...successful investors of the market. A man who started his journey as an investor at the age of 13, continued to cross hurdles of his business carrier. It's annual report season, which includes announcements from the CEO and/or chairman of every public U.S. company. Given that Warren Buffett, the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, is the most successful investor of all time, you might expect that a 23-page communication from him would be jargon-packed and over most people’s heads. In actuality, Buffett's annual letter to shareholders is famously down-to-earth, conversational, and witty. Never mind for now the specific points he makes: how he communicates his message is a lesson for all of us. Warren Buffett writes his letter to shareholders as a letter to his sisters - then crosses out "Dear Doris and Bertie" and replaces it with "To the Shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway". It’s not enough that Warren Buffett has become one of the richest men in the world. He’s also a world-class communicator – and nowhere does this gift go on public display more than in his annual letter to shareholders, to the CEOs and the public events that he attends like auction event, different functions. And all these activities offer terrific lessons for startup ventures in shaping their communications. Lesson No. 1: One Must Converse Like a Real Human Being There’s something about a position of power that often causes perfectly normal executives to embrace “corporate speak.” Their communications...
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...Subprime Mortgage Crisis 1. What is Subprime Mortgage? A type of mortgage that is normally made out to borrowers with lower credit ratings. As a result of the borrower's lowered credit rating, a conventional mortgage is not offered because the lender views the borrower as having a larger-than-average risk of defaulting on the loan. Lending institutions often charge interest on subprime mortgages at a rate that is higher than a conventional mortgage in order to compensate themselves for carrying more risk. There are several different kinds of subprime mortgage structures available. The most common is the adjustable rate mortgage (ARM), which initially charges a fixed interest rate, and then converts to a floating rate based on an index such as LIBOR, plus a margin. The better known types of ARMs include3/27 and2/28 ARMs. ARMs are somewhat misleading to subprime borrowers in that the borrowers initially pay a lower interest rate. When their mortgages reset to the higher, variable rate, mortgage payments increase significantly. This is one of the factors that lead to the sharp increase in the number of subprime mortgage foreclosures in August of 2006, and the subprime mortgage meltdown that ensued. Many lenders were more liberal in granting these loans from 2004 to 2006 as a result of lower interest rates and high capital liquidity. Lenders sought additional profits through these higher risk loans, and they charged interest rates above prime in order to compensate...
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...other Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. Moreover the intensity of opening country’s borders is much higher in other countries than in India where democratic political forces delay decision making significantly. Nonetheless the Indian economy has broken the shackles of protectionism with great vigor which has led to some positive developments. The paper is an attempt to summarize the difference between policy making before and after the realization of gains from trade. In economic terms, one can undoubtedly prove that there are benefits realized .and the Indian economy is on a smooth sail partly because of the gains form trade. Of course any economy’s real growth appears only with increased total factor productivity, greater and better use of her resources and public policy that understands and protects the private sector’s interest. India still has a long way to go but major benefits already accrued from the right policies should serve as lessons to learn. EFFECT OF GLOBALIZATION ON INDIA’S ECONOMIC...
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...Nguyen Keystone College Abstract: Asian economic miracle refers to three groups of East Asian countries making miracle in transforming their economies from the third world to the first world ranking. There are three generations of Asian miracle. Starting with Japan, the first generation of what called Asian miracle, following with the second generation including South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan, and final generation consists of some Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia. This paper is going to talk about the second generation of Asian economic miracle. By showing their economic achievement, illustrating their economic policies, and analyzing how the economic trend of 20th century reflected on those policies, this paper will argue that Asian miracle was the result of the wise choices of how to manage an economy. Furthermore, developing countries should learn the lessons of how to choose the right economic policies to make economic miracle. Asian Economic Miracle: The Wisely Chosen Economic Policies and The Economic Trend of 20th Century Introduction According to the East Asian Miracle (EAM, World Bank, 1993), “East Asia has a remarkable record of high and sustained economic growth. From 1965 to 1990 the twenty-three economies of East Asia grew faster than all other regions of the world.” The eight Asian economies: Japan, the “Four Tigers” including Hong Kong, South...
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...E SSAY COLLECT ION Crisis in the Eurozone Transatlantic Perspectives ESSAY COLLECTION Crisis in the Eurozone Transatlantic Perspectives This publication is a part of CFR’s International Institutions and Global Governance (IIGG) program and has been made possible by the generous support of the Robina Foundation. The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries. Founded in 1921, CFR carries out its mission by maintaining a diverse membership, with special programs to promote interest and develop expertise in the next generation of foreign policy leaders; convening meetings at its headquarters in New York and in Washington, DC, and other cities where senior government officials, members of Congress, global leaders, and prominent thinkers come together with CFR members to discuss and debate major international issues; supporting a Studies Program that fosters independent research, enabling CFR scholars to produce articles, reports, and books and hold roundtables that analyze foreign policy issues and make concrete policy recommendations; publishing Foreign Affairs, the preeminent journal...
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...goal is twofold: to promote world-class research, and to get the policy-relevant results into the hands of key decision-makers. CEPR’s guiding principle is ‘Research excellence with policy relevance’. A registered charity since it was founded in 1983, CEPR is independent of all public and private interest groups. It takes no institutional stand on economic policy matters and its core funding comes from its Institutional Members and sales of publications. Because it draws on such a large network of researchers, its output reflects a broad spectrum of individual viewpoints as well as perspectives drawn from civil society. CEPR research may include views on policy, but the Executive Committee of the Centre does not give prior review to its publications. The opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors and not those of CEPR. Chair of the Board President Director Research Director Guillermo de la Dehesa Richard Portes Richard Baldwin Kevin Hjortshøj O’Rourke Contents Introduction Richard Baldwin and Coen Teulings 1 Opening the debate 1 Reflections on the ‘New Secular Stagnation...
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...and political forces Big and Painful crisis West caught up in full blown because of mortgage lending we wanted to export to the rest of the world Americans there is no place like home we take the universal priveledge to own a home for granted Before the 1930’s no more than 2/5 of American households were owner occupied; however, it was born out of an American financial crisis. During the Great Depression in 1929 everyone stuggled to pay rent and mortgages. The greatest hurt was in Detroit the auto industry was cut in half as well as the wages. On March 7, 1932, 5,000 workers that were laid off marched to the factory to demand unemployment relief. Unarmed crowd in deerborn police officers reached out and fired into the crowd 5 workers were killed. A few days later 60,000 people were honoring them at their funeral. A communist newspaper accused henry ford’s son of leading a massacre Diego rivera mural showing Detroit as a sign of cooperation not class conflict was a lifelong communist 1933 seen as travesty The new deal is what began to reunite the us pioneered the idea of a property owning democracy Gov rigged housing market to give incentives to become home owners garentied loans New administration offered lower interest loans most fixed for 20-30 year fannie mae created a nationwide market Reducing monthly cost made ownership possible for more Americans than ever before Modern US born out of new deal reforms Not everyone in America had...
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...RETHINKING THE EAST ASIAN MIRACLE JOSEPH E. STIGLITZ AND SHAHID YUSUF Editors RETHINKING THE EAST ASIA MIRACLE JOSEPH E. STIGLITZ AND SHAHID YUSUF Editors A copublication of the World Bank and Oxford University Press i Oxford University Press Oxford • New York • Athens • Auckland • Bangkok • Bogotá • Buenos Aires • Calcutta • Cape Town • Chennai • Dar es Salaam • Delhi • Florence • Hong Kong • Istanbul • Karachi • Kuala Lumpur • Madrid • Melbourne • Mexico City • Mumbai • Nairobi • Paris • São Paulo • Singapore • Taipei • Tokyo • Toronto • Warsaw and associated companies in Berlin • Ibadan © 2001 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433, USA Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10016 Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Cover design and interior design by Naylor Design, Washington, D.C. Manufactured in the United States of America First printing June 2001 1 2 3 4 04 03 02 01 The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this study are entirely those of the authors and should not be attributed in any manner to the World Bank, to its affiliated organizations...
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...GSICS Working Paper Series Infrastructure Development for the Economic Development in Developing Countries: Lessons from Korea and Japan Byoungki KIM No. 11 November 2006 Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies Kobe University Infrastructure Development for the Economic Development in Developing Countries: Lessons from Korea and Japan Byoungki KIM Abstract Infrastructure is indispensable to achieve the main development targets in developing countries, such as urbanization, industrialization, export promotion, equitable income distribution, and sustainable economic development. Late developing countries can benefit from previous development experience provided they choose the right model1. However, the relationship between infrastructure and economic growth is still frequently debated. This paper will examine the experience of Korea and Japan in infrastructure development for economic growth to acquire some valuable lessons that infrastructure development contributes to economic development in developing countries. 1. Introduction The lack of infrastructure is hindering the economic growth in many developing countries2. Infrastructure investment has the effects of contributing to increase the productivity and it is expected to contribute to future economic growth in developing countries where infrastructure is still insufficient. Therefore, infrastructure development is one of the most integral parts of the public policies in developing countries...
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...socio-economic development issues in the region by offering analytical and policy approaches and articles by economists and other social scientists working both within and outside the United Nations. Accordingly, the editorial board of the Review extends its readers an open invitation to submit for publication articles analysing various aspects of economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The opinions expressed in the signed articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organization. The designations employed and the way in which data are presented do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the secretariat concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. A subscription to the CEPAL Review in Spanish costs US$ 30 for one year (three...
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...guide could we have to the 2008 financial crisis and its resolution than our newest Nobel Laureate in Economics, the prolific columnist and author Paul Krugman? In his prescient 1999 classic, The Return of Depression Economics, Krugman surveyed the economic crises that had swept across Asia and Latin America and pointed out that they were a warning for all of us: like diseases that have become resistant to antibiotics, the economic maladies that caused the Great Depression were making a comeback. In the years that followed, as Wall Street boomed and financial wheeler-dealers made vast profits, the international crises of the 1990s faded from memory. But now depression economics has come to America. When the great housing bubble of the mid-2000s burst, the U.S. financial system proved as vulnerable as those of developing countries caught up in earlier crises—and a replay of the 1930s seems all too possible. In this new, greatly updated edition of The Return of Depression Economics, Krugman shows how the failure of regulation to keep pace with an increasingly out-of-control financial system set the United States and the world up for the greatest financial crisis since the 1930s. He also lays out the steps that must be taken to contain the crisis and turn around a world economy sliding into a deep recession. Brilliantly crafted in Krugman's trademark style—lucid, lively, and supremely informed—this new edition of The Return of Depression Economics...
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...United States Students Lag in Math and Science United States high school seniors scored near or at the bottom of a multinational study of student performance in science and mathematics, according to results released on February 24, 1998. Final results from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), said to be the most comprehensive ever, also showed that U.S. students' aptitude for mathematics and science declines as they get older. Conducted in 1995, TIMSS tested student abilities in general mathematics, general science, advanced mathematics, and physics. In general mathematics and general science the Netherlands and Sweden took top honors, while the United States ranked 19th and 16th, respectively, in a field of 21 nations. Top-level U.S. students fared even worse, finishing 15th out of 16 countries in advanced mathematics and placing 16th—dead last—in physics. France and Norway, respectively, finished first in those disciplines. Asian nations scored highest in earlier TIMSS studies of fourth and eighth graders, but chose not to participate in the high school study. United States Secretary of Education Richard Riley called the results “entirely unacceptable” and said they “confirm our need to raise our standards of achievement, testing, and teaching.” Students must be encouraged to “understand the importance of math and science,” Riley said. Only 25 percent of U.S. high school students take physics and only 10 percent take calculus, Riley said. Meanwhile...
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...and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Copyright © 2011 by Barry Eichengreen Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Eichengreen, Barry J. Exorbitant privilege : The Rise and Fall of the Dollar and the Future of the International Monetary System / Barry Eichengreen. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-19-975378-9 1. Money—United States—History—20th century. 2. Devaluation of currency—United States—History—21st century. 3. United States—Economic policy—2009– 4. Financial crises—United States—21st century. I. Title. HG540.E33 2010 332.4′973—dc22 2010018239 135798642 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper CONTENTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Introduction Debut Dominance Rivalry Crisis Monopoly No More Dollar...
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...Current financial crisis Economic growth involves metamorphosis of the financial system. Forms of banks and bank money change. These changes, if not addressed, leave the banking system vulnerable to crisis. There is no greater challenge in economics than to understand and prevent financial crises. The financial crisis of 2007-2008 provides the opportunity to reassess our understanding of crises. All financial crises are at root bank runs, because bank debt—of all forms—is vulnerable to sudden exit by bank debt holders. The current crisis raises issues for crisis theory. And, empirically, studying crises is challenging because of small samples and incomplete data. *Written as a contribution for Trade, Globalization and Development: Essays in Honor of Kalyan Sanyal, edited by Sugata Marjit and Rajat Acharya (Springer Verlag; forthcoming). Some of this essay draws from material in my book Misunderstanding Financial Crises (Oxford University Press; forthcoming November 2012). I worked at AIG Financial Products as a consultant from 1996-2008. I thank Doug Diamond, Bengt Holmström, Arvind Krishnamurthy, and Guillermo Ordoňez for comments.1 1. Introduction Economic development does not result in the elimination of financial crises. The recent financial crisis of 2007-2009 in the United States and Europe shows that market economies, however much they grow and change, are still susceptible to collapse or near-collapse from financial crisis. This is a staggering thought...
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...Globalization.” March 31, 2000. Texas A and M University, College Station Texas. * For valuable research assistance, I thank Antu Murshid. 1. Introduction Globalization has become the buzz word of the new millennium. It is viewed as the cause of many of the world’s problems as well as a panacea. The debate over globalization is manifest both in public demonstrations against the WTO in Seattle in the Fall of 1999 and the IMF and World Bank earlier. It also has led to a spate of scholarly and not so scholarly books on the subject.1 Until three years ago the consensus view among economists on the issue of the international integration of financial markets was very positive. The benefits of open capital markets stressed include: optimal international resource allocation; intertemporal optimization; international portfolio diversification and discipline on policy makers.2. However, the recent spate of crises in Latin America and Asia has led some to argue that the costs of complete liberalization of financial markets for emerging countries may outweigh the benefits.3 The paper focuses on the globalization of financial markets from the historical perspective of the past 120 years. In Section 2, I summarize the empirical evidence on the international integration of financial markets from 1880 to the present primarily based on my research with Barry Eichengreen and that of Maurice Obstfeld and Alan Taylor. This research shows that globalization has followed a U-shaped pattern for both...
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