Prime Minister Harper seems to have come out of nowhere and become the pit bull for whose cause? Is he representing Canada or some self interest group with respect to Ukraine? I quote , “Russian actions against Ukraine are aggressive, militaristic and imperialistic and pose a grave threat to world peace further, he called Russians...

The world has changed as the Ukraine crisis represents the most recent estrangement between Russia and the West. American leadership ignored dialogue during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, a $51 Billion Dollar investment to develop a resort area for Russia funded in part by the IOC. While Putin made President Obama look weak over the...

In December the markets were euphoric when Ben Bernake, the Federal Reserve Chairman made the unexpected decision to reduce liquidity by partially tapering the $85 Billion used to buy toxic assets from the collapse caused by the Sub Prime debacle. Did Ben Bernake do an exemplary job at the helm, by steering the economy or...

Things have been volatile as we await the Federal Reserve meeting this afternoon Wednesday Dec. 18, 2013. It will be Ben Bernakes last decision before he leaves his post and moves on to greater financial opportunities. Gold is up $3.00 at $1,233.10USD/oz; Silver up +0.34 to USD$19.96/oz bringing the Gold Silver Ratio at 61.77 after...

The Federal Reserve, already exhausted after a year of missteps in the spotlight, has one last trick to pull off before it exits the stage by getting out of the controversial bond-buying business without causing long-term interest rates to soar. The Fed hasn’t settled on how to do this yet several ideas seem to be...

After the dust settles from the Lady Gaga hosted SNL live show on Saturday, Toronto Council started a rumble regarding the fate of the Mayor and governance within the City of Toronto. The key point of debate may be a direct violation of our democratic principals which could strictly curtail the ability of our politicians...

A week after the typhoon struck the Philippines, there is immense need along this coast, much of it untouched by an aid effort that is struggling against clogged airports, blocked roads and a lack of manpower. But amid the desperation, a spirit of resilience was clearly evident Friday as the residents of Guiuan and other battered towns...

Euro tumbles sharply after ECB cut the main refinancing interest rate by 25bps to record low of 0.25%. The marginal lending facility rate was also lowered by 25bps to 0.75%. Deposit rate was held unchanged at 0.00%. The decision itself wasn’t a surprise to the markets as deflation risk is expected to force ECB to...

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell for the third week in a row, but claims are still above end-of-summer levels even though California said it fixed computer problems that kept thousands of applications in limbo. “The good news is that businesses aren’t slashing jobs at a troublesome rate,”  “The bad news is...

President Barack Obama on Wednesday nominated Janet Yellen to succeed Ben Bernanke as chairwoman of the Federal Reserve, elevating a woman to the top post for the first time in the central bank’s 100-year history. In a brief statement, Obama urged the Senate to act swiftly to confirm her “given the urgent economic challenges facing...

It is clear the uncertainty in Italian politics is raising anxiety levels. The rest of Europe is catching that cold too (especially Greece and Spain). What happens next, various scenarios are possible, and market reactions could see the fall of the government. On Saturday, Berlusconi called for the resignation of the ministers of his party...

Consumer confidence among consumers declined in September to a five-month low. University of Michigan’s final index of sentiment decreased to 77.5 from an August reading of 82.1. This paints a picture of a consumer increasingly affected by rising rates and soaring gas prices amid stagnant incomes. This is a  significant risk to the downside for...