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Quest Means Business
Martin Shkreli Convicted of Securities Fraud; Trump Hails Strong U.S. Jobs Report; Flyers Furious with EU Airport Delays; Dubai's Torch Tower Suffer Second Fire in Two Years; Neymar: I'm Not Motivate by Money. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired August 04, 2017 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:00] ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST: that little girl there getting to ring the opening bell on Wall Street. Happy Friday everyone. Take a look here
and see how the market did. We are ending at another record high. We were pretty much in the green all day, although, we did have one tiny moment --
come look here -- one tiny moment where we entered in the red ever so slightly. We did have that solid jobs report. Dow adding -- or rather
209,000 jobs added in July. Blowing past expectations.
It is Friday, 4 August. Tonight, fraud and the "Pharma bro," Martin Shkreli is convicted in a New York Court.
Jobs a good one. Donald Trump celebrates a strong July jobs report.
And a summer standstill. Travelers in Europe are facing epic airport delays.
Hello everyone, I'm Zain Asher and this is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
Good evening everyone. I'm Zain Asher. Some breaking news I want to get to here in New York. Former drug company CEO, Martin Shkreli, has been
convicted on securities fraud. A jury has found Shkreli guilty of two counts of securities fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit securities
fraud. He was actually acquitted on five other charges. Shkreli drew national scorn about two years ago in 2015 for raising the price of an AIDS
drug from $13.50 per pill to get this, $750. That's an increase by the way of 5000 percent. That made him famous. So, that episode is unrelated to
the fraud case.
Now Shkreli is calling his prosecution a witch hunt on epic proportions. I want to bring in CNN legal analyst, Danny Cevallos. Who is joining us live
now. So, when you think about -- when people hear that name Martin Shkreli, they think about that famous episode whereby he became famous for
increasing this AIDS drug by --
Infamous.
ASHER: Infamous. For increasing the price of that AIDS drug by 5000 percent. But this is actually related to something completely different.
This is all about securities fraud and actually lying and misleading investors.
DANNY CEVALLOS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: It's sort of like a rob Peter to pay Paul scenario. We had these different companies and he misrepresented the
value. He misrepresented their prospective futures to get people to invest in them. And then when he had to pay them or show them their accounts, he
just took from another company and gave to those investors.
But here's the twist in this case. Many of these so-called victims that the prosecution called made their money back or more.
ASHER: They did extremely well. And that made a very complicated for the government.
CEVALLOS: Yes, it does. So, it raises the question, if there is no victim, if no one is financially harmed by the fraud, did a fraud really
happen? And of course, to the U.S. attorneys and the government, of course it did. Because he broke rules that you're not allowed to break in whether
it be investing or whether it be in securities. The fact that the victims profited from it is a minor distinction.
But it's interesting because federal sentencing usually takes into account the amount of money that was involved in the fraud. So, it's an
interesting thing. How do you fashion a sentence for somebody who benefited his victims?
ASHER: Right, so, that was the defenses main argument. The fact that these victims, so-called victims, were actually able to benefit financially
from what Shkreli did.
CEVALLOS: Yes, that and the defense use the approach of painting their defendant, their client, as an eccentric oddball who never had the
requisite intent. And that's the key. All of these crimes require a degree of intent. You had to have intended to defraud people in order to
be found guilty. I should add --
ASHER: The fact that he robbed one company to pay another, doesn't that imply some form of intent?
CEVALLOS: If you look at it -- the defenses position was this man was driven to make his company succeed. And when his company succeeded his
client succeeded. And Jerry, you can't convict a guy for sort of acting odd or making odd choices when his driving concern was his clients, his
customers and the company. But I would add that being acquitted on several counts, as this defendant was, is really a victory in federal court in
cases like this. The vast majority --
ASHER: Not what his lawyer was saying.
CEVALLOS: Yes, absolutely. The vast majority of cases in federal criminal court and in convictions. So, the fact that he was only convicted on two
counts in this indictment, which I think had five or six or seven, is really in a way, a victory for the defense.
ASHER: It had been three counts out of eight, I believe. But we can double check that. But in terms of actually sentencing, what is he looking
at here?
CEVALLOS: It's so hard to say. I will say the federal sentencing guidelines are draconian. And I say that as a defense attorney who handles
federal cases.
[16:05:01] You do not want to be in a federal court when it comes to sentencing. And with these dollar amounts, I anticipate that the
government, the U.S. attorneys, are going to try to factor in the total dollar amount that was at issue instead of looking at the fact these
victims were left in a better position than when they started.
ASHER: Such an awkward case. The fact that the victims actually -- a lot of the victims actually ended up profiting. Robbing Peter to pay Paul.
All right, Danny Cevallos, life for us there. Thank you so much, appreciate that.
Tonight, Donald Trump is heading out on a 17-day holiday leaving behind an economy running full steam ahead. Positive numbers out today shows strong
employment and the stock market continues to climb. We've talked about the numerous record highs we've seen this week. The Dow now over 22,000. In
fact, 209,000 jobs were added in July and more than a million, more than a million have been added since Trump's presidency began. Unemployment is at
a 16-year low.
The Dow closed tonight at another record high. It broke a key milestone this week, I believe three days ago, pushing past the 22,000 mark.
Wage growth is still the only sort of major cause of concern as you dig into these jobs numbers. It is still stubbornly sluggish. And that means
the average American worker will not be feeling the benefits.
And now it's time for our global economic weather report. In China skies are clear and sunny, fueled by boiling hot economic growth. And we could
expect a chilly night as the manufacturing sector cools down over there in China.
In Europe, partly sunny with a higher chance of thunderstorms and instability in both Greece and the United Kingdom. Brexit, obviously, is a
major cause for concern for a lot of U.K. economists.
And it is certainly rainy in Japan. Inflation remains below 1 percent. And by the way, inflation targets have actually been delayed for six times,
for several times. Still, the Bank of Japan is optimistic that sunny days are in the forecast.
And a perfect day for the beach in the United States. It has been sunny all week with little volatility and gains in the market. Yet inflation is
still low and the storm over the debt ceiling may indeed be brewing in Washington.
Harvard Professor of economics, Ken Rogoff, joins us live now. He's a former chief economist at the IMF. So, can, thank you so much for being
with us. When you look at the jobs numbers, 209,000 jobs added in July, how does that sort of fit into the overall picture of the U.S. economy?
KEN ROGOFF, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: It's a great number. It's a little surprising that the job growth is that strong and
yet wages are going up more. Unemployment is pushing, as you said, 16-year lows. It definitely reflects a strong global economy, a strong U.S.
economy. And I would guess this can't keep up. Because there's just aren't enough people to keep job growth going like this unless, I suppose,
a lot of older people go back to work. So, I think this will turn around into higher wage growth at least by next year, if not sooner. But it was a
good number. It was a good number across the board.
ASHER: So, the number is not sustainable in terms of adding this many jobs every single month. But in terms of corporate tax cuts, do you anticipate
that if they come, when they come, that will indeed help push wages higher? What are your thoughts?
ROGOFF: I think fixing the corporate tax system in the U.S., and I think both sides of the aisle would agree that it's a really bad tax system. It
makes the U.S. uncompetitive in some dimensions as a lot of companies keep their money abroad. It would affect growth in the long-term. It's not
going to push up growth quickly. And the tax cut part of it is pretty small. They're mostly fixing it. There talking about an individual tax
cut. I don't know what that will do. But the corporate tax reforms, it's really needed. It would be a good idea. I have no idea if they'll get
anything done.
ASHER: what needs to happen? What needs to happen in the U.S. economy to get it to that 3 or 4 percent that Donald Trump touted during the campaign?
He revised it to three so let's go with that.
ROGOFF: On a sustained basis it would really take a profound turnaround in the growth of the productivity of American workers. I do think that's
possible in periods in the next 10 years, but not soon. Certainly, if he built infrastructure like he promised to in the campaign, and President
Obama tried to. He did some tax reform, it would help.
I think the economy is doing pretty well. I mean, I think it will be 2.5 percent. Maybe that sounds like it's splitting hairs. Four percent seems
like a pipe dream. Except maybe as a statistical anomaly some quarter.
[16:10:00] But you know, it's a pretty healthy economy. He campaigned on saying it was terrible, everything is terrible. And actually, it's
continued pretty strongly what he inherited.
ASHER: How concerned are you about the retail sector? Because that is being -- you look at the retail sector in this month's jobs report, it's
been devoured by e-commerce. That sector sort of bleeding jobs. Can anything be done in the short term to turn that around?
ROGOFF: I don't think so. I think, as you say, e-commerce is just going to tear apart the retail sector. It's going to shrink tremendously.
There's going to be a lot of consolidation. And it's just one of the areas where we have a lot of angst about how quickly will people be able to
transition into other things. How much is automation? How much is artificial intelligence going to take away our jobs? Nobody knows the
answer to that. The retail sector is really currently one of the victims.
ASHER: And I want to play our audience some sound from economic analyst Stephen Moore. Basically, talking about how much President Trump deserves
credit for July's jobs report. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN MOORE, CNN SENIOR ECONOMIC ANALYST: Of course, I think the president deserves some credit for this. I think there's no question the
economy -- that the sense of a kind of optimism out there increased dramatically after the election and that continues. But you know, this is
an amazing American economy. I'm not making a political point here. The real heroes here are American businesses that have gotten really
competitive.
You know, just contrast where we are today, it was 10 years ago when American companies were, you know, had debt up to their eyeballs. You
know, had overextended themselves. Now American companies are lean, efficient, productive. A lot of the best companies in the world now are
American companies. So, it's a real tribute to our businesses who really resuscitated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Let's talk about the first part of what he said. Who deserves credit? Is it President Trump? Is it President Obama? Or neither?
ROGOFF: I think the major credit goes to President Obama. The growth really started under him. I think it would have continued under Hillary
Clinton. The less regulation piece of Trump, I think address is a real problem and probably does some good. But there's been, you know,
essentially no legislation. I agree with the second part of what Stephen Moore saying, that it's really a tribute to the strong economy. President
Trump's had a for 17 days on the golf course. That's probably going to be pretty good for the U.S. economy.
ASHER: Mr. Ken Rogoff, thank you so much for being with us. Have a great weekend, sir. Appreciate that.
ROGOFF: Thank you.
ASHER: You're welcome.
President Trump has praised Toyota and Mazda's decision to build a factory in the United States. The new Toyota, Mazda alliance is the latest example
of consolidation in the auto industry. And expands Toyota's investments in its Japanese rivals. Toyota is buying a 5 percent stake in Mazda. It
already has a partnership with the parent company of Subaru. And is in talks to form a partnership with Suzuki. That's a move that will increase
the company's influence in India as well. Toyota also owns Daihatsu, the manufacturer of small vehicles. And has stake in Isuzu and Hino, two large
car and truck companies.
John Davis is the creator and host of Motorweek. He joins us live now from Maryland. John, thank you so much for being with us. So, when you think
about this Toyota, Mazda alliance just announced, it comes at an interesting time. Because U.S. car sales in this country have actually
been declining. I know that Toyota has sort of been immune to that. They've been doing relatively well. So, what is their strategy? What is
their game plan going forward do you think?
JOHN DAVIS, CREATOR AND HOST, MOTORWEEK: You're absolutely right. Car sales have been falling, the industry in general is down for seven months
in a row. But within those statistics most of the SUVs and trucks -- that Americans can't seem to get enough of -- have maintained their strength.
And this new plan will not only give Mazda it's only manufacturing capability in the U.S., but also will give them a platform to make more
SUVs that are dedicated for the American buyer. There is really nowhere else in the world that are as attractive as they are here. And allow
Toyota to shift some products around so it'll actually be able to build more trucks and SUVs in the U.S. So, it's a win-win for both companies
without either one of them taking an enormous risk.
ASHER: OK, so it's a good alliance in terms of business strategy. Should President Trump -- does he deserve some credit for this. You know, he has
criticized Toyota in the past for planning to build factories in Mexico. I mean, he was tweeting about it earlier today. Does he deserve any credit
for this, do you think?
DAVIS: Well, perhaps some. Because what happened was that plant in Mexico was going to build Corolla small cars. Those cars are now going to be
built supposedly at this new plant. But the plant in Mexico is now going to build more pickup trucks and many of those will come to the U.S. I'm
not really sure that the equation has changed that much. But giving Mazda a better foothold in this country, that's the real win for everybody. I
think a little bit of credit, but in a way, it's like moving around the chess pieces.
[16:15:06] ASHER: It's going to be interesting to see which states they end up choosing for this plant. How are states going to be sort of
competing in order to offer them attractive terms do you think?
DAVIS: It'll be major tax incentives, no property tax for many years, new roads, the states may build education centers to train the workers, so that
the car company -- whatever they call this joint venture -- doesn't have to do it themselves. It's going to be an all-out press. And of course, the
southern states will probably have an advantage because most of those plants are nonunion. But I wouldn't count out Ohio and Michigan and some
of the Midwest states.
ASHER: How much competition is Toyota facing from the likes of Google, Apple, Amazon, these sort of tech firms that are desperately trying to
master car technology?
DAVIS: I think that they're very worried about it. If you look at the demographics for Toyota buyers, many of them are older. The younger buyers
are going to other brands like Mazda. Also, Toyota has lagged behind the industry in building all electric vehicles, plug-in vehicles. They have
lots of hybrids, but not the more advanced electric vehicles. And Mazda's in the same boat. And in this announcement, was a lot of information that
they're going to work on that very closely and that's definitely aimed at the younger buyer coming up.
ASHER: All right, John Davis, appreciate you being with us. Have a great weekend, my friend.
DAVIS: Thanks, Zain,
ASHER: When QUEST MEANS BUSINESS comes back, Donald Trump's not the only one going off on a vacation. So are a lot of other people, it is August
after all. And this is what they face. As European airports struggle with a combination of security and strikes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Welcome back everybody. Europe's airports are bracing for the busiest weekend of the year and Britain's are fuming at the monster, the
super long lines for passport checks. So, take a look at what the headlines say. U.K. tabloids say the hard-pressed tourists are suffering
at the hands of Brussels. And has left Brexiteer's believing that there are sinister motives at play. But these types of checks actually,
technically were agreed on before the EU referendum.
It affects this borderless region, the Schengen area here, which some Britain may actually be unaware of. It's all these countries in yellow.
The U.K. -- there it is -- it never actually joined the Schengen area. It is all the areas in yellow. That means that British passports actually
take longer to check on flights leaving the Schengen area going back to the U.K. and staff shortages are causing problems as well.
[16:20:00] It's been even worse in Spain. There are enormous cues. Enormous long lines at Barcelona airport as security staff are going on
strike. One airline CEO whose flights are becoming delayed by late passengers, cannot seem to understand why, take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL O'LEARY, CEO, RYANAIR: The bit that we struggle with is why are there these new and more onerous passport restrictions on outbound flights.
When the people are leaving your country, what the hell is the problem with all of the passports -- all the passport checks for the leaving? Why are
you worried? We can understand why there may be tighter security on inbound flights. And the difficulty is you're at the peak of the travel
period. You're at the U.K. holiday, school holidays, et cetera, et cetera.
So, where suffering like most other airlines. Yesterday our punctuality was only 78 percent. And a lot of it was because of delayed passengers,
not on inbound flights but delayed passengers on outbound flights. Getting throughout bond passport control. Why are you going through an outbound
passport control in any European country is a mystery to me?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Ten million people are expected to pass through Europe's airports this weekend. Airlines are already texting passengers urging them to turn
up very, very early. Simon Calder, a travel editor for "The Independent." He joins us live now from London. We just heard the CEO of Ryanair there.
He was basically saying, listen, people are leaving the country. If there leaving the country, why on earth do you need extra security? Does he have
a point?
SIMON CALDER, TRAVEL EDITOR, THE INDEPENDENT: He certainly does if you talk to any of the hundreds probably thousands of British travelers who
have been caught up in the delays today. Just to put you in the picture, this is an incredibly busy time of year. The whole of Europe has basically
gone on vacation.
And for a vast number of British travelers that just means flying south to Spain, to Portugal, to Italy, to Greece, to Croatia, all of which are in
that Schengen zone. All of which if you go back just three months, you just come along with your passport, you wave it at the border guard. They
just say, oh fine, your British. Off you go. Now, all my details have to be checked against several databases to check that I'm not a person of
interest. And that of course makes everything slow down. That delays me getting to the beach, to the bar. I'm annoyed about that, but coming out,
as Michael O'Leary, chief executive of Ryanair was saying, it's much, much worse. People are in danger of missing their flights. And I've been in
touch with a number of people for whom that's happened today. Most of them, it must be said, are in Barcelona where they've had some strikes
going on among security staff who are angry at the workloads they say they are having to endure.
ASHER: Simon, can I just say, I love the fact that you brought a prop with you. Your British passport. I would actually make you show off your
passport picture, but I'm not going to be like that. I'm knocking to put you on the spot.
But in terms of actually increasing staffing levels, if this is the price for extra security, why not just increase staffing levels?
CALDER: I think everybody is surprised with the way that this is become absolutely the busiest summer ever for travel within Europe. Certainly, to
and from the U.K. And Britain, which you've reported many time, has is very tenuous relationship with Europe, staying outside the Schengen area,
means that it's effectively regarded as a place where everybody has to go through very serious controls. And I think that the way that we will
eventually get through this is first of all, but the summer gradually will dwindle.
It's going to be a horrible weekend, particularly at the big holiday airports, of Alicante, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, also Barcelona again.
It's going to be pretty grim. By September, when most people are back at work, it will ease. Then they'll train up more staff. But actually,
that's just the beginning for Britain, because when we leave their European Union, then suddenly were going to be confronted with some rather
surprising online requirements, very much as the U.S. demands that people fill in and Esther form. And here it will demand that from the Brits. So,
is going to get more tangled with this red tape I'm afraid.
ASHER: You bring up an interesting point. Simon Calder, life for us there. Thank you so much for bringing that prop, your British passport. I
never actually bring my prop, my British passport rather, because I'm always afraid I'm going to lose it.
European markets closed higher as investors look to corporate earnings and a positive U.S. jobs report. The French CAC was the best-performing index,
Germany and the UK also showed firmly in the green.
Both the White House and the Kremlin are dismissing new revelation about Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian involvement with the U.S.
election. According to CNN reporting, the investigation is now focusing on Trump and his alleged financial ties to Russia. The Kremlin calls the
investigation absurd. Trump counselor, Kellyanne Conway told CNN that collusion does not exist.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLYANNE CONWAY, COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT: We know that these types of endeavors end up being fishing expeditions.
[16:25:00] They're a very broadly cast net. And I would remind everybody that in terms of President Trump, he has said he has no financial dealings
with Russia whatsoever. He said the Miss Universe Pageant, which is an annual event, happened to make its way to Russia. Eight or nine years ago
he was there for that. And his sons have also repeated that the business has no financial dealings with Russia. They do business all over the
world. And in this case, now again, I think people are just talking about investigation that exists, but looking for collusion and conclusions that
don't exist.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Kellyanne Conway, there in a CNN crime and justice reporter, Shimon Prokupecz, joins us live now. So, now we know that Bob Mueller is looking
into the Trump organizations financial ties, possible financial ties with Russia. What sort of specific documents, what sort of specific documents
should be analyzing and going over, do you think?
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: What we've been told is that some of it has to do with real estate records and financial records
related to the Trump organization, some of his family members and certainly some of the people who worked on the campaign or have been part of the
Trump world. You know, we know that certain subpoenas have been issued regarding Mike Flynn and some of his business dealings.
It's really a matter and it seems right now that a lot of people who were around the President during the campaign are now having their finances
scrutinized by the FBI and by Bob Mueller. And this now stretches back all the way to 2013 when the Miss Universe Pageant was held in Moscow. And the
reason the FBI is doing that is because they believe they can get some insight in some of the relationships that may have been formed during that
time between the president, between his family members, between some of his business partners.
And they really want to get a better understanding of how the relationships formed. What perhaps, business dealings may have occurred? With family
members, with some of the other people who know the president. That's sort of becoming a big focus of the investigation. And these kinds of
investigations, his financial investigation take a lot of time. It takes a certain expertise to dig through documents, to go to banks, subpoena
information.
We're not specifically being told what kind of information investigators are looking at. But nonetheless, some of the information they have already
received like real estate records, or records from Trump Tower where they've seen some indications that there are properties there, apartments
and office space that are connected to Russians. And that is certainly something that has raised some eyebrows with investigators.
ASHER: Yes, and Trump called it a red line. Bob Mueller clearly has no problem crossing it. You know, were just getting some word, some new
reporting that the FBI was actually monitoring on election night. What more can you tell us in terms of specifics?
PROKUPECZ: Yes, this has to do with the whole thing with fake news and the disinformation campaign by the Russians during the campaign. During the
election season, you know, there were a lot of stories out there specifically negative to Hillary Clinton, with her health, and this seems
to have been coming from the Russians, according to sources we've talked to. On election night, the FBI, while in the middle of monitoring for any
potential terror threats, or any other -- certainly, the biggest concern was cyber threats. In the middle of all that there was a very specific
team at FBI headquarters here in Washington D.C., watching social media.
And what they could see were streams of fake news being posted on Facebook negative to Hillary Clinton having to do with their health. And when they
did some digging they were able to learn that it was linked to Russians, to people connected to Russia. And interestingly enough, the conversation
surrounding's the postings, surrounding the fake news, was negative. People's opinions of Hillary started changing in response to the fake news.
ASHER: Incredible. Shimon Prokupecz live for us there, thank you so much, appreciate that.
Still to come here on Quest Means Business, Paris Saint-Germain rolls out the red carpet for Heymar Jr. Why the soft power of Qatar is the real
story behind the big money deal. That's next.
[16:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Hello everyone, I'm Zain Asher. Coming up on the next half hour of QUEST MEANS BUSINESS, one of the world's tallest tower blocks suffers its
second massive fire in just two years. And Neymar tells CNN, he's not in it for the money, as he makes things official with Paris Saint-Germain.
Before that thought, these are the top news headlines we are following for you at this hour.
Venezuela's controversial new constituent assembly was sworn in Friday with dueling groups of demonstrators set to take the streets of Caracas. The
body has the power to rewrite Venezuela's Constitution. And critics say it would allow President Nicholas Maduro to consolidate power.
Rwandans headed for the proles Friday to vote in that country's presidential election. Close to 7 million Rwandans are registered to vote.
Longtime leader, Paul Kagame, is widely expected to when third term in office. He has served as president for 17 years.
Police in Australia are calling twin terror plots the most sophisticated ever attempted in that country. The schemes involved a bombing of a
passenger plane and a poison gas attack. Thankfully, the plans were actually foiled. The plans were revealed as two suspects appeared by video
link in court. One of the men planned to plant an explosive device on his unsuspecting brother.
Donald Trump's attorney general is vowing a tough crackdown on leaks of classified information. Jeff Sessions is also promising to review
government policies on whether journalists must be compelled to reveal their sources. Critics call it an attack on free press.
Former drug company CEO, Martin Shkreli, has been convicted of securities fraud. A jury has found Shkreli guilty of two counts of security fraud and
one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud. He was acquitted of five other charges. Shkreli drew national scorn two years ago for raising
the price of an AIDS drug from $13.50 per pill to $750. That episode is unrelated to the court case.
The world's most expensive football player could be back in competition with his new club Saturday. Paris Saint-Germain has formally introduce
Neymar to the public. His $263 million transfer fee shattered the previous record for Paul Pogba. In the megadeal consul, the political back story.
Paris Saint-Germain is owned by Qatari investors. The name all signing shows Qatar is determined to be a global player despite the bitter dispute
with his Gulf Arab neighbors. Qatar also invests in Barcelona, the club Neymar left behind.
Qatar's rival aren't capitulating in the football arms race Manchester City's owners from Abu Dhabi have reportedly spent more than a quarter of a
billion dollars on signings this summer. No deal has made more of a splash than the signing of Neymar. World Sport, Christina MacFarlane has been
speaking to him today. So, Christina, we know the Neymar has said that he's sort of sad that people believe that this moved to Paris Saint-Germain
was motivated by money. If it wasn't motivated by money, Christina, then what was it motivated by?
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN WORLD SPORT: That's a very good question, indeed isn't it? That's one outcome to an a minute. It was very interesting to
see how unfazed this young 25-year-old man was today by the media roar he has created in the wake of this deal being done just yesterday. He
actually appeared to be quite shy and reserved even out there on the pitch when I sat down with him for the interview.
I think it was the rest of the media that were there that found the experience quite surreal. It's not often you sit down with a sportsman
whose worth somewhere in the region of now of half a billion dollars. And I have to say, we estimated that for the five short minutes we did sit down
with him. He would have earned somewhere in the region of $400 just for that five-minute window. So, is this motivated by ambition or money?
That's the question of the day. And when I spoke to Neymar, he was very clear, concise and deliberate in answering this question carefully about
why he's made the move from Barcelona to Paris, have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: You could have picked any club in the world. Why come here to Paris Saint-Germain?
NEYMAR, FORWARD, PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN (through translator): Because of all they offered. Because there is the objectives this club has, the ambition
they have. They're very similar to mine. They're one of the biggest clubs in the world and I want to be part of their history. I came here to make
history and win unprecedented titles.
MACFARLANE: You obviously loved playing with your teammates at Barcelona in particularly Lionel Messi. But how important was it for you to escape
from the shadow of Messi and start something new here?
NEYMAR: Messi is number one. For me the best I ever saw plane and every player that is next to him would be number two. I haven't come to Paris to
be the first, to be number one, to have all the spotlight. Quite the contrary, I came to help my teammates to make history. And to make history
in this club.
MACFARLANE: Do you ever see Messi following you and leaving Barcelona as well?
NEYMAR: I don't know. But I think not.
MACFARLANE: The general feeling is that you came to Paris Saint-Germain because of the money. What you say to critics who are saying that?
NEYMAR: Because they don't know me. It's unfortunate. I'm sad that some people think that way. I'm not a guy who is motivated by money, but by
happiness and challenges.
MACFARLANE: But you come from very humble beginnings in Brazil. Does this amount of money make you feel at all uncomfortable?
NEYMAR: No, not a bit. I am just happy and flattered that they believe in my football and that they brought me to a club as biggest Paris.
MACFARLANE: What does success look like to you at Paris Saint-Germain? How much do you want to win the Champions League and go on to win the
Ballon d'Or perhaps as well?
NEYMAR: My priority is the Champions League and to win everything that I can with Paris, but the Champions League is our biggest objective.
MACFARLANE: Are you the best player in the world do you believe?
NEYMAR: I don't know, but I am very happy with what I've been doing and I hope to keep improving.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: And so, the most expensive player in the world saying -- but still unwilling to admit to whether he feels he is best player in the
world. But this will all get underway tomorrow, as you say on the pitch, as Paris Saint-Germain has their opening match of the season. And Neymar
could make his debut there as Paris Saint-Germain begin their quest to become one of the kings of European football.
ASHER: I have to say, Christina, I actually love just how humble he seemed in that interview. Especially when you asked him whether or not he believe
that he was the best player in the world. How much pressure on Neymar is there to live up to that hefty, hefty price tag, do you think?
MACFARLANE: Well, quite honestly, I think Neymar is used to being in the spotlight. He wouldn't say whether he was feeling the pressure or not
today. But it certainly comes with huge expectations from his Qatari owners. I spoke to the president of the club and you've got to consider
that they bought Neymar not just for what he can do on the pitch, but for what he could do off it as well. And part of the reason for investing in a
player like Neymar is because of his age, his charisma, his humble nature, as you mentioned there, Zain, and his good looks. And his enormous digital
following.
This is what football is all about these days. It's not just about buying a player who could do the talking on the pitch. It's about buying a
franchise player. Someone that they can build the team around. So, I imagine that the start of the season perhaps the pressure will be off, but
where it's really going to tell is when we get into the backend of this first season. Neymar -- the president has said, you know, if he doesn't
win the champions league this season, that's fine. They are building towards the future. But you've got to admit that if he doesn't deliver on
the pitch questions will be asked as to whether or not they should have signed this deal for the amount that they did. Even though the president
did say to me he believes that in two years' time, Neymar will be worth twice as much.
ASHER: Yes, but either way, as you mentioned, it's about what he can do off the pitch as well. You said it, Christina. Good looking, successful,
super talented, very cool, fashionable. This young man literally has it all. Christina MacFarlane life for us there in Paris, thank you so much.
Enjoy your weekend in the city of love. Thank you.
U.S. markets have had quite a week record after record and a strong U.S. jobs report to close out Friday, will have much more on the markets and the
market highs coming up after this break, don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: As you may have noticed it is certainly been a whirlwind week for U.S. markets and today by the way was no exception, a strong jobs report
gave the Dow a boost to wrap up a record breaking week. Take a look here, it's pretty much in the green all day, the Dow closed at an all-time record
high. Once again on Friday ending the day up by about 67 points, almost the index rose every single day this week. And actually, passed the 22,000
milestone, that was a fun day, 22,000 milestone for the first time on Wednesday. You can see the Dow compared with France's CAC 40 and Japan's
Nikkei so far, this year. Take a look here, the Dow is outperforming both, it is up almost 12 percent, by contrast France is up 7 percent in Japan is
lagging at 4.4 percent.
Let's bring in Richard Clarida to break this all down for us, he's a global strategic advisor at PIMCO. So, Richard, if somebody is sitting sort of on
the sidelines right now, they are not really sure whether or not to invest, they are worried that they have missed their window. The Dow is at a
record high reaching 22,000, I mean what do they do, how do you get back in?
RICHARD CLARIDA, GLOBAL STRATEGIC ADVISOR, PIMCO: I think the economy is now entering the ninth year of expansion, it is not exciting, it is about a
2 percent growth rate. Earnings are strong. I think realistically the way you make money in stocks is either through more earnings or multiple
expansion. You're probably not going to get a lot of multiple expansion from here, but earnings are printing, and in solid territory, and the
economy keeps chugging along. So, our view is that assets are fully valued but there is still opportunities here.
ASHER: Still opportunities but do you anticipate a correction sometime soon?
CLARIDA: We don't anticipate a correction but we don't have a crystal ball but we know that you have to factor that in. We wish we did.
[16:45:00] ASHER: You would be very rich if you did.
CLARIDA: We wish we did, you have to factor that in, and in particular, I think perhaps the market is a little too relaxed now. You have potential
big changes at the Federal Reserve, you have uncertainty about Washington tax policy, trade policy. We have had a pretty good run here and perhaps
the markets are little bit too relaxed we think.
ASHER: But in terms of just focusing on U.S. equities, if people want to diversify gently look at other equities around the world?
CLARIDA: Yes, they need to remember that global equity markets do tend to rise and fall together, so you don't automatically get diversification just
by buying Mexico or Brazil. Diversification does make sense.
ASHER: Let's take a look at this graph here, can you see it? Yes, you can see it. They don't look like they are in lockstep.
CLARIDA: Sure, sure, and obviously there will be day-to-day movements but broad moves in equities do tend to be correlated globally, that has
diminished a little bit somewhat in recent years and so that that is a good thing for diversification. But I am just saying you don't automatically
get it by going abroad.
ASHER: OK, so, in terms of valuations though, is it a bit too frothy do you think, you don't necessarily anticipate correction but is it frothy?
CLARIDA: We would say that equities are fully valued right here, probably froth is in the eye of the beholder, but certainly fully valued. Remember
rates are very low right now that is part of what we call our new neutral thesis. The Fed likes low rates, we are going to continue to have low
rates, but rates are going up, the Fed is shrinking its balance sheet. We would say that equities are fully valued right here.
ASHER: When you look at the Dow with another record high, we got to that 22,000 mark on Wednesday, closing the week at another record high, look at
the jobs report which have come in. I mean Pres. Trump has technically added a million jobs since he took office. How does that change the way
the Fed handles things going forward in terms of the next rate hike, what are your thoughts?
CLARIDA: Our view is that the Fed will probably not consider hiking rates until the end of this year, December. We don't think they will hike at the
September meeting. For example, they have hike twice this year, they hiked three times in seven months. They will probably start shrinking their
balance sheet. If they see the economy continue to grow, perhaps pick up steam, we could get a rate hike. But again, the Fed is really not
tightening policy right now, they are removing accommodation. I think next year is really going to be an important year, we will potentially have a
new Fed chairman, we will see how far this goes.
ASHER: Good point, Richard Clarida, great to see you. It has been a while. It has been about five months.
CLARIDA: Yes. Thank you.
ASHER: Thank you, so much for joining us. OK. The price of gold is hovering just beneath its seven-week high despite the recent commodities
downturn. Randgold the African mining giant stands out for its absence of debt. It has reported a 54 percent rise in half yearly profit and a
growing cash pile. Mark Bristow, the CEO told Richard where he thought gold was heading.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARK BRISTOW, CEO, RANDGOLD: We have seen when the industry oversupplies gold at a loss, and it floods the market, the gold price was down. When it
is tighter and definitely the supply of gold is tightening, we might be improving our production and our costs, but overall the gold industry's
grade, and the life of mine profiles are under pressure. Because we continue to neglect exploration and so it is a pretty good business to be
in because the supply side is tightening.
QUEST: Do you think we have seen the last of 1400?
BRISTOW: No, not at all.
QUEST: Looking at the graph, we have not been there since 2013, or maybe towards the end of 2013, we sort of got to 1400, but since then it is
bouncing around.
BRISTOW: Yes, I mean I think we will see the gold price at 1250, is a very good gold price, certainly for Randgold. We plan at $1000 the long-term
gold price. It is not a good price for the industry. This flat sort of close trading gold prices slowly eats away at the industry margins, the
industry survives on an increasing gold price. We need that the cleanup some of the unprofitable production in our industry, as a longer period of
sort of steady gold prices. And I have been saying for a while that the medium term, that is what you are going to see. I think we are building a
base because -- and that is interesting as the gold price sort of comes to 1200 now. The industry is very marginal at that point and it seems to --
there is a big resistance on the downside.
On the upside, we are seeing a resistance at 1300. That will go for a while. The big issue is there is still a lot of concern about global
currencies, and global economies. I mean you see these rapidly changing messages from some of the leading central bankers, was it green shoots are
real or not. And that is going on since 2008. And that is you know supportive of gold and broadly supportive of gold.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[16:50:00] ASHER: And if you want me to tell you every single week, if you want a daily digest of all the top business stories, you can of course,
subscribe to the QUEST MEANS BUSINESS newsletter. It pops into the inbox right after the show, 5 p.m. local time. It features Richard's Profitable
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to subscribe.
And we will be back with more news on QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Welcome back, everybody, the bombing of a passenger plane and a poison gas attack, police say those were part of the most sophisticated
terror threat that Australia has ever faced. Thankfully, the plans were foiled in advance. But the details revealed on Friday are nonetheless
chilling. Anna Coren has the story from Sydney.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: With Australia facing what police say is the most sophisticated terror plot ever to be foiled on home
soil. Authorities were racing against the clock to build a case against the suspects. And after five days, they are now laying charges against two
men. They allege plotted to blow up a plane and launch a gas attack directed by ISIS.
MICHAEL PHELAN, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL DEPUTY COMMISSIONER: The threat from terrorism is real. We have been saying for a long time that it is not only
low capability, loan actors that we have to worry about, we also have to worry about sophisticated plots.
COREN: Thirty-two-year-old Mahmoud Khayat and 49-year old Khaled Khayat both
from southwestern Sydney appeared in court via video link.
MICHAEL CORNEOS, LAWYER FOR THE KHAYAT BROTHERS: At the moment, all I can say is that they are entitled to the presumption of innocence. Once the
evidence is served we can assess their legal position.
COREN: According to police, the men were working with ISIS operatives in Syria since April, who sent military grade explosives by air cargo
undetected to Australia. Under close instructions, they then assembled the components to build a deadly IED.
PHELAN: All we are alleging is the components of the IED originated in Turkey. It is concerning that I got through, yes. It is hard to deny
that.
COREN: When 49-year old Khaled Khayat walk through these doors here at Sydney international Airport almost 3 weeks ago, police alleged he was
caring a fully-fledged IED that was ready to go. It was due to be checked in as part of his brother's luggage who was boarding an Etihad flight.
Police claim he knew nothing about the plot. Now sometime during the check in process, Khaled aborted the plan and left the airport with the IED. As
to why he did this, is yet to be revealed.
[16:55:00] Police only learned of this terror plot last week after an intelligence tipoff forcing them to carry out multiple raids and arrests
across Sydney. It was then that they learned about a second plot being planned. This one involving a chemical dispersion device containing
hydrogen sulfide. A gas attack designed to target crowded spaces like public transport.
PHELAN: And if it had been for the great work of our intelligence agencies and law enforcement over a very quick period of time, then we could have
very well had a catastrophic event in this country.
COREN: This is Australia's 13th major counterterrorism disruption since 2014. And without question it is the most alarming. As news broke of the
plot details, passengers expressed concern.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We can take our safety for granted, we have a lot of complacency about what we do and where we go, and how we do it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It does make you a bit more nervous, I guess, but I can't worry about those sorts of things, otherwise, we would never travel.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It shows that something is working, that they caught them and they didn't get it on the plane. There is some comfort in that.
COREN: One man who was arrested over the weekend remains in police custody, authorities have until Sunday under the country's terror laws
before they need to charge him. Anna Coren, CNN, Sydney.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: And a quick reminder to all of you, if you have missed parts of our program tonight, or just simply want to take us on the road with you, there
is a picture of my colleague and mentor, Richard Quest. You can always download our show as a podcast. It is available from all the main
providers including Stitcher and iTunes or you can always listen to us as CNN.com/podcast. And guys, it has been a pleasure. That is QUEST MEANS
BUSINESS, I am Zain Asher in New York. Thank you so much for watching. Have a great weekend, see you next time.
END
