The turmoil since August 2007 has not been blamed directly on oil prices but there's a link.
"The US has experienced six recessions since 1972. At least five of these were associated with oil prices. In every case, when oil consumption in the US reached 4% percent of GDP,...

Canada's banking system is one of the best regulated, and modulated, in the world, which is why no Canadian financial institution went bust during the 1930s Depression, nor did any even seriously wobble during this year's meltdown.

The result is that Canada's five biggest banks, with their investment banking subsidiaries,...

The Ides of September in 2008 is simply the latest manifestation of autumnal market turmoil. That day, Lehman Bros. and Merrill Lynch bit the dust and the world changed dramatically. Of course this is nothing new, which is why there's reason again to break out the stock worry beads. Little...

The Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard is populated by smart people who debate and write about the important issues involving the media and democracy. For eight years, the Director of this Center has been a thoughtful and charming southern gentleman named Alex Jones who...

If you were the Founding Father of a new nation, the American health care system would be instructive as the worst example around.
America's really dumb system illustrates what NOT to do and looks like this on paper:

1. Have government insure the highest risk population -- seniors, veterans, indigents.
...

The power of the Internet in helping capture the Presidency of the United States for Barack Obama and his team can now be harnessed to gain control in other political contests. A group of web-savvy Democrats has come up with a means of influencing or conquering the upcoming New York...

Asia suffered jitters last week as the world hurtles toward the traditionally dangerous fall season for stocks.

On September 4, the Financial Times plastered across its front page a photo of riot troops in full gear ready to repel protesters in China's troublesome province of Urumqi. That is a remote...

Japan Inc. (2009)

It has been said that Japan's only post-war opposition party was the protectionists in the U.S. Congress because of its one-party system. But this week that changed and, arguably, so has the world.

Much attention is always focused on fast-growing, gigantic China, but Japan is the biggest...

For decades, Americans have preferred to run up huge deficits by borrowing from foreigners rather than living within their means by collecting enough taxes to cover their governments' expenditures.

Any attempts to raise taxes are greeted with derision by voters who have no idea how low their taxes are compared...

The old saw "what's good for General Motors is good for America" is why I wrote in my blog, on August 12, that the Magna International/Russian attempt to take over GM's European operations, Opel, would fail. Looks like I might be right: GM's board just nixed it despite German...

Ottawa officials and politicians are encouraging Canadians to do business in China and with Chinese entities. So are other countries. But here's a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of doing business with the "Middle Kingdom."

Canadian Natural Resources Limited has built Phase I of the gigantic oil sands project known...

The Swiss sting
The Swiss have been surrounded by mountains of snow and of dirty money.
That's why it is indeed welcome news that Washington has been able to pry open Switzerland's bank secrecy laws this week. UBS will hand over information on the accounts of 4,450 wealthy...

As the health care establishment appears to be once again able to block any reasonable changes to America's sick health care system, it's important to note that, ironically, the "father" of Canada's universal, single-payer health care system was late President Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1964, his plan caused Canadian Prime...

All enlightened governments, including Canada's, which just signed an investment agreement, should deem Venezuela a "no-go" zone. This is because the country, under Hugo Chavez, has descended into a kleptocracy. Industries like coffee and rice have just been nationalized and confiscations without compensation are underway.

Two Canadian mining companies are...

Bernie Madoff, if he was a health care policy expert, would be proud of the fact that greedy Wall Streeters, and their Republican sidekicks, appear to have beaten back health care reform again through fraud.

Hopefully, the stock market leap in values, as health care reform withers, will make more...

Words and images diminish in value, commercially speaking, because the Internet has turned everyone into a writer, publisher, anchor, newspaper editor and network producer.

"Professional" content is now freely obtained online and repurposed by users. At the same time, "professional" content is losing "mind share" to the musings and videos...

The old saw is that "what's good for General Motors is good for America" and that's why the Magna International bid for GM's European operations is unlikely to succeed.

The problem is that Magna's partners are Russians and selling the European operation of an American icon like GM to Moscow...

General Motors and eBay are teaming up to begin the end for the dealership network by offering to sell its inventory of new cars online.

The deal is being tried in California and represents a coup for eBay which gets commissions on every transaction completed. This is the online motherload...

The Three Amigos Summit which just ended -- U.S., Canada and Mexico -- is the private gathering of North America's dysfunctional family. The level of good will and cooperation has been incredible, but border problems are growing, not abating.

Protectionism is on the business agenda but there are also border...

The needless slaughter of baby seals in Newfoundland every year is an embarrassment and disgrace. Canada must outlaw the seal hunt.

Canadian politicians have been in capable of ending this primitive practice - the largest killing of marine mammals in the world - even as damage to the country's reputation,...