Personal Wealth Management / Market Analysis
12 Things That Mattered Last Week
A quick look around the web at some stories that grabbed our attention recently.
India’s Wal-Mart-phobic politicians. Barney Frank, of Dodd-Frank fame (or infamy, depending on your point of view). The Office as reality TV? All that and more in this week’s tour of the world (wide web).
- A Wise Man Knows One Thing—The Limits of His Knowledge. Why math models are useful but will never do the job of economic/market forecasting.
- India Goes Wild Over Wal-Mart. “How can a country that aspires to be a global power be scared of a big-box store? It's a question worth pondering as New Delhi's long-delayed decision last week to open the retail business to foreign investors unleashes a predictable firestorm of protest.” And later, politicians succumbed to the fear and backpedaled from the proposed rule change—further delaying the already long-delayed.
- America’s New Deal for Global Energy Mix. “Reduced oil imports and increasing net exports of value-added refined products, will cut into the US trade deficit. It also will highlight the US economy's structural strengths versus others, particularly of the euro zone.”
- US Weekend Holiday Sales Raise Hopes. While Black Friday doesn't necessarily cement a good Christmas season, it's nice to get off to a good start.
- Life imitates The Office: Great Scott! Dunder Mifflin Morphs Into Real-Life Brand of Copy Paper.
- The most awesome thing we’ve read in awhile:
- Euro growth remains positive but anemic: Eurozone Manufacturing Slowed in November and the euro-debt saga drags on . . . and on . . . Central Banks Move to Calm Fears; Euro Zone Falls Short on Fund;French and Spanish Debt Auctions Bring Temporary Relief Ahead of EU Summit; IMF Approves 2.2 Billion Euros in Aid for Greece . . .
- . . . Oh, and Brazil’s central bank is easing too:Brazil Joins Easing Moves With Rate Cut.
- Japan’s economic recovery continues—Japan’s Strength Is Lost in Translation—but the going’s been choppy: Japan Jobless Rate in Unexpected Rise. However, it appears much of the chop was due to more encouraged jobless Japanese. Yup, unemployment rate calculations are wonky globally, too.
- The nuts and bolts of capital markets continually evolve: Getco Takes Floor Against the Tide.
- “The Germans, strong backers of further European union, are essentially laying out a choice: Either the governments of its worst-run nation states submit to some form of fiscal discipline, or the monetary union will disintegrate and they will be worse off for it.” A Political Solution for the Euro?
- Well, this is one way to save Italy: Businessman Urges Countrymen: Buy Italian.
If you would like to contact the editors responsible for this article, please message MarketMinder directly.
*The content contained in this article represents only the opinions and viewpoints of the Fisher Investments editorial staff.
Get a weekly roundup of our market insights.
Sign up for our weekly e-mail newsletter.
See Our Investment Guides
The world of investing can seem like a giant maze. Fisher Investments has developed several informational and educational guides tackling a variety of investing topics.