Archives for Economy

“Patience,” raising rates, or QE4?

“Patience,” raising rates, or QE4?

March 19, 2015 | | No Comments

It’s anyone’s guess… On Wednesday, March 18th, the Federal Reserve released an official statement and held a press conference regarding monetary policy and current economic conditions. In this statement, the Fed projected a decline in its inflation expectation, and revised projected GDP growth downward. These are both signs of a slowing economy, not the accelerating economy required to actually raise interest rates. Janet Yellen reiterated, as she has since October, that the decision to raise rates is

Sri Lanka: Why foreign investment should come

March 11, 2015 | | No Comments

The end of civil war brings fresh opportunities Foreign investment is a hot topic at the moment. The idea mostly, in the current climate, invokes criticism and anger, such as the recent Guardian opinion piece that lamented the selling off of British and London infrastructure to foreign investors. To compound this, there has been general ill feeling from some quarters due to a view that European, and particularly British, condemnation of the conflict in the Ukraine and

2015 budget exposes Americans savings to potential derivatives bailout

2015 budget exposes Americans savings to potential derivatives bailout

December 14, 2014 | | 1 Comment

The 113th Congress has passed legislation allowing losses incurred by derivatives trading to be covered by the FDIC. President Obama is expected to sign the new budget into force, which includes provisions that permit financial institutions to trade certain financial derivatives from subsidiaries backed by the FDIC that were previously restricted by Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act. There was some resistance to the measure. As it moved through the House of Representatives, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)

Fracking and the future – shale gas in the UK

Fracking and the future – shale gas in the UK

December 9, 2014 | | No Comments

The debate about hydraulic fracturing for shale gas exploitation (fracking) has been raging constantly in the UK since 2007 when the prospect of drilling for shale gas was first proposed. Since then, the British government, having looked at the US experience and decided that it wants a piece of the action, has embraced the idea. Swiss chemicals giant INEOS has recently announced their intention to invest £640 million in shale gas exploration in the UK, a figure

World Bank-Backed Corps and Small-Scale Fishers Fight Over Fishing Rights

World Bank-Backed Corps and Small-Scale Fishers Fight Over Fishing Rights

October 25, 2014 | | No Comments

Enclosures of water are being dispossessed from small-scale markets in a rising trend of so-called “ocean grabbing,” according to a recent report by Transnational Institute (TNI) and Afrika Kontakt. Claiming that seas and shores must be taken from common fisher people in order to preserve sustainability, the World Bank is backing corporate interests and a rise in large-scale aqua-industry market-based fishing policies. “Ocean grabbing is occurring in varied ways,” stated TNI in their report. “One common denominator is the exclusion of small-scale

Deforestation Now Driven by “Globalization and Commercialization” – Report

Deforestation Now Driven by “Globalization and Commercialization” – Report

October 24, 2014 | | No Comments

The nature of deforestation has changed dramatically in recent years, according to a new study by Chalmers University Scientists. Deforestation today is driven by globalization and commercialization to a large and increasing degree–international trade is contributing to deforestation through a demand for beef, soy, palm oil and timber. “From having been caused mainly by smallholders and production for local markets, an increasing share of deforestation today is driven by large-scale agricultural production for international markets,” said Martin

World Has In Fact Not Begun Deleveraging Crisis-Linked Borrowing, ICMBS Warns

World Has In Fact Not Begun Deleveraging Crisis-Linked Borrowing, ICMBS Warns

October 2, 2014 | | No Comments

The world has not yet begun to deleverage its crisis-linked borrowing, a recent report by the International Centre for Monetary and Banking Studies (ICMBS) found. Despite currently prevailing popular opinion that the global economy is deleveraging, the world is in fact not reducing the burden of its debts, according to the organization’s research; in fact, public sector debt in rich countries and private debt in emerging markets–notably China–have not stopped rising, and this may cause a new