By:
On:
In: Financial Literacy

Nothing screams “America” quite like a good old fashioned buffet. A glorious smorgasbord of culinary delights, as much food as one could possibly want, all for one typically affordable price, and a true memorial to the distinctly American brand of gluttonous consumerism. Many immigrants to the United States gravitated to buffets like the late Souplantation and Sizzler for this very reason: they provide a little taste of the quintessential American experience in every overflowing plate, a taste of that ever elusive ‘American Dream.’Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: Financial Literacy

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many changes in the daily lives of people from all around the world. Video streaming on social media platforms has shown people rushing into grocery stores and stocking up on canned food and toilet paper. Colleges have abruptly transferred to online education via Zoom and other video conferencing tools. About 16 million Americans have lost their jobs since the start of lockdowns across the country. Small businesses and local stores still struggle to keep their businesses afloat.Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: Community

With the recent (as of the writing of this article) nationwide Black Lives Matter protests, the issues of police brutality and systemic racism against African Americans has re-emerged in the media. This resurgence has highlighted the double standard and prevalent societal inequalities which African Americans face, and has revealed the deterioration of race relations in America. According to a recent Gallup poll, “nearly 60 percent of those surveyed said that they were somewhat dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the state of race relations in America.”Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: Economics

Higher education is a lucrative industry. Millions of students funnel billions of dollars into universities to not only attain an undergraduate degree but to also live the so-called “college experience.” But just like every other industry, it has been hit hard by the coronavirus, and students are rethinking whether the virtual, online college experience is worth the high price tag.Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: Economics

Enrico Moretti, Professor of Economics, here at UC Berkeley, starts off his book ‘The New Geography of Jobs’ contrasting California’s two cities, Menlo Park and Visalia. Back in 1969, they had comparable income levels and high-paying jobs. But since then, these cities have diverged. Visalia has one of the lowest average salaries in America, while Menlo Park, and the broader Silicon Valley, has the second-highest average salary in the US with its high paying tech employers. Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: Community

Zoom (NASDAQ: ZM) is a video conferencing software which has been widely adopted by businesses, schools, and other institutions as a means of communicating during the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine. Relatively unknown prior to the pandemic, its convenience (45-minute meetings are free) and friendly user interface have led to Zoom skyrocketing in popularity from around 10 million users in December 2019 to over 200 million users in March 2020, solidifying its domain amongst competitors such as Discord, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, and Skype. Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: Investing

A total of 101 incidents at various banks across Lebanon from November 1 to January 13, including sit-ins, minor and violent scuffles, hostage taking, and forklifts blocking bank entrances, have only contributed to the exponential decline in consumer confidence in local banks. To regain political balance and hopefully reinvigorate foreign stimulus to abate the rising economic disaster, a new Prime Minister, Professor Hassan Diab, was installed. However, this decision—one that was backed by the US-delegated terrorist militant group Hezbollah—has not sat well with citizens, as they believe the new candidate was selected by the same political elites behind past political corruption in Lebanon.Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: Financial Literacy

UC Berkeley’s policy decisions this past spring around remote learning in response to the coronavirus pandemic elicited a wide range of reactions from my peers. One of my classmates, Dick, was ecstatic as he opted for the Passed/Not Passed grading option for all of his classes—saving his GPA from completely tanking. Many of my graduating friends, on the other hand, were despondent as their last semester at Berkeley was cut short, leaving them prematurely saying goodbye to all their friends and the place they had called home for four years. Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: BRB Shorts, Investing

It’s no secret that COVID-19 has transformed the American economy. Manufacturing plants are shutting down, employees who can are working from home, and companies are struggling to stay afloat. Although many of these changes are temporary in such scale, they may be permanent in a smaller scale—i.e., some number of employees who were previously commuting to work will likely permanently switch to working from home after being introduced to this possibility.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