What the Nomination of The Ninth Supreme Court Justice Could Mean for Businesses

   With the passing of supreme court justice and women's rights leader Ruth Bader Ginsburg (notorious RBG), one of the nine supreme court seats is up for grabs. This means a lot given the approaching presidential election in November which could determine so many things politically, socially and economically.  Also, this opened vacancy (if filled by President Trump's conservative nominee Amy Coney Barrett) has the potential of upsetting the partisan balance of power in the court by turning it into a conservative supermajority of 6 out of 9 justices if passed by Senate Republicans. Before her passing, RBG expressed her last wish: "my most fervent wish is that I not be replaced until a new president is installed". Justice Ginsburg had inquired for her successor not to be picked until a new president is elected.  

With President Trump securing the confirmation of his pick for the Supreme Court this past Saturday (September 26), "the institution would become a font of business-friendly decisions for years to come, many corporate and public interest lawyers alike say." Conservatives tend to hold views that are inclined towards de-regulation, a small government (very little to no involvement), lowering of taxes and free market capitalism. Those views would obviously be reflected in court decisions giving space to a dynamic that would most likely 'promote' corporatism, and side with businesses and their interests. This raise a lot of concerns and questions, especially when it comes to business ethics and economic equality/equity. So far, these are assumptions and statements, only the future decisions of political elites will confirm what the prospect for businesses is looking like. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/09/24/finance-202-big-business-eyes-more-wins-with-padded-conservative-majority-supreme-court/

WTO finds Washington broke trade rules by imposing tariffs on China

 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-china-wto/wto-finds-washington-broke-trade-rules-by-imposing-tariffs-on-china-idUSKBN2662FG

    The punitive tariffs imposed on China by the Trump administration in 2018 violated international trade rules according to the World Trade Organization ruling this Tuesday. Washington immediately reacted by deeming the WTO "inadequate" to settle this issue. The members of the panel considered that the measures used by President Donald Trump, who denounced in particular a forced technology transfer to access the Chinese market, violates several rules of the institution. The additional taxes of 25% and 10% on the importation of certain Chinese goods exceed the maximum tariffs accepted by the United States on these products within the framework of the WTO. Also, the members of the panel believe that the arguments given by the United States to justify this 'protectionist' approach do not allow an exception to its multilateral trade agreements. Last year however, Washington and Beijing reached a first agreement to calm the situation. This new ruling has now obviously angered the administration and created a lot of tension which leads me to question whether Trump will see this as an opportunity to quit the organization given that he is already very critical of multilateral institutions.

Lowest credit card debt level in past eight years

With the U.S. economy in shambles for the few years and more and more credit card debt building with the innovation of credit and online shopping, credit card debt has become a real problem in today's society. However, there is hope. With credit card debt falling under $5,000 for the first time in eight years and people making more timely payments, people and their debt look to be correcting themselves. This 13% decrease, from the national average of $5,719 last year, shows great improvements in the saving power that Americas were thought not to have.