Markets Archives - Page 704 of 782

Is Egypt About to Cut Off Israel’s Gas?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani in London on May 8 to discuss Doha’s offer to sell liquefied natural gas to Israel. The rumored offer came as Egypt, Israel’s current natural gas supplier shows an intention to renegotiate the controversial natural gas deal with Israel. Egypt has been supplying Israel with energy at below-market rates, however a deal with Qatar could be Israel’s long term solution to reduce the country’s dependency on Egyptian energy.

China Spotlight: No Power to Run Factories

In East China’s industrial province of Zhejiang there are 500,000 enterprises – and not enough electricity to run them all at the same time. Insiders say the power shortage could be the worst since 2004.

Deputy Director of electricity dispatching centre at the Zhejiang branch of the National Grid, Dai Yan, confirmed the province is facing severe electricity shortages and has been buying power from neighbouring provinces.

US Military Spending: For War or Peace?

The United States has unquestionably been the most formidable military power in recent years. Its spending is the principle determinant of world military spending – a figure that reached $1.6 trillion in 2010.

Generally, US military spending has been on the rise. Recent increases are attributed to the so-called War on Terror and the Afghanistan and Iraq invasions. Today, the US accounts for just under half of world military spending.

Unemployment: The Tale of a 419 Scammer With a Heart

Ever since he could remember, Ibrahim Boakye had a knack for understanding how things worked. There were things he could just do that no other kids– let alone adults– could understand. By the time he was five-years-old everyone had stopped questioning it, and neighbors were calling on him to fix their broken toasters, irons, or anything that was the least bit mechanical.

Economics Humor: Cows Explain Complex Political Systems

Have you tried to understand the difference between economic systems in different countries – but simply can’t get your head around it? This classic jokes explains it all, with cows:

SOCIALISM

You have 2 cows.

You give one to your neighbour.

COMMUNISM

You have 2 cows.

The State takes both and gives you some milk.

FASCISM

You have 2 cows.

The State takes both and sells you some milk.

NAZISM

You have 2 cows.

Infographic: How Corporations Are Getting Out Of Paying Taxes

With the economic crisis still at hand, the government continues to oversee operations of major corporations. Ironically, in the 1950’s, corporate taxes accounted for 30 percent of all federal revenue. Now, just 6.6 percent? Uhh.. wow.

Here’s a fun, fact filled infographic that illustrates just how these corporations are getting out of paying taxes:

What Happens When the US Government Runs Out of Money?

The federal debt reached the legal maximum of $14.3 trillion today and the US federal government says it will not run out of money to pay its bills. When the current limit is reached on May 16, after the Treasury completes its latest round of borrowing, the government will need to find $125 billion a month to pay its bills.

The government plans to borrow $405 billion during the second half of 2011. If rates rose even a tenth of a percentage point, the added cost on those borrowings would be $405 million a year.

The Economics of Dissent

In the revolution of the Middle East, the Internet and social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook have certainly tipped the revolutionary equation. As Othman Larki pointed out in hisblog;

Perhaps it is time to update the phrase “The pen is mightier than the sword” to “The Internet is mightier than dictators”

Obama’s $1.3 Trillion Over-Borrowing Scandal

The heat is certainly on Obama’s deficit spending fiasco; the government’s borrowing money to live far beyond its means, and everyone in charge knows the government will never be able to repay its debts.

While, Barney Frank and Chris Dodd are assuring everyone that everything will be ok.

In January 2009 when President Obama and members of his administration came into office, they saw USASpending.gov as a potential propaganda tool and the utility of the site became an open issue.

Eurozone Crisis: Kick Greece Out?

A secret meeting to discuss the eurozone’s sovereign-debt crisis was not secret for long, and the markets are getting increasingly worried.

Another week in the eurozone, another round of rumour, speculation and denial. A secret meeting held in Luxembourg on Friday evening (6 May) has done little to convince the financial markets that politicians have the crisis under control.