Stories about Economics & Business from October, 2008
U.S.: Ivanov for Obama
Massachusetts-based Eugene Ivanov of Ivanov's Report explains why he is voting for Barack Obama.
Ukraine: Update on the Economy and Politics
Leopolis explains in detail the current economic and political situation in Ukraine: “The stakes are high: Ukraine's economic health, its image for international investors, and a risk of default. Just as the Ukrainian stock market has seen 75% of its value wiped away, the current political crisis may undo every...
Sri Lanka: Tea industry in crisis
Serendipity reports that the Sri Lankan tea industry is in crisis because the international buyers of tea have stayed away from the auctions due to credit crunch.
Ukraine: Hryvnia Exchange Rate Cheating
Ukrainiana posts and translates a TV news item on how some Kyiv banks are manipulating hryvnia exchange rate to earn some cash.
U.S and South Korea: Currency Crisis and Korean Students in the US
Yoon Jeong Kim writes on how the currency crisis affects Korean students life in the U.S at Ohmynews!
U.S and South Korea: Currency Swapping Plan
Andy Jackson from the Marmot's hole blogs about the U.S and South Korea currency swapping plan. The blogger finds it a win-win deal.
Japan: Thoughts on Itochu trading scam
On October 10th, Itochu Corporation announced that it had paid close to one hundred billion yen in false transactions valued at nearly 100 billion yen to Mongolian suppliers for construction machinery and materials. One blogger and chartered accountant offers their thoughts on what happened inside Itochu.
Ukraine: MPs Are Fighting, Hryvnia Is Sinking
Ukrainiana reports that while Ukrainian legislators are busy fighting, “the asking price for the U.S. dollar reached Hr. 7.0942, up from Hr. 6 last Friday” – and up from Hr. 4.7 in mid-September.
Cuba, U.S.A.: Voting on the Embargo
The United Nations General Assembly yesterday approved a resolution condemning the U.S. embargo. For the seventeenth year running, the vote went in favor of the Cuba-sponsored resolution and bloggers - from the diaspora and from Cuba herself - have had a lot of say on the subject.
Trinidad & Tobago: The Price of Progress
Maximilian Forte, writing at Review of the Indigenous Caribbean Center, posts a video of Trinidadian calypsonian King Austin's song Progress, which he calls “a critique of the ideology and practice of progress, from the vantage points of environmental unsustainability, exploitation, inequality, and the resultant social strife.”
Bangladesh: Banks dominate in DSE listings
Bangladesh Corporate Blog analyzes the capital market of Bangladesh and finds that banks dominate 11 of the top 20 spots of listed companies in the Dhaka Stock exchange (DSE). The blog opines that: “(the) domination of banks goes to show that the SEC (Security and Exchange Commission) has failed miserably.”
Kazakhstan: Blocked Bloggers Discuss Economics
Although LiveJournal, the major blog platform on the post-Soviet space, including Kazakhstan, is still not accessible through the national telecom monopolist Kazakhtelecom, Internet enthusiasts find their way to express their opinions online. The main topic – as, probably, elsewhere these days – is economics.
China: Crisis and Opportunity
Chinayouren discusses the optimism and pessimism on the global financial crisis in China.
Recession hits Singapore
Singapore is a major financial center in the world. It is also one of the richest countries in Asia. Unfortunately, it is not immune to the economic aftershocks caused by the Wall Street crash and the global financial crisis. Singapore’s economy is down today, the first Asian country to be hit by a recession.
Dominica: State of Affairs
Caribbean Man says that “Dominica isn't a failed state…we are a stagnant state.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Not Adding Up
“Last month the record 2008-9 budget of nearly TT$50 billion was based on an assumed oil price of $75 a barrel. At the time, the price was well above that. A month later, it’s below $64. So even the richest economy in the Caribbean either has to make some serious...
Bermuda: Gambling with the Future?
As the government considers introducing internet gaming to the island, both FreshieBlog and Vexed Bermoothes think that it is a bad idea, saying that it “could taint Bermuda’s reputation as a serious business jurisdiction.”
Japan: Refunds from Saizeriya
News that Saizeriya [ja], a Japanese restaurant chain offering low-cost Italian food, is offering refunds for people who ate pizza with melamine-tainted dough — without asking for receipts — has sparked some people who never ate any of the tainted dough to take up the restaurant's offer anyway [ja]. At...
Tax incentives to invest Africa: chance for development or more Françafrique?
Le Pangolin [Fr] posts an excerpt from Le Journal du Dimanche on a new provision that would reduce taxes for French companies that invest in developing countries, “especially in Africa.” According to the excerpt, one logic behind the provision would be to encourage more private investment in the hopes that it...
New law gives tax incentives to French companies investing in Africa
Le Pangolin discusses a new provision offering tax incentives to French companies who invest in developing countries [Fr] in particular Africa.
India: Moon mission not a waste
Thunga at Desicritics argues that India's recent mission to moon (Chandrayaan -1) is not a waste of money and resources.