What We Read Today 18 October 2014
Econintersect: Every day our editors collect the most interesting things they find from around the internet and present a summary "reading list" which will include very brief summaries (and sometimes longer ones) of why each item has gotten our attention. Suggestions from readers for "reading list" items are gratefully reviewed, although sometimes space limits the number included.
- What You Should Know About the Ebola Virus (Cleveland Health Clinic, MSN Health & Fitness) This is a more complete summary of information about Ebola than the GEI News 'fact sheet article' published last night. More about Ebola in the news article list below.
Looking Through the Market Chaos
Written by Steven Hansen
The markets appear to be in turmoil. Historically markets have proven to be forward looking, and it is hard to imagine this is true when looking at seemingly illogical movements (at times good is bad and bad is good).
Read more >>
Piketty: 'There is No Economic Science"
Written by Dirk Ehnts, Econoblog101, with editorial modifications by Econintersect
Thomas Piketty made some pointed remarks in response to interview questions prior to his discussion lecture 03 October 2014 at the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis, The New School, New York, NY. Piketty described the scientific shortcomings of academic economics and the economics education processes of the modern era.
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Putin says World economy would collapse if oil prices stay at 80 dollars per barrel
President Putin held a presser on a close door meeting he had with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
Plenty Of Reasons To Explain Recent Selling
by Poly, Zentrader
This is an excerpt from last weekend's premium update from the The Financial Tap, which is dedicated to helping people learn to grow into successful investors by providing cycle research on multiple markets delivered twice weekly. Now offering monthly & quarterly subscriptions with 30 day refund. Promo code ZEN saves 10%.
This Year's Economics Nobel is Yet Another Triumph for the Blackboard Rather than the Real World
by David Spencer, The Conversation
It's that time of year again - when academic economics, thanks to the Nobel Prize announcements, is thrust into the public gaze.
That the economics Nobel is mistitled and has quite a different status to the other Nobel Prizes is neither here nor there (the proper and rather unwieldy title of the economics Nobel is the 'Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel'). The award of the 2014 prize, in the eyes of the academic economics profession and the wider public, still confers great kudos and status.
The World Trails NASA in Space Exploration Expenditure
from Felix Richter, Statista.com
by Niall McCarthy
When it comes to allocating funds for space exploration, the world trails the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) by a considerable distance.
There Was Early Warning of Global Slowdown
by Lakshman Achuthan, Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer of ECRI
In July 2014, ECRI's International Cyclical Outlook reported 'signs of spreading weakness in overall economic growth.' The early warning was based on our Long Leading Index of Global Growth (LLIGG), which was already 'hovering near its worst levels since 2011' (top line). The LLIGG subsumes ECRI's individual long leading indexes for 20 economies that are designed to be mutually comparable across countries, making it appropriate to combine them into a global index.
Buying Power of Minimum Wage Varies Across and Within States
by Charles S. Gascon - Research Support Coordinator, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
In his 2014 State of the Union address, President Obama called on Congress to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 from $7.25. Soon after, states and cities began to act on their own. Connecticut became the first state to respond by increasing its minimum wage to $10.10, which will take effect in 2017. In Seattle, city lawmakers passed a $15 minimum wage bill, also to go into effect in 2017.
SEC Filed a Record 755 Enforcement Actions In 2014 Obtaining $4.16 billion for Government Coffers
from the Securities and Exchange Commission
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that in fiscal year 2014, new investigative approaches and the innovative use of data and analytical tools contributed to a very strong year for enforcement marked by cases that spanned the securities industry.
Infographic of the Day: Easiest Countries To Get A Driver's License
Where are the easiest countries to get a driver's license?
A Look Behind UK's Impressive Unemployment Figures Shows They're Not so Dazzling
by Geraint Johnes, The Conversation
Unemployment in the UK has fallen below two million for the first time in almost six years, latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show. It's certainly good news, but there are some important caveats to the headline figures, which mask the remaining room for improvement in the labour market.
Investing.com Weekly Wrap-Up 17 October 2014
Wall St. gains one percent Friday on results but S&P down for fourth week
by Investing.com Staff, Investing.com
U.S. stocks jumped up on Friday on better-than-expected earnings and on data revealing U.S. consumer sentiment made its biggest jump since July of 2007.
At the close of U.S. trading, theDow 30 rose 1.63%, theS&P 500 index rose 1.29%, while theNASDAQ Composite index rose 0.97%.
The Volatility S&P 500 index, which measures the outlook for market volatility, was down 12.74% at 21.99.
Tablets: The Hype is Over; The Phablet is Here
from Felix Richter, Statista.com
by Mathias Brandt, with contributions from Econintersect
On Thursday (16 October 2014), Apple unveiled its latest iPad.
