The Federal Reserve’s third round of Quantitative Easing, that massive stimulus program intended to boost the economy in the years following the housing collapse of 2008, officially ended in October 2014. But as the dust settles, some financial experts point out that...
Can Big Banks Be Trusted With Pensions?
The biggest players in the US banking industry have been on the hot seat ever since the housing collapse of 2008 exposed a number of misleading, predatory and downright illegal practices perpetrated both at home and abroad. Now, as another round of penalties come down...
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: Still On Top in Home Loans?
Ever since the great housing collapse of 2008, legislators and regulators have tried to scale back – or even eliminate – federal mortgage megalenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But as new regulations n private lenders, the agencies everyone loves to hate just keep on...
Does Housing Drive Income Inequality?
The widening gap between the wealthy and – well, everyone else in America has occupied news headlines since the housing collapse of a few years ago. As the famous one percent gets richer and the other 99 do not, a new theory suggests that income inequality is really...
The US: World’s #1 Tax Haven?
The phrase “tax haven: conjures up images of shady money being squirreled away in chilly Swiss banks or sunny tropical ones –a way for businesses and people to hide their dealings from the authorities at home. Switzerland and the Cayman Islands top the list of the...
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...
Millennial Entrepreneurs Change the Economic Game
Millennials get a lot of press lately – most of it bad. This generation of new and recent college grads keeps on making headlines for its staggering student loan debt, problems fitting into the working world, and lack of interest in traditional “adult” goals. But many...
What’s Ahead for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?
Fannie and Freddie are still headed for the chopping block. The demise of those venerable home loan agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac might not seem to matter to anyone who’s not looking to buy a house. But some market watchers worry that the dismantling of the...
Students Strike Against Loan Debt
The much-discussed US student loan debt load has hit $1.2 trillion, and in spite of government-sponsored debt forgiveness and other measures, it isn’t likely to shrink. Now, a group of students is taking matters into their own hands by simply refusing to pay off loans...
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...