P.J. Media: A Nation of Junkies? Study Eschews Economic Despair Opioid Theory

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Why are so many Americans dying of drug overdoses? Maybe it’s because we’re a nation of junkies.

At least that seems to be the finding from a new study that flies in the face of the more widespread view that the opioid crisis is the result of a weak economy.

“The fatal overdose epidemic is likely to primarily reflect drug problems rather than the deaths of despair,” states a report published this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Read more here.

P.J. Media: Russia Reaps What Privatization Sows in Great Grain Revolution

By SIMON CONSTABLE

While few have noticed, Russia has quietly grown into a new role: Top dog in the global wheat trade.

An astonishing rise in productivity, which has seen the country's wheat output more than double in size since the late 1980s, comes primarily as a result of privatization of the agricultural sector. A potential bonus for the former Soviet economy is that if, as some analysts expect, prices for the grain jump the country could see a bump in export earnings. Read more here.

Forbes: Iran Could Be One Of The Sexiest Places For Investment, Says Exiled Crown Prince

By SIMON CONSTABLE

There are tremendous possibilities for Iran's economy that go way beyond oil.

The problem is that at best the resources haven't been managed well, at worst they have been squandered. That's according to exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who spoke with me recently. Read more here.

Forbes: Iranians Have Endured Zero Legal Protections For Years, says Exiled Crown Prince, Reza Pahlavi

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Protestors massing on the streets across Iran want something different from their government. That is for sure. But is also true that the current theocratic system ruled by the Mullahs may not allow for what the people want.

So what should a new government look like in a possible future Iran? One that protects liberties for people equally under the law says exiled Crown Prince, Reza Pahlavi.  Read more here.

Reza Pahlavi

Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, 

via Wikimedia Commons

Forbes: Blame Tyrannical Rule For Iran's Dismal Economy, Says Shah-In-Waiting

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Over the past few months, increasing numbers of Iranians have taken to the streets to demonstrate. Initially, the protests were over missing bank deposits, but recently the concerns of the participants have included worries about high inflation, lack of jobs, and unpaid wages. As so often happens, the mass protests seem to have been prompted by lack of economic fundamentals.

What, if anything, can be done about the dire economic situation?  To gain some insight, I spoke with the former Shah's son Reza Pahlavi, who is a possible Shah-In-Waiting for a new regime in the country, about the plight of Iran and the Iranian people. Read more here.

Reza Pahlavi

Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0,

 via Wikimedia Commons

Featured in How Stuff Works: Bitcoin Futures Trading Isn't Blowing Up — Yet

In a surprising move in November 2017, the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) gave its blessing for bitcoin futures to be traded on two major U.S.-based exchanges: the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and the CBOE Global Markets Exchange. And just a few short weeks later, on Dec. 11, bitcoin futures trading opened for business, with investors making bets on the future price of the controversial cryptocurrency alongside conventional commodities like oil, corn and pork bellies. Read more here.

U.S. News: When Are Small Companies Worth Your Investment?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Don’t you love it when the little guy wins against the giant? It goes back thousands of years to the biblical story of David, the boy who used a slingshot to defeat the Philistine giant Goliath.

The stock market may be about to do similar, with small-capitalization stocks outperforming large-cap stocks. Read more here.