The year began with an escalation in tensions between Iran and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They are the two most powerful countries in the Middle East and form the foundation of the Sunni-Shia conflict in its present form. This schism has plagued the region since the 600s. The existing rift will not only prevent a wider peace in the area, it could easily expand into a struggle that will plunge the entire vicinity into an internecine war, that will devastate most […]
Global Investing Blog
Is Ecuador The Next Domino To Fall In Latin America?
The end of the boom in commodities brought to the forefront, an important aspect of the leftist movement in Latin America. Mainly that it is economically unsustainable in the present global environment. The pattern is repeating itself as one nation after another, runs out of the money to sustain governments that came to power by promising a redistribution of wealth to the populace at large. The electoral system that brought them to power, is the very process that will now lead to […]
The Expanding Global Reach Of Chinese Foreign Investment
In the first part of the 21st century, a changing world phenomena has been the amount of foreign investment originating from China. In many cases, the total amount far exceeds new asset allocation being made by individuals and companies coming from Europe and the United States. Chinese overseas investments have increased ten fold from 2005 to 2014. It is helping to alter the international balance of power, by securing for China new allies and greater access to needed natural resources. The government […]
A Pivotal Election For The Economy Of Spain
In the run-up to the parliamentary election in Spain, it was clear that it would be the role of the new parties which would determine the direction of the country. Since a coalition government was inevitably going to be the result, it will now either move Spain to a broader consensus or if legislative majority is too narrow, even greater instability. The voters gave the Conservatives a victory, but without a mandate. The restlessness of the electorate in the pace of reforms […]
European Commission Vs. United States Multinational Corporations
When multinationals from the United States were looking for places to base their corporate headquarters in Europe, they were looking for the most business advantageous countries. For years the countries of Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in particular, offered special consideration for foreign companies known as tax rulings. These financial privileges provided legal ways to reduce and in some cases eliminate, all tax liability in the host country. This whole regime is now under attack, by central authorities and is being […]
Russia: Superpower Ambitions With An Economy In Full Decline
It is not the first time that a nation has imperial ambitions that reaches far beyond its economic capability. Britain in the 1950’s discovered that the financial cost of maintaining the Empire, far exceeded what was politically possible in a functioning democracy. It would eventually of been cost prohibitive regardless, in relation to the size of the domestic economy. This is the situation that Russia now faces. The cost of military expenditures are rising rapidly in the midst of a declining economy. Foreign […]
The Long Global Reign Of OPEC Comes To An End
At the meeting in Vienna, Austria earlier this month much to the chagrin of a number of the membership in OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries). it was decided that limits on output for oil would be abandoned at this point. For awhile it looked like the old limit of 30 million barrels a day would simply be increased by 1.5 million, in order to ratify what was actually already reality. Total exports of crude from member nations was closer to 31.5 […]
The Return Of The Opposition In Venezuela
The tide is finally turning against the leftist populist movement of Chavismo in Venezuela. It has been hemorrhaging support as the economy of the country heads for collapse. Yet the political party founded by Hugo Chavez, has won every election since 1998. Without his stature and the near economic chaos now taking hold of the nation, the possibility for political change has now arrived. Millions of Venezuelans dealing with near catastrophic living conditions in their daily lives and runaway crime, are finally […]
Chinese Yuan To Be Added As A World Reserve Currency By IMF
China is the world’s second largest economy and a leading global investor so the move on November 30th to include the Chinese yuan as a world reserve currency by the IMF (International Monetary Fund)was inevitable. As international demand for the yuan will now increase, the action also continues to undermine the present hegemony of the United States dollar (USD) in global trade. The yuan will join an elite status of currencies that include the American Dollar, the Euro, the Japanese Yen, and […]
An Economic New Beginning In Argentina For Investors
Argentinian voters have tired over the confrontational style and protectionist policies of President Cristina Fernandez, that in the end have impoverished the very people that she purports to want to help. As economic conditions worsened in Latin America’s third largest economy, the government began to fabricate and manipulate the numbers to the point that no one could put any credence in officially posted data. As a result, foreign investors abandoned the country in droves. The endless spending has proved unsustainable with the […]