The yuan will be added to the IMF’s basket of currencies used to value the SDR in October 2016, with a weighting on 10.92%, which effectively anoints the yuan (also called the renminbi) as a major reserve currency. What are the long-term implications of this? Read on.

Below is a list of 10 longer-term investment books that I recommend. They aren't all pure investment books (some of them teach you how markets operate in general, doing so in a clever way) but they will help you understand the markets and investing, and make you a bigger-picture thinker.

Every year, roughly $1 trillion in "hot money" flows illegally out of developing and emerging economies due to crime, corruption, and tax evasion growing at an average rate of 6.5% annually (and at an 8.6% clip in Asia). China, Russia, Mexico and India lead the way as depicted in the following infographic.

Huge skyscraper projects have historically coincided with the beginnings of economic downturns. In economics-speak, a record-breaking skyscraper may be a leading indicator of a downturn.

There are very few people over the generations who have had ideas that are sufficiently original to materially alter the direction of civilization. Milton Friedman was one of those very few people. Below are his views on governments, free trade and drugs.

Test your knowledge of Canadian history with our online quiz. If you score 21 out of 21, it states 'You deserve the Order of Canada'!

Owning gold is saving, which by definition is civilized, i.e. NOT barbarous. Debt, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. It is a lack of savings that shows a complete disregard for the future.

A significant rate hike would...adversely affect the country's GDP, stock markets, bonds, government revenue, U.S. denominated debt and the U.S. dollar itself. Because of that, I don't think we will see a significant rate hike. Let me explain.

When it comes to investing, the first rule thing you need to learn is effective management of your emotions. It is impossible to eliminate the impulse to act when euphoria or panic are in the air yet, while you cannot eliminate the emotion that pushes you to react, you can control your reaction. You can choose to run with the herd or fight panic and stand aside while the herd stampedes... Below are 8 additional rules of investing from a contrarian point of view.

This week the important and concerned persons of the world, under the auspices of the UN, will converge on Paris to demonstrate their desire and commitment, on our behalf, to save the planet from the ravages of abuse by us humans. Here's what George Carlin had to say about "saving the planet" in an hilarious video.