By:
On:
In: BRB Shorts, Economics

About a year ago, I wrote this article about why the Fed was raising rates in trying to engineer a soft landing. The objective was to prevent an overheated economy and high inflation rates, given the record unemployment levels among other things. The theory goes that tight labor markets lead to wage growth. Wage growth leads to high inflation. Raising rates might prevent that. This was the sentiment at the Fed over a year ago.Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: Economics

Despite recent metrics around the globe showing severe production declines as a result of coronavirus, Chinese GDP growth continues to be one of the fastest among developed and developing nations. That’s not a new story. While the rest of the world experienced recessions and layoffs, China blew through the 2008-2012 years, reaching an all-time productivity growth peak of 11 percent in 2011. By all official accounts, China is on track to surpass aggregate U.S. output and take the mantle of economic hegemony within the next several decades.Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: Community

Something that’s been comforting me during this pandemic has been a very specific YouTube Channel: Bon Appétit. The food and lifestyle magazine, owned by Condé Nast, was first published in 1956. In 2008, Bon Appétit started its YouTube channel, creating highly polished cooking videos in the “hands and pans” style popularized by Buzzfeed’s Tasty. The videos’ look and feel were very aligned with the sophisticated Condé Nast legacy brand.Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: Financial Literacy

Buying clothes secondhand was once heavily stigmatized, as many thought used goods were only bought by those who couldn’t afford anything else. Most people were repulsed by the idea of wearing clothes that someone else had worn. But throughout the past century, this stigma has essentially disappeared, due greatly in part to the emergence of thrift shops. Something that thrift shops offer that other fashion sources don’t is the experience: the whole notion of bargain hunting can make you feel as if you’re Indiana Jones, searching for the Lost Ark. Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: Community

Graphics by Rose Lee The BRB Bottomline: [insert a one or two sentence hook that sums up the spirit of the article and offers actionable value to the reader, e.g. Learn how to take of your metaphorical dog: Credit. What are the differences between credit scores and credit reports, andContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: BRB Shorts, Economics

HOOQ, a premium video-on-demand streaming service, is a joint venture between Warner Media, Sony and Singtel (Asia’s leading communications group). Sony and Warner Media provide a library and develop customized content while Singtel provides captive access to its mobile subscriber base in the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. The challenge HOOQ faced was much of their subscriber base would view content on mobile devices, which under current networks can take hours to download or have high latency, Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: Economics

Israel, a small nation of less than 10 million people tucked in the western corner of the Middle East, has both the most venture capital per capita and the most startups per capita out of any other country in the world, thus being dubbed “the Startup Nation.” Their culture of ingenuity, adeptness at recognizing and developing talent, and emphasis on tech can all be attributed to their success in startups. However, these traits did not emerge in a vacuum. Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: Investing

Cryptocurrency’s conundrum is that businesses will not want to accept cryptocurrencies as a payment method until its value stabilizes (the price of cryptocurrencies routinely yo-yo by five percent per day). The value can only become more stable once people start using it to actually purchase goods and services. Instead, cryptocurrency prices are currently determined by speculators. In other words, cryptocurrency’s future transactional demand will only really increase once its present transactional demand increases since this is the only thing that will allow its value to be sufficiently stable for businesses to accept. Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: BRB Shorts, Financial Literacy

With the current coronavirus situation looming large in headlines, it seems to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Along with this latest wave of COVID-19 related panic, you may have heard of the mass-panic induced toilet paper shortages in Japan and Australia, or even seen the mad rush for supplies yourself at your local Costco. But what is really going on? Will civilization devolve into a lawless wasteland where raiders fight over boxes of tissues?Continue Reading