Monty Guild's Contributions

China, although its past decade of growth has made it a world economic powerhouse, is far more a powerhouse in terms of output than in terms of demand.

It is important, when viewing the U.S. Government’s Consumer Price Index (CPI), to understand that the CPI tracks consumer spending and not the cost of living.

Last month the Energy Information Agency (EIA) published an update to its 2011 assessment of shale oil and gas resources in 41 countries outside the United States.

A recent analysis in Forbes queried whether the recent rise in mortgage rates makes a difference to those deciding whether to rent or buy. Their verdict? It’s still much cheaper to buy than to rent, overall.

Some say Americans’ cautiousness is not just a result of the “burn” of the Great Recession; and that in actuality, for a generation, Americans have slowly been showing that their penchant for risk-taking is in decline.

The imminent arrival of Google Glass may be the tipping point for “wearable tech.” Mobile devices with micro-displays (think Glass or the fabled and elusive iWatch) face challenges on a number of fronts, both social and technical.

Faced with increasingly challenging offshore drilling environments -- whether in the Arctic, the deep water of the Gulf of Mexico, or in Brazil’s pre-salt formations that lie under 2 kilometers of water and 5 more kilometers of sediment and salt deposits -- explorers are looking at the final frontier.

China’s economic success is driving higher wages and a shift from an export-driven manufacturing economy to one more balanced by the consumer and service sectors, and by innovation and high value-added production.

One of the Federal watchdog agencies established by 2010’s Dodd-Frank financial legislation is mulling expanding its scope to cover not just credit products, but also retirement savings plans, according to Bloomberg.

Here are some precedents of central banks buying stocks to stimulate confidence or economic growth: The ball was started rolling by Hong Kong.

Once dominant parties now are forced to form coalitions to survive. Executives more frequently face governing without a legislature under their own party’s control. Voters aren’t buying the party line, and are splintering off to left and right and into special interest groups, and rejecting incumbents.

In our biweekly installment about the rising cost of basic, essential needs, we often discuss how the standard of living in America is eroding -- hurt by stagnant incomes and the rising costs of necessities.

It appears that in the last two months, the investing public is finally feeling comfortable enough to buy stocks. This is why we are encouraged to see that finally the investors, after buying long bonds, corporate bonds, and junk bonds in search for yield, are shifting some of their money from money market funds into stocks.

Crisis brings unpredictable effects in its wake. Often these effects go unremarked in the first throes of the crisis as it unfolds, and then make themselves felt as the acute stage of the crisis passes.

Canada is well-situated with many natural resources, a generally conservative mindset among its population, and a pro-business national mentality. We see Canada as a global bright spot for the coming decade.

Some serious research has been done on the correlation between food prices and social unrest. The New England Complex Systems Institute has published several reports (NECSI). Their data show clear correlations during periods of food shortage in 2008 and during the Arab Spring period in 2011.

The average hourly wage in America has gone up about 45 percent since January 1, 2000, a pace much slower than the over 84 percent increase in the cost of basic essential needs.

It is becoming clearer every day that QE will be the course of action in Europe, Japan, the U.S., and many other countries.

Drought, bad crop data, and rising grain prices around the globe have put food inflation on the front pages, raising alarm in many circles. Consumers are concerned, food producers are concerned, businesses are concerned, and governments are concerned.

By a host of measurements, the dependence of Americans on the largesse of the Federal government is growing at a rapid rate. This dependence is worrisome because it poses two dangers — to American economic stability and to the fabric of civil society.