Statistics Canada reported that inflation slowed in January to 2.9%, beating expectations of 3.3%. So why are Canadians still struggling to afford basic necessities like rent and food? Mortgage interest costs remain the top noted driver of inflation after rising 27.4% YoY, while rentals increased 7.9% during the same period. Bank of Canada governor Tiff […]

BlackRock CEO & World Economic Forum Trustee Board Member Larry Fink Turns Bullish on Bitcoin Larry Fink has changed his tune on crypto, saying suddenly it could “revolutionize finance,” endorsing an industry he once viewed with skepticism. Of course, as a board member of Scwab’s WEF, the crypto zealots cheered. Still, they think that Bitcoin […]

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is proof that the establishment is completely clueless when it comes to the lives of the average citizen. “People are better off than they were pre-pandemic,” Yellen touted on national news last week. Perhaps she meant to say “politicians” rather than people, and no, one cannot point at rising US indexes […]

ASIA: India’s industrial output, grew at a faster-than-expected rate of 3.8% year-on-year in December, exceeding economists’ predictions of 2.4%. This growth was primarily driven by a boost in manufacturing activity, with manufacturing output increasing by 3.9% compared to the previous year. However, electricity generation and mining activities showed slower growth rates in December compared to […]

ASIA:   Japan’s economy likely returned to growth in the October-December period, helped by a slight pick-up in foreign demand, although analysts warned that private consumption remained fragile, a Reuters poll showed on Friday. The expected return to expansion, albeit modest, would come as the Bank of Japan debates the likelihood of a near-term exit […]

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde’s approval rating is “poor,” at best, according to a union-run IPSO survey. Around 60% of European Central Bank staff members do not approve of Lagarde’s presidency, with 53.5% saying she is not the “right president for the ECB at the current juncture.” The poll found that 59% of staffers […]

ASIA:   Japan is expected to experience a significant increase in annual interest payments on government debt, reaching 24.8 trillion yen ($169 billion) over the next decade, according to draft government estimates seen by Reuters. The Ministry of Finance prepared the latest estimate for parliamentary discussion on the government’s budget bills, highlighting the potential rise […]

ASIA:   The major Asian stock markets had a mixed day today: NIKKEI 225 increased 220.85 points or 0.61% to 36,286.71 Shanghai decreased 41.98 points or -1.48% to 2,788.55 Hang Seng decreased 218.38 points or -1.39% to 15,485.07 ASX 200 increased 80.50 points or 1.06% to 7,680.70 Kospi decreased 1.72 points or -0.07% to 2,497.09 […]

ASIA: A Hong Kong court is set to evaluate a winding-up petition for China Evergrande Group, a major Chinese property developer facing financial distress with over $300 billion in liabilities. The case, scheduled for January 29, involves offshore creditors seeking resolution, and its outcome may serve as a critical test for cross-border insolvency arrangements between […]

COMMENT: Dear Marty, your blog post on programming and programmers having same results with different programs brings back memories. i went to high school in hawaii in the late 70’s and we had a mainframe and 2 courses for 2 languages, FORTRAN and assmebler. i took FORTRAN, the smart guys took assembler and we all […]