U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hold a bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Video and Transcript) PM Abe represents one important leg of the “indo-pacific” economic/trade realignment, being carried out by President Trump.

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[Transcript] Buenos Aires, Argentina – 1:50 P.M. AST – PRESIDENT TRUMP: So it’s a great honor to be with my friend, Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, who has just had a very big success in his election. He won by a massive amount. And I’m not surprised at all.
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Canadian media are reporting that General Motors plans to shut down operation in Oshawa, Canada.   This is quite possibly an outcome that portends the sign of things to come…

CANADA – Numerous sources have told CTV Toronto that General Motors is planning to close all operations in Oshawa, Ont., affecting thousands of high-paying jobs.
The announcement is expected to be made on Monday, in the city of about 159,000 people located roughly 60 kilometres east of Toronto.  Sources said they believe the Oshawa closures are part of a global restructuring. (read more)

GM holds considerable risk exposure within the current state of international trade and economics as it relates to the auto industry.  As a result of the ongoing U.S-China trade confrontation, GM holds risk as a result of heavy investment in China.  Add to that exposure the very significant financial impacts about to start for heavy manufacturing operations inside countries aligned with the Paris Climate Treaty, and the risk increases.
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Well, there it is.  Quietly within the deliberate words from Vice-President Mike Pence a revelation that explains the origination of the Central American invasion force.  For those who are not deep in the geopolitical weeds, the subtlety can pass unnoticed; for those who travel within the deepest international conflicts, Pence’s words here are as subtle as a brick through a window:

[…] “Financed by Venezuela; and sent North to challenge our sovereignty and our border”…

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Announcing the migrant caravan is “financed by Venezuela” is a direct notification the Central American invasion force is being funded by Russia and China.  Venezuela doesn’t have any money to sustain its own operational government – let alone a 10,000 person convoy.  Venezuela is entirely reliant upon massive investment from Russia and China.
In fact China owns 49% of Venezuela’s state run PDVSA energy production. A collateral system where Beijing takes oil as payment for prior loans the Maduro regime cannot pay back.  With the crippling treasury department sanctions President Trump put on Venezuela last year, Trump has punched Maduro and Xi-Jinping hard.
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U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue discusses the U.S. Mexico-Canada trade agreement and the positive impacts for U.S. farmers with increased open markets.
About two-thirds of the way through the interview the national FEMA alert message was tested.  Secretary Perdue cracks me up: “I get those presidential alerts in a different way”…

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President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan discuss ongoing issues related to North Korea and ongoing intense trade negotiations.  President Trump and PM Shinzo Abe have a long history of friendship.  The U.S. and Japan have been conducting negotiations for a bilateral trade deal for several months.
At 12:55 of the video below President Trump remarks about the ongoing “con-game” being played by Democrats in the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. President Trump notes the ridiculous accusations are likely to backfire “in the mid-terms”.

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President Trump has empowered South Korean President Moon Jae-in to be the tip-of-the-spear for friendship-based face-to-face negotiations with North Korea with the goal of a denuclearized peninsula.
Though it was a very unconventional approach, President Trump created the foundation for stability and amicable regional relationships by fracturing the controlling influence of Beijing, China over Chairman Kim Jong-un.  Amid many international accomplishments, the results in North Korea are a truly remarkable exhibition of how the Trump doctrine uses economic power to achieve national security objectives.
During the public bilateral discussion, President Moon Jae-in carries a message to President Trump from Chairman Kim Jong-un; and President Trump announces the likelihood of a second summit with Chairman Kim in the “not-too-distant” future.

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Earlier today National Economic Council Chairman Larry Kudlow appeared on CNBC for an extensive interview about the current U.S. economy. Jobs growing; wages growing; economy growing; trade deals improving…. Lots of good MAGAnomic stuff:

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(Via CNBC) White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow is extremely optimistic about the U.S. economy.
“The economic boom continues,” he said on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” Friday, citing the August jobs report and the month’s wage gain data. “It’s the big story of 2018. Jobs, growth, wages. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

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From a pure economic/financial perspective this Nike  branding campaign doesn’t make sense…. unless, you realize a much bigger picture. A hidden bigger picture.

On its face, it just seems absurd. Why would any major corporation intentionally stake out a branding position that is adverse to their financial interests?
I’ve spoken to some very excellent business actuaries on this late today; and one specific conversation finally helped to make it all make sense.  During that conversation a good ally shared: “a multinational corporation would never make a branding decision adverse to their financial interests. Unless there is a hidden risk unrelated to what is visible on the surface.” ….BINGO, there it is, the lightbulb went on.
A hidden risk that likely has nothing whatsoever to do with Colin Kaepernick.
The bigger risk to Nike has nothing to do with Black Lives Matter, U.S. Consumers, or Antifa-like political advocacy. The bigger financial risk to the Nike Corporation has everything to do with geopolitics and a reset of international trade agreements.
Here’s the hidden aspect with research to back it up.  Nike Inc. has hitched its massive corporate existence to a 10-year business plan that is dependent on the continuance of recently negotiated manufacturing contracts.
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The Trump Doctrine is easiest to describe as: deploying economic leverage to achieve national security interests.  The Trump Doctrine is unique and stunningly effective.

Many of the geopolitical decisions have multiple facets which connect like small gears on a much larger machine.  One of those small dual-purpose gears is the Doctrine as it is applied to Pakistan.  The downstream moves impact China, our #1 geopolitical and economic adversary, then Russia, and also support new alliances with India and the broader Middle-east.

Toward China = ♦Squeeze #3. In 2017 Trump and Secretary Tillerson, now Secretary Pompeo, put Pakistan on notice they need to get involved in bringing their enabled tribal “extremists” (Taliban) to the table in Afghanistan. Pakistan’s primary investor and economic partner is China. The U.S. removed $900 million in financial support to pressure Pakistan toward a political solution in Afghanistan, China has to fill void.  [NOTE: Last month the World Bank began discussions about a financial bailout for Pakistan.]  Again, more one-way bleed for China. {Go Deep}

When President Trump removed the $900 million in aid to Pakistan, he empowered the Pentagon via Defense Secretary James Mattis, with an option to give $300 million to Pakistan if Mattis felt positive steps were being taken to change behavior.  Today the Pentagon announces no change in behavior is noted:
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The financial media is all a flutter based on a Bloomberg report that President Trump is likely to apply tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods.  DUH !  Why do they think U.S.T.R. Lighthizer has been conducting open section 301 tariff hearings for the past week?  Of course President Trump is considering tariffs on $200 billion in trade goods; this approach is not exactly a secret.
Then again, most of the financial media are clueless about the larger economic strategy and how China ties into the negotiations with North Korea.  I digress.

The proposed tariffs are a supplemental action in response to China’s unfair trade practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation, based on the findings in USTR’s investigation of China under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. Tariffs on $34 billion in goods from China are currently in effect, and tariffs on an additional $16 billion took effect on August 23rd, 2018.
The issue is not *if* President Trump will apply the 301-tariffs, the question is *how* and *when*?
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