unions, NGO's are criticizing GATS and call for a halt on the negotiations.

GATS:

The Common Arrangement on Trade in Services came into existence as a final result of the Uruguay Spherical of negotiations and entered into power on 1st January 1995 with the establishment of WTO. The intention of GATS is to steadily take out all barriers of trade in products and services. The arrangement handles providers as numerous as banking, education and learning, health care, tourism or transport. The primary notion is to open up up these services to worldwide competitors, allowing for for income. The multi lateral legal instruments ensuing from the Uruguay Round had been addressed as single enterprise . India also signed all the agreements beneath the solitary undertaking rule and GATS is a component of this complete offer.

Prior to the Uruguay Spherical, providers were regarded as to provide fewer opportunity for trade expansion than products, many thanks to existence of technical, institutional and regulatory limitations. However, the advancement of new transmission technologies facilitating the offer of companies (e.g. satellite communication, electronic banking, tele - education and learning), the opening of monopolies in many countries and gradual liberalization of hitherto controlled sectors like transport, banking and insurance policies merged with variations in consumer choices, improved the "tradeability" of products and services.These developments elevated worldwide services flows and established a very similar will need for multilateral disciplines- as in the spot of merchandise.

The GATS handles all internationally traded products and services with two exceptions : providers give to the public in the physical exercise of governmental authority and in the Air transport sector, targeted visitors rights and all solutions specifically relevant to the exercise of traffic legal rights. It recognizes the correct of Customers to control the supply of providers in pursuit of their possess nationwide coverage targets.

Working experience OF Establishing Nations around the world

Most people's eyes glaze with boredom at the mention of...GATT ( Standard Arrangement on Trade and Tariffs), the international group that has sought for 4 decades to boost freer earth trade. If at all it sparks some emotion it tends to be in politically minded souls who see the Uruguay Spherical of GATT as a discussion board in which rich nations around the world check out to drive uncomfortable matters on the lousy.

Financial Growth

But subsequently financial growth skyrocketed. Prof Agnus Madison believed that in 16 developed nations, cash flow for each head went up 730 percent and labour productiveness by 1200 per cent in between 1970 to 1980. There were lots of motives for this of which just one stands out - their exports improved by 96,500 %. That is a head boggling determine, and puts in point of view the significance of trade in improving living specifications. Nations around the world have progressively moved absent from self-sufficiency to inter-dependence and been rewarded with prosperity unthinkable in preceding millennia.

Grave Disappointment in Some Locations:

The establishment of the WTO and the entry into power of the agreements below its auspices have frequented considerable iniquities upon the establishing countries . Rife with imbalances and deficiencies, the WTO agreements and the method of their implementation have hardly benefited the Third World Nations but have as an alternative littered their progress path with imposing obstructions.

Amid this panorama of inequity, the key formulated international locations are pushing for the start of clean negotiations that could outcome in new WTO regulations which insert to the presently onerous obligations of the creating nations around the world and even further undermine their developments prospective clients. This paper calls on developing countries to resist these pressures wholeheartedly and insist instead that the myriad asymmetries in the present agreements be remedied. This in change, calls for that they lose their previous passive stance and forge coordinated and consolidated positions in just the WTO, for only with proactive cooperation the international locations of the South can advance their interests in the multi lateral trade.

Ongoing System of Constraining Current market Access

There is unexpected recognition about GATS in particular after the latest collapse of entire world talks in Cancun and it has emerged into a quite massive community disaster. But guiding the headline- hitting turmoil trade negotiators are quietly and determinedly getting on with negotiating what wealthy international locations and major company see as the major earth trade prize of all - the GATS.

The existing negotiations aimed at massively increasing the Basic Agreement on Trade in Solutions have captivated developing concern. All around the planet grassroots movements, local governments, trade unions and a escalating range of developing region governments have raised objections to these negotiations. The objections are based mostly on:

GATS principles will have an common accessibility to standard companies these kinds of as training, health care and water which are non-profit institutions and this will impact the weak

Conflicts between GATS tactic and the essential right of present and long term governments to regulate corporations in regions this sort of as tourism, retail, telecommunications and broadcasting. And as soon as GATS regulations are agreed for a distinct support they are successfully irreversible.

Failure to undertake a extensive evaluation of the influence of GATS

growth before the talks continue on.

Negotiations shrouded in secrecy

It is a menace to democracy

It is a risk to general public products and services

It is being pushed by Multinational firms

It is irreversible

It restricts the government polices

Aims at privatization of the organizations

Suggestions:

Multinational norms need to be set up.

A mechanism to show up at to specific troubles being faced by developing international locations

To make certain finish equity and fairness in recognition matters.

To set up multilateral norms to facilitate Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) amid Member countries

References

ohttp://www.wto.org

o Facing the Specifics: A Manual to the GATS Discussion Scott Sinclair and Jim Grieshaber-Otto, Canadian Centre for Plan Solutions. April 2002

Supply by Gayathri Saravanan

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foursproutwealth-blog · 6 years

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China Accelerates Next-Gen Nuclear Weapons Development To Compete With US, Russia

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/wealth/china-accelerates-next-gen-nuclear-weapons-development-to-compete-with-us-russia/

China Accelerates Next-Gen Nuclear Weapons Development To Compete With US, Russia

As we have been documenting over the last year and beyond, China is rapidly modernizing its military; unveiling a new stealth bomber, an array of guided-weapons, and deploying further from home. Their most recent focus has been on next generation nuclear weapons – as Beijing ramps up blast experiments for nukes comprised of smaller, smarter warheads designed to limit damage by targeting specific targets, according to the South China Morning Post.

Between September 2014 and last December, China carried out around 200 laboratory experiments to simulate the extreme physics of a nuclear blast, the China Academy of Engineering Physics reported in a document released by the government earlier this year and reviewed by the South China Morning Post this month.

In comparison, the US carried out only 50 such tests between 2012 and 2017 – or about 10 a year – according to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. –SCMP

China’s development of next gen nukes will put them in direct competition with the United States and Russia, sparking concerns by experts over the prospect of a new cold war arms race that has the potential of boiling over into thermonuclear war.

Of primary concern is the notion that nations possessing smaller, targeted nukes might be more inclined to use them vs. larger and more devastating munitions – which could easily lead down the slippery slope of larger nuclear exchanges.

These new weapons are considered more “usable” for tactical tasks such as destroying an underground bunker while generating little radioactive fallout.

Pentagon officials have said the US wants its enemies to believe it might actually use its new-generation weapons, such as smaller, smarter tactical warheads designed to limit damage by destroying only specific targets.

But with these relatively safer and less destructive weapons in hand, governments may end up losing the inhibition to use them. -SCMP

“The use of small warheads will lead to the use of bigger ones,” Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie told the Post. “If other countries use nuclear weapons on us, we have to retaliate. This is probably why there is research to develop new weapons.”

While an international ban prohibits China from testing actual nuclear weapons (a ban North Korea has laughed at for years), major nuclear powers continue to conduct testing via high-powered gas guns that fire high speed projectiles at weapons-grade laboratory materials.

The tests are conducted using a large, sophisticated facility known as a multi-stage gas gun, which simulates the extreme heat, pressure and shock waves produced in a real nuclear blast.

The experiments with the gas gun provide scientists with the data they need to develop more advanced nuclear weapons.

In the past, researchers used supercomputers to draw on historic data derived from live nuclear tests performed before the international ban was imposed in the 1990s.

But new technology that emerged in recent years, such as hypersonic vehicles and artificial intelligence, opened the door for the development of new nuclear weapons that could be smaller in size and more precise.

The gas gun works by using special explosives to force a piston along a hydrogen-filled metal tube. Once the hydrogen gas reaches a certain temperature and pressure, an “impactor” is released which travels at incredibly high speeds of at least 18,640 MPH towards a target.

Smaller than a saucer, the impactor is comprised of the same materials used in a nuclear warhead such as plutonium, metal, plastic or foam of different densities – resulting in a chemical reaction similar to that of a nuclear detonation.

[insert: gas gun.JPG, f29bb5ca-5f25-11e8-a4de-9f5e0e4dd719_972x_130850.jpg , f2cf81f2-5f25-11e8-a4de-9f5e0e4dd719_972x_130850.jpg ]

US gas gun at Jasper facility in Nevada

The impactors are quite difficult to produce, as even the slightest structural defect at the microscopic level of just a few nanometers can ruin the experiment, according to Luo Guoqiang of China’s Minyang research center.

“The making of the impactor involves the cream of precision manufacturing. Thanks to numerous breakthroughs in recent years we are now beating our counterparts in the US with a series of impactors with superior performance,” he said.

Well made impactors, allow experiments to proceed faster at lower cost, while obtaining higher quality data.

Over the past three years, Chinese scientists have carried out more such gas gun tests than the United States has in 15 years.

In tunnels deep under mountains in Mianyang, southwestern Sichuan province, where China’s main nuclear design facilities are based, loud blasts from these experiments can be heard more than once a week.

In comparison, between 2003 and 2017, the US fired a total of 150 simulated shots at its Joint Actinide Shock Physics Experimental Research (Jasper) facility at the Nevada National Security Site. -SCMP

That said, China can’t hold a candle to the United States when it comes to advanced nuclear technology, according to Professor Wang Chuanbin, from the State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing at the Wuhan University of Technology.

Wang says that the number of live tests conducted by China pales in comparison with the U.S., which has set off over 1,000 nuclear warheads since 1945 beginning with the Manhattan Project. China, meanwhile, has only carried out 45 live tests.

“It is possible we are in a hurry to catch up,” Wang said.

James Lewis, senior vice-president at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, said a new round of the nuclear arms race had already begun, though public opinion had yet to catch up with the grim reality.

The White House is considering a US$1.2 trillion plan to upgrade its nuclear stockpile. Earlier this year, the Pentagon announced it would develop new low-yield nuclear weapons that could be mounted on conventional cruise missiles and launched by submarines.

The White House’s developments are in response to Russia’s recent actions, according to Lewis, who notes that Russian President Vladimir Putin has revealed a series of new nuclear weapon designs – including smaller, tactical nukes – as well as a “super torpedo” capable of wiping out coastal cities.

“It’s not clear to me how successful the Russian programme will be, but it has stirred everyone up on the subject,” Lewis said. “After some debate, the US decided it needed to think about warheads, without the need for actual tests. It wouldn’t surprise me if China saw all this and decided that it had better get in the game.”

Following a February announcement by US officials of a new nuclear weapons policy, an editorial was published in Chinese state-run tabloid Global Times which said that China would seriously consider going public with its tactical, low-yield nuclear weapons program in response.

“China is a nation capable of massively increasing the size and improving the technology of its nuclear stockpiles,” stated the newspaper, adding “China needs a new policy to deal with a new situation.”

And as we mentioned last week, Bank of America’s Mike Hartnett writes that the “trade war” of 2018 should be recognized for what it really is: the first stage of a new arms race between the US & China to reach national superiority in technology over the longer-term via Quantum Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Hypersonic Warplanes, Electronic Vehicles, Robotics, and Cyber-Security.

At the end of the day, the China First strategy will be met head-on by an America First strategy. Hence the “arms race” in tech spending which in both countries is intimately linked with defense spending. Note military spending by the US and China is forecast by the IMF to rise substantially in coming decades, but the stunner is that by 2050, China is set to overtake the US, spending $4tn on its military while the US is $1 trillion less, or $3tn.

This means that some time around 2038, roughly two decades from now, China will surpass the US in military spending, and become the world’s dominant superpower not only in population and economic growth – China is set to overtake the US economy by no later than 2032 – but in military strength and global influence as well.

And, as Thucydides Trap clearly lays out, that kind of unprecedented superpower transition – one in which the world’s reserve currency moves from state A to state B – always takes place in the context of a war.

Which explains BofA’s long-term strategic recommendation: “We believe investors should thus own global defense, tech & cybersecurity stocks, particularly companies seen as “national security champions” over the next 10-years.“

#Wealth

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foursprout-blog · 6 years