How the Fed Could Fix the Economy—and Why It Hasn't … Quantitative easing (QE) is supposed to stimulate the economy by adding money to the money supply, increasing demand. But so far, it hasn't been working. Why not? Because as practiced for the last two decades, QE does not actually increase the circulating money supply. It merely cleans up the toxic balance sheets of banks. A...Read More
Energy revolution promises to transform East Africa … An energy revolution is taking place in East Africa as the price of solar technology tumbles and huge resources of geothermal steam beneath the Great Rift Valley start to be exploited, moves which have the potential to lift millions out of poverty and cut greenhouse gas emissions. – BBCDominant Social Theme: So much unexpected good...Read More
As for [Stephan] Kinsella's prediction that I won't debate him, I will walk through hell, if I have to, to debate him and chop up his defect laden anti-IP views. – Robert WenzelDominant Social Theme: All Libertarians are cranks that hold the same rabid views.Free-Market Analysis: Well, here we have an example of two "big brains" – respected free-market commentators &n...Read More
Unsolicited advice for Jeff Zucker, CNN's new boss … As Zucker seeks inspiration for CNN, I can guarantee he won't devote himself to the 300-year history of the American newspaper. But he could do worse than to review the early decades of the 19th century, when most newspapers operated as adjuncts to the political parties, much as Fox and MSNBC have aligned themselves with the Republ...Read More
RED ALERT: World's biggest gold storage company dumps US citizens … ViaMat, a Swiss logistics company that has been safeguarding precious metals since 1945, is literally the gold standard in secure storage. They have vaults from Switzerland to Hong Kong to Dubai, and they count among their clients some of the largest mining companies in the world. They know what they're doing. And no...Read More
Mercenary firms: a lucrative niche market … Contractors of the US private security firm Blackwater secured the site of a roadside bomb attack near the Iranian embassy in central Baghdad in 2005 (AFP) European states are subcontracting an increasing number of tasks to private military companies to cut their armies' sizes and budgets. These mainly US firms cost them dearly, however, says m...Read More
Scientists have long published the results of their work in scholarly journals, and many such publications have warned that open access would destroy them and the function they provide the scientific community. The White House has moved to make the results of federally funded research available to the public for free within a year, bowing to public pressure for unfettered access to scholarly artic...Read More
Christine Lagarde: "2013 Will Be Make or Break" Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, cautioned at the World Economic Forum in Davos that Europe must continue to guard against a relapse in 2013. Speaking at an event honoring women leaders hosted by Credit Suisse in partnership with Newsweek and The Daily Beast, Lagarde was joined by Egyptian human right...Read More
RED ALERT: World's biggest gold storage company dumps US citizens … ViaMat, a Swiss logistics company that has been safeguarding precious metals since 1945, is literally the gold standard in secure storage. They have vaults from Switzerland to Hong Kong to Dubai, and they count among their clients some of the largest mining companies in the world. They know what they're doing. And no...Read More
Mercenary firms: a lucrative niche market … Contractors of the US private security firm Blackwater secured the site of a roadside bomb attack near the Iranian embassy in central Baghdad in 2005 (AFP) European states are subcontracting an increasing number of tasks to private military companies to cut their armies' sizes and budgets. These mainly US firms cost them dearly, however, says m...Read More
Scientists have long published the results of their work in scholarly journals, and many such publications have warned that open access would destroy them and the function they provide the scientific community. The White House has moved to make the results of federally funded research available to the public for free within a year, bowing to public pressure for unfettered access to scholarly artic...Read More
Christine Lagarde: "2013 Will Be Make or Break" Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, cautioned at the World Economic Forum in Davos that Europe must continue to guard against a relapse in 2013. Speaking at an event honoring women leaders hosted by Credit Suisse in partnership with Newsweek and The Daily Beast, Lagarde was joined by Egyptian human right...Read More
Euro zone economy to shrink again … "The improved financial market situation contrasts with the absence of credit growth and the weakness of the near-term outlook for economic activity," said Marco Buti, the commission's director-general for economic and monetary affairs. "The labor market… is a serious concern," he said, in a preamble to the Commission's la...Read More
Future of private bankers under the microscope … With the demise of Wegelin and planned ownership changes at Pictet and Lombard Odier, the number of traditional, family-run private bankers in Switzerland is shrinking from a Second World War rate of around 60 to just nine. The world of private banking faces an evolving landscape. The rate of new wealth creation in emerging economies eclipses...Read More
French President François Hollande awarded UNESCO peace prize … "After analyzing the global situation, it is Africa that held the attention of the Jury with the various threats affecting the continent," said the former President of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano, who chaired the Jury of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize. "Having assessed the dangers and t...Read More
Euro zone economy to shrink again … "The improved financial market situation contrasts with the absence of credit growth and the weakness of the near-term outlook for economic activity," said Marco Buti, the commission's director-general for economic and monetary affairs. "The labor market… is a serious concern," he said, in a preamble to the Commission's la...Read More
Future of private bankers under the microscope … With the demise of Wegelin and planned ownership changes at Pictet and Lombard Odier, the number of traditional, family-run private bankers in Switzerland is shrinking from a Second World War rate of around 60 to just nine. The world of private banking faces an evolving landscape. The rate of new wealth creation in emerging economies eclipses...Read More
French President François Hollande awarded UNESCO peace prize … "After analyzing the global situation, it is Africa that held the attention of the Jury with the various threats affecting the continent," said the former President of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano, who chaired the Jury of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize. "Having assessed the dangers and t...Read More
India and Vietnam: Taking the Glitter out of Gold … When uncertainty reigns, investors all over the world turn to gold as a safe haven. But some countries are starting to take issue with their residents' preference for storing wealth in gold bars, rather than bank accounts. Large gold imports can throw of a country's current account balance – the difference between what a count...Read More
Stop Mandating Reliance on Ratings … The Justice Department's suit against Standard & Poor's is a fresh reminder of the large mistakes by the three major rating agencies – S.&P., Moody's, and Fitch – in their evaluations of mortgage-based bonds during 2004-2007. There's an understandable urge to further regulate bond raters to prevent such mistakes in th...Read More