Economy & Policy
10 articles
Millions of securities transactions of all types and sizes take place every day in the United States. You may invest in mutual funds through your 401k at work, or engage in derivatives trading through your online brokerage account. Fortunately, a plethora of information is available to you regarding your transactions and investments. The financial firms with whom you
The news is full of stories about how tough times are for the middle class. Story after story talks about how jobs are disappearing, prices are rising, and many essentials, such as healthcare and education, are growing steadily more expensive and harder to afford. Politicians fall over each other to offer solutions, promising everything from
Should the minimum wage be raised? The question has triggered debates in legislatures and at dinner tables for decades. Read on for a brief history of minimum wage legislation, the factors influencing the wage debate, and the primary arguments for and against raising the minimum wage today.
At the heart of the minimum wage debate is the question of what really amounts to a living wage. The question is how much America’s workers need to feed their families, pay their bills, and keep a roof over their heads. And as it turns out, that’s not at all a simple question to answer.
Recently, the term Libor – short for London Interbank Offered Rate – has been brought to the foreground of world news, with a scandal unfolding through an admission of fraudulent banking practices by one of the United Kingdom’s most popular banking institutions. On June 27, 2012, Barclays Bank was fined $200 million by the Commodity
The Consumer Price Index, or CPI, increasingly affects Americans of all ages, incomes, and location. Yet few citizens understand how it’s calculated, how it’s used, or its strengths and shortcomings. The CPI is one of the most important figures calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It reflects the rate of inflation that has
Investors rely heavily on what publicly traded companies tell us about their businesses — but who’s making sure they’re telling us the truth? The answer is the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Learn more about the SEC and how it protects investors.
The difference between women’s and men’s earnings is called the gender wage gap or gender pay gap — and there’s a lot of disagreement about what causes it and how to think about fixing it. Learn what the gender pay gap is, how it’s measured, and the main reasons women earn less than men on average.
In the early days of the stock market, there wasn’t enough oversight. Since the 1930s, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has had its hands full. FINRA is a private organization that helps to regulate the industry. Read on to learn what FINRA does and how it protects everyday investors.
We accept the fact that things get more expensive over time because of inflation, but that’s not always the case. Although rare, certain economic conditions give rise to negative inflation, popularly known as deflation. Learn what deflation is, what causes it, and its effects on the economy.