Forbes: U.S. Sanctions Prompted Iranian Attacks In 2019, Experts Say

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Last Friday's Iranian-backed attack on a U.S. military facility in Iraq is a direct consequence of the stringent sanctions imposed on Iran, experts say.

What's more, it likely won't be the last such event as Iran’s economy spirals into oblivion. Read more here.

Forbes: Oil Prices Face Double Whammy In 2020

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Oil traders should look out below for the next 12 months.

Next year, the energy market faces a double whammy of a supply glut and lackluster demand that could send prices for crude oil down more than 10% from current levels.

While that might mean lower gasoline prices at the pump, it could put the squeeze on countries in the middle east that rely on oil revenues. Read more here.

Photo by Delfino Barboza on Unsplash

Forbes: Wall Street Puzzle -- Investors Stampede Into Bonds Funds, While Economy Booms

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Investors can’t seem to get enough of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds that specialize in fixed-income securities.

That’s happening even as stocks continue to soar, and the U.S. economy looks set to roar louder in 2020 than this year. Investors usually prefer stocks to bonds when the economic outlook is good. Read more here.

Darden: Regulation vs. Shadow Banking In China

By SIMON CONSTABLE

China Beige Book, which studies independent data on the Chinese economy, recently reported a significant increase in the phenomenon, accompanied by the intertwined issues of slowing economic growth and high levels of debt.

Given the inherently fragile nature of shadow banking and the importance of the Chinese economy to the global economy, the rise bears examination. Read more here.

Forbes: Former Fed Chief Found Economists “Useless,” New Book Says

By SIMON CONSTABLE

One of the most storied economists of the twentieth century thought economists were "useless!" 

The man in question might surprise some people including hordes of Wall Street investors. 

It was the late Paul Volcker, one-time head of the Federal Reserve and a near-fixture of the economics establishment for the past few decades. Read more here.

Forbes: Jeremy Corbyn Loses. Party Loyalists To Get Axed

By SIMON CONSTABLE

There's a certain irony in the wake of Britain's general election. The fall-out of massive losses at the polls for the left-leaning Labour Party won't fall much on its forlorn leader Jeremy Corbyn. 

Yes, he'll soon step down as leader, but he'll still have a job as a Member of Parliament.

The real suffering will get felt by the party's worker bees and its nearly five-dozen ousted MPs. Read more here.

Jeremy Corbyn

Photo by Richard Townsend, CC BY-SA 4.0 

<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, 

via Wikimedia Commons

Korn Ferry: Britain’s Bold Move Toward Healthcare

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Just days after a landslide election victory for the Conservative Party, Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson just made a massive and bold announcement: He’ll get laws passed to guarantee plenty of cash for the state-run healthcare system.

The official announcement will likely come Thursday when the Queen, who is the official head of state, will reopen Parliament and outline the coming legislative agenda. Tucked within her speech will be a call for £34 billion ($45 billion) in annual taxpayer money for the National Health Service (NHS). Read more here.

Forbes: Gold To Approach $1,700 By The End February, Analysts Say

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Get ready for a fast and sizable pop in gold prices. 

The cost of buying one troy ounce of the metal will likely rise by around 15% over the next couple of months, analysts say. Read more here.

Barron's: Wheat Prices Headed Higher at Prospect of Extreme Weather

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Predictions calling for hot, dry weather early in 2020 followed by destructive flooding could cause “monumental crop failure” and easily propel wheat prices at least 40% higher within the next few weeks, analysts say. 

“There is a good possibility that the price could be over $6 at a minimum,” says Shawn Hackett, president of Boca Raton–based Hackett Financial Advisors. He says the rally could go far higher depending on the harshness of the weather. Active-month futures contracts for Kansas City Hard Red Winter, or KCHRW, wheat were recently fetching about $4.29 a bushel on the CME. Investors looking to profit from the move should buy July-dated futures contracts for KCHRW. Read more here.

Narek Avetisyan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Forbes: What Really Swung The UK Vote: Boris Is Only Part Of The Story

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Yesterday's general election in the U.K. delivered a landslide win for Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Most other parties got eviscerated.

But the victory was only partly due to Johnson. The weakness of the opposition Labour Party had more than a bit-part in the drama of the last few weeks. Read more here.

Korn Ferry: Finland’s Female Leadership Sweep

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Around the world, millennials have been assuming leadership en masse over the last two years, and this week another member of the generation has one of the toughest leadership tasks: running a country. Read more here.

Newsmax TV: Talking Jobs

WSJ: What Is Alternative Data?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The term “alternative facts” has been roundly ridiculed since its introduction into political discourse in 2017. There is, however, a similar phrase used in finance that investors should take seriously and understand: “alternative data.” Read more here.

WSJ: ‘Funds of Funds’ Move Into ETF World

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Exchange-traded-fund providers are coming out with more offerings of what are known, a bit awkwardly, as “funds of funds.” 

While a regular ETF typically owns a basket of securities, an ETF fund of funds owns a basket of other ETFs. Funds of funds have a long history in the mutual-fund industry, and are now taking root in the ETF world. Read more here.

Korn Ferry: The Rise of the ‘Garbage Jobs’

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Across Europe, it has become a major hiring trend. Critics say it may also become a blight for workers and crimp on corporate growth. 

Temporary jobs, once a much smaller portion of the continent’s labor pool, has grown into a significant facet of the job market. At last count, one in seven (14.2%) of all jobs in Europe are temporary positions, which is more than three times the 4% temp rate in the United States. And while the work is giving companies much-needed flexibility, it’s creating a class of what critics are calling “garbage jobs,” with poor pay and scant benefits, that are causing worker unrest and a different set of challenges for corporate leadership. Read more here.

Barron's: A Big Question Looms Ahead of OPEC. What That Means for Oil Prices.

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It’s crunch time for the oil markets.

On Thursday, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) kicks off a two-day meeting in Vienna. Traders will be watching closely to see if production quotas get extended, or cut, or whether there will be a crack-down on cheating by some member nations. Read more here.

Forbes: Gold Prices Likely To Fall Further And That’s A Good Thing

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Gold has disappointed investors lately, and is likely to continue doing so.

Here’s what’s happening and why you should be happy about it. Read more here.

Photo by Invalid Account on Unsplash

Barron's: How Iran's Antics Could Boost Oil

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Growing populist unrest in Iran, a weakening U.S. dollar, and possible production cuts could prompt a rally in oil prices in the next few months.

Investors wanting to profit from the likely surge should consider buying February-dated oil futures contracts on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Alternatively, try the United States Brent Oil exchange-traded fund (ticker: BNO), which tracks the price of oil futures and is up more than 27% this year. Read more here.

Photo by Peter Olexa on Unsplash

Forbes: How Economics Chiefs Set Up A Secret Policy Group Under Jimmy Carter, New Book Says

By SIMON CONSTABLE

U.S. President Jimmy Carter drove his economic advisors so crazy that they felt forced to set up a secret policy committee. That's just one of the bizarre stories from a new book that details the experiences of White House economics gurus over the past 50 years. Read more here.

Forbes: Investors Flee U.S. Stocks Even As Market Soars

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It looks like investors are fleeing U.S. stocks.

For at least five weeks straight, they pulled almost $27 billion from mutual funds and exchange-traded funds that specialize in domestic U.S. securities.

The action, which looks like some are bailing on the future of America’s economy, comes just as stock indexes are breaking records with banal frequency. Read more here.

Photo by Charles Towne , 

Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Forbes: CEOs Sink Into Pit Of Gloom, Goldman Study Says

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Bosses in corporate America are losing faith in the future of the American economy.

How they feel about the economy has fallen to its lowest level since the financial crisis back in 2008-2009, according to a recent report from Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs. Read more here.

Photo by Mark Stuckey on Unsplash

Forbes: Burned Saudi Investors Face More Malaise Ahead As Economy Craters

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Saudi Arabia is on track for a year of extremes.

On the one hand, the country is set to sell off a small stake in its state-owned oil company Aramco at a possible valuation of up to $1.7 trillion. That could make the IPO the largest ever if the proceeds hit more than $25 billion.

That may be the highlight of 2019 in Saudi, as most other economic signals look dire. Read more here.

Bob Waters, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Korn Ferry: Merlot from Malmö

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Sure, you may enjoy bottles from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Napa Valley, and Rioja. But some innovators are banking that the next great wines may come from Sjaelland and Malmö.

A series of unusually hot summers has led some entrepreneurs to make wine in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, locales where the climate historically has been far too cold to grow vines of sufficient quality to make decent wine. Up from only a handful 15 years ago, around 150 commercial wineries across Scandinavia are breaking the mold of what it means to run a vineyard in Europe, demonstrating how the region’s leaders can innovate while playing to their strengths. Read more here.

Photo by wendymiao chen on Unsplash

Briefings Magazine: Layoffs -- The New Normal

By SIMON CONSTABLE

“Here’s your next project: you’ll be eliminating 10,000 jobs in Europe,” my boss said, handing me a fat folder replete with financial data. Less than a year since graduating business school, I’d be leading the charge in this downsizing. In my role as a financial analyst, I’d have to deal with lawyers, accountants, actuaries, and many other functionaries at my employer, a multinational industrial company. Soon enough, my final report would go to the CEO and his team, presenting a plan costing hundreds of millions of dollars. And all along, my gut reaction never changed: ugh. Read more here.

Photo by James Yarema on Unsplash

Forbes: Borrowing Binge -- World Debt Hits Record Of More Than $250 Trillion

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The world is drowning in debt.

The amount of money owed hit a record of $250.9 trillion at the end of the second quarter. Read more here.

Korn Ferry: A Big Step Toward ‘Living Wages’

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The debate keeps gaining steam—that people who earn minimum wage can’t make ends meet. Now, a voluntary program in the United Kingdom has produced a large buy-in from firms in a way that is turning heads. Read more here.

Korn Ferry: Germany’s Surprising Manufacturing Woes

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It’s been called the engine of growth for all of Europe. Only now it has stalled—big time.

Germany’s industrial sector, so reliable and critical for so many years, has hit a serious slump that experts worry could spread across the continent. According to recent figures, manufacturing output shrank for the 10th straight month in October. Worse still, there are signs that the contraction will continue for longer, with orders for new business falling for the 13th month in a row. Read more here.

Bundestag, Germany

Photo by Ansgar Scheffold on Unsplash

Forbes: Venezuela Sinks Further Into Oblivion — Debt Level Doubles Over One Year

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Venezuela’s human-made economic calamity just took a turn for the worse. The country’s national debt is now almost double the level of the GDP. At the end of the second quarter, total borrowing hit 198.4% of GDP, up from 102.8% a year earlier, according to a recent report from the Washington D.C.-based think tank, the Institute of International Finance. Read more here.

Sinking Ship

Photo by Felipe Labate on Unsplash

TheStreet: Buy Freeport McMoRan to Profit From Thawing U.S.-China Relations

By SIMON CONSTABLE

If you want to profit from a possible end to the U.S.-China trade war, then buy shares in U.S.-based copper miner Freeport McMoRan.

"Freeport is a buy because I believe we get a China deal," said Adam Johnson, author of the financial newsletter Bullseye Brief. Read more here.

Copper mine

Photo by Victor on Unsplash

WSJ: What Is ‘Investor Positioning’?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Little sparks the interest of investors more than insight into where the market will move next. That’s why you will hear Wall Street pros talk about “investor positioning.” In the simplest terms, it refers to readings of whether professional investors are collectively bullish or bearish on a particular asset class. At certain times, these readings can help signal a future move in prices. Read more here.

WSJ: Private Equity Might Be Going Downscale. Should You Invest?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

A bigger world of investing could soon open up for small investors.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is considering allowing the masses to invest in private-equity funds, which typically buy stakes in nonpublic companies. Currently, such investments are restricted mostly to institutions and well-heeled investors, or those with a net worth (excluding their primary residence) of $1 million or more, or annual income of at least $200,000 for the past two years. Read more here.

John Batchelor Show: Gold Bug Alert

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Photo by Zlaťáky.cz on Unsplash

Forbes: Italy Set To Stall In 2020 — Get Ready For Zero Growth Next Year

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Italy's economy is set to stall again.

The country just reported an annualized growth rate of 0.3% in the third quarter, which would seem to be uplifting news because the country started the year with three months of zero growth. Read more here.

Forbes: How A WhatsApp Tax Led To The Ouster Of Lebanon’s Leader

By SIMON CONSTABLE

A tax on using WhatsApp became the final straw for the residents of Lebanon, and it cost the country's leader his job.

Earlier this month, seething protestors took to the streets after the government said it would impose a 20% on the first WhatsApp call users made every day.

It doesn't matter that the tax quickly got reversed. The government's actions opened the flood-gates of accumulated wrath, leading to what analysts are calling "unprecedented" protests. Read more here.

Korn Ferry: Brexit’s New Wrinkle -- The Pound

By SIMON CONSTABLE

If there is anything uncertain in the world, it is the future of Brexit. Only now, as the debate to hold a general election to reconsider separation itself boils up, a hidden wrinkle is emerging—over the state of the British pound. 

In the past two and half weeks, the country has been hit with unusual volatility in currency. In that time, the value of the pound has surged around 5%. And experts say that may only be the beginning; one way or another, there'll likely be more currency swings coming soon. Read more here.

Forbes: Chinese Investors Pile Into Gold As Economic Worries Surge

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Chinese investors are piling into gold bullion in a big way as worries over China’s economy and political system surge. Read more here.

Photo by Bruce Hong on Unsplash

Forbes: Investors Flee Stock Funds En Masse. You Shouldn’t

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Investors have a case of the jitters, which is prompting them to dump stocks.

So far this year, almost $100 billion got yanked from exchange-traded funds and mutual funds that specialize in buying equities, according to a recent report from iconic Wall Street bank Goldman Sachs. The specific total was $96 billion, which was the second-largest in the last decade-and-a-half. Read more here.

Terence Buckle, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Darden: Islamic Finance: Riba, Wakala and Other Basics Global Business Leaders Need to Know

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Islamic financing might once mainly have been limited to the Middle East, but that’s no longer the case. It is growing in size and influence across the world — now too big for leaders of traditional businesses to ignore. Read more here.

Korn Ferry: Britain’s Great Bacon Shortage

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Workers fleeing in droves. Financial centers following. These and other concerns have government officials and business heads wringing their hands over the possible consequences of Brexit. But a major food chain has raised a concern that might loom bigger, at least come breakfast time.

We’re talking here, of course, about a shortage in bacon. Read more here.

Lara604 from Seattle, WA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Forbes: ETF Investors Went Mad For Gold In September

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Investors can’t seem to get enough of exchange-traded gold funds.

In September, gold-backed ETFs and similar funds snapped up an extra 75 metric tons of the metal worth almost $4 billion, according to a report published Tuesday by World Gold Council. Read more here.

Forbes: Why You Should Bet On AMG Now

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Shares of specialty materials company Advance Metallurgical Group (AMS.Amsterdam) have taken a beating lately, but that’s exactly why you should consider buying them. Put simply the negativity on the stock may be overdone. Read more here.

Mining Truck

Photo by ILLIYEEN on Unsplash

Korn Ferry: A 30% Pay Raise in the UK?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The United Kingdom is bracing for a major change, something that will upend how many firms do business.

No, it isn’t Brexit, or even Brexit related. Instead, the UK is closing in on raising its minimum wage by about 30% over the next five years. The ruling Conservative Party proposed a wage hike late last month, and it’s a goal of the opposition Labour Party as well. Read more.

Forbes: Can’t Get Your Spouse Healthcare​ From Your Employer? Blame Obamacare

By SIMON CONSTABLE

If your employer doesn't provide your husband or wife with health insurance, then you can blame ObamaCare, a.k.a, the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

That's just one of the damning findings presented by a new study from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. Read more here.

WSJ: What Is ‘Economic Shock’?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

When the price of oil jumped 15% in a single weekend last month, some analysts started using the term “economic shock.” What does that mean, and how is it relevant to investors now?

Economic shocks are more than just a change in the markets. The event needs to have a major economic impact—and be a surprise, says David Ranson, research director at analytics company HCWE & Co. Read more here.

Photo by Max Bender on Unsplash

WSJ: Tempted by a Gold ETF? Here’s What to Consider

By SIMON CONSTABLE

For starters, you need to decide whether you’re more concerned about the cost or liquidity. Read more here.

Photo by Jingming Pan on Unsplash

Forbes: UBS Doubles Down On Gold — Ups Its Forecast Again!

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

The usually-conservative Swiss bank UBS has upped its forecast for the price of gold for the second time in less than two months.

Now it says the price for the yellow metal could reach as high as $1,730 a troy ounce next year, up $50 from an August forecast, a recent UBS report states. The note last month pointed to the possibility of $1,680 over the same timeframe. Read more here.

Forbes: Goldman Sachs Warning -- One-Share One-Vote Or Else The Stock Will Suffer

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Wall Street is getting serious on shareholder rights. 

Iconic Wall Street bank Goldman Sachs just issued a warning to companies that go public with a skewed "multi-vote" share structure. Such arrangements often allow the founders to keep the majority of votes even if they own a minority of the shares. Read more here.

Forbes: 5 Surprising Lessons From Medieval Warrior-Knights That Every Leader Should Learn

By SIMON CONSTABLE

America’s obsession with the new and funky means that sometimes our leaders forget the lessons of the past.

That’s why a quick flick through Crusaders: The Epic History of the Wars for the Holy Lands, is not only grounding but instructive as well. Publication is scheduled for October 1. Read more here.

Forbes: Coming Soon To America: The​ Incredible Shrinking Savings Account

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Savers are having a hard time in most places but it’s far worse in Denmark. 

In the Scandinavian country, some savers must pay the bank to look after their money not vice versa. Worse still, such a weird phenomenon will likely come to the U.S. sooner or later.

Here’s what you need to know. Read more here.

Korn Ferry: The Thomas Cook Nosedive

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Britain just suffered a vacation nightmare. 

Thomas Cook Group, the iconic British travel company that all-but-invented the package holiday in the early 1800s has gone bust after almost two centuries doing business. It leaves 21,000 people without jobs, hundreds of thousands of holiday makers stranded and lots of questions about what exactly went wrong. Read more here.

Korn Ferry: Is Brexit Really One Month Away?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

With just weeks to go before the country's scheduled Brexit 'leave date' of October 31, even the British government has the jitters about the potential for economic chaos.

Cabinet ministers recently revealed part of the disaster plan if the UK exits the EU without a trade deal. The report, named Yellowhammer, warns about supply disruptions in medicine and food, as well as long border delays for commercial trucks. There's also the potential for civil unrest. Read more here.

Forbes: Trump's Tweets Shows How The Fed Lost Its Credibility With Investors

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Observers have long suspected that President Donald Trump's jawboning of the Federal Reserve may hurt the central bank's credibility with investors.

Now they have proof in the form of a recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research. Read more here.

Forbes: The Eurozone Economy Slips Even Further Into Malaise

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Europe's single currency area is sinking further into economic malaise and the authorities will likely need to act further to help. Read more here.

TheStreet: Why Europe Will Feel More Pain From the Oil Market Than the U.S.

TheStreet: 3 Reasons Investors Should Avoid European Stocks as Oil Prices Rise

By SIMON CONSTABLE

This week's jump in oil prices is likely to be far more damaging to Europe than it will be to the U.S.

For that reason, savvy investors would do well to avoid stocks dependent on activity in Europe and instead look elsewhere for investments. Read more here.

John Batchelor Show: More Brexit News

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Photo by James Giddins on Unsplash

Korn Ferry: UK Pay: It's Back to 2007

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

It only took twelve years.

Inflation-adjusted wages in the United Kingdom are finally back to the level they were just before the financial crisis of 2007-2009. Raises are even exceeding the rising cost of living, with average pay increasing at a 3.9% annual clip versus the 2.1% inflation rate. "It's about time, too," says Ben Frost, Korn Ferry's global manager for pay. Read more here.

WSJ: What Is Machine-Read Analyst Sentiment?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Wall Street firms increasingly are using artificial intelligence to get a read on how analysts feel about certain stocks. That has given birth to a term that investors may start hearing and reading about more often: “machine-read analyst sentiment,” or MRAS. Read more here.

Photo by Mike Hindle on Unsplash