Banking

The US Federal Reserve has been increasingly hinting that it would raise its policy rate at its next meeting, which is scheduled for December but their communications have been sloppy, erratic and contradictory. To get a sense of where the Fed might go a closer look at some of the key underlying economic forces, however, it is clear that there are 5 key reasons that the Fed is unlikely to raise rates anytime soon.

A video about how we arrived at this moment of poorly funded public services and widening economic inequality.

Governments all over the world are putting restrictions in place on the use of cash - for your safety, of course - but what is the true aim of the War on Cash?

I see no way the Fed can raise interest rates this year, I think the earliest rate increase is probably the end of 2016. I expect the Fed’s next step will be easing, not tightening – which of course is very bullish for gold!

While both Bitcoin and E-money harness the power of the web and mobile, they are still very different. See the infographic below for more information.

Believe it or not, what follows is supposedly the transcript of a recent speech by the outspoken Gustavo Laframboise-Pierre, Global Director of Statistical Creation at the European Central Bank, to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s “Economic Symposium”. It provides considerable inside insight into what is going to unfold regarding interest rates.

With European demographics getting more challenging by the year the eurozone, problems don’t seem to be going away for the euro. Will the shrinking euro be able to revert its course, or is Europe doomed to become the next Japan?

Full implementation may take a few years but, as CIPS gains strength, its use will spread outward...[and] the more it spreads, the greater the Chinese influence over such entities as the IMF.

Canada has surprisingly often been the place where the future happens first - and it’s happening again. Last Monday, Canadian voters swept the ruling Conservatives out of power, delivering a stunning victory to the center-left Liberals led by Justin Trudeau in a clear rejection of the deficit-obsessed austerity orthodoxy that has dominated political discourse across the Western world. The Liberals ran on a frankly, openly Keynesian vision, and won big.

The Chinese yuan continues to gain stature on the world financial stage, overtaking the Japanese yen to become the 4th most-used currency for global payments, boosting its claim for reserve status.