There's a fundamental shift in economic growth leadership in the world economy. This shift is from the West to the East, and although the process will not be a smooth one, it's irreversible. Consequently, the new, rising economic powers will challenge US supremacy, and although the US (and Europe) will remain a very important player in the global economic stage, it will gradually lose its status as an economic hegemon. Read More

All that was needed was a false rumor to be spread by the Financial Times yesterday, to send the market down with a vengeance. The rumor had to do with the favorite past time of the British financial press, bashing the Eurozone. Read More

Fear not, the global market selloff is a correction in the context of a cyclical bull market. Read More

In the long term, the European Union’s latest emergency package will be a significant turn in the future of Europe’s further economic and political integration. Read More

The Asian markets peaked on 15 April and since then they're down around 6 percent. There are a lot of reasons for this, the most important of which is profit taking. Read More

The gradual approach toward an RMB revaluation isn't surprising; this is standard Chinese operating procedure for everything that effects the economy. But it makes sense from a practical point of view too. For starters, it even the beginnings of a revaluation will be enough to deter the US from imposing import tariffs. A relative small appreciation will also allow more room for inflation control. Read More

ConocoPhilips’ (NYSE: COP) announcement that it’s agreed to sell its 9.03 percent stake in the Syncrude oil sands project is intriguing for several reasons. Primarily, the deal is a reminder of the long-term strategic value of Canada’s oil sands. But the key point for income investors is that one of the affected parties is now in better position to sustain--even grow--its distribution. Read More

Here is a brief look at each of the BRIC nations, and where they are today. Read More

Gold performs the best during times of currency debasement. This is a real concern today, as governments around the world continue to spend a lot of money and print more in an effort to avoid deflation. Read More