The New Mercantilism Rates Race to the Bottom Currencies Depreciate

During the recent period of world growth, where nearly every country’s exports were rising, there was little incentive for governments to manipulate economic policies to foster even more economic growth. Getting back to “normal” seemed to be the universally adopted mantra, and that implied rising rates and tighter monetary policies. However, today, when world trade is contracting […]

Investing amid inflation, low interest

The Janet Yellen Fed clearly is paying close attention to the labor markets, and she has remarked several times that she thinks the unemployment level is unacceptably high. She sees a lot of slack in the labor markets and is particularly interested in seeing wages rise. The labor force participation rate also is key for […]