Forbes: Fowl Matters -- Will Britain Really Reject U.S. Trade Deal Over Chickens?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Did the British government just fowl up the chance of a trade deal with the U.S. before negotiations have even begun? Not to be a Chicken Little, but sure seems that way.

And it all started off so well just a few weeks ago. Read more here.

U.S. News: Low Volatility Worries Some Investors

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The so-called "fear gauge" is looking low and that has some investors concerned. The matter at hand is complacency, or not worrying enough about the risks of investing.

The CBOE volatility index, or VIX, is known colloquially as the fear gauge. It measures the price that investors are willing to pay to buy insurance against a drop in the broad stock market.

"It gives you an idea of how much people will pay up for that protection," says Russell Rhoads, director of education for CBOE’s Options Institute in Chicago. "The more concerned they are, the more it goes up in value." Read more here. 

Forbes: What We Can All Learn From An Art Forger

By SIMON CONSTABLE

At the best of times, the market for fine art and antiquities is murky, but even at its worst, it's nothing compared to the seedy underworld of forgeries.

The latter is the world which Shaun Greenhalgh illuminates in his book, A Forger's Tale, which was published last month. It's the story he wrote in prison after the 2007 conviction for crimes that he details in the book. In addition to the inner workings of the art world, there is something for business people to learn. Read more here.

U.S. News: Forecasting Recessions Can Boost Your Returns

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Does it make sense to change your investments if you see a recession coming? Possibly so, but you'll need some economics know-how.

The bottom line is fairly simple. If you can get your prediction of the beginning or end of an economic cycle correct, then it could boost your portfolio returns substantially, according to some recently published research. Read more here.

Forbes: Undead Again -- How ObamaCare Became The Law That Wouldn't Die

By SIMON CONSTABLE

A decade ago the world economy was threatened in what became known as "Attack of the Killer Zombie Banks."

Now there's a new horror movie playing only in the U.S.:

"Undead Again: The Law That Wouldn't Die."

It's the terrifying tale of how the Congressional Republicans repeatedly try to kill ObamaCare, but by some occult science, the beast just keeps living. It has some comic aspects too. Read more here.

Forbes: The Only Three Market Sectors To Watch This Year

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Investors should do themselves a favor this year and focus on just three sectors. Why? Because that's where the earnings action is most likely to be, according to KKR which published its Insights report earlier this month. The paper had some other important findings as well. Read more here.

Barron's: Hot Weather Could Light a Fire Under Corn Prices

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Red hot dry heat in the western part of the upper Midwest is threatening the corn crop and could spark a big rally.

“The extreme drought in North and South Dakota (and currently spreading into Canada) may begin to hit the western corn belt,” says a report from Best Weather, a meteorological forecaster and advisor in Sarasota Fla. Adds Matthew Davey, a commodity analyst and meteorologist for the firm: “All the models are showing warm dry air sticking around.” Read more here.

Photo by Alejandro Martin on Unsplash