April, 2012
Euro – May 6 France Election
The second round of France`s election will be held this coming weekend. During the first round, the incumbent Sarkozy and the challenger Hollande both failed to command a majority. The polling is showing Sarkozy trailing behind Hollande in this election. The platforms of these two leading candidates are very different. Hollande, if elected will seek [...]
Why Johnny Can’t Pay His Student Loans
Young people face a cruel irony. Most can’t land a decent job without a college education, yet many graduates are locked into poorly paying positions that don’t permit repayment of student loans. For two generations, college price tags have risen much faster than inflation and families’ ability to pay. More importantly, costs have leaped faster [...]
First Quarter GDP Advances 2.2 Percent, Economy Slowing
The Commerce Department reported the economy grew at a 2.2 percent annual rate the first quarter of 2012, slower than the 3.0 percent pace registered the previous period. The consensus forecast was 2.5 percent, while my forecast was exactly on mark at 2.2 percent
Fate of the Euro
The Euro/USD has been holding up very well despite all the problems in the Euro zone. The troubles in Greece are temporarily behind us but concerns in Spain are now in the headlines. The fate of the Euro currency is in everyone’s mind and the bigger question is – why is the Euro/USD trading at [...]
Saving Europe from Collapse
Governments may soon fall in France and Holland, and are quickly losing legitimacy elsewhere in Europe, because austerity programs and a common currency risk throwing the continent into an endless recession.
U.S. Equities Up – Apple to the Rescue/ Fed Policy Unchanged
Nasdaq is trading almost 2 percent higher, the S&P 500 is up 1 percent and the Dow Jones is a little over 0.5 percent gain at the time of this article, thanks to Apple Inc. The iPhone and iPad maker reported their net income rose 94 percent and sales went up 59 percent last quarter. [...]
Gold Looks to Trade Lower
It is becoming repetitive writing about the tight range in Gold, however, the recent tight movement is very important from a technical point of view. At the moment, Gold is testing the upper resistance level at $1,650. Despite recent economic and political news, Gold is moving on its own. At the moment, it is a [...]
European Politics and China Contraction are Pulling Markets Down
The contraction in China’s manufacturing, the resignation of Dutch Prime minister Mark Rutte and his cabinet, combined with news that the socialist candidate Francois Hollande won the first round elections in France are news that attribute to the global sell-off in the equities markets. The European equities are down 3 percent and the U.S. markets [...]
Top News
- US Airways plane makes unusual belly landing at Newark airport May 18, 2013By David Jones NEWARK, New Jersey (Reuters) - A US Airways flight made an emergency landing on its belly at Newark Liberty International Airport early on Saturday after the plane's landing gear failed to deploy, but no one was injured, airline and government officials said. Piedmont Airlines flight 4560, operating for US Airways from Philadelphia with 3 […]
- Union leads march in Rome calling for job creation May 18, 2013ROME (AP) — A union of Italian metal workers has led thousands of people in a march through the heart of Rome to press the new government for measures to spur job creation. […]
- Switzerland close to deal in U.S. tax dispute: finance minister May 18, 2013ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland is on the brink of a deal to settle a long-running dispute with U.S. authorities over Swiss banks accused of helping wealthy Americans evade billions of dollars of tax, the finance minister said on Saturday. "We hope that we will shortly be at the finishing line," Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf told Swiss radio in an intervi […]
- Politics, bribery charges swirl around Ugandan oil May 18, 2013KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Even before the first drops flow, Uganda's oil sector is beset by bribery allegations against officials, tax-related cases abroad that cost the government millions in legal fees, and the alleged interference of a president whose firm control of the sector worries transparency campaigners. […]
- New Xbox more than a game console for Microsoft May 18, 2013By Malathi Nayak and Bill Rigby SAN FRANCISCO/SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp is set to make a splash this week with the eagerly awaited unveiling of its new Xbox game console, eight years after the last version, as it seeks a larger share of the $65 billion a year global computer gaming industry. But the small device faces some big competition from the P […]