Cold Winds in Cairo

When I was living in Cairo, the transition to winter was sometimes smooth. The beastly oven of summer changed slowly into a bearable fall of cool-warm. The fall moved from the cool-warm to a few weeks of cold, or at… Continue Reading

U.S. Escalation Against Iran Would Carry High Cost for Global Economy

via IPS News The world economy would bear substantial costs if the United States took steps to significantly escalate the conflict with Iran over its controversial nuclear programme, according to the findings of a Federation of American Scientists’ (FAS) special… Continue Reading

High Frequency Trading, “Dark Pools”, and Large Energy Price Shocks (read: war in the Gulf)

About 32 percent of all stock trades in the US stock markets are being done “off market” in “dark pools” and other confidential “trading platforms”. Trading on well-known markets such as the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ has been… Continue Reading

A Walmart for Libya

Last Sunday former President Bill Clinton asked the CEO of Walmart if he would open a store in Libya. Surely Libya needs more jobs and needs to get its economy going, but I am not sure how a Walmart would… Continue Reading