Posts From Alex Christensen
America’s complicated relationship with the minimum wage
Raising the U.S. minimum wage is a powerful political idea that will increase both sales and labor costs for businesses. The debate over increasing the minimum wage in the U.S.
Would a ‘Yes Vote’ deny Scotland EU membership?
EU member states with their own separatist movements may balk at allowing an independent Scotland to join the EU, which would have major implications for trade and universities. EU Commission
Without the pound, independent Scotland has more questions to answer
In ruling out the possibility of a shared Pound, the UK Parliament created a great deal of uncertainty for how financial markets will operate in an independent Scotland. It is
Yellen’s first statements chart clear path for Federal Reserve
The new Fed Chairwoman made clear to Congress that her Fed will focus on improving the labor market and being straightforward in its messaging. In her first major appearance since becoming
Under-the-radar growth increases in southern Africa
Southern African countries will be rapidly growing emerging markets in the near future. The combination of growing political stability and an expanding middle class of consumers makes the region an
4 numbers tell the story of U.S. immigration reform
Just behind the rhetoric of the debate, the numbers show what a massive undertaking immigration reform is. With the budget and debt ceiling having been dealt with already this year,
5 takeaways from the US court ruling against net neutrality
What should we make of a federal court’s shooting down the FCC’s net neutrality regulations? A US federal court recently ruled that the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) 2010 regulations enforcing
U.S. Congress allows R&D tax credit to expire
If the credit is extended sometime in 2014 it may not affect companies’ research departments, but it still will throw uncertainty into earnings reports and tax management. On January 1,
Growth prospects are strong for Australia
Despite discouraging news towards the end of 2013, the prospects for the Australian economy are strong for 2014. However, dependence on continued Chinese growth and a potential housing bubble may
Expiration of jobless benefits poses growth risk to US economy
With benefits for the long-term unemployed ending at the beginning of 2014, forecasters are downgrading US growth projections. For 1.3 million long-term unemployed workers in the US, 2014 starts with
