WSJ: Five Books to Make You Smarter About Money

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

Young Americans, in particular, don’t know much about handling money. But they can fill the knowledge gap by reading these books. Read more here.

#France: The disorder did not touch the small cities. @BatchelorShow Occitane

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

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Agence Rol , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

#France: #Germany: #Scotland: King Charles to celebrate a second coronation on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland.@BatchelorShow Occitane

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

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Ad Meskens, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Forbes.com: German Economy Shrinks Faster Than Expected

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It's a rare thing to happen, but Germany now looks like the sick man of Europe, a phrase previously often used to describe Britain.

The health of the business sector dropped significantly in June, according to recent data. The Ifo Business Climate index for Germany, which measures the health of the commercial sector, registered 88.5 in June, down from 91.5 in May. Higher numbers show economic strength, whereas lower ones show a weakening of the economy. Read more here.

Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Forbes.com : Britain’s Repossession Moratorium Benefits The Banks Not Home Owners

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

U.K finance chief Jeremy Hunt just cut a deal with some British banks to hold off from repossessing homes where owners haven’t kept up-to-date with their mortgage payments.

That moratorium, which will last 12 months, sounds great on the face of things. The stated idea is that it will allow financially stressed borrowers to get their finances in order. And therein lies a problem and an obfuscation both at the same time. Read more here.

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Forbes.com : Russia’s Wagner Group Pullback Won’t Deflate Commodities Prices

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The tumult in Russia this weekend won’t send prices for energy and food down much further, according to a recent report from Academy Securities.

The issue is that the attempted on-off coup by the mercenary force Wagner Group to oust the Russian President has likely weakened Vladimir Putin. While that may speed up the path to peace, other things have changed dramatically over the last year and a half. Read more here. 

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Forbes.com : Gold Prices Set To Slide As Much As $120, Expert Says.

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Gold prices are set to drop as low as $1,800 a troy ounce as investors see potential for economic strength and bullion investors back off.

Our expectation is that it will be weak for the next few months and strength at the end of the year, says Jeff Christian, managing partner of commodities consulting company CPM Group in a recent video. He sees a likely fall to $1,800 over the near future, but it is possible that it goes down further to $1,800. Read more here.

Szaaman, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons