Economics

Bilateral investment treaties have been a source of political controversy in recent years. This is clear from the alarming increase in the number of disputes between investors and governments. The treaties create an unequal distribution of rights and obligations between...

Tax breaks for elite colleges cost the taxpayer billions, which would be better spent on making public colleges free. The bestselling Canadian author Malcolm Gladwell made headlines recently with a series of Tweets about national Government subsidies of private universities...

It may have taken 24 rounds of negotiations, but Chinese officials announced on Wednesday that a US-China bilateral investment treaty (BIT) is close to being signed. According to the Chinese Minister of Commerce, Chen Deming, many of the key stumbling...

A few short hours stand in the way of the long holiday weekend for many.  The capital markets are retracing the recent moves.  This means equities and commodities are lower.  It means bonds are firmer and the dollar stronger. The...

The euro rallied shortly after the ECB announced numerous monetary measures that in their totality were more than expected.  Many saw this as proof that monetary policy had lost its effectiveness, and central banks have lost credibility.   The euro rallied...

The US dollar is firm as the losses suffered in the wake of the FOMC meeting are retraced.  Over the last few days, no less than five Federal Reserve officials have come out endorsing a resumption of the normalization cycle. ...

Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s protectionist prescriptions have led to renewed speculation about whether trade wars are on the horizon. In other words, if, under a Trump presidency, the United States were to raise its tariffs against some of its...

On Monday, China agreed to Nepal’s proposal to build a strategic rail link between the two nations through Tibet. The new line will reduce Nepal’s dependence on India for shipping. The agreement was proposed and brokered by Nepal’s Prime Minister,...

A series of attacks at Brussels airport and metro casts a pall over the market.  The attacks come as Europe prepares what for many will be a long holiday weekend.  Gold, the dollar and yen seem to have been the...

Denmark reclaimed its place as the happiest country in the world, according to the latest annual World Happiness Report. Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Finland followed in quick succession at the top, while Benin, Afghanistan, Togo, Syria and Burundi languished at...

South Asia is one of the least economically integrated regions in the world. At 5 percent, trade shares among South Asian neighbours are lower than trade shares among Sub-Saharan African economies. This is largely because the region’s two biggest players...

Pakistan’s trade with India leaves much to be desired. The volume of bilateral trade is very low, ranging between only 2 to 3 percent of each country’s total trade, and is concentrated in a few commodities. Trade is low and...

The US dollar is beginning the week mostly firmer against the major and emerging market currencies.  The Japanese yen, where local markets were closed for the spring equinox is up slightly, and the Australian dollar turned higher in the European...

The year started poorly, to say the least. Equity markets plunged from the get-go.  The Nikkei, DAX and S&P 500 gapped lower on the first trading day of the year.  Emerging markets and commodities were smashed.  Many economists blamed the...

The US dollar had a difficult week.  The price action after the ECB meeting had undermined the technical tone, and the dollar took another leg down after the FOMC moved closer to the market expectation by reducing the number of...