Economics

The US dollar caught a strong bid to start the week.  The prospects that Yellen will keep the June rate hike in play after the FOMC minutes are diminishing it may be lending the dollar support, though US rates are...

The Greek issue has been sufficiently resolved for now that investors' focus will shift elsewhere in the week ahead.  The answers to three questions will dominate the market's attention.  1) How strong are the deflationary forces?  2) Are the cyclical...

Minutes after the German finance ministry rejected Greece's offer, the ECB released its first record of its recent meeting.  The only item that rises to the level of a surprise might be that the ECB considered buying corporate bonds.   ...

President Obama is asking congress to raise the minimum wage (MW) to $10.10 an hour, from $7.25. The appeal has taken place only months after Gov. Jerry Brown of California signed a bill to raise the MW in California to...

Less Americans are buying houses and applying for mortgages in a trend that is hurting the new housing and construction industries.In three separate reports from different agencies and private firms released Wednesday, the United States real estate sector showed marked...

The capital markets are particularly difficult to navigate at the moment.  The news stream is noisy.  There are three confusing issues: the Fed, Greece and Australia.  What should one think about the FOMC minutes?  The market clearly saw the minutes...

On a normal Friday, Kara-Suu’s Al-Sarahsiy Mosque is packed with thousands of worshipers from across southern Kyrgyzstan. They come to this town of 20,000 to listen to the sermons of Rashot Kamalov, the mosque’s charismatic imam. Kamalov is respected for...

Tomorrow is an important day for the ECB.  Yes, it does appear a Greek compromise is getting closer as the brink draws nearer.  Yes, the ECB is preparing to launch its new and more aggressive asset purchase program, just as...

The recent Japanese hostage crisis has divided public opinion on its dealings in the Middle East. On 20 January, the extremist organisation Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) released an online video showing two Japanese men kneeling in orange...

As banks slowly approach the age of digitalization they already seem to be facing tough challenges that are related to their own systems’ security.  Banks have been victims to many cyber crimes but so far the crimes had been related...

Anti-prostitution campaigners have made grand statements about the effectiveness of Sweden’s hugely influential approach to prostitution. However, researchers say the claims are grossly exaggerated and the law has put sex workers in greater danger. Anti-prostitution campaigners have made grand statements...

Strong employment and earnings data in the UK lifted sterling to the upper end of its recent range near $1.5450.  A break would quickly target the $1.5500-$1.5600 area.  The claimant count fell by 38.6k, which is about 50% more than...

The turmoil of 2014 was a timely reminder to businesses that they need to be prepared and have contingency plans for global conflict. The crisis in Ukraine brought Russia and the West to the brink of military confrontation; relations between...

David Cameron has told company bosses that firms should give their staff a pay rise. Certainly a raise in wages would be long overdue. The small average wage increase over the past year or so (1.8% between September and November...

Given the scandals, bonus increases and plummeting lending to small and medium-sized British businesses, reform of the banking system is likely to be a hot topic in the run-up to the general election. It is not surprising then that Labour...