Much more than digital cash … The rise and fall of the crypto-currency is good news for authors at least … BITCOIN may well be the world's worst-performing currency. In 2014 it lost more than half of its value against the dollar, beating even Ukraine's hryvnia and the Russian rouble. But measured by the number of new books it has inspired, bitcoin is top of the pile. Nearly 200...Read More
Inflation Doesn't Hurt So Much, Does It? … There might be better ways to generate more inflation. The first would be for the Fed to stop paying interest on reserves. As things stand, when banks hold reserve accounts at the Fed — which we normally call "cash" — they get paid 0.25 percent annual interest. As insignificant as it might seem, that provides an incentive f...Read More
Much more than digital cash … The rise and fall of the crypto-currency is good news for authors at least … BITCOIN may well be the world's worst-performing currency. In 2014 it lost more than half of its value against the dollar, beating even Ukraine's hryvnia and the Russian rouble. But measured by the number of new books it has inspired, bitcoin is top of the pile. Nearly 200...Read More
Inflation Doesn't Hurt So Much, Does It? … There might be better ways to generate more inflation. The first would be for the Fed to stop paying interest on reserves. As things stand, when banks hold reserve accounts at the Fed — which we normally call "cash" — they get paid 0.25 percent annual interest. As insignificant as it might seem, that provides an incentive f...Read More
PotashCorp (TSX-POT; NYSE-POT) is a buy for long-term price gains and high dividends that have risen each year since 2010.Potash says it is "the world's largest crop nutrient company and plays an integral role in global food production. The company produces the three essential nutrients required to help farmers grow healthier, more abundant crops. Potash is the largest producer, by capacity, of po...Read More
Even Britain may be falling prey to Europe's deflationary vortex … On the face of it, Britain is much better placed to weather deflationary threats than the eurozone … Rejoice! UK inflation has fallen to its lowest level in nearly 15 years, and is heading lower still – down close to zero, according to some forecasts. That's a good thing according to the Chancellor, George...Read More
2015 forecast: What's in store for the global real estate sector? Foreign ownership restrictions relaxed, increasing interest from international investors, property industries going mobile – these are just some of the developments that are on the cards for frontier real estate markets in 2015. As 2014 draws to a close, global property portal Lamudi looked at five key trends to watch out...Read More
Even Britain may be falling prey to Europe's deflationary vortex … On the face of it, Britain is much better placed to weather deflationary threats than the eurozone … Rejoice! UK inflation has fallen to its lowest level in nearly 15 years, and is heading lower still – down close to zero, according to some forecasts. That's a good thing according to the Chancellor, George...Read More
2015 forecast: What's in store for the global real estate sector? Foreign ownership restrictions relaxed, increasing interest from international investors, property industries going mobile – these are just some of the developments that are on the cards for frontier real estate markets in 2015. As 2014 draws to a close, global property portal Lamudi looked at five key trends to watch out...Read More
America's Going to Lose the Oil Price War … The financial debacle that has befallen Russia as the price of Brent crude dropped 50 percent in the last four months has overshadowed the one that potentially awaits the U.S. shale industry in 2015. It's time to heed it, because Saudi Arabia and other major Middle Eastern oil producers are unlikely to blink and cut output, and the price is...Read More
Monsanto earnings fall 34% after a year of global protests … Company that has come under fire for its genetically modified seeds said its earnings fell 34% in its first fiscal quarter … Monsanto its earnings fell 34% in its first fiscal quarter, as South American farmers cut back on planting corn, reducing demand for the company's biotech-enhanced seeds. – GuardianDominant So...Read More
America's Going to Lose the Oil Price War … The financial debacle that has befallen Russia as the price of Brent crude dropped 50 percent in the last four months has overshadowed the one that potentially awaits the U.S. shale industry in 2015. It's time to heed it, because Saudi Arabia and other major Middle Eastern oil producers are unlikely to blink and cut output, and the price is...Read More
Monsanto earnings fall 34% after a year of global protests … Company that has come under fire for its genetically modified seeds said its earnings fell 34% in its first fiscal quarter … Monsanto its earnings fell 34% in its first fiscal quarter, as South American farmers cut back on planting corn, reducing demand for the company's biotech-enhanced seeds. – GuardianDominant So...Read More
Teaching Economics After the Crash … At universities from Glasgow to Kolkata, economics students are fighting their tutors over how to teach the subject in the wake of the crash. The Guardian's senior economics commentator, Aditya Chakrabortty, reports from the frontline of this most unusual and important academic war. – 9/11 Forum/UK from BBC Radio 4Dominant Social Theme: Economic...Read More
Why we can now be sure that interest rates won't go up this year … The Government clearly would like to keep interest rates low as possible for as long as possible, even though many of its supporters are net savers who are losing out … Interest rates are not going to be hiked in 2015. That is a forecast, rather than a certainty, of course, but virtually every piece of recent data s...Read More
Teaching Economics After the Crash … At universities from Glasgow to Kolkata, economics students are fighting their tutors over how to teach the subject in the wake of the crash. The Guardian's senior economics commentator, Aditya Chakrabortty, reports from the frontline of this most unusual and important academic war. – 9/11 Forum/UK from BBC Radio 4Dominant Social Theme: Economic...Read More
Why we can now be sure that interest rates won't go up this year … The Government clearly would like to keep interest rates low as possible for as long as possible, even though many of its supporters are net savers who are losing out … Interest rates are not going to be hiked in 2015. That is a forecast, rather than a certainty, of course, but virtually every piece of recent data s...Read More
Why the Fed Won't Tank the Stock Market … Investors in the U.S. seem fixated on a gloomy outlook for 2015, in which the Federal Reserve's efforts to remove economic stimulus cause stock and bond prices to fall. They're missing an important detail: If the Fed raises short-term interest rates above those in other major economies, U.S. markets may actually benefit. – Bloomberg...Read More
GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPH) Falls as Cannabis Drug Fails Key Cancer Pain Study … GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPH), a British biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing therapeutics derived from marijuana, released news today pertaining to its first Phase III trial for cancer pain drug Sativex. The product was used as an adjunctive treatment to optimized chronic opioid therapy during experiment...Read More
Why the Fed Won't Tank the Stock Market … Investors in the U.S. seem fixated on a gloomy outlook for 2015, in which the Federal Reserve's efforts to remove economic stimulus cause stock and bond prices to fall. They're missing an important detail: If the Fed raises short-term interest rates above those in other major economies, U.S. markets may actually benefit. – Bloomberg...Read More