Economics
How well could Draghi’s QE work?
Rates in European Countries are already at record lows, which could dampen the effects of ECB quantitative easing. After the European Central Bank (ECB) spent years of waffling over whether
Russian sanctions create unexpected winners
No losers without a winner. Producers across several countries rush to fill the gaps caused by Russia’s sanctions against Western food products. The tit-for-tat exchange of sanctions between Western powers and
US municipal bonds squeezed by austerity
A perfect storm of austerity, low interest rates, and rebounding tax revenues are causing US municipal bond yields to plummet. The first part of 2014 was strong for municipal bond
Risk is not limited to internal corporate audit
Could concentrating ERM functions in internal audit, under a supervising corporate audit committee, be an obstacle to developing effective enterprise-wide risk management? Managing risks should involve all levels of corporate management and staff,
Opinion: The economic case for a unified Iraq
With ethno-sectarian tensions at a high, observers, stakeholders, and policymakers of Iraq are calling increasingly for a break-up of the country along ethnic and sectarian lines. But a break-up would be
Islamic State reshapes Syria’s war economy
In the Syrian conflict, all sides had developed a stake in maintaining a war economy. With the emergence of the Islamic State (IS), which controls a third of Syria’s territory, the
Kazakh currency devaluation triggers fuel shortage
The devaluation in February of Kazakhstan’s currency, the tenge, could have far-reaching effects on the availability of fuel in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. On February 11, 2014, the National Bank of
Samsung’s predicament puts South Korea at economic crossroad
With his hospitalization, the family of Lee Kun-hee, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, risks losing management of the company. The South Korea’s National Assembly will soon face a crossroads on Chae-bols, South
Abenomics has a silver lining
Japanese GDP took another tumble in the second quarter, but Abenomics has not been for naught. Although Japanese GDP actually fell by less than analyst expectations in the second quarter,
Is China’s economy too big to transform?
China’s growing debt-to-GDP ratio raises concerns for investors. Investment in traditional pollution-heavy and overcapacity-ridden industries is strong, despite many policy tools that help finance more lucrative sectors. Inertia has been haunting China ever
