Economics
An introduction to Singapore Monetary Policy
Twice yearly, on the 2nd Friday of April and October, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) releases a concise ‘Monetary Policy Statement’ to the public. In the two page release, the MAS announces its stance on the Singapore Dollar for the next six months and the considerations behind the decision.
Unlike proclamations of growth for the [...]
The Singapore Economy 2013: Inflation and what it means for you.
After allowing scandals to hog the headlines over the past year, editors at The Straits Times moved into a pensive mood and put out two headliers on the economy. On the last day of 2012, the front page read ‘Slow growth next year: Economists’. The next day’s headlines read ‘Economy grew a slower 1.2%’. The [...]
Travel Investing – Beijing, China
Cars
Beijing itself has more cars than the population in Singapore. It currently has over 5 million cars in the city and to my surprise, I saw a lot of European brands like Audi, BMW and Volkswagen running the streets. There were also the familiar Japanese brands like Mazda, Honda and Toyota. The cabs were mainly [...]
Money is scared
Money is scared now. Nobody seems to want to take any risk at this moment. Stock market plunged the past week after the Fed was not doing anything to stimulate the economy.
What is Operation Twist about?
The Fed announced that they are going to lower long term interest rates by selling shorter-term bonds and buying longer-term [...]
Reading too much into Bernanke’s Jackson Hole speech
Investors and traders anticipated for Bernanke’s speech at the annual central bankers’ retreat at Jackson Hole. Markets around the world were jumping up and down showing uncertainty on the outcome of the speech.
It was the same meeting last year that Bernanke hinted on QE2. Investors and traders expected some good news in the form of [...]
The Love of Money Series (Part 3 – Back from the brink)
This is Part 3 of “The Love of Money Series” which examines the forensics of the 2008 Sub-prime Financial Crisis.
The Love of Money Series (Part 2 – The Age of Risk)
This is Part 2 of “The Love of Money Series” which examines the forensics of the 2008 Sub-prime Financial Crisis.
The Love of Money Series (Part 1 – The Bank that Bust the World)
This is a fabulous behind the scene of the downfall of Lehman Brothers. Film by Bullfrog Films and broadcast on BBC. It shows you how the CEO screw up the company and how the economic policies added fuel to the financial meltdown. The film shows you how the stars align to result in the sub-prime [...]
The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson
Niall Ferguson wrote this book and subsequently was made into a documentary by PBS. He covered the origins of money and linked all the way to the 2008 Sub-prime crisis, in an attempt to reason for the collapse in the mortgage industry.
Interesting to watch but as usual, people tend to find reasons after a significant [...]
