Sino-American relations are quickly reaching a breaking point, as the Obama administration continues to spar with the People’s Republic of China over a variety of issues. The first clash was seen in the tariffs proposed on Chinese steel pipe manufacturers last year, followed by another dispute related to tire producers shortly thereafter. The Chinese took a hard line approach in their response, threatening to apply similar duties to American products such as agricultural goods, much to the dismay of American producers. Although tempers cooled over the winter, tensions are heating up between these two economic rivals following a series of recent developments. [click to continue…]
Over the last year, swine flu has been the news story that just won’t die. After an early initial scare, H1N1 faded into the background of the minds of many for several months, before returning in full force as flu season approached. Of course, the threat posed by the disease never really diminished, and health authorities continued preparation for a worst case scenario behind the scenes (as did pharmaceutical companies around the world). The ultimate outcome of all this anxiety is still very much in doubt. Flu season could pass with an uneventful whimper or deliver thousands of fatalities and cause yet another global crisis. [click to continue…]
The Reserve Bank of Australia unexpectedly raised its main interest rate on Tuesday, becoming the first G-20 nation to do so since the start of the financial crisis. Australia, which managed to avoid a recession thanks to a quick fiscal stimulus and strong demand from China, was expected to be among the first developed markets [...]
According to our ETF screener, of the ten best performing equity ETFs year to date, coal ETFs account for two of the list, both are up more than 97% in 2009. With winter fast approaching, many investors are wondering if coal ETFs can continue to power portfolio gains, or if their rally will fizzle out. [...]
