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linnet van Veen

Tax on Alcohol in New York - 1 views

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    The government wants to increase the taxing on alcohol in New York to make New Yorker's drink less and get them healthier. The Government's Health Department is agreeing that with the new tax increase on alcohol is would help New Yorker's get healthier by increasing taxes for example beer would be taxed 17 cents more and a bottle of hard liquor to 50 cents. New Yorkers original 7.4 cents of taxes on a bottle of beer, 36.9 cents on a bottle of wine and $3.61 on a standard 750-ml bottle of hard liquor.New York has counted 1,700 alcohol-related deaths in 2008 and the Health Department wants to reduce high drinking deaths by 16% and hospitalized alcohol accidents by 19% by the year 2012.
Ben Jansen

Mining industry changing to meet new world of challenges - PwC - 0 views

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    In this article it talks about the issues of supply of gold. Over time a lot of mines have been emptied and now there is a problem that the product will become scarce and gold prices will increase drastically. since there is not very much gold circling around different mines, there is less to be found. The problem is also that the economy is increasing, new mines are made and people have to be trained in mining and some specialized gold makers moved to these new gold mining cities. The average of needed gold in the world is estimated to increase 6% by 2016 which is a lot. A lot of the pure gold has been mined and the not so pure gold is not as profitable. 
Julia Launders

Chicago's cigarette tax could approach New York's - 0 views

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    The article Chicago's cigarette tax could approach New York's (by Megan Hickey) focused on the possibility of Chicago increasing taxes on cigarettes. There are several underlying reasons for the proposal; one being a $298 million budget shortage, the other to increase awareness of smoking for health purposes. Chicago already has the second highest tax on cigarettes in the US, the average cost for a pack being $10.25, after New York at $12.50. The total combined tax amount is $5.67 which is made up of a federal tax of $1.01, Cook County tax of $2, Illinois tax of $1.98 and a government tax of $0.68. The possibility of increasing this tax would lead to less consumption of the product, less revenue for tobacco companies and more deadweight loss for consumers and producers. However the Chicagoan government believes that the health benefits gained from less tobacco consumption are far greater than that of cost. To continue this tax hike (continued increase in the tax of cigarettes) would continue the trend of declining tobacco consumption and could decrease the youth in smoking by 7.2%. Not only would the state receive health benefits but the government would be able to increase their revenue through this tax hike.
Sarah Hansen

Chocolate will become an expensive luxury item due to climate change - Telegraph - 0 views

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    A new study by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has found that chocolate is rising in demand in countries with new markets, such as China. However, due to global warming and a temperature rise of 2.3 degrees, the crops where cocoa is grown will halve by 2050. This will cause the entire demand curve for chocolate to shift to the right in the next 40 years. So far, an exact number for the price increase is unknown.  Price increases have occured in some places, such as West Africa, where the prices have gone up by 10 per cent.  Since cocoa needs a specific environment to grow (cool and moist), farmers can either decide whether to move their crops into the shade, which will have high costs, or to switch from growing cocoa  to another crop that CAN grow in the arid climate.  Some cocoa suppliers think that firms should focus on the quality and not the quantity of chocolate produced. This could have benefits, like better prices for farmers and less child labour. Not only is the chocolate market being affected by global warming, but also the French wine and Italian pasta market.  Non-price determinants such as the prices of related goods and expectations of future chocolate costs also play a large role in the chocolate market. If the demand for chocolate goes up in the next decades, the prices will also rise. Due to a change in prices more people will turn to chocolate-related goods like candy and pastries. Also, since a large price increase is expected to come, people will most likely buy as much chocolate as possible while it is still cheap. 
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    It can be deduced for this article that the scarcity for chocolate is increasing, just as the demand is. Due to shifts to the right in the demand curve, the price of chocolate has increased. Therefore, the demand curve will shift to the right and move up along the scarcity curve. Therefore, consumers will make sure to ration chocolate, as it has now become more expensive and less affordable. Other markets, like the candy market for example, that act as a substitute for chocolate will experience an increase in demand. On the other hand, markets like the chocolate chip cookie market, will experience a decrease in the supply curve, as chocolate is no longer as available as before. From the chocolate producers' perspective, they will increase the production of chocolate, as the prices are higher now and they can make more of a profit. Therefore, they will increase the allocation of resources towards the production of chocolate (like machinery, land for plantations, etc).
Nicolas Bauer

Rent Control Is the Real New York Scandal - WSJ.com - 0 views

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    Mr. Rangel admitted that he occupies four rent-stabilized apartments in a high-class New York City building. It turns out that in a city with a very tight housing market, Mr. Rangel has fought himself a pretty good deal, thanks to rent-control laws that are apparently aimed at helping the poor and middle class. Mr. Rangel, the powerful Democrat who is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, uses his fourth apartment, six floors below, as a campaign office, despite state and city regulations that require rent-stabilized apartments to be used as a primary residence. Mr. Rangel, paid a total rent of $3,894 monthly in 2007 for the four apartments at Lenox Terrace, a 1,700-unit luxury development of six towers, with doormen, that is described in real estate publications as Harlem's most prestigious address. The current market-rate rent for similar apartments in Mr. Rangel's building would total $7,465 to $8,125 a month. 
Max Haupt

Cigarette Tax - 1 views

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    The taxes on Cigarettes in Chicago are likely to rise in the coming months. The hike would push the combined tax on a pack of cigarettes to $6.67 in Chicago - the second-highest in the nation behind New York City at $6.86 - but would save some 10,300 Cook County residents from premature, smoking related deaths and trigger a 7.2 percent drop in young smokers, Preckwinkle said in the article. It is hoped that the increase in price for cigarettes will result in more and more people refraining from purchasing cigarettes, in an attempt to make people healthier, cut medical costs and make the city healthier. This is an example of VAT tax, or value added tax, on cigarettes.
Sarah Hansen

China inflation slows dramatically - Apr. 8, 2013 - 0 views

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    This article covers a decrease in China's rate of inflation (disinflation, especially in regard to the prices for groceries. It also mentions that Chna 'may be reaching a new normal of growth'.
Dominik Machate

Saudi youth unemployment could be reduced - 0 views

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    Half the Saudi population is under 25 years of age. this poses a great opportunity to expand the economy of Saudi Arabia, with the new idea that the young workforce brings with them. At the same time it poses a threat if the government does not accomplish the task of creating enough working spaces for the large group that will enter the labor force in the next 10 years.
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    Half the Saudi population is under 25 years of age. this poses a great opportunity to expand the economy of Saudi Arabia, with the new idea that the young workforce brings with them. At the same time it poses a threat if the government does not accomplish the task of creating enough working spaces for the large group that will enter the labor force in the next 10 years.
Max Haupt

NBTC plans to issue price ceiling for 3G voice, data | Bangkok Post: business - 0 views

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    The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission expects to include a temporary 3G price benchmark for voice and date service by mid-December of 2012. The secretary general stated that this price ceiling will apply to 3G operators running wireless broadband service on the 2.1-gigahertz spectrum plus TOT Plc and CAT Telecom. This regulation will slash the pricing of 3G service by at least 15% from the current price which will largely benefit the consumers of 3G. However, the suppliers and telecommunications organizations will not be satisfied with this new price ceiling as they will be losing profits due to lower prices. As a result, less 3G will be supplied.  
Philipp Orator

Govt to set price ceiling on drugs - 1 views

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    The government in the Philippines will impose a price ceiling on essential drug products that are overpriced. This was announced by the Department of Health (DOH). Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that the President is to sign an order that covers the lowering of prices on six or seven drugs. The firms refused to cut the prices in half, but the DOH recommended for price reduction. Overall, the prices were cut by about 30 to 35 percent.
Julius Baldauf

Dutch government introduces new media tax - 0 views

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    In an attempt to impede on music and film piracy, the Dutch government will implement a tax on smartphones, laptops, and mp3 players (among other devices) as of January 1st, 2013. The tax will be based on the storage capacity of devices, allowing anything from empty CD-ROMs to set-top boxes to be taxed. A maximum fixed levy of five Euros will be placed on devices, some only with a fixed levy of one or two Euros. Thus, the producers and consumers of smaller, less expensive devices will feel the effect of these fixed levies more than those of laptop and smartphone producers for example, as the fixed levies will be a larger proportion of the price for cheaper products. The tax revenues will be distributed among the affected industries. 
Julia Launders

Catfish Farmers Fight Fish Glut and High Feed Prices - NYTimes.com - 1 views

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    The article Catfish Farmers Fight Fish Glut and High Fee Prices centered on the left shift in demand for catfish. There has been a steady decline in the demand for catfish in the last decade, causing its demand curve to keep shifting left. Last year, the supply of catfish was low which in turn led to higher prices (due to its scarcity). These higher prices led people to substitute (determinant of demand) catfish with other goods such as inexpensive imports or similar species of fish. The catfish industry has not been able to recover. This year (2012) the supply of catfish has managed to surpass the demand. The high supply led to cheaper catfish costs this year, which in theory should have led to more demand, however people seem to be sticking with their substitutes despite the price change. The feed prices for catfish (feed being a factor of production) are at an all-time high which is causing farmers to suffer; with high costs of production and low prices, they are receiving little profit. With the whole industry suffering, the government has decided to purchase 10 million dollars' worth of catfish hoping to act as a positive determinant of demand (trying to shift the demand curve to the right). This has not had a great effect on the catfish industry and people are starting to question its value; whether people are willing to buy catfish. The declining of this industry has already led to many catfish ponds being replaced with new crops.
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    This article was about the decrease in demand for catfish due to substitution and a change in taste and preferences by consumers. This has caused the demand curve to shift to the left. Because it has shifted left, the price of catfish has decreased therefore signaling that catfish is not as scarce as it used to be and its value has decreased. How have consumer incentives been impacted by this? Because the price has decreased and the good has become less valuable, people would be more inclined to buy it due to the lowered price. How would producers be impacted by this? As demand has decreased the price has decreased, and the lower the price the lower the quantities of goods firms are willing to supply. Therefore the supply of catfish will decrease. This demand shift will have a negative effect on substitute markets as consumers may find the price of catfish cheaper which may lead them to switch from their product to catfish. Lastly, how will this impact resource allocation? As there is a decrease of demand, therefore a decrease in supply, less resources will be used for the catfish industry and invested in other more profitable markets.
oliver egger

Demand for sugar around the world driving  up global shortage  - NY Daily News - 0 views

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    This is an article on the demand of sugar. As the International Sugar Organization has stated, that there is a deficit of 15 million tons in the production. It is stating: "Stocks are currently so low, says the ISO, that even next year's harvest is unlikely to restore reserves to a healthy level." This could make people nervous and push them to buying a big amount of the product now. Since the product might become scare in the future, the prices would rise and therefore people would buy a surplus of the product at the current price. The principal of  expectations of the future price would be touched.
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    Changes in equilibrium: Since the expectation of the future price principle is addressed, the demand curve shifts to the right. Therefore there is a higher demand for sugar, due to the fact that sugar is becoming more scarce. As a result of that, the producers have an incentive to produce more and raise the price, as they realize that the demand has increased. Consumers may then substitute or ration, as the price has increased and they might not be willing or able to buy sugar at this price. As a result of the points above, there would be more resources used to produce sugar even though it is becoming more scarce.
luke poxon

BBC News - China cuts retail fuel price by 5% as oil demand falls - 0 views

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    Demand article as Oil demand falls in China
Clemence Manzone

Demand for iPhones - Los Angeles Times - 2 views

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    The demand for iPhones is greatly increasing in China. In Apple's fiscal year of 2011, they were able to sell 72 million iPhones, a number that soon might almost be sold in China alone. Currently, 10 million iPhones are sold in China, but this is because China's lead mobile carrier; China Mobile, has a network that is not compatible with the iPhone 4s. However, this year China Mobile is flipping to their knew network; the 4G which is compatible with the iPhone 5. This will open up a new market for Apple, as now, millions Chinese will be able to effectively use the iPhone 5 with China Mobile's network. Therefore, the demand for the iPhones will greatly increase due to the 'new' market.
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    Apple sold 72 million iPhones in 2011 to more than 100 countries. It is said that Apple will sell 57 million more iPhones per year in China since the demand is increasing. There are currently 650 million people who are branched to China Mobile which does not carry the iPhone network which includes 100 million who have found ways to use the iPhone through the network. Next year, China Mobile will change to the 4G network which will allow those additional 500 million people to get the iPhone.
Teresa Gemperle

Apple iPhone 5 May Face Supply Problems - 0 views

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    Apple is facing problems due to one of their display suppliers named Sharp, having "manufactoring difficulties" as stated by The Wall Street Journal. This will result in a decrease of displays produced for IPhones, and with this, the supplies of IPhones 5 expected will not be fulfilled. This will therefore also affect the demand of the costumers which will not be satisfied since Sharp still is not in full production. Apple is still hoping to launch the Iphone on september 12th and start the sales on september 21st.
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    Due to Apple having screen supply problems with one out of their three companies, Apple has to see if they can increase the production of IPhone 5 screens in the other companies, or else they will have less supply than demand available. This will mean that the supply curve will shift to the left leaving lots of consumer demand uncovered. Not only would Apple not be able to cover all of the costumers demands, but also, due to a scarce amount of IPhones available, the new equilibrium will also have a higher price per unit sold. Therefore the consumers incentive will decrease due to longer waiting times in order to get their IPhone5, as well as due to higher prices, which would then decrease the IPhone sales. Therefore, in order to avoid this, Apple will need to find another way of producing all of their needed screens in order to fulfill all of the demand and avoid costumers from turning away from their product.
Marc Philippe Frey

Food Prices and Supply - 0 views

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    This is an article on the prices of food and the way this affects the supply. Since the year 2012 has been a very warm year, there have been major draughts throughout the world. This article although focuses on the market in America. The draughts have left a major decrease in the production of products. The government's forecast states that the prices of beef would rise 4-5%. Professional analysts although also said that they do not believe that people therefore start buying less, on the other hand they said that it might affect the economic growth over the next years.
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    This article describes trends in supply of food. In summer 2012, being much hotter than usual and causing the biggest drought in half a century, are causing rises in prices. Groceries such as milk, beef, chicken and pork are expected to rise in price due to the record-breaking weather. Crops, such as corn, of which 88 percent were affected, are to go through major change. General increase of food goods will cause a shift of the curve to the left.
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    The Article talks about the fact that prices for agricultural products will rise in 2013 due to a heat wave in 2012. This means that the warmest year yet; 2012, will impact the supply of agricultural goods. As there will be less supply, the prices of agricultural goods will increase by up to 5% of goods such as beef and pork. In addition, as the US is a large exporter of agricultural goods, expert say that there has to be a solution to make sure that the global food prices will not spike. Due to the fact that there is a reduction of supply, the supply shift will shift left or upwards. Therefore, there will be less produced at each price and the new equilibrium price will be higher than before. In addition, there will also be fewer goods demanded due to the higher price.
laura antuna

Food Supply Adequate to Forestall Unrest, World Bank Says - 1 views

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    Weather disruptions and rising energy expenses have increased grain costs at record high. Current supplies may be ample to start unrest caused by the high food prices. With droughts in the Soviet Union and weak monsoon rains in India, corn and soybean prices last month exceeded records. It is said that U.S consumers might need to pay 3 to 4 percent more on food next year because of the effect droughts have on store shelves. Places such as the middle east and North Sub-Saharan Africa are at a great risk since most of their products are imported. Because of this supply shock, there is a negative shift along the supply line as supplies are becoming more expensive. With the addition of governmental intervention such as taxes, firms will have a much lower profit this year on grain supplies.Also there will be less products for the firms to sell. Not only does this affect firms but as stated before, the world should be ready for a food price increase in the coming year.
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    Becuase of weather changes, there is a scarcity issue in the amount of food that his growing around the world. In economic terms, this means that the supply curve has shifted to the left created a new Equilibrium point. Because of this, the price has increased as the good is more scarce and of course, the supply has decreased. This means that the demand for the good has decreased and consumers have to ration their food even more. Because of this change in supply, there are less resources on the market so because of this scarcity issue, the prices have to go up so that producers get some sort of income. Unfortunately, this means that the consumers have little or no marginal benefit as the price increases. The demand for the good is still high as everyone wants to be able to buy good but unfortunately the price is too high and consumers are not able to buy the product. The marginal benefit decreases for both the consumer and the producer.
Clemence Manzone

Fuel supply problems Manchester airport - 0 views

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    The article written by Peter Woodman addresses the problem of the decreased supply of aviation fuel during a short period of time in June 2012. The Manchester airport gets its fuel from the near Port on Merseyside. There was an interruption in the supply of the fuel which caused the airline to send out precautions to the passengers - their flights might be cancelled or delayed. Since the airport uses over three million liters of aviation of fuel per day, this shortage of supply created temporary problems for the airport. In other words, there was a problem because the demand of aviation fuel was high but the supply of fuel was low which caused the Manchester airport to think of alternatives for their passengers and flights. This supply issue falls under the category of a "shock" - an unexpected event that occurs that causes the decrease supply of a particular good.
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