Posts From Alex Christensen

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Economics International

Why emerging market leaders should read Thomas Piketty

Thomas Piketty brought the debate over wealth inequality into the limelight in the US and Europe, but it could have an even larger impact on emerging and frontier markets. Six

North America Technology and infrastructure

Opinion: 4 reasons why digital regulation is difficult

The US Supreme Court’s recent ruling against Aereo, an online television broadcaster, showed how much governments continue to struggle with regulating the internet.  When the US Supreme Court struck a major blow

Economics International

3 reasons economists keep forecasting growth wrong

The Fed and IMF again downgraded US growth projections, as they have done repeatedly for the last five years. When the Federal Reserve and the IMF downgraded their forecasts for

Europe Politics

Adams arrest shows vulnerability in Northern Ireland’s rebirth

Coming ahead of EU parliamentary elections, Adams’ arrest shows the situation that hampered the Northern Irish economy for decades is still fragile. When Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams was taken into

Economics North America

Billions at stake for U.S. retailers in online sales tax debate

Lobbying efforts by brick-and-mortar stores to charge online sales tax could be a big blow to the e-retailer Amazon. One of the key advantages of Amazon.com’s business model is being

Europe Finance

Starbucks’ new European HQ sign of ‘tax posturing’?

Tax mitigation strategies are here to stay and so is public disdain for them, leading multinationals to start ‘tax posturing’. Starbucks is the latest example. On the surface, the announcement

Natural resources and energy North America

What US oil boom can learn from Australia and Canada

America’s new oil boom is reshaping the global energy dynamic, and the U.S would be wise to heed lessons from Canada and Australia. You will hear it out of many

Economics Europe

ECB and Germany must learn to love inflation for Eurozone to grow

Even though the Eurozone is teetering on the edge of deflation, the ECB will not lower its rates. The European Central Bank’s (ECB) message to markets in the last year

North America Politics

Obamacare enrollment date pushed back

Opponents of the new health care law in the United States are seeking to make the law too convoluted to be successful. For a law so fraught with delays and false

Economics North America

How much slack does the U.S. labor market really have?

U.S. labor market slack, the unused part of economic production capacity, is an important economic indicator used by the Federal Reserve to determine forward guidance. The question is how much