Primary navigation:

QFINANCE Quick Links
QFINANCE Topics
QFINANCE Reference
Add the QFINANCE search widget to your website

Home > Blogs > Author > Economy Watch

Recent blog posts

  • The Fastest Growing Economies in 2013
    As the European Union mulls another year of economic stagnation and the United States a year of lackluster and uncertain economic recovery, will emerging markets take the lead in global economic recovery?
  • Margaret Thatcher’s Economic Legacy: A Nation Divided
    The funeral of former British PM Margaret Thatcher saw a nation divided in hatred and love for one of the most iconic world leaders of modern times. While, Inner London today is one of the richest parts of the entire European Union, in the North of England there are towns still with persistently high levels of unemployment due to Thatcher’s past policies.
  • Why The US Property Market Is Headed For Another Crash
    U.S. house prices have risen for the past year, provoking calls that the market has stabilized; But American investment broker Peter Schiff – the famous ‘Dr Doom’ who accurately predicted the 2007 crisis – says the correction is temporary and he predicts big falls to come as the U.S. economy stagnates and interest rates rise.
  • Year of Disruption: Does Online Boom Spell Doom for Traditional University Model?
    The internet has already revolutionized the working environment, the music industry, the media and shopping habits. It now appears likely that it is on the cusp of transforming the world of higher education with radical consequences for the future of higher education in both the developing and the first world.
  • The Reawakening Of Europe’s ‘Genuine Left’
    François Hollande’s rise to power in France was supposed to herald the re-emergence of Left-wing politics in Europe. But with the French Socialist Party now falling in line with the neoliberal austerity agenda, other ‘Genuine Left’ parties across Europe have begun to gain greater prominence, particularly in Greece where austerity policies remain deeply unpopular.
  • US Elections: Obama Battles to Become First $1 billion President
    President Obama’s fundraising campaign is set to raise US$1 billion and that does not even include the massive ads funded by the Super PACS. Meanwhile, in Washington, the billions spend on lobbying rises ever year. The result is a conservative political system stifled by the influence of big business elites.
  • The Economic Consequences Of An Israel-Iran War
    An Israeli invasion of Iran could provoke a spiralling in oil prices with catastrophic consequences for the world economy, as well as unpredictable political repercussions throughout the Middle East. Yet, Israel continues its dangerous game of brinkmanship.
  • Bearish BRICs: Have the BRIC Nations lived up to the Hype?
    Over the past decade, very few countries can claim to have matched the economic success of those of the BRICs. Ever since the term ‘BRIC’ was born in 2001, the bloc has grown rapidly – now accounting for almost a quarter of the world’s total economic output. Nevertheless, as the eurozone crisis has shown, the bloc is not immune to a weakening global economy; and the outlook for the BRICs is now uncertain. Have the BRIC nations lost their momentum?
  • Why ‘Rogue’ UK Bankers Can’t Escape US Regulators
    In the wake of the recent spate in scandals involving British banks, the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is now predictably making all the right noises about prosecuting miscreant bankers. Yet legal experts on both sides of the Atlantic argue that the SFO is too weak to live up to its promises; and say that the more aggressive US system could be a far likelier source of prosecutions.
  • London 2012: Has Money Killed The Olympic Spirit?
    The Olympics is no longer all about sport, but rather a corporate jamboree for the elite super-rich. The same pattern repeats itself every time as host nations are forced to follow the International Olympic Committee’s rulebook.
  • The Curse Of The Treasure Islands: How Tax Havens Are Sinking Europe’s Economy
    EU states lose an estimated €1 trillion in potential revenue every year from tax evasion and avoidance activities. Much of this amount, it turns out, has been squirreled away to offshore tax havens – known otherwise as “treasure islands”. Can anything be done to recoup these losses?
  • Breeding The Culture of Greed: Behind Big Banking Bonuses In The UK
    Despite losing billions in 2011, bailed-out British banks, including Lloyds and RBS, continued to pay out millions in bonuses to its top executives. The government has also thus far refused to step in, while public pressure mounts on the executives and politicians. Why are big bonuses still a prevalent part of banking culture and is there really nothing we can do?
  • Goldman Sachs & The European Crisis
    The secret of Goldman Sachs’ power over the global financial system can be summed up in one word: Alumni. In his book, 13 Bankers, the former International Monetary Fund economist Simon Johnson argued that the relationship between Goldman Sachs and the US Government was so close in the run-up to the 2007 crisis, that the country was effectively “an oligarchy.”
  • How Goldman Sachs Became the Most Hated Bank on Earth
    Goldman Sachs is the bank everyone loves to hate. In the first of our two-part investigation into the bank, we ask why they emerged as the biggest winners in the financial crisis. We also look at how they lobbied the US Government to reduce banking regulations, how they acquired massive fortunes by selling sub-prime mortgages, and how they deceived their clients by betting against the products they sold.
  • The End Of Free Consumer Banking
    Many of us are familiar with the basic services that banks provide. In simple, straightforward cases, banks keep our money and pay an interest on it, while providing the convenience of cash withdrawals along their network of ATMs. But are consumers benefitting from their banks, or are they really ripped off by hidden bank charges?
  • How Did Canada Turn Its Debt Crisis Around In 6 Years, 20 Years Ago?
    Back in 1992, Standard and Poor’s downgraded Canada’s triple A credit rating to AA+ amid concerns over its fiscal health. But in just six years, the budget was balanced and Canada won its prized AAA rating back within a decade. How did they do it, and what can the United States, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Hungary and many other indebted nations learn from Canada?
  • China’s New Wave of Economic Immigration
    Since China opened up its doors to the world a few decades ago, we’ve witnessed what has been a remarkable Chinese growth spurt. Today, China has the second largest economy in the world, the largest bank by market capitalization, and also the largest population of 1.34 billion in the world. As its economy continues to run full steam ahead, it is unsurprising that China is grappling to contain a massive influx of foreigners, both skilled and unskilled, who want a slice of its growing economic pie.
  • Are Asian economies sacrificing happiness for development?
    The UN General Assembly in September saw the Prime Minister of small Asian nation Bhutan denounce what he believed to be a “monster of a consumerist market economy” that “enslaves humanity and thrives on the insatiable nature of our greed". He urged instead for an entirely different form of economic governance that doesn't rely so heavily on GDP. Speaking to Michele Lin, Bhutan's Chief Planning Officer, Mr. Karma Galay, sets out his alternative solutions to the current global development strategy.
  • How to profit from the collapse of the euro, courtesy of Goldman Sachs
    On the 16th of August, Goldman Sachs released a report, 'State of the Markets – Long and Short Risk Strategies', that is currently making its way around the Internet. Originally intended as a private report for its institutional clients – hedge funds, that is – a copy was leaked to The Wall Street Journal who was also the first media outlet to break the news. Though the international mainstream media has been largely silent, the Goldman report has been causing quite a stir with the online community.

RSS

Share this page

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Bookmark and Share

Blog Entries

Most Viewed

Latest

Latest Comments

Categories

Tag Cloud

Archives

Blog Contributors

 
QFINANCE www.qfinance.com