Investing and Global Finance News

Author Archives: Tom Sanderson

More Signs of Slowing Economic Growth

According to the Commerce Department US inventories in November posted their largest drop since 2011. This statistic is a sign that businesses are reducing their stockpiles of unsold goods. Such reductions are a sign of significant slowing of economic growth in the fourth quarter of 2015. Friday’s announcement said that inventories fell 0.2 percent, the… Continue Reading

The Flip Side of Reduced Oil Prices

People always find lower oil prices attractive. But the question is, are reduced prices in oil always 100% good news? Apparently not. It can have a negative impact on the housing market. In fact, it is anticipated that there will be a very slow increase in house prices in 2016, of only around 3.5 percent.… Continue Reading

Fast Flights to Europe Ready for Take Off

Former Boeing exec Doug Nichols of Aerion is developing s supersonic 12-seat jet which promises to get its passengers from New York to London in a mere 4.5 hours. That is about 3 hours faster than conventional jets. Nichols is betting that the savings of time the new plane will provide will be worth the… Continue Reading

Beauty Companies Turning to Private Equity Firms

Interestingly, many private equity firms have their eyes on skin care products and personal products for beauty. Avon Ladies, for instance, has sold its North American business to private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management. They are selling 80.1% of their US and Canadian divisions to Cerberus, which is known for its turnaround expertise. Similarly, MidOcean… Continue Reading

Fed’s Mester Predicting Strong Growth for Economy

Hawkish policymaker Loretta Mester, president of the Cleveland Federal Reserve, praised the recent rise in interest rates, saying it was a good first step to more normal monetary policy. She said it sent a positive message that the US economy will continue making gains. “I fully supported the … December action,” Mester said, referring to… Continue Reading

Oil Prices Plunge After Iran Announcement

In the wake of a report stating that Iran intends to increase oil imports when economic sanctions are lifted, global oil prices plummeted by about 3 percent overall. North America’s main oil blend benchmark price fell by over 3 percent, going for $37 per barrel on Monday. As a result, the Canadian dollar fell under… Continue Reading

Trend Away from Home Broadband

Millennials are today’s trendsetters, and they seem to be voting for less at-home internet and more smartphone usage, at least according to a new Pew Research Center poll. Young people today are asking themselves why they should pay for broadband services if they are doing most of their browsing with their phones? And the answer… Continue Reading

November’s Job Growth Higher than Expected: Bodes Well for Interest Rate Hike

November added 211,000 more jobs to the economy, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate is staying close to its five-year low at 5 percent. Job increases were seen in several sectors, including food services and retail. The good stats for job growth will hopefully make it easier for… Continue Reading