The US continually fails to look into the mirror while pointing a finger at others. With remarkable hypocrisy, the US … Continue reading → Economics MORE

For the third time in three months, Russian president Vladimir Putin and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Istanbul. The result of this meeting is a Gas Pipeline Deal that bypasses Ukraine. more…). Economics MORE

It’s rare that I agree with economic theories written up in mainstream media. But this is one of those times, … Continue reading → Economics MORE

Congratulations are in order for team Bush and team Obama for another stunning US foreign policy success: Isis Controls Half of Syria after Palmyra Seizure. The non-amusing fact in this mess is the policies of George Bush, Obama, and Hillary Clinton are similar if not identical. Make no bones about it, the takeover of Palmyra was a major US foreign policy success, provided you understand the goal. MORE

A “sugar bomb” will detonate on June 5 unless the US and Mexico can reach an agreement on sugar imports within the next week. If the US takes action, Mexico has threatened to retaliate. Corn and high fructose corn syrup are likely targets. Mexico is the key buyer of US corn syrup. more…). Economics MORE

What the United States needs are smart economic policies that disrupt the market forces that are currently driving undocumented immigration. Policy Labor National competitiveness North America Digital ArticlePresident Trump campaigned on a promise to “build a great, great wall on our southern border.” ” After he was inaugurated as president, his administration said it was considering taxing imports from Mexico to cover the estimated cost of $21.6 billion. MORE

The problem with Uber’s “don’t…but in case you do” tipping policy is it changes the meaning of a tip. However, if Uber is intent on maintaining its no-tipping policy, it should find another method to reward highly rated drivers. MORE

Today the BLS reported the CPI for All Items rose 0.4% in October. “On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers increased 0.4 percent in October after rising 0.3 percent in September. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.1 in October, the same increase as in September.” ” Many have hopped on the Stagflation or Stagflation Lite bandwagon recently. Is stagflation coming up? Has it arrived already? more…). Economics MORE

Yield Curve 1998-2015 (Year-End Values) Yield Curve Differentials 1998-2015 (Year-End Values) Bubbles of Increasing Amplitude Over Time In the above chart, my statement " Fed's Real Policy Error is to Encourage Massive Speculation, First in Housing, then Everywhere. MORE

In today’s monetary policy meeting, the ECB Postponed Further Debate on Extending QE. ECB president Mario Draghi claims economic data … Continue reading → Economics MORE

Ms Merkel emerges from the tussle with her “refugees welcome” policy broadly intact and her grip on the CDU-CSU alliance maintained, despite the strains between its left and right wings. Refugees got all the "signal" they need from Merkel's inept policy. German chancellor Angela Merkel seems bound and determined to go out in flames due to her open arms welcoming of refugees. Earlier today Merkel Rejected German Plan for Refugee Transit Zones. MORE

Reader Drew wants to know if the Khan Academy’s free education policy is socialistic. Although unasked, the same question seems … Continue reading → Economics MORE

Merkel’s human rights speaker, Erika Steinbach, resigned over the chancellor’s immigration policy. She also left the CDU party. more…). Economics MORE

At the same time, many are debating the monetary policies of the European Central Bank (ECB) and the effects of low inflation and low interest rates on the economy as the region slowly recovers from the financial crisis of 2008. MORE

All of these issues are legitimate concerns of the American people and deserve to be the topic of serious policy debate. Trust is necessary whenever data is involved, and wild swings in policy will inevitably erode trust in the United States. If we want to preserve our position at the forefront of the innovation economy, we must act more thoughtfully when creating policy. President Trump’s action to deliver on his campaign promises has been swift. MORE

Daniel Korski, deputy director of the policy unit in David Cameron’s government, explains Why We Lost the Brexit Vote. Korski offers a look at policy attempts, EU infighting, backroom deals that collapsed, the EU’s mistrust of conservatives, and what he believes the Remain camp should have done. more…). Economics MORE

Putin's Inane Food Contraband Destruction Policy In an action as economically stupid as president Roosevelt destroying US farm produce during the Great Depression, Russia Incinerates Contraband Food. MORE

Return policies are offered by retailers to help reduce customer risk and act as an incentive for product purchase. In fact, retailers often choose to offer return policies with checks and balances, ones that include some lenient terms but with restrictions as well. MORE

AI policy should be an urgent concern. government is not designing policy for general intelligence or “strong AI.” Alternatively, perhaps the real policy response — an aggressive international recruiting campaign for top AI research talent — is not meant for public consumption. On October 12, 2016, President Obama’s Executive Office published two reports that laid out its plans for the future of artificial intelligence (AI). MORE

Here''s an interesting video from the recent James Grant Conference. The title of this year''s conference is Investing Opportunistically, Separating the Beta from the Alpha. The first five minutes are introductions and attendee notes you may wish to skip over. MORE

What is more, we found that a good corporate privacy policy can shield firms from the financial harm posed by a data breach — by offering customers transparency and control over their personal information — while a flawed policy can exacerbate the problems caused by a breach. Why Study Privacy Policies? These policies are important customer communication tools because the firm has legally agreed to abide by them. Osman Rana/Hayon Thapaliya/Unsplash. MORE

Car dealers working together to stop Tesla. The NFL refusing to pay sales tax. Amazon trading customer satisfaction for concessions. Power utilities working to stop net metering by solar panel homeowners. Telecom companies working behind the scenes to get the FCC to abandon net neutrality. MORE

For good measure, Trump blasted Canada over its dairy product policy. Just days after Trump backed away from a trade war with China, the Trump administration launched a National-Security Probe on Steel Imports. more…). Economics MORE

Jason Leach at Fusion Capital credits “ Policy Trumpacho “ (more…). The S&P is up 8% since the election. Volatility has been squashed. The VIX is near record lows. Economics MORE

The outrage against Trump’s 7-nation migration ban has been both swift and furious. Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham spoke out against Trump calling the ban a “self-inflicted wound” In response, Trump did what he usually does when people disagree with him: blast them in a series of Tweets, accusing the pair of “ wanting to start WWIII “ What’s going on? more…). Economics MORE

At the Fed, the debate is over normalization of the balance sheet. The Fed has already finished tapering. The ECB is still addicted to a balance sheet build-up. But i. In contrast, the ECB is still addicted to a balance sheet build-up. But internal feuding has picked up with Germany and the hawks on one side and doves on the other. more…). Economics MORE

If you haven’t established a social media policy for your business, it’s time to get busy. Like an Internet Use policy, a social media policy explains how employees can utilize social media when representing the company. Every Company Needs One. MORE

A managers’ challenge is how to take these “on the books” policies and move them beyond simple compliance to a place of executional excellence. Executional excellence on each policy usually costs very little beyond some creativity and a little care. MORE

Data supporting the second quarter recovery thesis is nonexistent. Four out of four of the recent hard data economic reports have been negative. Soft data diffusion indexes do not look so hot either. Earlier today the Census Bureau reported the trade deficit widened. The same report shows retail and wholesale inventories declined by 0.3% more…). Economics MORE

It is common for top consulting firms to subject consultants to a rigorous “up or out” policy. Consulting firms appear to employ the “up or out” policy for three reasons. The up or out policy ensures that this network continues to grow. (Source: Flickr ). MORE

The California Policy Center estimates Required Pension Contributions Will Nearly Double in 5 Years. I claim it will be much worse. more…). Economics MORE

Too many companies’ HR policies are overly restrictive. Such policies are often convoluted and overly paternal, and attempt to control the behavior of regular people through rules designed to rein in the “bad apples.” Although a small percentage of employees may try to take advantage of more flexible or generous policies, designing your HR policies with such people in mind isn’t the answer. Establish a zero-tolerance policy for dishonesty. MORE

As a leader in your organization, you have the authority and responsibility to improve your policy to better support employees. wrote an entirely new mental health policy and openly discussed it with our team — and how you can do the same: Step 1: Define Your Goals. MORE

Our research began with a simple question: If 98% of organizations in the United States have a sexual harassment policy, why does sexual harassment continue to be such a persistent and devastating problem in the American workplace? As evidenced by recent headlines regarding ongoing sexual harassment in the National Park Service , Uber , and Fox News , it seems clear that sexual harassment policies have not stopped the problem they were designed to address. MORE

Article Wednesday, June 07, 2017 Proposed changes to US trade policies could have huge implications for manufacturers and retailers, in some cases devastating profits and rendering well-honed business models obsolete. MORE

From 2015 to 2017, more than 75 large companies issued press releases touting new or expanded parental leave policies. Forward-thinking companies recognize that generous paid parental leave and other family-friendly policies provide reputational benefits, confer a competitive edge in recruitment, and increase employee productivity and retention. Several of the policies profiled throw even the pretense of gender neutrality out the window. MORE

Sustainability Policy North America Digital ArticleThe Paris climate agreement – under which governments from around the world agreed to keep the global temperature rise to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels — came into force last week, and this week delegates from almost 200 countries are meeting in Marrakech to consider the progress that has been made since the agreement was signed and the best ways to move forward. MORE

By what right does the US have to bomb the hell out of seven countries in obvious acts of war, without even declaring war? Such actions are illegal, immoral, unconstitutional, hypocritical, and downright stupid. The latter because we make more enemies than we kill in the process. Who would not be radicalized by seeing their son or daughter blown to smithereens by a US drone? more…). Economics MORE

Saxo Bank CIO and chief economist Steen Jakobsen sees event risks on the near horizon in terms of Trump policies and the US dollar. Specifically, Jakobsen has a focus on a “Weak Dollar Policy” that he expects Trump to pursue. more…). Economics MORE

The adoption of new technology and new work practices poses particular challenges to both business and policy makers. What are the key priorities they should look to address? Future of Organizations & Work MORE

Drone on. We keep dropping bombs and we keep killing more civilians and children than we do alleged terrorists. Instead of lamenting all the lives needlessly destroyed, we praise a US soldier who died in an illegal, immoral, and unconstitutional action. more…). Economics MORE

His popularity is more of a reflection on Obama being a likable person, than having likable policies. Gallup’s Daily Obama Approval Rating poll shows Americans view president Obama consistently higher now than at any time since 2009. It’s also a reflection on the extreme unpopularity of both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. more…). Economics MORE

Donald Trump’s phone call to Taiwan following the election, and more recent statements regarding a “One China” policy, have both disturbed leaders in Beijing. Risk of a global trade war, which Trump seems itching to fight, is very real. more…). Economics MORE