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.

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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.

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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.

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