Skip to main content

Home/ Fall 2012 Challenges Assignment/ Group items tagged of

Rss Feed Group items tagged

Brijesh Patel

Bank of Canada flags lenders' role in consumer debt - 1 views

  • Canadian families owe nearly $1.65 on average for every dollar of after-tax income, the highest level in 22 years of tracking those figures.
  • the government would no longer insure mortgages that are amortized over a period longer than 25 years.
  • fierce competition for customers caused some major banks to begin offering five-year mortgages at 2.99 per cent, triggering a price war in the sector.
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • You should be cautious about your lending practices, because this is the type of practice that led to a mortgage crisis in the United States several years ago,
  • Statistics Canada saying in December that the most recent data suggest Canadian families owe nearly $1.65 on average for every dollar of after-tax income.
  • physically present also have a greater proportion of consumers with too much de
  • The Bank of Canada has been scrutinizing whether competition among
  • The governing council was told about the role that discounting plays in how much individuals pay for their mortgage and notes that there is “substantial dispersion in rates across people, institutions, and markets.”
  •  
    Funding costs rose dramatically during the financial crisis when liquidity dried up, pushing up the costs of consumer and business loans Finance Minister Jim Flaherty tightened the rules on mortgages for a fourth time in four years, saying the government would no longer insure mortgages that are amortized over a period longer than 25 years "Neighbourhoods with more bank branches and payday lenders per capita (i.e. more competition) have looser lending standards (higher leveraged households) and experience greater bankruptcies"
Cristina Raileanu

Ontario close to eliminating coal as electric-power source, a first in North America | ... - 0 views

  • Word that Ontario is nearing its long-promised goal of eliminating coal-fired power plants has gotten a lot of play outside the province in scientific, environmental and power industry publications.
  • by the end of this year the last two large-scale coal-fired generating plants will close, leaving only a small backup facility in Thunder Bay operating until the end of 2014.
  • "Shutting down the last coal plants in Southern Ontario will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save the province $95 million,"
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • last year that coal, which a decade ago accounted for a quarter of Ontario's electricity, now generates only 2.8 per cent of the total. It's now exceeded by wind power, which provides three per cent. The shift "demonstrates how far we’ve come in terms of t
  • Nuclear power provides more than half (56.4 per cent) of Ontario's electricity, followed by hydro at 22.3 per cent and natural gas at 14.6 per cent, the electricity agency said.
  • "While there’s little respite from rising electricity prices no matter what the source, with renewable energy at least consumers know what they’re paying for," he wrote.
  • So far, none of the Liberal candidates vying to succeed the departing McGuinty are ready to abandon his green-energy policy.
  • Gerard Kennedy promised to review the Green Energy Act.
S C

7 Tips for Avoiding a Lifetime of Debt | PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement - 2 views

  • Buy what you need
  • The $70 dollar test
  • If you have a real problem with excess spending, try this test. For a week, give yourself $70 cash, and put away all credit cards. This forces you to live on $10 a day. When you are faced with a strict income, it forces you to be very careful in what you spend. It will make you realise what is really indispensable and which spending is mere extravagance.
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • For example, maybe you get two takeaway coffees per day and one pastry. This can easily add upto $15 a day, which is nearly $100 a week – that’s $5000 a year! We may be reluctant to spend $2000 on a computer because it is a big outlay. But, at the start of the year, would we be so keen to put aside a lump sum of $5000 just for the purchase of coffee and pastries
  • It is easy to forget how much we spend. For example, with credit cards we don’t see the money leave our wallet so it, somehow, seems less real
  • Quite often, by taking these steps we realize our previous spending habits were not at all essential to our happiness.
  • spend some time to learn about the workings of financial issues
  • Make sure you move the debt to the lowest interest paying account possible
  • By keeping interest payments as low as possible, it enables you to pay money to reducing the amount of debt, rather than just paying interest.
  • Spending does not equal happiness
  • If you rely on spending money to gain happiness, you need to think very carefully about whether this is a good way to get satisfaction in life. This is not to say shopping is always bad; the point is that spending money does not equate to real happiness.
  •  
    Some ways to deal with debt are limiting yourself, thinking before spending (do I really this?), using cash instead of credit cards and getting educated about finance to minimize debt when it has to be paid.
Erica Yeo

The widening gap in Canada's labour market - The Globe and Mail - 1 views

  • A fault line is splintering Canada’s labour market into those who can’t find work and those who can’t find workers.
  • employers across the country say they can’t find the right workers for all kinds of available jobs.
  • Groups with high jobless rates such as aboriginal people, recent immigrants and those with disabilities are struggling to land good jobs, limiting their ability to climb the economic ladder.
  • ...11 more annotations...
  • At the same time, employers from Newfoundland and Labrador to the Prairies say shortages are constraining their ability to grow, innovate and compete.
  • Structural shifts in the labour market mean “workers in declining industries may not have the skills or experience to match immediately the needs of employers in expanding industries,”
  • Unemployment is high, even as the number of job vacancies continues to rise
  • That means more-efficient partnerships between employers and universities and colleges,
  • “The lack of young people pursuing further education in engineering and science and technology, is definitely a strain on our ability to grow,”
  • Last month it called on the federal and provincial governments to work with employers to find strategies to overcome expected shortfalls.
  • It says improving skills and workplace training should become a national priority, and recommended more companies make a “strategic decision to take a direct role in creating the skilled workforces and talent pipelines they need.”
  • In Canada, part of the problem is that many people haven’t pursued careers in areas where all the job growth is happening. Mining and energy extraction are, by far, the fastest-growing segments of job growth in Canada over the past year, with employment gains of 5.7 per cent.
  • Despite the presence of the local universities churning out tech graduates, he estimates there are about 1,900 current vacancies for technical jobs in the Kitchener-Waterloo region “that are unfilled and have been for some time.
  • the labour market imbalance “is the largest threat to our economy,”
  • Without that effort, he estimates 1.5 million jobs could go unfilled in 10 years’ time.
Cristina Raileanu

Power generated by wind blows past coal output in Ontario - 0 views

  • three per cent of the province’s electricity in 2012, compared to 2.8 per cent for coal-generated power. A decade ago, coal-burning plants produced a quarter of the province’s electricity output.
  • Over the noon hour last Friday, for example, wind was generating 1,196 MW of power, compared to 710 MW from coal. A new wind-generation record was set Jan. 4, when 1,663 megawatts (MW) of electricity was produced by wind turbines, concentrated in southwestern Ontario.
  • Nuclear power continues to be Ontario’s chief source for electricity, supplying 56.4 per cent of total output last year, followed by hydro at 22.3 per cent, and natural gas at 14.6 per cent, according to the new IESO figures
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • The closures are expected to put more than 350 people out of work, he said.The Power W
  • “Ontario is spending billions on wind turbines and solar panels supported by natural gas generation to the benefit of big multinational corporations,”
  • “Ontario will not likely meet its greenhouse gas targets because of increased dependence on natural gas generation, green job numbers remain elusive and our electricity prices are on the way to becoming among the highest in North America.”
JJ Igra

'Dead' cash to blame for Ontario's stagnant growth, task force warns - 2 views

  •  
    "A new status quo of slow or stagnant economic growth for Ontario's economy is developing," warns the Task Force on Competitiveness, Productivity and Economic Progress. "If economic growth languishes at less than 2 per cent annually, everything from government funding and programs to private sector competitiveness and employment will be impacted." The issue of dead money surfaced this summer when Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney said Canadian companies are sitting on cash when they should be investing or returning it to shareholders - comments that sparked an avalanche of criticism from economists and executives. Canada's relative stability should make businesses more willing to invest. Instead, they are sitting on large cash reserves. Ontario's GDP per capita ranks 14th among 16 North American peer jurisdictions and lags the median of the peers by $7,500 Roger Martin, chairman of the task force and Rotman School of Management dean, in a release. "But the gap in GDP per capita with North American peers shows that Ontario needs to move now to push for more growth." Dead money could be used "to invest in the physical and human capital we need to increase our productivity and close the prosperity gap," he added. Key Concepts: GDP- gross domestic product Stagnate- Showing no activity; dull and sluggish: "a stagnant economy".
  • ...2 more comments...
  •  
    Questions: 1) What incentives can the government provide for businesses to invest in other company's? 2) Do you think the government should intervene more or should they let those company's do their own decision making?
  •  
    1) Subsidies so that businesses will be willing to take a risk and invest in other companies. 2) Canada is a mixed economy. Government should intervene if the situation is critical but it should also be up to companies to make the rational decision for their company. Netan
  •  
    1) A crazy one would be to not corporate tax, them, if only for the beginning. Maybe subsidies the companies the government wants businesses to be involved in, and to be willing to invest into.
  •  
    2.I think the government should not intervene in the decisions different companies make unless it greatly affects the country's economy.
Erica Yeo

Canada's income gap widens, report says - Canada - CBC News - 0 views

  • The income gap between rich and poor in Canada widened in the period from 1993 to 2009
  • The average income of the poorest Canadians rose from $12,400 in 1976 to $14,500 in 2009.
  • the gap between the real average income of the richest 20 per cent of Canadians and the poorest 20 per cent widened from $92,300 in 1976 to $117,500 in 2009.
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • high inequality can diminish economic growth if it means that the country is not fully using the skills and capabilities of all its citizens or if it undermines social cohesion, leading to increased social tensions.
  • high inequality raises a moral question about fairness and social justice.
  • The average income in 1976 was $51,100. By 2009, it had increased by 17 per cent to $59,700, even after adjusting for inflation.
  • 32 per cent of the country's national income would need to be redistributed in order to have complete equality of income.
  • The study found inequality is rising worldwide, but that two countries most similar with Canada in terms of per capita income had narrower gaps. Austria's was 0.265 and Denmark's was 0.232.
lebiez piranaj

Even Boomers are getting pummeled by student loan debt | Business Insider | Financial Post - 1 views

  • Americans over 60 still owe 4.2% of student loan debt, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
  • Ten per cent of those loans are delinquent, while another 11.2% are in default.
  • Three factors account for the loans: Attending college after high school, going back as an adult, or co-signing for a child’s loans
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • Stay organized
  • The government’s National Student Loan Data System tracks all your federal student loans, making it just a bit easier to stay on top of what (and who) you owe money to
  • See if you qualify for debt forgiveness
  • Have a talk with your lender
  • Consolidate monthly payments
  • consolidating the loans might make things easier—that is, if you don’t choose a predatory service
  • Pay off private student loans first
  • Private student loans almost always have higher interest rates and less repayment flexibility, so it’s best to address them first, says Miranda Marquit, personal finance writer for Yielding Wealth
  • Depending on your professional field, you could qualify to have part or all of your federal student loans erased
  • If you’re having trouble keeping your head above water, just calling your lender could cut hundreds of dollars from your monthly tab
lebiez piranaj

Canadian Household Debt: Poll Finds We May Be In Debt Longer Than We Think - 1 views

  • TORONTO - If experience is any indication, many Canadians could find themselves in debt years longer than they originally expected, according to a new poll issued Monday by CIBC.
  • For example, Canadians 25 to 34 on average told the pollsters they expected to be debt-free by age 44. However, the poll found that only 18 per cent of those now in the 45-to-54 age group were, in fact, debt-free.
  • "Being debt-free is a long-term financial goal for many Canadians, and this poll suggests Canadians are actively looking ahead to the stage of life they will be in when they successfully pay off all of their debt,"
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • the poll also disclosed that many Canadians see themselves as having debt for the long term, with eight per cent of poll respondents believing they will be into their 70s before their debts are paid off and 10 per cent of respondents saying they will never be debt-free.
  •  
    According to a poll disclosed from CIBC, tells us that many Canadian are finding themselves in debt for longer periods of time then they had originally expected. 
faseehthemoonman

Consumer Debt: Canadians Focusing On Paying Off Bills, Worrying Less About Retirement - 0 views

  • Overall, the poll done for the bank by Harris/Decima showed 17 per cent of respondents selected debt reduction as their main priority in 2013
  • Managing day-to-day spending/budgeting came in third, selected by eight per cent of respondents and down from 14 per cent last year
  • At the same time, debt management increased as a priority for that age group to 18 per cent from 14 per cent
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • Having been named the top priority three years in a row, there is an opportunity for more Canadians to turn awareness of debt management into action and outline some clear steps towards paying down their debt in 2013
  • 2,009 adults 18 years of age and over and is considered to have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points 19 times out of 20.
Cristina Raileanu

Canada's dirty economic secret: we're as indebted as the rest of you | Colin Horgan | C... - 0 views

  • is acknowledged to have weathered the economic storm better than any other major western economy, bank bailouts have been avoided, sustained growth has returned,"
  • "highest credit rating in the world,
  • Canada learned some sound policy lessons from its own financial and economic meltdowns in the latter decades of the 20th century, a lot of us are now personally up to our eyeballs.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Canadian "household debt as a percentage of disposable income has risen by almost 60 percentage points to 165% today,"
  • The bulk of this rise in debt – 66%, or $636 bn – has been in the form of mortgage debt, putting Canadians in an uncomfortable neighbourhood
  • between Spain and the United States in the ranking of household mortgage debt,"
Erica Yeo

Crude Oil Rises on Gaza Conflict Amid Declining U.S. Stockpiles - Bloomberg - 2 views

  • boosting speculation that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians of Gaza may disrupt crude supply from the Middle East.
  • Prices advanced earlier after American Petroleum Institute data yesterday showed crude inventories fell for the second week in three. An Energy Department report today is forecast to show supplies increased.
  • “Crude trade will remain choppy until we have some clarity on the Israeli-Gaza conflict,
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • Societe Generale SA raised its predictions for global oil prices next year,
  • Crude for January delivery was at $87.58 a barrel, up 83 cents, or 1 percent, in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 1:38 p.m. London time. The contract dropped $2.53 yesterday to $86.75, the biggest decline since Nov. 7. Prices are down 11 percent this year.
  • The bank increased its price outlook for Brent to $110 a barrel from $103 previously, according to an e-mailed report.
  • Crude stockpiles in the U.S. slid 1.9 million barrels in the week ended Nov. 16, the API’s report showed.
  • Gasoline slid 4.8 million barrels, compared with a gain of 1 million barrels in the Bloomberg survey. Distillates, including diesel and heating oil, declined 4.4 million barrels, compared with a projected 1 million-barrel decrease.
  •  
    1. What affect do you think the american stockpiles of crude oil have on the supply and demand graph of crude oil? 2. Since the middle east contributes to most of our oil resources, what are the possible solutions to the price increase of crude oil if the conflict between israel and palestine continues?
Samson Luong

Brazil economy surprisingly weak, adds to global fears - The Globe and Mail - 0 views

  • Brazil has been stuck in a pattern of slow growth since Ms. Rousseff took office last year, as companies struggle with high costs and severe infrastructure and labour bottlenecks. Ms. Rousseff has tried to revive activity with numerous tax cuts and other stimulus, but Friday’s data showed that companies are not responding, as investment fell for a fifth straight quarter.
  • Friday’s data renews concerns that its slow growth is not a cyclical issue, but the result of deeply rooted structural problems after strong growth of the previous decade.
  • The measures that the government imagined would be capable of bringing Brazil out of the global crisis weren’t enough
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Data indicates that many consumers have reached their debt limit, despite a massive year-long cycle of interest rate cuts, leaving few other strong motors to power Brazil’s $2.5-trillion economy.
  • far deeper changes to Brazil’s restrictive labour laws as well as its complex and onerous tax code, which many companies say makes investment prohibitively expensive.
  • Ms. Rousseff has won some plaudits from foreign investors for efforts to address Brazil’s supply-side bottlenecks
  •  
    Questions 1. What effects will interest rate cuts and expanding consumer credit have on Brazil's economy? 2. Would allowing the private sector to build and operate airports, highways and cutting electricity costs be good for Brazil's economy? Why?
  •  
    1- It might cause an economic recession. 2- It will be beneficial as long as there isn't one company operating all these areas(monopoly power) which leads to a market failure. It will bring money to the private sector. Netan
Brijesh Patel

Canadas Economy continues to expand - 0 views

  •  
    In contrast to the financial woes of many countries, the Canadian economy has seen growth in a number of sectors, with thousands of jobs added in recent months. Immigration to Canada is expected to play a key part in expanding the country's population and financial wealth for years to come. Canada's upward trend of economic growth and job creation are good news for those looking to live and work in the country. Certain fields are in particular need of employees. At present, the most notable labour market shortages can be found in the realms of construction and natural resource management.
faseehthemoonman

Student Debt: University students borrowing their way into unemployment | Full Comment ... - 0 views

  • probably borrowed money at that — to get themselves a university degree that will prove essentially useless to them the instant they graduate
  • not the fluffy emotional value of making new friends and discovering the joys of binge drinking, but the literal value — how much financial return they can reasonably expect to make on their investment of tens of thousands of dollars.
  • verage level of education debt held by Canadian students upon graduation hover around $27,000 each.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • low-paid job in the service industry or working for the government
  • The average estimate made by these students as to how much they’ll be making within 10 years, when they’re in their late twenties, was $90,000
  • They are realizing now that their arts degrees might not be enough to land a job, but they’re already paid for
S C

5 Things to do when you're unemployed. Hint: It's not job hunting. | Penelope Trunk Blog - 0 views

  • the interview question: What happened at your last job?Here's the answer you should always give: “I left to do x.” And you fill in for x
  • what you should be really focusing on when you are unemployed: Learning and growing
  • Because this is what you are going to talk about in job interviews
  • ...13 more annotations...
  • when you talk about why you left the last company, you spin it in a positive light by talking about how you are excited about doing what you are doing. Your interview should include you telling a good story about focused personal growth, and no one will get stuck on why you left your last job
  • During one stint of unemployment, I worked for free for my boyfriend's company for a couple of hours a day. That way I didn't actually have a gap in my resume; a resume doesn't show part-time or full-time and it doesn't show pay or no pay
  • ocus on ambition and execution and not so much on work per se
  • The company that never got out of your parent's basement can sit on your resume as professionally as a stint in the Fortune 500. It's all about how you write the bullet points: talk about accomplishments and learning
  • Put your ideas out into the world and connect with people that way. This is why you want to be hired, right? For your ideas. So show them.
  • The reason that people who blog have great careers is that bloggers are always thinking about issues in their industry. Show that side of yourself to people. Blogging takes a lot of time, sure. Bu you have a lot of time. So use it.
  • Do you have a company idea? Try it now. During unemployment. There's nothing stopping you.
  • whether or not your company does well, you'll be able to talk about it in an interview as a huge learning moment
  • Blogging is a great way to keep up in your industry, network without looking desperate
  • High performers practice for interviews
  • Practice talking about yourself with everyone
  • So now you know what you're aiming for, but you need to talk about it with everyone — parties, at the gym, on the phone with friends. When they ask how you're doing, talk about what you're doing like you are in the job interview.
  • What's important to remember here is that no one can tell you what experience you can gain and what you can't. You don't need a job in order to learn cool stuff and be on cool projects. You control what you do with your time and you can make it useful. Talk about that. There is no reason to talk about why the last job didn't work when you can talk about the great things that leaving opened up to you
  •  
    Job hunting for 8 hours a day isn't the ideal way to get rehired. Instead, focus on spinning a positive light on negative questions your next interviewer might ask. For example, when asked why you left your last job, quickly get to why you're interested the one you'er applying for.
lebiez piranaj

Canada's Income Inequality: What Is It, And How Bad? - 1 views

  • income inequality could be “the new global warming.”
  • in the last three decades income for the richest Canadians has increased far faster than it has for the poorest
  • As the income gap widens and rich neighbourhoods become unaffordable for middle- and low-income families, good schools become less accessible
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • As of 2009, the average Canadian family had an after-tax income of $60,000, an increase of 16 per cent from the Canadian average of $52,000 in 1980
  • the top 10 per cent have pulled ahead of the pack
  • The average income that families in the bottom 20 per cent make from employment has decreased by 60 per cent since 1980, whereas the average earnings in the top 10 per cent has grown by 45 per cent
  • Canada’s Gini was estimated to be 0.32 – a middling value
  • More telling is that in the past decade, Canada’s Gini has risen faster than all but five of the OECD’s 34 countries
  • Wilkinson says that as the income gap widens, problems related to social status increase
  •  
    The article talks about how income inequality is increasing in Canada. It talks about how the rich are getting a bigger income over the years then the poor. 
Dyena Huynh

Study: Canadian consumer debt hits $26,768, highest in two years - 1 views

  • Canadian consumer debt grew at the fastest pace since the fourth quarter of 2010
  • Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney has been warning households of its growing debt rate and officials are continuing to caution that household spending levels are starting to get out of control.
  •  
    1. Why do think consumer debt increased so much? 2. They say that getting consumers to spend more will help boost the economy, but is it beneficial when consumers are going into debt?
  •  
    1. i believe consumer debt has increased drastically because the generation is upgrading really quickly with new things, mainly technology and many people want to be caught up with the latest trends whether it is buying the latest iphone, clothing, real estate, buying a car etc. People begin to borrow heavy loans without thinking of a way to pay back therefore causing a big debt to themselves.
  •  
    1. I believe consumer debt has increased greatly due to the need to purchase luxuries and unnecessary goods because we live in a society where we live in a society where you feel incomplete if you do not possess a certain good. 2. I think spending money to a certain point is beneficial because it helps circulate cash, however consumers should not be spending to a point where they cannot pay back debts. Also people can spend money wisely rather on unnecessary and expensive goods.
faseehthemoonman

Consumer Debt - 7 views

Question #1 As the holiday season approaches, will consumers be able to go back to the old ways of gift giving, or will the Grinch (monkey) on their back, make them over spend and increase consume...

consumer debt

Cristina Raileanu

Consumer Debt - 6 views

1) again this question is an individual decision, I personally would cut back on my weekly spendings on luxuries, and be happy with, especially if I have something particular I am saving for. Also,...

‹ Previous 21 - 40 of 98 Next › Last »
Showing 20 items per page