BBC Capital: This Is Why The Boss Will Crush All Your Good Ideas

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Surely you’ve heard the plea from on high at your company: we want more innovation, from everyone at every level. Your boss might even agree with the sentiment — because, of course, who doesn’t like innovation? It’s good for everyone, right?

Yet when it comes to innovating at your job it might be better to lower your expectations — and then some. Your idea is far more likely to die on your boss’s desk than it is to reach the CEO. Read more here.

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Forbes: Mr. Trump, Here's Why Trade Deficits Are Good

By SIMON CONSTABLE

President Trump seems to have the wrong end of the stick when it comes to trade deficits.

He seems to think big trade deficits mean the U.S. is losing in the game of international trade. But nothing could be further from the truth. They are good: The bigger the better, in fact.

Here's what you need to know:

Forbes: Why You Shouldn't Look Down On Your Depressed Colleagues

By SIMON CONSTABLE

How well do we really know whether someone has a hard life or not? Not very much at all.

That's the first big takeaway from Daphne Merkin's recently published book, This Close To Happy: A Reckoning With Depression. Read more here.

U.S. News: Rocks and Concrete Might Be Good Bets for Investors

By SIMON CONSTABLE

When it comes to industrial materials, there isn't much more basic than rocks and concrete. But they might just be a good investment under the Trump administration.

"Infrastructure spending is coming," says Craig Hodges, a portfolio manager with Hodges Funds. "Airports and roads are deplorable – there needs to be major spending on that."

The phrase "major spending" isn't used lightly. The Trump team wants to spend around $1 trillion on fixing worn-out bridges and airports. Read more here.

Forbes: What Is Causing The Spike In Economic Uncertainty? It's Not Trump

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Last month a key indicator of economic uncertainty reached yet another record high. Listening to some people you might be forgiven for thinking that the problem is Donald Trump's administration. The data say otherwise. Read more here.

No.3: Tomaas -- Go Your Own Way

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It is something of a truism that there is never a right time to switch career. But it’s hard to imagine a worse time to move into photography than 2007, the very eve of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Still, for Tomaas the time was right. Read more here.

U.S. News: Municipal Bonds Are Less Attractive in 2017

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The new administration seems firmly committed to slashing individual tax rates. That's good, but it raises the issue of whether it still makes sense to invest in municipal bonds.

These securities typically have some favorable tax-related attributes. Interest income from muni bonds is usually exempt from federal taxes and in many cases from state income taxes, also.

Whether you own some of these securities or not, there are some things you need to know. Read more here.

Forbes: Why Mnuchin Must Keep The Dollar Strong

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin must resist calls to weaken the greenback. Despite claims to the contrary, letting the dollar drop would do little to boost the economy and much to harm it. Here's what you need to know.

Barron's: Profiting From Flat Beef Prices

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Beef prices may have taken a tumble last year, but now it looks like they aren’t going anywhere but sideways for a while. That may not sound like the most exciting investment opportunity in the world, but it could be a compelling one if you sell options at levels above and below recent prices.

Read more here.

Forbes: How Alexander Hamilton Can Help Reverse The Mess In the Workplace

By SIMON CONSTABLE

When it comes to how people behave in the business world, few things are as disheartening as when individuals with lack of character are installed in management positions.

That's why I found a recently published book on leadership so refreshing. The title in question, The Leadership Secrets of Hamilton: 7 Steps to Revolutionary Leadership from Alexander Hamilton and the Founding fathers by Gordon Leidner, hit the shelves earlier this month. Read more here.

U.S. News: 8 Reasons to Get a Side Gig Now

By SIMON CONSTABLE

If you have a full-time job right now, congratulations. The economy is certainly better than it was a few years ago. But now is the time to get a side gig as well.

"The main reason is because there is so little job security today," says Kimberly Palmer, author of "The Economy of You: Discover Your Inner Entrepreneur and Recession-Proof Your Life." 

"If you were to suddenly lose your job, then you have something to fall back on," Palmer says.

Even with the economy in better shape than a few years ago, there are still major firings. U.S. companies announced mass layoffs totaling nearly 527,000 last year, according to a report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, which tracks the data. Read more here.

TheStreet: Why India's War on Cash Is a Warning to the U.S.

By SIMON CONSTABLE

India's economy crumbled in just weeks, all because of a misguided war on cash. This should be a lesson to anyone pushing for a cashless society.

While Americans were going to the polls on Nov. 8, India's Prime Minister Modi made an announcement that all existing large-denomination bills would need to be deposited in banks in exchange for new bills. The bills in question accounted for almost all the cash in the economy.

The request was startling. The result: India's economy ground to a halt. Read more here.

WSJ: What Is Rate ‘Normalization’ and Why Does It Matter?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Increasingly we are hearing market professionals talk about “normalization.” Usually, they are referring to interest rates on government securities, which have been anything but normal over the past few years.

Read more here.

WSJ: ETFs vs. ETNs-- You Better Know the Difference in Risk

By SIMON CONSTABLE

When it comes to investment products, sometimes a slight difference in a name means a lot of difference in risk.

A case in point: The difference between an exchange-traded fund and an exchange-traded note.
“ETFs and ETNs are as different as a dog and a cat,” says Steve Hanke, professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University. “And if you get a bad ETN, then it could be a dog.” Read more here.

Anthony Haden-Guest at the Overthrow

By SIMON CONSTABLE

We've done black & white movies, now silent movies. The legendary Anthony Haden-Guest goes in the ring.

Forbes Video: Why This Bull Market Goes Out With A Bang!

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Forbes Video: Latin America-- Submerging Market Or Emerging Market?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It wasn't so long ago that Latin America was an engine of economic growth, selling materials and foodstuffs across the oceans, most notably to Asia. Then China's economy slowed down, so the demand for the resources like iron ore and coal shrank. Then the U.S. dollar rallied and capital fled emerging markets for the U.S.

Unfortunately, the prospects for a return to fast growth are dim, at least for the foreseeable future. Dr. Win Thin, global head of emerging markets at Brown Brothers Harriman, explains why in this video.

Forbes Video: The Worst Biz Mistakes College Grads Make

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Veteran businesswoman Joan Adams details what not to do, as well as what makes sense to do, when entering the work place. Check out what she says in this video.

Forbes Video: King Dollar: How High Can The Greenback Go?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Since May of 2011 the U.S. dollar has been grinding a relentless path higher.

Dr. Win Thin, global head of emerging markets at Brown Brothers Harriman, explains why he sees a further surge in the greenback here.

U.S. News: Why the Bond Market Pullback Shouldn't Worry Investors

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The bond market is in a good news, bad news situation. The bad news is that bond prices are down. That's also the good news.

Here's what long-term investors need to know: stay calm. 

Here's what happened in the fixed-income market: it sank. For instance, the iShares iBoxx Investment Grade Corporate Bond exchange-traded fund (ticker: LQD), which holds a basket of high-quality fixed-income securities, retreated 4.7 percent in the six months through Jan. 18, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 5 percent.

"Expectations of higher U.S. economic growth drove expectations of higher inflation, sending interest rates higher," says Vinny Catalano, global macro strategist at Blue Marble Research in New York. Interest rates and bond prices move inversely, so higher interest rates mean lower bond prices. Read more here.

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