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by leon on March 17, 2010
Two years ago, the International Energy Agency was telling countries that the global economic crisis was an opportunity to mitigate climate change. Less production and less economic activity would ...
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by leon on March 15, 2010
A tumbling stock market doesn't just damage your savings and portfolio.According to this report, Duke University researchers found there was a link between how a stock index performed and how m...
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by leon on March 14, 2010
According to the latest Gallup poll, half the American population or 48% think concerns about global warming are exaggerated and twisted out of proportion. That's the highest margin since Gallu...
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by leon on March 8, 2010
The climate change backlash has hit American class rooms and if nothing else, it shows the deep divisions now running through US society.The New York Times reports that people who have condemned th...
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by leon on March 7, 2010
Parents aren't the only ones worried about what their kids post on Facebook and Twitter. Corporations are keeping an eye on it too. Litigation and security risks are the big concerns.To begin w...
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by leon on March 2, 2010
So now it's official. California, America's basket case state, is now a bigger risk than Kazakhstan, according to this graph from Seeking Alpha.Comparing 5-year credit default swaps on bond...
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by leon on March 1, 2010
Coffee producers reckon they're being hammered by global warming .International Coffee Organization figures show that production in Latin America dipped last year, mainly because of poor weathe...
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by leon on February 28, 2010
That's the suggestion from political commentator Adam Hanft. Writing in the Huffington Post, Hanft says Toyota is paying the price for pursuing growth for its own sake, and the same could happe...
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by leon on February 27, 2010
We might be looking at the death of American capitalism. Ask Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett's partner and vice-chairman of Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.In a recent piece in Slate Magazine ,...
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by leon on February 26, 2010
The Greek tragedy just gets worse and it doesn't look like Greece will get out of this mess easily.First, we have ratings agency Moody's warning that that Greece could see its long-term cre...
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by leon on February 25, 2010
It had to happen. With Europe's economic woes forcing governments to cut spending, riots had to start happening. As the The Times says, the riots in Athens signal the summer of discontent.David...
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by leon on February 23, 2010
Airlines have been hit hard by the global financial crisis, security scares and pandemics. With airline travel now hitting a record low, they have been losing billions, something I have looked at h...
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by leon on February 20, 2010
How much is the environment worth? And will corporates end up paying trillions of dollars in compensation for environmental damage?That could well be the case with The Guardian telling us of an unp...
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by leon on February 18, 2010
With former president Bill Clinton blaming his heart problems in part on the Haiti earthquake but mostly on the US obesity epidemic, it's worth thinking about the impact the epidemic will have ...
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by leon on February 18, 2010
Who exactly is advising Toyota on their strategy?With the company now facing a string of class action lawsuits which could cost it as much as $3.6 billion, it is extraordinary to read reports that ...
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by leon on February 17, 2010
The Financial Times reports that Greece has been given just one month to explain to Europe's finance ministers that it's doing everything it can to stave off financial collapse. No doubt th...
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by leon on February 16, 2010
With concerns rising about the China bubble, Chinese officials are moving to restrain bank lending but will that be enough?Jack Rodman, who advises private equity and hedge funds on Chinese propert...
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by leon on February 15, 2010
Will the problems of Portugal, Greece and Spain result in the break up of the European Union?According to BusinessWeek, that certainly seems to be the suggestion of Societe Generale SA strategist A...
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by leon on February 15, 2010
This Credit Suisse table is alarming. The table lists countries that are the biggest risks.It's no surprise that Iceland and Greece are at the top of the list. Nor is it surprising that Portuga...
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by leon on February 13, 2010
With the Greek debt crisis, the great experiment of monetary union in Europe is in trouble. A system that got rid of all those colorful paper currencies in Europe and replaced them with new paper n...
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by leon on February 12, 2010
Several weeks ago, I looked at what impact an ageing society would have on the economy and broader community.The big one will be the clash between the boomers who have basically cashed in on their ...
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by leon on February 11, 2010
Last year, I did a blog entry asking whether the faltering United States commercial real estate market was going to create a new mortgage crisis, resulting in a double dip recession.Now we have rep...
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by leon on February 10, 2010
We now have disturbing reports that Chinese military officers are urging the Chinese government to use its economic power and sell US bonds to blackmail the American government into banning arms sa...
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by leon on February 9, 2010
If you're looking for work and if you can read Tarot cards, move to Italy.Italy, emerging from its worst recession since World War Two and confronted by galloping inflation, has its own unique ...
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by leon on February 8, 2010
With the the debt load of the PIGS (Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain) out of control, Europe is on the brink of financial catastrophe, writes Simon Johnson. He makes the point that the stronger Eu...
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by leon on February 7, 2010
At the end of January, I looked at how one in five Americans were now saying they were going hungry. It's inevitable with one in four American children on food stamps.Now we have reports that a r...
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by leon on February 7, 2010
Earlier this month, I did a blog entry on how trust in banks has eroded completely.Now, columnist Jason Zweig from The Wall Street Journal says it might take some time before that trust comes back....
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by leon on February 5, 2010
US debt is running out of control with the Us House of Representative voting to increase the US government's borrowing limit by $1.9 trillion, taking the debt load up to a mind-boggling $14.3 t...
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by leon on February 5, 2010
Several weeks ago I did a blog entry looking at the prospect of a food crisis. Experts warn that a shortage of food means higher prices which will rise to 50% of household budgets. With the world p...
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by leon on February 4, 2010
Get ready for subprime carbon.Last year, I did a blog entry asking whether carbon was going to be the next subprime. As I said at the time, cap and trade is just another derivatives market.We have ...
