In The News

Simon Kennedy and Sam Dodge September 17, 2018
Investments in subprime mortgages and the collapse of Lehman Brothers contributed to the 2008 financial crisis with global economic and political fallout due to stalled growth and increased government intervention. The consequences linger today worldwide with increased debt, wage stagnation, widening inequality and lingering unemployment in some nations. “The deepest international recession since...
Eshe Nelson September 3, 2018
Currency worries are not unusual for emerging economies. As currencies decline in value, investors may withdraw, and exchange with other currencies can become difficult; the countries struggle to make payments especially on debt in more costly US dollars. “What began in Argentina and Turkey has snowballed into broader collapse in confidence that has policy makers in Indonesia, India, South Africa...
Nupur Anand August 13, 2018
The US trade war, a US dollar rising in value and the end to low-cost borrowing are prompting emerging market currencies to plunge in value: “Already, higher crude oil prices, a widening trade deficit, and the exit of foreign investors from India have shaved off over 8% from the rupee’s value this year,” reports Nupur Anand for Quartz. “Turkey has been in a rough patch this year, with its...
Robert Leonard July 27, 2018
The United States is a major agricultural power, and about half of all US corn and soybeans are exported. China and other countries targeted with tariffs from the Trump administration immediately retaliated by targeting US agriculture products. “Indeed, the impact of his tariffs will probably be felt by family farms and the area for generations,” writes Robert Leonard in an opinion essay for the...
Robin Varghese July 26, 2018
Wages for the poorer half of the population in Europe and the United States have had sluggish growth over the last 50 years, while corporate profits have soared. Karl Marx, philosopher and economist, had predicted that the nature of capitalism would lead to inequality, unemployment, stagnant wages and oligopolistic firms. While communist revolutions did occur in countries like Russia and China,...
James Mackintosh July 6, 2018
Uncertainty is disrupting global markets and increasing volatility, and investors are becoming more cautious about riskier investments including emerging markets, bonds and investments associated with countries running high levels of debt, with Chinese stocks down 20 percent, and unconventional investments like bitcoin. In turn, some bank stocks and commodities are under pressure. The many trends...
Karishma Vaswani July 5, 2018
The United States launched tariffs on a range of products, and China, the European Union, Canada and Mexico quickly retaliated. The US targeted products associated with the Made in China 2025 initiative, and in turn China targeted US agriculture, the car sector, medical products and coal. “A list of Chinese products will be hit with a 25% tariff from Friday – effectively making them 25% more...