Our Ivana Kottasova is back in Davos for the fifth time. Last year, she reported that 21% of participants were women. This is what she's seeing this year, so far:
She also reports that the mood is gloomy and the weather is cold ❄️❄️
What to watch on the final day at Davos
Updated 10:45 a.m. ET, January 25, 2019
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Again, where are the women?
UBS boss says central banks will slow up on the rate hikes
Axel Weber, chairman of Swiss bank UBS, says a global slowdown will give central bankers pause. From our Julia Horowitz at Davos:
Read her story on monetary policy a decade after the crisis.
One of the world's most powerful oilmen drops out
From CNN Business' Zahraa Alkhalisi
Another big name has dropped out of this week's event.
Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih cancelled plans to attend the World Economic Forum at short notice.
He was due to appear on a panel on Wednesday.
It is unclear why Al-Falih decided not to attend, but he joins a long list of other notable 'no-shows' this year.
Bank of America CEO: Get ready for bank mergers in the US
From CNN Business' Julia Horowitz
Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan thinks a round of bank mergers in the United States could produce a competitor that rivals his firm in terms of scale.
“The emergence will come out of the consolidation of another round ... which still has to happen in the United States,” he said during a panel discussion on Tuesday.
Moynihan also spoke about the challenge of doing business across international borders at a time when restrictions on foreign direct investment are increasing:
The question of operating across jurisdictions comes down to a country saying, 'I want to control the outcome for my citizens. And that takes decades to work through. The reality is, there’s going to be great opportunities in those decades. There’s going to be some bumps.”
Energy expert on US shale: ‘I told you so’
From CNN Business' Ivana Kottasová
Fatih Birol made a big call at last year's Davos. Now he's taking a victory lap.
The executive director of the International Energy Agency predicted last year that US oil production would skyrocket.
“We had a very bullish prediction and many people told us it was too bullish … so I said that we may revise it,” he recounted during a panel discussion Tuesday.
“We did revise it, but upwards,” he said.
“If anybody thinks we have seen the impact of shale evolution fully, he or she is making a big mistake,” Birol added.
The US became the world's largest oil producer last year, surpassing Russia and Saudi Arabia. America’s oil output soared by more than 2 million barrels per day in 2018, the biggest jump ever recorded by any country.
Who's speaking at Davos on Tuesday
Tuesday features discussions by a big lineup of executives, entrepreneurs and government leaders. Among them:
- Former Indian central bank governor Raghuram Rajan, Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat, Blackstone chairman and CEO Stephen Schwarzman and Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan — Shaping a New Market Architecture
- Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella — Shaping Globalization 4.0
- JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon and Citigroup CEO Michael Corbat
- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro
- Media bosses Stephen Adler of Reuters and Marty Baron of the Washington Post, with journalist Matthew Caruana Galizia of Malta — Media Freedom in Crisis
- CNNi live: Julia Chatterley interviews UPS chief executive David Abney and Richard Quest interviews Mexico's economy minister, Graciela Marquez Colin, as well as Microsoft President Brad Smith and UBS Chairman Axel Weber.
Quest takes to the ice to explain the world's economic challenges
From CNN Business' Michelle Toh and Pamela Boykoff
From Brexit to the trade war, how will world leaders maneuver through the unchartered economic territory that lies ahead?
CNN's Richard Quest suited up with Davos' professional ice hockey team to try to figure out how to stay upright in the middle of economic turmoil.
The lesson, according to Quest: "If everyone pushes in the same direction instead of trying to pull it all apart, the global economy stands some chance of staying on its own two feet."
Brazilian President Bolsonaro in Davos: We’re open for investment
From CNN’s Flora Charner
Far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, elected in October, said he came to Davos to send a message to the global community. He is scheduled to speak on Tuesday.
Bolsonaro gave an impromptu press conference at his hotel when he arrived:
We want to show that we can be a country that is safe for investment, especially when it comes to agribusiness. This is very important to us.”
CEOs say the trade war is killing business confidence
From CNN Business' Jordan Valinsky and Ivana Kottasová
There's a sharp drop in confidence among global CEOs, according to a new survey from audit giant PwC.
The share of chief executives who think the global economy will slow over the next year has jumped to nearly 30% from 5% in 2018, according to a survey of 1,300 top business leaders. It was published to coincide with the beginning of WEF.
Some of the reasons cited for the confidence dip include rising populism, policy uncertainty and trade conflicts.
Bob Moritz, global chairman at PwC, says:
CEOs' views of the global economy mirror the major economic outlooks, which are adjusting their forecasts downward in 2019. With the rise of trade tension and protectionism it stands to reason that confidence is waning."