Archive
Fed debates changing forward guidance
The quickly falling US unemployment rate has caused the Federal Reserve to reevaluate how it communicates when it will raise interest rates. Recently released minutes of the Federal Reserve’s last
Ukraine caught in East-West tug-of-war
Ukraine could be on the brink of a wide-scale conflict that threatens to destabilize the region and worsen relations between Russia and the West. Ukraine is going through the worst
Russia’s single-industry cities pose risk to economy
The issue of failing monogoroda, or single-industry cities, is rapidly becoming one of the most pressing economic issues and sources of political risk within the Russian Federation. The Russian government
Corruption remains key to Russia’s economic stagnation
Corruption is widespread throughout the executive, legislative and judicial branches at all levels of the Russian government. The Russian authorities recognise that corruption is a major problem and have implemented a
Can monetary policy address U.S. long-term unemployment?
With Janet Yellen newly confirmed as Chairman of the Federal Reserve, investors are now parsing her testimony to gain insight on the future direction of interest rates. One particularly interesting piece
Estonia-Russia border deal brings needed clarity
Estonia and Russia have signed an agreement clarifying their shared border. The two countries could see improved trade relations. On February 18th, Estonia and Russia signed a historic agreement outlining
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
California drought threatens food security
Food availability, affordability and quality drive food security problems in the world. The drought in California threatens to exacerbate food security problems in all three issue areas. The state of
Spanish court ruling could hurt China-Spain trade
Spain’s High Court has issued arrest orders to detain former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, former premier Li Peng, and three others over charges brought by Tibetan human rights groups in Spain.