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November 19, 2007Failing to Deliver
As the nations workforce gets older and the baby-boomer generation begins to settle into retirement, the economy is beginning to look to the younger generations to carry the load. The most recent generation to enter the workforce is known as Generation Y, which is comprised of people born after 1981. They are the generation raised on technology, from high-speed Internet and cell phones to PDA's and iPods. The generation that believes a college education ensures stepping into a position that may have taken years for the generation before to obtain. But before I get ahead of myself, I must admit that I myself am only a couple short years ahead of Generation Y. So, that being said, how is this newest generation of workers fairing in the real world? According to UPS, in terms of work performance thus far, Generation Y fails to deliver.
November 19, 2007SEC Approves Rule 2290 - Fairness Opinion Conflicts of Interest
The SEC recently approved Rule 2290, requiring specific disclosures in fairness opinions provided by investment banks. Originally proposed in 2005, the Rule attempts to address concerns regarding the conflict of interest that exists when an investment bank provides advisory services on a deal, generally with significant compensation tied to the deal's closing, and also opines that the deal is fair.
November 13, 2007Changing of the Guard?
Over past decades, countries around the world became increasingly reliant, through rising exports, on US consumers. As a result, when the US economy ran into trouble the result was a ripple effect felt throughout the world economy. Therefore, in the past when global demand diminished, raw-material costs also decreased. As a result, the dollar was better able to withstand such declines, because with growth slowing around the world and the Fed acting in response, markets and interest rates outside of the US usually were moving in the same direction. This effectively aided the US in times of economic downturn, essentially keeping commodity prices in check. So why are commodity prices currently increasing despite the Fed actively reducing interest rates and the falling value of the dollar? After so many years of prosperity could the US economy be falling behind?
November 02, 2007Organic Growth
Recently, a friend tried to convince me of the health and environmental benefits of eating organic food rather than the conventional food items found in the majority of the nation's supermarkets. As I listened to the seemingly rehearsed argument, as though it was an issue discussed many times before, I couldn't help but think of how the consumers' recent shift toward organic products will undoubtedly have an impact on the economy and America's farmers. For example, many consumers buy organic foods in a belief that they are better for their health and free of any chemicals, hormones or insecticides. However, some consumers purchase organic food to aid small local farms and are conscious of the fossil fuels needed to ship food long distances for large supermarket chains, suggesting organic food has a lighter environmental footprint. While this concept seems beneficial to all parties involved, the demand for organic foods is creating a vast market for organic farmers and organic supermarkets, prompting the nations largest supermarket chains to take notice.
