• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns

2

Melinda French Gates' advice to new IPO millionaires: 'Give half your money away'

3

Trump expects to sign a deal with Iran on Sunday, but Tehran may want to avoid giving him a gift on his birthday

1

Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns

2

Melinda French Gates' advice to new IPO millionaires: 'Give half your money away'

3

Trump expects to sign a deal with Iran on Sunday, but Tehran may want to avoid giving him a gift on his birthday
LeadershipCEO Daily

Brexit Deal, German Economy, Car Wars: CEO Daily for November 14, 2018

By
David Meyer
David Meyer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
David Meyer
David Meyer
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 14, 2018, 6:11 AM ET

Good morning. David Meyer here, filling in for Alan from Berlin.

It really is crunch time for Brexit now. The Brits and their EU counterparts have come up with a deal, the details of which are secret but nonetheless dribbling out to the media. Prime Minister Theresa May now has to get it approved by her cabinet, with whom she will meet this afternoon, and then get it through Parliament.

This is by no means a sure thing. The hardcore-Brexiteer “European Research Group” (ERG) faction of May’s Conservative party says cabinet resignations are coming, because the deal involves Northern Ireland staying inside the EU customs union for a few years, in order to avoid having to impose a hard border between the British province and the Republic of Ireland (an event that could come with bloody consequences.) This is the so-called “backstop” that, Brexiteers fear, could leave the country at the mercy of European rules without the U.K. having any influence over those rules.

Even if there are no cabinet resignations, the ERG will likely try to topple May by triggering a leadership contest. There’s no certainty that they will organize enough signatures from lawmakers to make that happen, but they claim to be close. As noted by the Guardian, sterling “will either soar or tumble once this afternoon’s cabinet meeting has played out.”

Brexit was always a bad idea that was going to leave the U.K. worse off than it has been as part of the EU. The best way forward would be a second referendum to allow the British people, who should by now be vastly better informed about Brexit’s consequences, to change their mind.

That would be politically toxic, but the prospect of a “no deal” Brexit is outright cataclysmic. Supply chains would be thrown into chaos, there is a very real threat of food and medicine shortages, the British economy would probably collapse, and the Eurozone—which may be suffering growth issues (see below)—would also take serious damage.

The hardcore Brexiteers need to shake off the illusion that no-deal is a viable option, or some kind of leverage that will squeeze more concessions out of an EU that rightly sees reserving membership benefits for actual members as an existential matter. (A tip of the hat to Irish solicitor Simon McGarr, who quipped on Twitter that “Brexit has been 18 months of watching someone trying to haggle on prices with the automatic scanning machine at a Tesco checkout.”)

And Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party, which is threatening to vote against the deal, needs to realize that there is no more time for negotiations—Brexit is scheduled to take place in March, deal or no deal. If opposition parties are to nix the agreement and bring down the government, they need to be prepared to either swiftly produce a viable alternative—and good luck with that—or allow the British people to call the whole thing off. It’s time for everyone to stop posturing and get real, or things are about to get very nasty indeed.

More news below.

David Meyer
@superglaze
david@dmeyer.eu

Top News

German Economy

The German economy contracted by 0.2% in the third quarter. This is the first contraction since 2015 and, while it was expected, economists thought it would only shrink by 0.1%. The question now is whether this is due to car production being slowed down by new emissions testing requirements, or whether it points to bigger worries for the Eurozone. Guardian

Car Wars

There won't be a new auto trade war for now, according to a Bloomberg report that says officials are still working on a report about the "national security implications" of car imports. President Trump's favored justification for new tariffs is national security. The Commerce Department has been probing the issue since May, and has until February to deliver its report. Bloomberg

Shipping News

In one of the more obvious impacts of Trump's trade war, demand for container shipping is down. Announcing decent profits today, the Danish shipping giant Maersk predicted a fall in global container trade over the next couple years of anywhere between 0.5% and 2%. Maersk also said it plans to step up competition with UPS and Fedex. Reuters

Toys Were Us

Toys "R" Us's bankruptcy plan has been given the green light by a Virginia court. Suppliers will get some payment, while the brand will be controlled by a group of hedge funds. Hedge funds caused the bankruptcy by pushing the chain into liquidation, but they deny responsibility for the failure of the business's turnaround attempts. Wall Street Journal

Around the Water Cooler

Teslaquila

Tesla's shy and retiring CEO—a chap called Elon; you might have heard of him—has irked the Mexican tequila industry by trying to trademark "Teslaquila," which is apparently a "distilled agave liquor." Sounds a bit like "tequila," you see, and that's protected. Here's the Tequila Regulatory Council: "If [Tesla] wants to make Teslaquila viable as a tequila it would have to associate itself with an authorized tequila producer, comply with certain standards and request authorization from Mexico’s Industrial Property Institute." Reuters

Digital Money

IMF chief Christine Lagarde wants to see central banks seriously consider issuing digital currency, as central banks in Sweden, China, Canada and Uruguay are already debating. Why? "Your payment would be immediate, safe, cheap and potentially semi-anonymous... And central banks would retain a sure footing in payments," Lagarde said at a Singapore conference. BBC

Russia Suit

The Democrats sued Russia for alleged hacking during the 2016 election, and Russia has now filed a complaint in New York saying U.S. courts can't prosecute it for such things. In short, Russia says it has immunity, as guaranteed by a U.S. law that lists a bunch of exceptions—of which "military attack" is not one. Washington Post

Worker Power

Former Googler Laura Nolan, who was one of those to quit over the company's Pentagon dealings, has written a piece for the Financial Times in which she hits back at characterizations of dissenting workers as anti-patriotic bullies. Firstly, she notes, these companies are extraordinarily powerful, so they are no victims. Secondly, many of their workers, such as her, aren't American anyway, so they have no reason to do things they don't want to out of patriotism. FT

This edition of CEO Daily was edited by David Meyer. Find previous editions here, and sign up for other Fortune newsletters here.

About the Author
By David Meyer
LinkedIn icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

Wall Street is gaining access to new catastrophe models to help predict wars
BankingWar
Wall Street is gaining access to new catastrophe models to help predict wars
By Gautam Naik and BloombergJune 14, 2026
2 hours ago
People wait outside a building
AIJobs
AI job disruption is here. The problem may be compounded because nearly 75% of people don’t apply for unemployment benefits
By Jacqueline MunisJune 14, 2026
2 hours ago
Photo of Kevin O'Leary
SuccessSteve Jobs
Kevin O’Leary says being liked has nothing to do with success—Steve Jobs taught him: ‘You can’t worry about whose feelings you bruise’
By Emma BurleighJune 14, 2026
2 hours ago
Photo of young woman with a photo of a pizza
SuccessThe Interview Playbook
Gen Z grad landed an internship by wearing her university baseball cap to her pizza joint job. Now she works at Cisco
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 14, 2026
2 hours ago
SpaceX went from three consecutive rocket explosions and near-bankruptcy in 2008 to the biggest IPO in history
Startups & VentureSpaceX
SpaceX went from three consecutive rocket explosions and near-bankruptcy in 2008 to the biggest IPO in history
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJune 14, 2026
5 hours ago
A 1% mistake costs $10 billion: Inside the impossible math of managing Elon Musk’s trillionaire SpaceX wealth
Personal FinanceElon Musk
A 1% mistake costs $10 billion: Inside the impossible math of managing Elon Musk’s trillionaire SpaceX wealth
By Sydney LakeJune 14, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns
Real Estate
Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns
By Sydney LakeJune 13, 2026
1 day ago
Melinda French Gates' advice to new IPO millionaires: 'Give half your money away'
Startups & Venture
Melinda French Gates' advice to new IPO millionaires: 'Give half your money away'
By Emma HinchliffeJune 13, 2026
1 day ago
Trump expects to sign a deal with Iran on Sunday, but Tehran may want to avoid giving him a gift on his birthday
Middle East
Trump expects to sign a deal with Iran on Sunday, but Tehran may want to avoid giving him a gift on his birthday
By Jason MaJune 13, 2026
20 hours ago
'It's not a jailbreak' — Research leading to U.S. export restrictions on top Anthropic models was for defense, cybersecurity CEO says
AI
'It's not a jailbreak' — Research leading to U.S. export restrictions on top Anthropic models was for defense, cybersecurity CEO says
By Jason MaJune 13, 2026
23 hours ago
SpaceX CFO Bret Johnsen quietly engineered its historic IPO and became an overnight billionaire
C-Suite
SpaceX CFO Bret Johnsen quietly engineered its historic IPO and became an overnight billionaire
By Sasha RogelbergJune 13, 2026
1 day ago
Anthropic disables Fable and Mythos AI models after U.S. government bars it from giving foreigners access
AI
Anthropic disables Fable and Mythos AI models after U.S. government bars it from giving foreigners access
By Jeremy KahnJune 13, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.