California’s Drought Hits Wallets – and Health

It takes nearly five gallons of water to cultivate a single walnut - more than it takes to grow a head of lettuce. But in drought stricken California, the water it takes for those and other fruit and vegetable crops is in drastically short supply – and that has...

Virtual Reality Tecnology: Big Changes for Business?

No more real estate agents? No more brokers and financial advisers and money managers? Those jobs and many others could be obsolete in the next five years, thanks to advances in digital technology that put many of their functions into the hands f users who can take...

Can Apple Turn Gold Into Profits?

Gold – that ancient standard for wealth and beauty – has had a roller coaster ride in the world’s money markets lately, trading down from last year and struggling against other commodities in global investing. But a new maneuver from Apple Corp is poised to change all...

Do New Laws Erode Financial Privacy?

Where financial privacy is concerned, you can run, but you can’t hide. There was a time when offshore banking was the smart choice for investors, corporations and just about anybody who wanted to keep assets safe from the prying eyes of authorities. Swiss bank...

The Dollar Becomes a Crowded Trade

The US dollar continues to trade strong in world markets. But as it continues its climb, some market watchers worry that it might be time to put on the brakes. According to a recent article from Business Insider, the dollar has become what’s known as a “crowded trade”...

Will Deflation Derail World Economies?

Low prices delight consumers. But those falling prices may signal darker days ahead in the form of deflation, which flattens economies and leads to long-term recession. As prices drop and sales flatten in many of the world’s leading economies, experts fear a global...

Deflation and Oil Prices: Should Investors Worry?

Oil prices are falling, dropping below $200 USD for a barrel of crude. And while that makes US consumers happy, the tumble in prices is fueling worries of a looming round of deflation that could ripple throughout the economy and trigger another round of intervention...

Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme: New Coin, Old Scam?

The Bitcoin is looking more and more like traditional money every day. In just a few short years, the upstart digital currency has gone from a mere novelty to a multimillion dollar trading commodity subject to many of the ills that plague “real” money backed by...

Swiss Franc Fallout Ripples Round the World

Fallout continues from the Swiss National Bank’s recent decision to drop it cap on the Swiss franc’s value in trading against the euro. This latest salvo in what’s being called the new currency wars is having some surprising effects not just in Switzerland’s European...

Can a Strong Dollar Stifle Profits?

Can anything stop Apple? The computer giant posted record earnings for its most recent quarter, fueled by sales of its flagship device, the iPhone. Though it looks as if nothing can make a dent in Apple’s performance, one thing might: the performance of the dollar in...