Sector Archives - Page 24 of 68

Carbon Trading Initiative Consequences

In recent years, there has been significant movement toward land acquisition in developing countries to establish forestry plantations for offsetting carbon pollution elsewhere in the world. Land grabbing is the common reference to this practice.

These carbon-trading initiatives work on the basis that forestry plantations absorb carbon dioxide and other polluting greenhouse gases. This helps to undo the environmental damage associated with modern western lifestyles.

Oil Market Fundamentals Will Need Some Magic

The party is over for tight oil. Despite brash statements by U.S. producers and misleading analysis by Raymond James, low oil prices are killing tight oil companies. Reports this week from IEA and EIA paint a bleak picture for oil prices as the world production surplus continues. EIA said that U.S. production will fall by 1 million barrels per day over the next year and that, “expected crude oil production declines from May 2015 through mid-2016 are largely attributable to unattractive economic returns.”

Here Come the Seniorpreneurs

Senior entrepreneurs are Australia’s fastest-growing segment of entrepreneurs, despite facing significant barriers including ageism and a lack of financial support, according to new research from the Swinburne University of Technology and Queensland University of Technology.

The research, funded by National Seniors Australia, studied more than 400 seniors through interviews, focus groups, and online surveys. Key findings include:

* seniorpreneurs lead 34% of all young firms in Australia

* seniorpreneurs average age is 57

People are Lovin’ Fast Food Less

McDonald’s, the epitome of fast food, has been suffering a decline in global sales for the past few years. Globally, McDonald’s revenues in the first half of 2015 fell by 10% to US$12.5 billion and net income dropped by 22% to US$2 billion.

In May of this year, worldwide sales dropped by 0.3%. The greatest decline of 3.2% occurred in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. This most certainly resulted from the food safety scandal in 2014.

Oil Takes the Path of Least Resistance

As traders, investors and pundits, we all like to think that what we do is akin to a science. We believe that by working harder and being smarter we can give ourselves an edge, that enough research will reveal to us the next move, either a long-term trend or an intraday blip on a chart, and that we can profit from that knowledge. Usually, especially over longer time spans, we are correct in that assumption. Sometimes, however, no amount of fundamental or technical analysis will help.

The Peril and Promise of a Sharing Economy

The rapidly growing influence of Silicon Valley owners over sharing economy platforms is a troubling development. The growing strength and pervasiveness of these platforms means their owners have significant power to impose their visions of what it means to be a citizen or worker in cities across the globe.

Airbnb, for example, seems free to distort property prices and create a grey, unregulated market for short-term accommodation. Uber meanwhile continues to erode hard won labour rights and turns a blind eye to acts of discrimination committed by its drivers.

Do Oil Sands Have to be Dirty?

After decades of exhaustive attempts to overcome the dirty reputation of oil sands, we finally have an environmentally-friendly and low cost method to tap into these vast resources in the state of Utah—good news both for Mother Nature and all oil and gas investors.

Perhaps Japan’s Abe Should Fire Off Another Arrow?

On 11 August, the Japanese government went along with its plan to revive nuclear energy after the Fukushima disaster by restarting one of the Sendai nuclear power plants. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe insists that Japan cannot thrive without nuclear energy because oil and gas imports put a costly burden on the Japanese economy.

Are the Saudis Killing OPEC?

“If you are the world’s leading energy economy, you produce energy, that’s what you do.”

“A government can stay irrational longer than it can stay solvent.”

“Even in the short term, you’re dead, if you commit suicide.”

Naming Names on Financial Audits

When it comes to auditing financial information, under current professional rules, only the name of the auditing firm appears at the bottom of audit reports.

That is about to change.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) has recently issued its latest attempt to require disclosure of the name of the person who oversaw an audit of a company’s books, making it binding federal law. All US publicly traded companies are required to have an accounting firm audit their financial statements.