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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
