Top Stories

In the World

Production

World economy 26th December 2013

World industrial production and trade lack of energy

SAO PAULO|By Marcus Nunes| World industrial output and world merchandise trade reached new record monthly highs in October, suggesting that both were solidly above their previous peaks during the early months of the global slowdown in 2008 (by 10.1% and 7.2% respectively), but the real situation is that first indicator has gotten stuck and second registers a much reduced level and growth rate. Therefore, world economy would be still mired in a depressed state.

No Picture

World economy 24th December 2013

“People Who Look at Our Companies Have to See the Future” (Steven J. Mento, CEO of Conatus Pharmaceuticals)

NEW YORK | By Ana Fuentes | For Conatus Pharmaceuticals’ CEO Steven J. Mento, starting a company was “the only way to go”. This mid-sized biotech company just listed on Nasdaq market place with clinical trials in the U.S. and Europe believes they can do some things better than the big guys in their sector. He speaks with The Corner about investment opportunities and today’s economic challenges.

 

Arctic

World economy 24th December 2013

Arctic Energy Security: A Tepid Frontier?

With the area opening to greater human activity, the Polar region has once again caught the eye of policy makers (the region was once the site of heightened Cold War activity), who are looking increasingly northward.Will the Arctic be the site of conflict or cooperation?

Changes to Family-Planning in China

World economy 23rd December 2013

Experts wonder if changes to family-planning rules in China are too little, too late

BEIJING|Lan Fang and Li Yan at Caixin| Massive population remains China’s basic national condition, but structural problems of the population are daily becoming increasingly important factors affecting the development of the economy and society. The party just eased the one-child policy, but scholars and members of the public say progress should have been made years ago.

No Picture

World economy 20th December 2013

Federal Reserve: “Extended Insurance”

SAO PAULO | By Marcus Nunes | The Fed has never been comfortable with QE3; Many thought that QE ineffective; Bernanke felt compelled to clear the path for Yellen… But it has boosted “Forward Guidance” to make up (or more than make up) for the “taper”.

No Picture

World economy 19th December 2013

Is the FED scrapping cheap money?

MADRID|J.P. Martin Arrese|Resorting to cheap money has provided the Federal Reserve a vital support to US faltering economy. The huge stimulus has largely avoided the prospect of a downturn, but there are clear signs that a wealth-led recovery fails to deliver a robust self-propelled growth.

chinasconsumption

World economy 18th December 2013

China’s Consumption Paradox

The Internet plays a dramatic role in the development of China’s consumption. Encouraging information products could become a new engine of growth. But the success of such an ambitious 2.0 plan will depend on the new reforms announced by mid-November at the Communist Party Central Committee plenum.

The Pending Federization of Stanley Fischer

World economy 18th December 2013

The Pending Federization of Stanley Fischer?

SAO PAOLO | By Benjamin Cole at Marcus Nunes’ Historinhas | Slated to be No. 2 at the Fed is Stanley Fischer, who espouses adjustable inflation-targeting more than the locally preferred shooting for steady increases in nominal GDP (Market Monetarism), who knows?—it may amount to the same thing in practice.

No Picture

World economy 17th December 2013

The EU and Microsoft’s 20-year marriage

PARIS | By at Mediapart via Presseurop | Despite being strong advocates of competition, European institutions are bound to the US software giant through murky contracts. Any transition to “open source” software, which in theory they encourage, would be too complicated and too expensive, they claim. Excerpts.