A key concept at the heart of financial theory is the “risk-free rate.” The idea is simple: the rate at which you would lend money to a very secure borrower, one with 0% probability of default. If you lend money to a riskier borrower (one with some probability of default) you would charge a “risk […]
Draghi Deploys the ECB’s Full Artillery? A Reaction
The best commentary came from the Spanish daily Expansión. They gave us nine pages on Draghi’s measures and a headline from a statement made by Francisco González, president of BBVA: “” (note – I added the “all” to that statement). Draghi was already talking, a few months ago, of measures that needed to be taken in […]
Swiss Franc: It ain’t gonna happen
This colloquial phrase is used when something is considered impossible. That seems to be the case with the Swiss franc, which saw a major appreciation when the Swiss National Bank (SNB) announced it was floating its currency. It is an excellent example for one type of exchange rate. For obvious reasons, Switzerland is a major […]
The Sharing Economy: An Ocean of Unconscious Cooperation
The sharing economy is a topic of hot debate. It means different things to different people. For investors, firms like Uber and Airbnb offer tantalizing market capitalizations. For visionaries, the peer-to-peer transaction model represents a new, post-capitalist economic reality. Meanwhile, critics see the rise of these services as just another brick in the winner-takes-all wall. Whatever […]
Who contributes to the growth of the US Economy?
The US Bureau of Economic Analysis provides interesting data on the contribution of 93 different industries (and groups of industries) to the GDP. In a previous post I analyzed the contribution of the oil industry to US GDP growth. Now I present the big picture: the contribution of every industry to the GDP and GDP […]
