As the crisis in Venezuela deepens, its largest brew maker has suspended the production of beer and other malt beverages on Friday amid a spat with the government over the access to foreign currency. Cervecería Polar, Venezuela’s largest private company and largest beer maker, with over 70 years in operation, had warned that it would end production as the socialist government was refusing … Continue reading
First it was the three-day weekend; now it’s the two-day working week. Crippled by drought, Venezuela’s government has taken drastic measures as water levels at the country’s largest hydroelectric dam plunge to critical levels. At the beginning of April, the Socialist president, Nicolás Maduro, decreed Fridays non-working days for public sector staff, and on Monday … Continue reading
By Alasdair Macleod Saudi Arabia has been in the news recently for several interconnected reasons. Underlying it all is a spendthrift country that is rapidly becoming insolvent. While the House of Saud remains strongly resistant to change, a mixture of reality and power-play is likely to dominate domestic politics in the coming years, following the ascendancy … Continue reading
By Kira Munk At a recent business forum hosted in Beijing, Nigeria secured $6 billion USD worth of investments from the Chinese government. An unfortunate by-product of these plans is that short-term economic gains are being sought out at the expense of long-term parity that could contribute to the stability of the relationship. With a weakening … Continue reading
By Egon Von Greyerz, Goldbroker.com The global economy turned down in earnest already in 2006 but with a massive worldwide printing and lending programme, the world has had a temporary stay of execution. But the effect of this fabricated money has now come to an end. And what else would you expect. To print money that … Continue reading
By Michael Snyder Even the government is admitting that the U.S. economy is slowing down. On Thursday, we learned that U.S. GDP grew at just a 0.5 percent annual rate during the first quarter of 2016. This was lower than analysts were anticipating, and it marks the third time in a row that the GDP number … Continue reading
By John Filitz The town of Luanshya, situated on Zambia’s copperbelt, serves as a bellwether for the country’s economy. However, political developments in Zambia are causing significant uncertainties in the copper industry. With a sustained annual GDP growth rate above 6%, driven primarily by copper, the past decade has been tumultuous for Luanshya. Founded as … Continue reading
By Jeff Fitchett There are tell-tale signs of bubbles. All throughout history bubbles have been formed, popped, a depression ensued and then another bubble formed. The characteristics of bubbles are very similar. Group think is one of the key components. Rational thinking is set aside as more and more people crowd into a purchasing frenzy … Continue reading
By Michael Snyder If nobody is working in one out of every five U.S. families, then how in the world can the unemployment rate be close to 5 percent as the Obama administration keeps insisting? The truth, of course, is that the U.S. economy is in far worse condition than we are being told. Last … Continue reading
By Paul Craig Roberts The Third World War is currently being fought. How long before it moves into its hot stage? Washington is currently conducting economic and propaganda warfare against four members of the five bloc group of countries known as BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Brazil and South Africa are being … Continue reading