Financial Sense Newshour In Depth Interviews

Green energy promises an alluring future—more jobs in a cleaner environment. We will enjoy a new economy driven by clean electricity, less pollution, and, of course, the gratitude of generations to come. There’s just one problem: the lack of credible evidence that any of that can occur.

For more than half a century, the U.S. dollar has been not just America's currency but the world's. It is used globally by importers, exporters, investors, governments and central banks alike. Nearly three-quarters of all $100 bills circulate outside the United States. The dollar holdings of the Chinese government alone come to more than $1,000 per Chinese resident. This dependence on dollars, by banks, corporations and governments around the world, is a source of strength for the United States. It is, as a critic of U.S. policies once put it, America's "exorbitant privilege." However, recent events have raised concerns that this soon may be a privilege lost.

In Diary of a Professional Commodity Trader, Peter Brandt provides a play-by-play diary of his 2009 trading, offering an inside look at the difficult process and what it takes to excel at such a demanding endeavor.

Greece isn't the only country drowning in debt. The Debt Supercycle—when the easily managed, decades-long growth of debt results in a massive sovereign debt and credit crisis—is affecting developed countries around the world, including the United States. For these countries, there are only two options, and neither is good—restructure the debt or reduce it through austerity measures.

Once dominated by global banks, hedge funds, and multinational corporations, the foreign exchange market, or forex, is now easily accessible to traders and investors around the world. But in order to make the most of your time in this market, you need to have a firm understanding of how it works.

As individuals, companies, and countries struggle to recover from the economic crisis, many are narrowly focused on forecasts for the next week, month, or quarter. Yet they should be asking what the global economy will look like in the years to come—where will the long-term risks and opportunities arise? These are the questions that Daniel Altman confronts in his provocative and indispensable book.

America is on the brink of financial collapse. Decades of political overpromising and underfunding have created a wave of debt that could swamp our already feeble economy. And the politicians’ favorite tricks—raising taxes, borrowing from foreign governments, and printing more money—will only make it worse. Only one thing might save us: Roll back the government.

There are many misconceptions about the future of global energy often presented as fact by the media, politicians, business leaders, activists, and even scientists, wasting time and money and hampering the development of progressive energy policies. Energy Myths and Realities: Bringing Science to the Energy Policy Debate debunks the most common fallacies to make way for a constructive, scientific approach to the global energy challenge.

A vivid forecast of our planet in the year 2050 by a rising star in geoscience, distilling cutting-edge research into four global forces: demographic trends, natural resource demand, climate change, and globalization.

Due to the massive taxpayer bailout of financial institutions and the ongoing expense of conflicts around the world, the U.S. government's financial situation has rapidly deteriorated during this economic downturn. Today, the federal government is at the whim of Wall Street, socialist-leaning politicians, lobbyists, and special interests. Before the current system can change, we need another collapse. This will only happen when the debt bubble finally bursts.