Description:  If the U.S economy begins moving into a downward spiral, as many believe it might, should commodities investors take cover? WSJ’s Simon Constable visits Mean Street to break down the numbers. Source: Marketwatch.com – video report Date: July 06, 2012 Link: http://live.wsj.com/video/should-commodities-investors-take-cover/0643512D-78CC-4962-8D54-C977BD6BFD12.html Questions for Discussions: Summarize the arguments presented about the movement in commodities…. Read more »
Posts Tagged: Currencies
France slaps seven billion euros in taxes on rich and big firms
Description:Â France’s new Socialist government announced tax rises worth 7.2 billion euros on Wednesday, including heavy one-off levies on wealthy households and big corporations, to plug a revenue shortfall this year caused by flagging economic growth. Source: Reuters.com Date: July 04, 2012 Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/05/us-france-budget-idUSBRE86307X20120705 Questions for Discussions: What are the implications for Euro-based debt, the… Read more »
Reasons to fear Wall Street’s high-tech traders
Description: A review of Dark Pools: High-Speed Traders, A.I. Bandits, and the Threat to the Global Financial System, by Scott Patterson. Source: Fortune.com Date: Jun 22, 2012 Link:Â http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2012/06/22/dark-pools-scott-patterson/?iid=SF_F_River Questions for Discussions: Summarize the sentiments in this report? What are the concerns and are they well founded, in your opinion?
Why Spain’s 7% bond yield is so scary
Description: Sky-high borrowing costs and a lack of investor confidence may contribute to pushing Spain closer to a bailout. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: June 14, 2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/markets/2012/06/14/mkts-spain-10-year-bonds.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussion: What is the significance of the 7% bond yield for Spain, for Europe, and for investors? What should investors do under these… Read more »
Oil Prices Keep Falling, But a Strange Gap Persists
Description: Oil prices are down more than 20 percent since mid-March. Yet that hasn’t erased a strange anomaly in the market: the gap between two essentially identical types of oil. North American light, sweet crude, also known as West Texas Intermediate, trades just below $84 while its international equivalent, known as Brent, is priced at… Read more »
Europe’s Crisis Spotlight Shifts to Spain
Description: As Greece prepares for a June 17 election that may determine whether it exits the euro, the attention has shifted to Spain, where the problems are different—and much larger. Greece’s troubles stem from excessive government borrowing; Spain suffers from a property bust and its banks remain crippled by an estimated €184 billion ($230 billion)… Read more »
El-Erian: ‘A Greek exit is inevitable’
Description: PIMCO’s Mohamed El-Erian says a snowballing run on Greek banks is making the nation’s exit from the eurozone inevitable. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: May 25, 2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/05/25/n-el-erian-greek-exit.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussion: Summarize the opinions presented by El-Erian. Do you agree with his analysis? What trading recommendations would be in order if an… Read more »
Fishing Industry Aids Iceland’s Recovery
Description: Three years after a spectacular financial collapse, Iceland is coming back, largely on the strength of its strong exports. Video and reporting by Charles Forelle from the island of Vestmannaeyjar. Source: Marketwatch.com – video report Date: May 18, 2012 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/fishing-industry-aids-iceland-recovery/E1ED2AC5-D98B-4760-844E-67F8BA64A136 Questions for Discussion: What does this report have to say about economic recovery… Read more »
Brazil Faces New Oil-Boom Curse as the World’s Resource Engine
Description:  In 2007, Brazilian geologists made the biggest oil find in the Americas in three decades. Buried more than five miles below sea-level, the discovery was estimated to raise the country’s crude reserves by 62 percent. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: 03/13/2012 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-13/brazil-faces-new-oil-boom-curse-as-the-world-s-resource-engine.html Questions for discussion: Summarize the issues raised in the article about resource based… Read more »
The euro dream that became a nightmare
Description: When countries post a 40% youth unemployment rate, you know something is terribly wrong. The last time developed countries experienced such an employment disaster was during the Great Depression, and it is a moot question as to whether the current period will prove to be worse for the southern European countries than the Great… Read more »
