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 [...]
(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 [...]
CAUSEWAY PARK: Beneath Ringling bridge, it’s a renaming and dedication Causeway Park was renamed Friday after the late wife of a Sarasota man who donated playground equipment and other amenities to improve it. Members [...]
It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. - Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations, 1776 [...]
The sudden resignation of McDonald's CEO Don Thompson is in part a result of criticism by activist investors. They complained about the company's weak financial performance under his leadership, including poor global same-store sales. [...]
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions" Well meaning efforts by the Swiss National Bank have backfired, sending shock waves through international markets. In 2011, the Swiss central bank took dramatic steps [...]
America enters 2015 with more momentum than it has had since 2007. Hopefully, our fire power can pull the rest of the world out of its doldrums. Despite this week's plunge in the stock [...]
In brief, I found Judge Scalia’s speech disappointing on several fronts. First of all, his comments regarding homosexuals were most inappropriate. On several occasions, Scalia coupled homosexuals conduct and sodomy. While fun, many sexual acts [...]
Practically everyone has either seen or heard The Wizard of Oz and Dorothy story. The Wizard of Oz over the years has become one of the truly classic movies among children and adults alike. If [...]
U.S POPULATION 1.U.S. POPULATION GREW 4 FOLD SINCE 1900 2.ANNUAL RATE OF NATIVE POPULATION GROWTH SLOWED AFTER 1960 UNITED STATES POPULATION, 1900-2010 FALLING DEATH RATE, MASSIVE IMMIGRATION SPURRED POPULATION INCREASE U.S PERCENT OF POPULATION FLAT [...]
I want to thank Dr. Ken Stein for taking time out from his busy schedule to share with us his perspective on the historical ups and downs of the relationship between Israel and the United [...]
By John Lukacs I am already starting work for my upcoming class on Modern American History which will begin in January 2016. Our first few lectures will be on World War II—the war that saved [...]
An article in the New York Times entitled "The goal of 2 percent inflation, rethought" shows the improbable evolution of this important economic target. According to the piece by Times senior economics correspondent Neil [...]
In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia, OPEC's largest oil producer, took two extraordinary steps to maintain its market share. These measures have helped triggered a near free-fall in the oil market, with prices hitting their [...]
Adults under the age of 35 -- the so-called millennial generation -- are spending more than they make. They are either borrowing or depleting assets to pay for their lifestyles, resulting in a negative [...]
On Thursday, Sarasota hosted the first PINC conference conducted in America. PINC is a handmade conference that started in the Netherlands 15 years and has been repeated annually. Nelleke van Lindonk, the widow of the [...]
Tumbling gas prices make me feel like dancing when I pull into a filling station. Gas prices in Sarasota now hover near nationwide levels below $3 a gallon, according to AAA. Prices of oil, [...]
The central banks of Europe and the U.S. are on different paths: The U.S. Federal Reserve is ending its quantitative easing program because it worked; the European Central Bank is considering starting such a [...]
SARASOTA — In October, the city will receive an engineer's report detailing the deterioration of Hart's Landing and suggesting the possible cost of repairing it. The bait-and-tackle shop near the foot of the John [...]
For close to a century and a half, Lewis Carroll's novel, "Alice in Wonderland," has entertained children and adults and provided analogies for columnists. It certainly felt like I had gone down the rabbit [...]
Mario Draghi, the European Central Bank president, remains a key player in efforts to save the Eurozone. Two years ago, he halted a Eurozone crisis by loosening the interest-rate logjam that threatened beleaguered countries [...]
CAUSEWAY: Local man donating playground equipment and more Causeway Park may be renamed after the late wife of a Sarasota man who is donating playground equipment and other amenities to improve it. The park, [...]
Introduction: In my judgment (1) the abhorrent treatment of Jews following the end of World War II both in displaced persons’ camps or in their native countries such as Poland, Rumania, and Germany, (2) the [...]
"The best is the enemy of the good."- Voltaire France and the U.S.-based General Electric Co. have become unlikely business pals. On June 23, after a nearly two month's battle, the French government and [...]
Over the past few days, I have become angered and confused over articles about the fees that the Clinton’s have received. Specifically, my inquiry was initiated by reports that a foundation associated with UCLA paid [...]
