Adam Cohen traced the infamous story of the sterilization of Carrie Buck, a perfectly normal woman for being an “imbecile.” The Supreme Court (Buck v. Bell), in a 8-1, decision upheld a Virginia Law [...]
On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve announced that it would not only keep its benchmark interest rates unchanged but might only raise rates once over the next two years. The Fed policymakers’ altered rate outlook [...]
By Gretchen MorgensonIn today’s New York Times, Gretchen Morgenson wrote another outstanding investigative journalistic article. Morgenson focused on several important issues:The failure of several for profit schools to provide the educational benefits that were promisedIt [...]
On Thursday, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Nations ministers failed to agree on a new production ceiling. The cartel that controls over a third of the world’s oil has been pumping all out [...]
The U.S. Labor Department on May 6 reported that our economy added the fewest number of jobs in seven months, 160,000. So far in 2016, employment gains have averaged 192,000 per month. This is [...]
I recently heard on audible, All the President’s Men. Although I had read the book many years ago, I do not believe that at the time I appreciated the incredible investigative journalism that was [...]
For years I have admired Warren Buffett. Moreover, his eternal optimism is contagious. That is, it is hard to listen to Warren without buying America. Nothing seems to deter his belief that America is [...]
MetLife, the insurance giant that in 1985 secured the rights to use Snoopy in its company logo, has won a major victory, allowing it to avoid more strict federal scrutiny. Despite being the nation’s [...]
Six years after the government bailed out U.S. banks and auto companies, Chinese regulators are coming up with strategies to clean up their own banks’ bad debts, primarily caused by loans to state-owned enterprises [...]
“Negative interest rates are spreading like the Zika virus.” — Bill Gross, co-founder of PIMCO Bill Gross, a legendary fixed-income investor, recently expressed his alarm in his monthly newsletter over the increased use of [...]
On Thursday, Caterpillar, the world’s largest construction and mining equipment maker, warned that 2016 would be a grim year for it. It predicted that its revenues would decline for a fourth straight year — [...]
As 2015 ended, the International Monetary Fund's managing director, Christine Lagarde, lowered her forecast for 2016 in a guest column published by the German financial newspaper Handelsblatt.Earlier, she had said at a Brookings Institution event [...]
Several years ago, news organizations described the inventors of new financial instruments as “financial engineers.” Since then, the Great Recession has taught us that a financial Mr. Hyde, not a Dr. Jekyll, conceived some of [...]
Israel became the first country to earn World Health Organizations highest ranking for its field hospital unit. The UN World Health Organization recognized Israeli Army’s field hospital as the number 1 in the world [...]
“The junk bond market was a keg of dynamite that sooner or later will blow up” — Carl Icahn, on CNBC On Dec. 12, Carl Icahn warned that a lack of liquidity could cause [...]
Dennis Ross, a senior United States policy makers through four recent Well, yes, as a matter of fact; how about the diplomat who has devoted his professional life to trying to bring about that peace, [...]
The United Nations has released a surprising report showing that, for the first time since 1950, the working-age population in the world’s advanced economies is forecast to decline in 2016. And this drop is [...]
Pfizer has approved a deal to buy rival drugmaker Allergan for $160 billion, making it the largest pharmaceutical merger ever. Pfizer CEO Ian Read has repeatedly stressed his desire to move his New York-based [...]
The Labor Department last week reported the strongest jump in payrolls this year, some 271,000 in October, the fastest rate of wage increases since 2009. Unemployment fell to 5 percent from 5.1 percent. Average [...]
On Friday, the People’s Bank of China took several major steps to stimulate that country’s economy after it slowed to its lowest level since the 2008 global financial crisis. The bank: Cut its benchmark [...]
The U.S. Labor Department recently released the disturbing news that our job growth for non-farm payrolls only rose 142,000 in September. Adding to the woes, labor gains in July and August were revised downward. [...]
Global mergers and acquisitions could set a record this year of close to $4.6 trillion, according to data provider Dealogic. This would exceed the $4.3 trillion reached in 2007, the previous record year for [...]
Today’s WSJ revealed the results of a survey conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation along with the American Health Association. My Summary of Major points The average annual cost of an employer family plan in [...]
China’s recent devaluation of its currency, the yuan, highlights Beijing’s attempt to reverse the country’s domestic economic slowdown. Until now, the country’s stimulus efforts focused solely on its domestic market: Beijing encouraged its banks [...]
Investors are fleeing commodities amid mounting worries about the slowdown in global growth and the significant price declines in commodities. The World Bank, in its latest Commodity Markets Outlook, predicts that commodity prices will [...]
The communist Chinese government has now tasted the bitter medicine of the downside volatility that accompanies capitalism. That nation’s stock market has sold off $3 trillion — some 30 percent during the past four [...]
In recent weeks, global interest rates have risen dramatically because of the improving economies of many of the largest developing countries. Interest rate increases in Europe and America have recently been following each other [...]
Investors and savers -- those who buy bonds and put money in bank deposits -- are paying banks to hold onto and use their money. Mark Kiesel, chief investment officer for Global Credit at [...]
Rambling Round with Rosella by Vickie Vogel Texas Jewish Historical Society - May 2015 Rosella in Galveston, c. 1928. Photo courtesy of Joella Werlin. Young Rosella Horowitz lacked confidence because she believed she [...]
(The New York Times Article is included at the end of this essay so that you can form your own opinions.) Today’s New York Times highlighted another instance which involved questionable behavior by both [...]
Introduction: Poor outlook for children of unwed mothers Much of what I have written derives directly from articles that cover this subject. Over the past year, I have a number of conversations about the significant [...]
Merger and acquisition volume could reach $4 trillion globally this year, trailing only 2007's record. This time, America is much more active in deal making than Europe. The weaker countries in Europe are holding [...]
In a single evening in November 2006, Christie's sold nearly half a billion dollars of art, almost double the previous world auction record. Driving this sale were four paintings by Gustav Klimt that together sold [...]
Mixing shrewd diplomacy with defiance of U.N. resolutions, Iran has turned the negotiation on its head. By HENRY KISSINGER And GEORGE P. SHULTZ Former Secretaries of State—Henry Kissinger and George Shultz—wrote an editorial in today’s [...]
In recent weeks, U.S. oil companies have announced $8.3 billion in cuts in capital expenditures for calendar 2015, primarily because oil prices have declined some 50 percent in the last year. Capital expenditure in [...]
Something weird is happening in Europe: negative interest rates. Some $2 trillion, about 16 percent of the world's government bonds, now offer negative yields, according to John Apruzzese, partner and chief investment officer at Evercore [...]
