ARGENTINA'S FIRST TRANCHE

ARGENTINA on Friday received $15 billion, the first tranche of $50 billion loan, from the International Monetary Fund to help stabilize its fragile economy, the South American nation's central bank said.

Following a currency crisis in April and May, the IMF announced the $50 billion standby loan in early June after Latin America's third largest economy sought help to bolster market confidence.

The peso plunged to a record low this month, and since the start of the year the currency has dropped more than 30 percent  against the dollar.

On Wednesday the Washington-based IMF approved $50 billion aid package. The said the first $15 billion will contribute to budget support while the $35 billion balance will be ''precautionary'' .

The fund said its assistance would back efforts Buenos Aires to put public debts on a sustainable path, reduce the need for financing tackle inflation while strengthening the central bank's  independence, while maintaining social spending.

Argentina has a bitter history with the global crisis lender, which many Argentines view as having imposed tough conditions that worsened economic pain 17 years ago [Agencies].

VOLKS WAGEN VAPORS

VOLKSWAGEN is reviewing whether to seek damages from former Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn, who was at the helm when it emerged -

*The carmaker had cheated on emission tests, supervisory board member Stephen Weil, told a newspaper*.

''Damages against a former management board members are under serious consideration. I'm not just saying that, he told  Sueddeutsche Zeitung in an interview when asked whether Volkswagen  [VW]  would seek damages from Winterkorn.

''Once we know the outcome of investigations, we will make a decision,'' said Weill, who represents the  German state of Lower Saxiny, a  VW shareholder, on the company's board.

VW has for years said  only  lower-level  managers knew of the  emission cheating, but US-authorities filed criminal charges against  Winterkorn earlier this year. This month, Munich prosecutors widened that  their probe into VW's  premium brand Audi.

They said they were investigating  Audi Chief Executive Rupert Stadler for suspected fraud and false advertising and for his alleged role helping to bring cars equipped with illegal software on to the European market.

This week they arrested Stadler, citing concerns he might try to interfere  with the investigation. The arrested prompted the  supervisory board to suspend him and name Bram Schot to take over as interim Audi CEO.

Asked by  Sueddeutsche  why  Stadler  was suspended rather than removed entirely, Weil said many questions remained unanswered.

''It is matter of fairness to wait until the matter is cleared up. Any normal employer would do that,''  he said, adding he could not predict whether  Stadler  would  return to his post. Stadler remain in custody but has not been charged with a crime.

VW and Audi have said that  Stadler  should be presumed innocent  unless proven otherwise. [Agencies].

BITCOIN BERATING

Bitcoin falls to four-month low in persistent bearish trend. Bitcoin dropped to a more than four-month low on Friday, continuing a  downtrend after-

More negative headlines such as Japan's financial regulator ordering  six digital currency  exchanges to make improvements on their anti-money laundering systems.

The original virtual currency fell as low as  $6, 085.59 {Pound 4, 589}  BTC = BTSP  on Bitstamp, the lowest since early February and not far from this year's trough of just below $6,000.

It was last down more than 8 percent at  $6, 177.45

So far in 2018, bitcoin has fallen nearly  56 percent , after soaring more than  1,300  percent last year.

The order from Japan's Financial Services Agency on Friday includes bitFlyer, Inc., one of the country's largest cryptocurrency exchanges.

Early this week, the cryptocurrency world was racked by news that  South Korean cryptocurrency exchange  Bithumb was hacked of  35 billion Won {$31.5 million} worth of virtual coins.

The Bithumb attack was preceded this month by  a   ''cyber intrusion''  at Coinrail, a relatively small cryptocurrency exchange in South Korea., causing a loss of about 30 percent of the coins traded on the exchange.

''Often swings in prices are blamed on events like hacks crypto exchanges, or news from regulators,'' said Chris Tse,  founding director of the  Cardstack project  in New York, which is leading efforts to create a blockchain-based  Internet.

The Honor and Serving of the latest Global Operational Research on Bitcoin continues to Part 2.

HARLEY DAVIDSON HARVEST

HARLEY-DAVIDSON Inc could be forced to raise prices in Europe due to EU tariffs on US goods, hitting buyers of new motorcycle models when they are shipped to dealers later in the year, the head of the central European business said.

Earlier, this week the European Commission said it would start charging import duties of 25 percent in a range of US products from Friday after Washington imposed tariffs on EU steel and aluminum at the start of June.

''Of course this will have an impact on the price. We will tray and make it as painless as possible but no company can foot this alone,'' Christine Amezeder told Reuters TV in an interview.

A spokeswoman for the company said the group was still evaluating the potential impacts of EU duties, and that no decision on pricing had been made.

Harley says it is getting hot by tariffs twice. Once by the EU import duty and once by a rise in raw-material prices resulting from the US steels tariffs.

For the moment, though, Harley Davidson does not need to raise prices as it used the three months since since Europe first threatened to impose duties on its motorcycles to prepare.

''We tried to get the current model to Europe as quickly as possible, as far as production allowed for it,'' Amezeder said.

He also said the the anticipation of tariffs boosted demand as customers sought to snap up motorcycles before prices rise.

''You could tell on the market, in talking to dealers, that some customers said, I want to fulfill my dream before any tariffs come into effect,'' he said.

Struggling to over come a slump in US demand, Harley has been aiming to boost sizes of its motorcycles overseas to 50 percent of total annual volume from about 43 percent currently.

Europe, the Middle East, and Africa accounted for little over 21 percent of the global retail sales in the last quarter. [Agencies].

TELECOM SECTOR TURNSTILE

SUPERCHARGED Telecom sector is more than likely, could become investor favourite.

An overhauled telecommunications sector featuring most of the so-called FANG stocks could debut as Wall Street's hottest bet when it kicks off in September, boosted by a rising wave of media and television acquisitions.

Long viewed as stodgy stocks for dividend-oriented investors, the telecom services sector will be renamed communications services and supercharged with the addition of :

Facebook, Netflix and Google owner Alphabet - three of the four FANGS, along with Amazon, - as well as other companies that have driven the stock market to record high in recent years. 

The changes are part of  the largest-ever shaking of the stock market's broad business categories.

In total, 14 S&P companies, including Netflix, will shift from the consumer discretionary sector into communications, joining AT&T, Verizon Communications CenturyLink in the biggest shakeup of  Global Industry Classification Standard, or  GICS, since it was created in 1999.

Five S&P 500 companies will switch from technology to communication.

The new sector will also include Walt Disney, Comcast and others entertainment and media companies scrambling to consolidate and fend off competition from newcomers Netflix and Alphabet, which produce content and sell it directly to consumers.

The floodgate for such deals were sprung open this months by a legal ruling giving AT&T the go-ahead to but Time Warner for $85 billion.

''Among all of the sector groups, this is going to be the most dynamic, predicted Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at  Cresset Wealth Advisors in Chicago.

''You will see a lot of deal activity in the coming months, and it will be an awakening for anyone who is not on top of it.''

Amazon.com, the fourth FANG stock, will stay in consumer discretionary and represent nearly a third of that sector.

The Honor and Serving of the Latest Global Research on Telecommunication companies and the  Market continues to Part 2.

Headline June 26, 2018/ ''' *TIT -TRADE- TAT* '''

''' *TIT -TRADE- TAT* '''

THE UNITED STATES ATTACKED FIRST - imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum from around the globe and threatening to hit tens of billions of dollars in Chinese products.

NOW, the world is punching back. And remembering the Greatest ever. Mohammad Ali, time enough for ''Rope-A-Dope''.

The European Union is set Friday to slap tariffs on $ 3.4 billion in American products 'from whiskey and motorcycles and peanuts and cranberries, India and Turkey have already targeted US products, ranging from rice to autos to sunscreens.

And the highest-stakes fight still comes looms : In a week and a half, the United States is to start taxing $34 billion in Chinese goods.

Beijing has vowed to immediately retaliate with its own tariff on US soybeans and other farm products in a direct shot at President Donald Trump's supporters in America's heartland. 

The tit-for-tat conflict between the United States and China - the world's two largest economies - is poised to escalate from there. The rhetoric is already intensifying.

''We oppose the act of extreme extreme pressure and blackmail  swinging the big stick of trade protectionism,'' a spokesman for China's Commerce Ministry said Thursday.

''The US is abusing the tariff methods and starting trade wars all around the world.''

Cecilia Malmstrom, the EU's trade commissioner, acknowledged the EU  had targeted some iconic American imports for tariffs, like Harley Davidson motorcycles and and bourbon, to ''make noise''  and put pressure on US leaders.

John Murphy, a senior vice president at the US Chamber of Commerce . estimates that $75 billion in US products will be subject to new foreign tariffs by the end of the first week of July.

''We've never seen anything like this,'' said Mary Lovely, a Syracuse University economist who studies international trade - at least not since countries tried to wall themselves off from foreign competition during the great Depression.

Those personally in the line of fire are among the most concerned.

''It will be a disaster,'' said  Nagesh Balusu, manager of the Salt Whisky Bar and Dinning Room in London and expects the European Union's tariffs to add more than $7 to the price of bottle of Jack Daniels, which is imported from Tennessee.

''It's going to hit customers, that's for sure. How they'll take it, we'll have to wait and see.''

As painful as the brewing trade war could prove, we'll have to wait and see.''

Trump ran the presidency on a vow to topple seven decades of American policy that had favored  ever-freer trade among nations.

He charged a succession of poorly negotiated accords - including the North American Free Trade Agreement and the pact that admitted China into the World Trade Organization-

Put American manufacturers at an unfair disadvantage and destroyed millions of US factory jobs.

He pledged to impose tariffs on imports from countries that Trump said had exploited the United States. Late last month, Trump proceeded to infuriate US allies - from the EU to Canada and Mexico by imposing tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on Aluminum.

The President justified the move by saying the imported metals threatened America's national  security - a dubious justification that countries have used rarely because it can be so easily abused.

The Honor and Serving of the  Latest Global Operational research on Global Trade, Plans, Strategies, Wars, and Implications and Consequences, continues.

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