Fortune: How the Fed's 'schizophrenia' could be holding back the economy

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The Federal Reserve’s latest proposal to limit the need for big bank bailouts has some claiming it could curtail something the Fed wants and economy needs: More lending.

The new rule, announced last week, would force the big banks to raise long-term debt that could be turned into equity if the banks needed addition capital to absorb lending losses. The Fed estimated that the rule would cost the nation’s eight largest banks $1.5 billion in additional financing expenses a year. That may sound like a lot, but it only equals roughly 2% of the combined profits of the banks, and they will have years before they have to fully comply with the law.

Read more here.

TheStreet: Why Now May Be the Time for a Dose of Pharmaceutical Stock

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Maybe it's time to give your portfolio a dose of pharmaceutical stocks.

The sector has taken a beating lately with the NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical Indexdown around 10% in the three months through Friday, while the  Market Vectors Pharmaceutical exchange-traded fund  (PPH) , which tracks the sector, was off 13% in the same period. The S&P 500 Index was down 1% over that time span.

At least part of the selloff was a media circus that erupted when one company raised the price of an HIV drug by 5,000% and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton weighed in on the topic. What it means is that the sector is getting a lot of unwanted (and perhaps in some cases, unwarranted) attention, which adds to concerns about government interference in the industry. That, in turn, is making the stockholders nervous. Read more here.

U.S. News: Why Investing in Brazil Will Remain Difficult

By SIMON CONSTABLE

For the last few years, Charles de Gaulle's quip that "Brazil is the country of the future, and always will be," seemed like an anachronism as the Latin American economy seemed to blossom. But it didn't last long. 

Unfortunately for Brazilians, de Gaulle's witticism now seems on target once again. And things may deteriorate even further before they get better. For investors, that will likely mean staying away from Brazilian stocks until the second half of next year. 

How bad is it? Pretty awful. Brazil is beset by an economic crisis and a huge political controversy that is threatening its president. Read more here.

Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash

OZY: When Emerging Markets Don't...Emerge

By SIMON CONSTABLE

There’s nothing like the expectant feeling of hope in the air, and we got a sense of that after a Tunisian street vendor set himself alight and ignited the so-called Jasmine Revolution and then the Arab Spring. Many around the world watched, wishing for better things. And we recently had reason to celebrate when an alliance of civil society groups in Tunisia won the Nobel Peace Prize for helping to build democracy there with a newly adopted constitution. That’s to be applauded. But for another important issue — economic development — things don’t look so rosy. Read more here.

WSJ: Alzheimer’s Link Leads to More Financial Planning

By SIMON CONSTABLE

People whose families have a history of Alzheimer’s disease are much more likely to seek expert financial advice and are more likely to delay retirement, compared with people for whom Alzheimer’s isn’t an issue, says a forthcoming study from professors at the University of Utah.

Cost concerns arising from Alzheimer’s disease, which can require years of institutionalized care, are pushing individuals to plan more, according to the study, which was sponsored by the National Institute on Aging. Read more here.

Photo by Robina Weermeijer on Unsplash

Barron's: As Sunspots Fade, Will Crop Yields Fall?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

A decades-old government crop report, combined with the very latest data from NASA, seem to indicate that there will be poor growing conditions and lower grain yields over the next few years. As a result, traders should expect prices for wheat and corn to rise.

The report from the U.S.D.A., published almost four decades ago, studied crop yields in the U.S. from 1866 to 1973. The paper, “Do Sunspot Cycles Affect Crop Yields?” by Virden Harrison, an agricultural economist with the commodity economics division of the USDA’s economic-research service, matched historical crop-yield data for wheat, corn, rice, and cotton with sunspot activity. And NASA forecasts for sunspots suggest that the sun is commencing lower activity. Read more here.

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

TheStreet: Why Dinner's About to Start Eating More of Your Wallet

By SIMON CONSTABLE

New York (TheStreet) -- If food prices start taking a bigger bite out of your wallet in the near future, you can blame it on Mother Nature.

A confluence of events including strange weather from El Nino, activity on the solar surface, and the effects of a U.S. drought years ago are reducing agricultural output, which may drive up grocery store prices for individual consumers and supply costs for dining chains like Chipotle Mexican Grill (CME - Get Report)  and coffee shops like Starbucks (SBUX - Get Report)  Read more here.

Photo by Shayda Torabi on Unsplash