Doing direct comparisons of price levels in any country is really an exercise of little value. Consumer goods in Cuba are expensive to Cubans, but the same items in Japan (at a higher price in any currency) are cheap to the Japanese. How can this be? What we can afford to pay for goods is [...]
Nowadays, flooring choices might be overwhelming with often hundreds of options to choose from. I decided to change my hardwood floor, which became worn out over time, to something different. I didn’t want the thick 3/4in boards but something lighter and brighter and, most of all, cheaper. I discovered Carpet One, whose advisors pointed me [...]
Virtually all participants in the financial markets have heard of futures markets, but many do not understand the role that futures markets play. Some participants do not understand how futures markets function in global financial systems and often look at futures with suspicion, if not disdain. In earlier posts, we discussed the purposes of derivative [...]