Corruption and poor governance as a major deterrent to investment and economic growth is well known. Yet in many spheres we have accepted corruption as a way of life. However, with the growing public awareness...
Boeing’s new passenger aircraft has crashed twice within the space of a few months, raising a number of safety questions. So far, the 737 has been the backbone of many fleets globally. For two years...
The ECB meeting is today’s highlight. A dovish signal is expected. The euro remains pinned near its lows ahead it. The global equity market rally in January and February is faltering this week. Asian equities...
News that MSCI plans to substantially boost China’s equity weighting in its indices and a better than expected Caixin manufacturing PMI and some easing of India-Pakistan tensions helped bolster the risk-taking appetite going into the...
The world’s top Arabica producers are suffering their worst crisis in over a decade after prices for their coffee fell below $1 per pound. They now want to sell their harvests without being tied to...
Imports by China and other emerging Asian economies in December plunged to the lowest level in two years, in the steepest one-month plunge since 2008, after having already plunged in November, according to the Merchandise...
Targeting the poor has been a constant challenge for policy makers in India. In the early 70’s the social planners followed the strategy of growth mediated development policies with the assumption of ‘Trickle Down Hypothesis’...
A major upheaval is underway in China’s peer-to-peer (P2P) finance sector after numerous cases of fraud and negligence. As loans helped finance cars and property, could the crisis worsen the country’s economic slowdown? It’s not...
Activity in the global capital markets is subdued as investors await fresh developments. New wording for the Irish backstop apparently is being drafted. US-China trade talks resume. No decision has been made on US auto...
With the US and other countries throwing their weight behind Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s legitimate leader, time seems up for the Maduro government. But keeping the debt-ridden country afloat will prove a massive task. National...
A month ago, mortgages reappeared in the housing-hype circus, when it was widely reported that mortgage applications “soared” and “jumped.” Both types of mortgage applications did so: those used to purchase a home (purchase mortgages)...
In a world of rapid economic transition, where global economic growth is increasingly dependent on technology, growth of human capital is crucial for stimulating local and national economies. Human capital as a measure of education...