Friday 31 May 2013

A lesson on 'Healthy Inflation'

This propaganda infomercial from the Great Depression time in USA, and the Roosevelt's era it is interesting for our times as well, for the common features of both Economic Historical periods. It seems that the problems are basically the same, but the methods are surely different. And this is Western in nature, as the prescription is the same for Europe and the EU.

Thursday 30 May 2013

Equity Investing Differently?

The FT's Investment Editor James Mackintosh is a brilliant communicator, and here we are again fairly treated with a description of how Investors are behaving in the recent trade off between Bonds and Equity. And it is signalling volatility danger, or....opportunity! Check here:

Trade off Bond vs Equity Short View

European Union and Finance - City of London or otherwise...?

The European Union and Serious Finance.....?! Hopes should be for the best outcome possible! This video for a touch on the subject: 

EU & City of London

Europe, China and the future of Solar Energy

This  video is a wake up call to us for a possible dispute that in the future might jeopardize commercial Solar Energy. Let's hope that it will pass and be forgotten:

FT World China & EU

Tuesday 28 May 2013

Creative Business Education...

Mesmerized by this piece from the FT about the structure of Corporate Boards. I thought it revealing and a nice and creative piece of business education if somewhat short....Good anyway!

Europe's innovating Manufacturing....?

Bitcoins - the Computing Money.....

It was a very nice read of this post from CAPCO Blog about Bitcoins. A realist take on the Computing Currency, and informative for me as I was fast becoming one enthusiast. The disadvantages list is sobering and eye opening...:

Bitcoins decoded - Capco Blog

An Investment Case for Low Volatility Strategies

Falkenblog: A Survey of Low Volatility Theories: David Blitz and Pim van Vliet, both of Robeco, and yours truly wrote a paper outlining the various explanations for the low volatility effe...

Thursday 23 May 2013

Brazil's case for Investment

Brazil is losing economic momentum in the last couple of years, but as in this video in FT's Authers Note is pointed, there's never been a better case for investment in infrastructure and gains in productivity before. A quite good example of good Government Spending opportunity, so the Brazilian authorities were able to seize it....Check it: Unconfident Brazilians

A sobering insight into Abenomics

In this video from FT's Authers Note we, for those capable of understanding what Mr.Yasunari Ueno says, glimpse why economic policies of lowering wages and low inflation aren't good for the economy as whole, and not good for stock markets either: Abenomics no good


The behavior of Dumb Money...

In this video FT's investor editor James Mackintosh asks if the recent rally in Mutual Funds and ETFs  focusing in Japan's economy  is a bubble of Dumb Money ready to burst:

Danger of Bubble Money

Fearful Markets.......

The problem of fear and expectations for Financial Markets....
Fearful Markets

Are we in for Deflation hangover.....

Are we in for a period of difficult and without pain period of Deflation for the global economy. The problems in Europe seems clearly to mirror the Japanese lost decade. Economic performance in the US still remains below expectations, and Central Banks Globally are functioning like ultimate health machines trying to prop up Markets. The net result of all this is very low inflation expectations as Gavyn Davies post here in his Financial Times Macroeconomics' Blog. We maybe need to remember well how one resolves dilemmas ...Any dilemmas!

Wednesday 22 May 2013

Price Fixing and the value of Speed Investigation

Mario Mariniello is an expert specializing on Industrial Organization and how to regulate properly the formation of Cartels and other mechanisms of market Distortion. In his latest report for Bruegel, Mario is startling showing us how Cartels still profit despite the level of fines that are charged to them and the possible solution on gathering resources to speed up investigations. The link to the report below here.

On Conceptual Filters and Economics

Once in a while on this Blog I will re-blog some Posts from the amazing, well written and comprehensive web blog The Physics of Finance from Mark Buchanan. Mark is a former Physicist turned Bloomberg finance columnist and reporter.Some of his posts are really interesting to read. Informative, thoughtful and a learning plus without any hint of doubt. Strongly recommended...and not just for the so called 'Rocket Scientist....' This post delves into conceptual matters of contemporary economics and makes the case for the fruitful debate around Rational Expectations Theory and its shortcomings...as wells its achievements!


The Physics of Finance: Blind on purpose: equilibrium as a conceptual filt...: A couple of years ago, I came across this article  written in The Huffington Post by economist and game theorist David Levine. It carried th...

Tuesday 21 May 2013

Governors of the two Suns.....?

Mr Gavyn Davies gives us here a glimpse of things to come for the next Governor of the Bank of England. It is interesting the comparison with the activities of the Governor of the Bank of Japan, the the worrying uptick on Japan's rate of inflation (imported from somewhere else it seems) and how Mr. Mark Carney will deal with the British macroeconomics issues! Nice.

Tobin and not Robin Tax.......

A timely video from the FT. At a time of fear about taxing Bank accounts worth more than 100 K €, it is certainly comforting to hear the serenity and cold judgement of a world experienced in these matters...!

Wolf and Climate Change

Monday 20 May 2013

Bruegel's Report

This Video follows a report from Brussel's Bruegel Think-Tank, thought to be close to the European Commission, in which top economists describe and give their assessment of the fiscal and economic adjustment of the south european euro area countries. This report is specially important at this juncture in time, not least for the strained political tensions that these programs of austerity are causing. There a link below for the Bruegel's website article and access to the Report.



http://www.bruegel.org/publications/publication-detail/publication/779-eu-imf-assistance-to-euro-area-countries-an-early-assessment/

Friday 17 May 2013

Investor's Definition of the Day


Here I present my InvestorWords Question & Definition of the Day:

What is Variable Cost ?

Nuno Edgar Fernandes

Lloyd's of London, Insurance Industry and South Africa

In this video we learn about the role of the Insurance Business on the Global Financial Crisis, the relatively small role of UK and Europe markets in this sector globally (a bit surprising, but a sign of times) and we meet and enjoy a scientist turned Investor official well interviewed by ABN's Bronwyn Nielsen.


Nuno Edgar Fernandes

The Greek Tragedy Unfolding

This last Wednesday we've witnessed the way that the rating agency Fitch looked at the 10-year  Bond yield for Greece, and the assessment makes for a nice reading . A bit of optimism is rightly overdue for the European Union. Nevertheless we must keep track of what is and will happening in the mean time as the impression is still strong on the side of caution, as FT's Alphaville documents here:


http://ftalphaville.ft.com/2013/05/15/1501742/upgrade-driven-rally-du-matin/


Nuno Edgar Fernandes

The Future of Money....?


I think that bitcoin might one day totally revolutionize our money systems as they are today. Its decentralized nature and security features are really impressive, and to be taken seriously......!

LocalBitcoins.com: Start Your Own Money Press: Physical cash is old and well-working concept. It has a good privacy model, it is relatively anonymous and it is easy and fast to use. Phys...

Nuno Edgar Fernandes