Tag: banking
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Is There a Bitcoin Backlash?
The clearest indicator that the Bitcoin is here to stay may be the fact that the digital currency has made enemies in high places. As the upstart coin continues its march toward global legitimacy, advocates of the Bitcoin have worried that it might become the target of government and financial institutions threatened by its growing…
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Financial Gifts Keep Giving for a Lifetime
Only fourteen states require a high school course in personal finance, says the Council for Economic Education – and just 22 require one in economics. That means the majority of young Americans are completely unprepared to enter a complex financial world filled with difficult decisions. So this holiday season, a finance-focused gift may be the…
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Fannie and Freddie Retreat, But Fees Advance
Among the many factors affecting the strength of the dollar and the US economic recovery as a whole is government involvement in the still recovering housing industry. As world markets warily eye the Federal Reserve’s ongoing bond buying stimulus plan, the government backed megalenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac embark on a drawdown of their…
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World Markets Watch the Fed’s Decision
World confidence in the US dollar continues to wobble. As the euro surged to the top of the currency markets in early December 2013, the dollar sagged, as investors look to current economic indicators for clues about what the Federal Reserve plans to do about its massive stimulus program. The euro and the dollar, linked…
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Weak Currencies Push Trade in the Global Marketplace
The dong, the rial, and the leone – these exotic names may not be as familiar as the dollar, the yen or the euro, but these weak currencies may be changing the global financial picture more than their stronger counterparts. The complex relationship between the weak and strong currencies of the world affect virtually all…
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Can Cybercurrency Change the World?
Digital currency keeps on making news – and making financial experts worry. In what appears to be the perfect marketing move, the Bitcoin – an electronic currency – was recently used to buy the Tesla, an electric car. And while many hail the move as another step toward the Bitcoin’s eventual dominance of world money…
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Fake Financial Advising Targets Older Investors
With taglines like “Can you afford to die?” and “How will you spend your retirement?” financial planning programs aimed at older investors appear everywhere, promising peace of mind and security – for a price. But, as the Consumer Federal Protection Bureau reports, all too often these “financial advisors” targeting seniors with money to spare have…
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Digital Currency Trades Strong in a Changed World
When James Howells tossed out an old hard drive recently, he didn’t realize he’d tossed out a fortune. But the hard drive contained 7500 Bitcoins the Welsh-born IT professional had “mined” several years before – now worth a whopping $7.5 million, as the digital currency is trading for $1,000 a coin. That’s a strong showing…
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Mortgage Lending: A New Direction for 2014?
After nearly five years of ups nd downs following the massive housing collapse of 2008, the mortgage industry may be facing a watershed year in 2014 – and the shift from refinancing to purchases could mean good news for the economy as a whole. According to a new report from HousingWire, real estate industry professionals…
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Ten Quotes In Praise of Property
In a volatile world filled with economic uncertainty, real estate endures. That’s why a healthy housing market supports a rosy outlook for other indicators such as employment and consumer purchasing. The value of real estate as a stable commodity that supports the economy as a whole has long been known, as we see from this…