Economy and Government

By: Anton Kozyrev For much of the 20th century, there was one crucial commodity that rose above all others to assume its position atop the global pyramid of desirable goods, so to speak. We speak, of course, of oil. That is not to say that oil only became prominent in the 20th century -- far from it. During the 19th century’s phase of rapid industrialization and almost rhythmic conflicts between economies of scale and labor unions, one thing held absolutely constant -- the importance of oil as a key driver of further economic development and industrialization. The beginning of the…

By: Maximus Hamilton Amidst the enervating pandemic our country has dealt with the past year, numerous changes have taken place, not only in the social realm, but in the scope of our economy as well.  Without question, the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered consumer spending habits and patterns. With the need to minimize social encounters and slow the spread of the virus, many consumers have turned increasingly away (if not altogether) from most services, and as a result, the proportion of consumer spending on such services versus spending on consumer goods has been significantly altered. A close look at economic…

By: Matthew Jean-Mary Regardless of political leaning, many Americans believe financing for healthcare in the United States of America will likely have to change in the near future. As it currently stands, the United States spends more money on healthcare than any other country in the world. However, this is greatly deceiving because the United States is not reaping the results achieved by other developed countries. It has been shown that -- on average -- U.S. citizens visit primary care physicians less frequently than other nations despite the fact that U.S. adults typically have greater health needs and demands (U.S.…

By: Anton Kozyrev GDP -- or Gross Domestic Product -- has long been the favored means of assessing economic health by myriad groups, from economists to politicians. But it may well be time for a change. According to the St. Louis Fed’s Federal Reserve Archival System for Economic Research (FRASER), the modern concept of GDP was introduced by economist Simon Kuznets, after the United States government had commissioned him to devise a new method of calculating the health of the U.S. economy in a bid to elucidate a clear path out of the Great Depression. This was done in order…

By: Jaime Svinth Whether you have been working since high school or plan to enter into the workforce after graduate school, learning how to manage your money is crucial for a secure financial future. Gone are the days of simply putting money in the bank in hopes that interest rates compound the saved money. Enter: the stock market. Put simply, the stock market connects buyers to public shares of companies. As these companies grow, shares become more valuable, and thus an original investment earns you more money than you paid for it. For some, starting to invest is an intimidating…

By: Rohan Upadhyay The debate over legalizing marijuana has become a hot-button and commonly debated issue in the past few years since Colorado legalized weed in 2012. Regardless of one’s personal stance, we should acknowledge that representatives in Washington are not having an honest conversation about how best to reduce drug abuse. The simple truth is that the “War on Drugs” is a product of corruption and didn’t come from actually trying to resolve the drug problem. We must address that, since it began in 1971 under President Nixon, the War on Drugs has not significantly reduced drug abuse in…

By: Anton Kozyrev It would be a gross understatement to say that education has a big impact on individuals’ lives. It is often the defining factor that shapes the trajectory of one’s life, all thanks to the immense financial and economic influences it has. The United States consistently spends more on elementary and secondary education per student than any other nation in the world -- and the U.S. has among the highest secondary school graduation rates in the world. This has undoubtedly been a major factor in the U.S.’ economic growth and development in the past decades. However, as the…

By: Trevor Jones A phenomenon known as the “Santa Claus Rally” is thought to generally bring each year to a close on a bullish note in stock markets, due to optimism around the Christmas and holiday season. In fact, over the last 70 years, the last five trading days of December and the first two of the new year have seen a positive return on the S&P 500 79% of the time. While this has not been as pronounced over the last decade, the principle of holiday optimism still holds true. This year, the year-end rally has been much more…

By: Anton Kozyrev Freedom to explore drives innovation. While some may argue over the precise wording, this sentiment generally holds in a variety of circumstances. This phenomenon is seen at a variety of levels within the economy. Google, for instance, has its well-known “20% Time” policy in which it urges employees to spend 20% of their time freely working on new projects. This opportunity to explore has led to the development of numerous noteworthy products, from Gmail to AdSense. Freedom also drives innovation on a larger scale, particularly when it comes to national economic growth. Many proponents of a laissez-faire…