The mighty US dollar

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In 1985, the finance ministers of the world’s five most important economies met in the US to solve a problem. Representing France, Japan, the UK, the US and West Germany,

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11 Dec 2014

Globalisation has peaked

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The world’s first great era of globalisation took place after the US emerged from civil war in 1865, from when the US and the more-dominant UK imposed capitalist principles on

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24 Nov 2014

China’s admired autocratic model is built on myths

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Autocratic capitalism as an economic development model has won converts in recent years, especially as the increase in wealth achieved by China’s dictatorship swamps that of, say, India’s system of

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27 Oct 2014

Is Europe headed for “Japanese-style” stagnation?

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When pessimists want to express the utmost gloom ahead for the eurozone they often cite Japan’s lost decades as their most-feared outcome for the 18-member area. The worriers invoke a

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20 Oct 2014

The surprise for investors during the Middle East flare-ups

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In 1973, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel during the Jewish religious festival of Yom Kippur. The swift arrival of arms from the US helped Israel repel

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22 Sep 2014

The euro’s political weak spot

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While the plan to unify Europe after World War II began with two Italians,[1] the French pounced on the idea. The first concrete step occurred in 1950 when the French government

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15 Sep 2014

Why the US gilded age is poised to last

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Some may be surprised that US stocks took just over 5 ½ years to regain previous highs after the so-called Great Recession compared with the 25 years it took the

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25 Aug 2014

Global threats are mounting

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The hazards confronting the world economy are mounting. The US economy is recovering at an unspectacular pace of about 2%[1] and a sub-par labour market, sluggish wages growth, renewed doubts about

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18 Aug 2014

The third arrow of Abenomics takes shape

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Japan’s parliament in June began debating legislation that would allow for the country’s first casinos. Whatever the merits casinos are as tourist attractions as the bill’s backers claim versus the

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29 Jul 2014

The yuan’s rise to reserve-currency status

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Amid all the threats and counter-threats between Russia and the west over recent events in Ukraine was a warning by Kremlin aide Sergei Glazyev that Moscow might orchestrate the end

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25 Jun 2014