World Economic Trends

Oil prices are down due to an oversupply, but this time it isn't all good news. By Anna B. Wroblewska   The stock market is having the worst January on record. At the same time, oil prices are sinking. These two asset...
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In the past decade we've seen it all. In the mid to late 90's people became superstar investors regardless of what they actually knew due to the markets going up like a rocket virtually all of them. Just about anyone who...
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Do you know what your personal inflation rate was for 2004? Or why it's important to gauge how much it rose? The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the pace of U.S. inflation, by measuring the prices of consumer goods and...
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The most commonly cited measure of inflation is the consumer price index (CPI). However, the government releases not one, but three, versions of the CPI: CPI-U The CPI for all urban consumers, the most commonly cited...
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"The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools" - Herbert Spencer, an English Philosopher (1820 - 1903) Questions to ponder Why do people who can readily explain why it...
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Inflation has been tame for so long that it's easy to ignore it when planning for retirement. However, even inflation of 2% or 3% a year, over a period of many years, can seriously erode the purchasing power of your funds....
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"The most important thing to remember is that inflation is not an act of god, that inflation is not a catastrophe of the elements or a disease that comes like the plague. Inflation is a policy." Ludwig von Mises. The...
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Recently, KLD, a securities research firm, introduced the Global Climate 100 Index. The index is made up of companies that recognize the importance of minimizing their greenhouse gas emissions now, and creating technologies...
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Recently, KLD, a securities research firm, introduced the Global Climate 100 Index. The index is made up of companies that recognize the importance of minimizing their greenhouse gas emissions now, and creating technologies...
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Nearly four years have passed since the devastating 9/11 attacks on the United States, and it appears that time and perspective may have helped investors learn difficult lessons about staying calm amid the uncertainty that...
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Watching key economic indicators over time should help you understand the signals the economy is sending. While you may not make financial decisions with certainty, understanding the economy should help you make decisions,...
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One way to look at the markets is to view them as a combination of cycles. Most people would accept that there is seasonality as regards the calendar year, but there are many other cycles too. It is, of course, easier to...
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The position of Federal Reserve Chairman isn't one to be taken lightly. Mr. Greenspan is responsible for controlling monetary policy for our juggernaut of an economy. Everyone watches everything he does. The words that...
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Warnings abound about America,s record current account deficit, which for 2005 topped $700 billion. But is it really such a bad thing that the world wants to invest in the U.S. economy? The Economist, for example, in its...
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