EconM2015 September 2013

New Zealand's trade balance has increased less than predicted, instead of rising from -1350M to -645M, it merely bettered to -908M. This will probably cause a defecit in the current account, and increase the reserve asset spending.

China's cheap currency and its large current-account surplus are big controversies in global economics. This article discusses how American policymakers accuse China of manipulating its currency for competitive gain. It peaked at over 10% of GDP in 2007.

The Norwegian trade balance rose from 21.6B to 31.6B. It had been expected to only rise to 22.2B. Factors for why this shift occurred may vary.

This article details how Japan's trade balance is in deficit for 28 consecutive months!

This article comments on the loss of revenue gained by the danish brewer Carlsburg by the falling value of the Rouble against the Euro by 7%.

The value of the Ruble is dropping against the Dollar, and the central bank is trying to make the Ruble stronger.

This article shows that when currency exchange rates change, businesses must adapt quickly. Knowing how a weaker American dollar is likely to affect a business may save some critical mistakes. It also talks about the implications of a weak dollar.

This article discusses Venezuela's falling/devaluing currency, and how it tends to correlate with a lower standard of living. It also illustrates how, after the repeated devaluation of their currency, Venezuelans have opted to spend more of their money on goods. This gives them assets, or items that will not devalue with the currency.

A discussion on where the value of Bitcoin, the online currency, is discussed and the source of its value is evaluated. Also how Bitcoin's value will increase after being launched in Sydney's exchange.

In this article, Argentina is said to have devaluated their peso so much to preserve international reserves. In the process however, the country has had to experience other problems such as paying back foreign creditors, the decrease of bods, and the growth of the illegal black market.

This article highlights a policy made by the central bank that aims to limit the amount of foreign currency that Nigerian banks are allowed to own foreign currency. Fears are that otherwise the Nigerian currency will depreciate, making the Nigerian economy more dependent upon foreign currencies.

This is an interesting article talking about how many people don't change their currencies after holidays. Of course, for each household, the amount may not be that big, but the collective £3 billion is a lot of unused money in the economy!

The Central Bank of Nigeria has reduced the limit as to how much banks can borrow in foreign currency, from 200% to 75% of the shareholder's funds. This means that the banks are less able to stimulate the country's currency through purchasing foreign currency, leaving the exchange rate in the hands of the government and central bank, as well as foreign currencies.

This article discusses how the foreign currency exchange market is in a period of very little activity. This is due to the incredibly stagnant interest rates across countries, which has seldom been so stable. It also details banker's crooked abuse of the system.

This article details how the exchange rate between the British Pound and the American Dollar has changed significantly amid reports of a slowing UK economy juxtaposing a steady US economy.

The U.S. economy still seems to exceed over the rest of the world. However, American policy makers are now allowing certain other countries to reach for prosperity even at their expense. The rest of the article talks about how this and other changes in the economies are affecting the currency values of different countries.

This is an article regarding the talks between the EU and the US regarding free-trade talks.

The mainland, the world's top consumer of cotton, will slash its import quotas for next year to boost demand for domestic fibre, a senior official said yesterday, in a move that is expected to put downward pressure on international prices. This is a relevant article discuss the policy of quota.

As oil prices keep falling, more and more nations are beginning to worry about the overall effect on their economy. For the first time, Saudi Arabia is moving to cut its prices to explicitly compete with the price of mining oil in the U.S. and Russia, looking to protect its share in OPEC, and possibly go on the defensive to preserve its own domestic and regional shares of oil sales if prices continue to drop.

This article believes that the WTO's current policies in negotiating trade. The current rules are very harsh on protectionist measures, which has caused dissent among various governments and global organizations.