Above photo: Ecuador rebellion during June 2022. Inflationary pressure in the region has also influenced the elections in Colombia. An alliance of Indigenous organizations in Ecuador have held daily demonstrations after sharp increases in the costs for fuel and food. The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) began their general strike actions on June 13 after huge price hikes crippled the capacity of rural and urban communities to access transportation and food for their households. In response to the demonstrations and an assortment of other forms of resistance, President Guillermo Lasso has declared a state of emergency in several provinces […]
Prices
The government is ignoring people’s distress and the worsening crisis – and it has no solutions. Recently released estimates of India’s economic output show that people are not spending enough. The only reason this can be is because they do not have sufficient income, and their buying power is limited. On the other hand, prices of all essential commodities are increasing at a disturbingly high rate. This will further restrict spending. Industrial production has grown at snail’s pace, and with people not having enough to spend, demand will continue to be low and industrial output too will languish. Bank credit for large industries […]
Above Photo: Susan Walsh / AP Photo. The largest-ever Medicare premium increase will pad the pockets of insurance executives who donated millions to the president’s election campaign. Last week, the Biden administration quietly reaffirmed its decision to enact the highest Medicare premium hikes in history right before this year’s midterm elections. At the same time, President Joe Biden is endorsing a plan to funnel significantly more Medicare money to insurance companies and further privatize the government insurance program for older Americans and those with disabilities. In effect, the higher premium increases will subsidize the larger payments to — and profits for — private […]
Above Photo: As independent contractors, Maine lobstermen are denied collective bargaining rights. But they partnered with the Machinists to create both an affiliate local and a marketing cooperative. IAMAW Maine Lobsterman Local 207. When you think of workers hamstrung by the “independent contractor” label, you probably don’t think of Maine lobstermen. But it turns out that lobstermen—a title claimed by women as well as men who catch and sell lobster for a living—have something in common with warehouse temps and Uber drivers. As independent contractors they’re denied the collective bargaining rights and various other workplace protections and benefits afforded (to some) […]
Above Photo: A protester holds bread during a demonstration in Tunis, Jan. 26, 2021. Hedi Ayari / AP “Four Meals From Anarchy” The Political Consequences Of Hunger Are Profound And Unpredictable But Could Be The Spark That Lights A Powder Keg Of Anger And Resentment That Would Make The 2020 Black Lives Matter Protests Look Tame By Comparison. Washington – Already dealing with the economic fallout from a protracted pandemic, the rapidly rising prices of food and other key commodities have many fearing that unprecedented political and social instability could be just around the corner next year. With the clock ticking on […]
Above Photo: Kyle Bragg, president of 32BJ, speaks at a rally in City Hall Park on October 15th launching the Coalition for Affordable Hospitals. Caroline Lewis. A group of labor unions that provide health coverage to hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are banding together in an effort to drive down hospital prices. The costs can get handed down to their members, many of whom work low-income jobs. The Coalition for Affordable Hospitals launched Friday morning and held a rally in Manhattan’s City Hall Park ahead of a City Council hearing on hospital costs. The effort includes nine unions that represent […]
Above Photo: Cars line up for food at the Utah Food Bank’s mobile food pantry at the Maverik Center Friday, April 24, 2020, in West Valley City, Utah. Rick Bowmer/AP Photo. The 2021 Global Hunger Index (GHI), published on Thursday, revealed soaring levels of hunger among the poor and working populations around the globe. The foreword, written by the heads of Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide, the organizations responsible for the GHI, stated that the report “points to a dire hunger situation, a result of the toxic cocktail of the climate crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and increasingly severe and protracted conflicts.” Rising […]
A new study has found that home sale prices and volume appear to be declining in Florida coastal areas at vulnerable to rising sea levels compared to coastal areas with less risk. Here, the balcony view from a luxury condo in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., in 2017. Rhona Wise/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Rhona Wise/AFP via Getty Images A new study has found that home sale prices and volume appear to be declining in Florida coastal areas at vulnerable to rising sea levels compared to coastal areas with less risk. Here, the balcony view from a luxury condo […]
According to realtors, the median home price in California surpassed the $700,000 mark, going up 6.1 percent from July and 14.5 percent from August 2019. Real estate prices rose dramatically in August, a report published by the California Association of Realtors (CAR) said. The median price for an existing, single-family home increased 1.7 percent from July and 18.7 percent from August last year, reaching a record high of $1,068,000. Total sales in August went above the 400,000 level, rising 6.3 percent from July and were up 14.6 percent compared to the previous year. According to 2020 CAR President Jeanne Radsick, prices have been climbing recently, […]
President Trump participates Sunday in a Latinos for Trump Coalition roundtable at Treasure Island Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Andrew Harnik/AP hide caption toggle caption Andrew Harnik/AP President Trump participates Sunday in a Latinos for Trump Coalition roundtable at Treasure Island Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Andrew Harnik/AP President Trump signed an executive order Sunday that he says lowers prescription drug prices “by putting America first,” but experts say the move is unlikely to have any immediate impact. The move comes nearly two months after the president signed a different executive order with the exact same name, but held […]
President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order on prescription drugs, which he said will force the makers of pharmaceuticals to give US consumers the same lower prices that they charge in Canada and other countries. “The days of global freeriding at America’s expense are over,” Trump tweeted on Sunday. He promised that the so-called “most favored nation” order will ensure that big drug companies can no longer charge much higher prices in the US than they are paid elsewhere. …and prices are coming down FAST! Also just ended all rebates to middlemen, further reducing prices. — Donald J. Trump […]
International benchmark Brent and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) extended losses on Friday after a surprise rise in US crude inventories triggered concerns over a supply glut in the global oil market already rattled by Covid-19. Brent futures were down around 0.3 percent, trading at $39.94 a barrel, while US crude shed nearly 0.2 percent to $37.24 a barrel. Friday’s drop came after both brands declined around two percent in the previous session, and could mark a second week of declines for the commodity. Fresh concerns over weakening demand were sparked by the first build in US commercial crude inventories over several […]
GENOA (Sputnik) – Internationally famous Italian “pasta al pomodoro” and wine may become much less affordable for consumers in the United Kingdom if UK and EU politicians do not reach a trade agreement and Brexit happens without a deal, chambers of commerce said on Tuesday. He said this during the webinar entitled “The Future of Trade Relations Between UK and Italy.” Earlier on Tuesday, the eighth round of post-Brexit talks between the United Kingdom and the European Union began in London, with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s October 15 deadline to reach a free trade agreement pending. The round is due to […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107955/26/1079552690_0:85:1400:873_1200x675_80_0_0_0811c487d09a4a8663315d00f9e10c9e.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/business/202007251079980004-completion-of-nord-stream-2-to-cut-europe-gas-prices-by-25-consulting-company-says/ WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – European prices for natural gas would drop by about one quarter if the Nord Stream 2 pipeline connecting Russia to Germany were completed, the consulting firm Wood Mackenzie said in a report on Friday. “If Nord Stream 2 remains unfinished, European benchmark TTF gas is expected to average about $4 per million British Thermal Units next year. But if the project can be completed as its backers hope early in 2021, then the average TTF price that year could drop to about $3, we estimate”, the report said. TTF, or Title […]
President Trump speaks on Friday during an event to sign executive orders on lowering drug prices. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption toggle caption Alex Brandon/AP President Trump speaks on Friday during an event to sign executive orders on lowering drug prices. Alex Brandon/AP The Trump Administration has announced four executive orders to lower drug prices, but health policy experts say they will likely offer patients only minimal relief and may take months to implement, if they’re implemented at all. The orders signed Friday afternoon included allowing certain drugs to be imported from Canada and making changes to the way discounts negotiated by […]
Even as bitcoin prices languish below $10,000, North American cryptocurrency mining companies are tapping into a flurry of fresh financing from investors to pay for new equipment upgrades, bolstering the blockchain network’s resilience and reducing its reliance on Chinese operators. More than $1 billion of new bitcoin-mining computers will be purchased for North American bitcoin mining in the next two years, several people familiar with the industry told CoinDesk. That’s about five times the publicly traded mining-equipment maker Canaan’s revenue for all of 2019. You’re reading First Mover, CoinDesk’s daily markets newsletter. Assembled by the CoinDesk Markets Team, First Mover starts your […]
Last month saw a drop in oil prices which came against the backdrop of fears pertaining to an increase in crude and fuel inventories in the US. Oil prices plummeted on Monday amid an ongoing spike in coronavirus cases in many countries across the world. The benchmark Brent crude LCOc1 dropped by 24 cents, or 0.6%, to $42.90 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures CLc1, in turn, were down 23 cents, or 0.6%, to $40.36 earlier in the day. Reuters cited Rystad Energy’s head of oil markets Bjornar Tonhaugen as saying that “as things stand, prices are not likely […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107956/05/1079560550_0:0:3072:1728_1200x675_80_0_0_72beddc34d60c7c8eb5e2d2bb6392479.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/us/202007141079883445-us-consumer-prices-up-06-in-june-despite-new-covid-19-wave/ WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US consumer prices rose 0.6 percent in June, continuing the broader theme of recovery in the world’s largest economy, even as a new wave of COVID-19 infections reintroduce curbs on some businesses that just emerged from lockdowns. The Consumer Price Index for June grew slightly more than the 0.5 percent expansion forecast by economists surveyed by US media, data published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis showed on Tuesday. Excluding the often-volatile categories of food and energy, the so-called core prices rose 0.2%, compared with a 0.1% decline in May. The […]
After having gone below zero this year due to the coronavirus pandemic and to disagreements between global oil producers, the price of crude has all the chances of rebounding significantly from these historic lows. That’s according to the estimates of analysts, who told The Wall Street Journal that investment in oil and gas production will dry up and propel crude prices back above $100 a barrel. “That funding pressure is going to be massive. It’s going to be really difficult for some of the producers to produce,” said Trevor Woods, chief investment officer of Ohio-based hedge fund Northern Trace Capital. “We could hit […]
New Delhi (Sputnik): Ever since the global crude oil prices crashed in March, when the Oil Producing and Exporting Countries Plus (OPEC+) failed to agree on production cuts in the wake of the COVID-19 spread, India’s principal opposition party Congress has been demanding that the Modi government cut retail prices. Congress lawmaker Rahul Gandhi has kicked off an online campaign called “Speak Up Against Fuel Hike”. The retail prices of petrol and diesel have hit the roof ever since the country entered the first phase of its unlock on 8 June. Diesel and petrol prices have been revised upwards almost every […]
‘Unacceptable threat’ and ‘provocation’: European nations fume after US pulls out of talks on global digital tax …from Russia Today, Moscow [ Editor’s Note: The US pulled out of the digital tax talks with Europe when they were at the 11th hour. Gosh, might it have something to do with Trump’s election year worries? Internet giants like Google and Facebook have avoided taxation by parking their profits in tax havens, where Ireland is the most popular rabbit hole. The company revenues are structured to pass all the profits to a “home office corporation” incorporated in a low tax or no tax […]
Coinbase is looking at opening its doors to a range of new digital assets and the speculation is having an effect on their value. It would appear investors are valuing Coinbase’ Digital Asset Framework when looking at potential listings for the exchange as most assets are up between 8-25% with an average of around 17%, according to data from Messari. KEEP Network’s KEEP token saw the greatest spike, with its price rising to around $0.44. The 19-strong list includes names like Aragon, Aave, Bancor, Siacoin, Origin Protocol, Ren and VeChain. Other names on the U.S. exchange’s list include Arweave, COMP, DigiByte, […]
Lendon Partain, a well technician, has never seen so many pump jacks idled across Andrews County. “Right now it’s scary,” he said. John Burnett/NPR hide caption toggle caption John Burnett/NPR Lendon Partain, a well technician, has never seen so many pump jacks idled across Andrews County. “Right now it’s scary,” he said. John Burnett/NPR In the endless boom and bust cycle of the oil business, there has never been anything like 2020. The oil patch is reeling from historic low prices. Futures for West Texas Intermediate crude closed at $25 a barrel on Friday, down from more than $60 a barrel […]
The clock is ticking down to the expected halving event on Monday and bitcoin is capturing the interest of investors who may not normally follow the cryptocurrency markets. At press time, bitcoin (BTC) was trading up less than 1 percent over 24 hours at $9,966 and above its 10-day and 50-day moving averages, bullish technical indicators. The cryptocurrency has spent much of its U.S. trading hours with a $9,900 handle on spot exchanges like Coinbase, a small retreat after briefly breaking above the $10,000 barrier Thursday. Bitcoin trading on Coinbase since May 6Source: TradingView “Most of the people I know are buying […]
Open contracts on bitcoin options rose to record highs on Thursday as the cryptocurrency’s price rose into five figures. Data from major exchanges – Deribit, LedgerX, Bakkt, OKEx, and CME – shows that open interest on options rose above $1 billion, surpassing the previous all-time high of $70 million registered on Feb. 14, according to crypto derivatives research firm Skew. The metric has increased sharply from the low of $410 million observed in March when the bitcoin market crashed on so-called “Black Thursday.” Source: Skew Deribit, the world’s biggest crypto options exchange by volume, contributed nearly 90% of the total on […]
Bitcoin looks to have decoupled from traditional markets as investors refocus on the network’s imminent mining reward halving. While the top cryptocurrency by market value has gained nearly 5.9% so far this month, gold, a haven asset, has declined by 1%. Meanwhile, as of Wednesday, the S&P 500, Wall Street’s equity index, was down 2.2% on a month-to-date basis, according to data source Skew. Bitcoin is also the best performing asset of 2020 to date, with a 28% year-to-date gain. Oil (WTI) is down 66% – flashing red due to the massive destruction of demand brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. […]
With a key metric declining to record lows, bitcoin’s options market may be underpricing cryptocurrency’s future volatility. Analysts say the data is being distorted by “Black Thursday’s” 40% drop. The spread between bitcoin’s three-month implied volatility (IV) and historical or realized volatility (RV) fell to -47% on Wednesday, the lowest since the crypto derivatives research firm Skew began tracking the data 18 months ago. Three-month implied volatility-realized volatility spreadSource: Skew The spread turned negative in March and has continued to drop ever since. “Historically, RV has been lower than IV for bitcoin over the last 18 months, except for a short […]
Bitcoin is quickly gathering upward momentum alongside a surge in open positions on futures listed on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). The top cryptocurrency by market value jumped to a high of $9,220 at 10:20 UTC on Wednesday, having settled (UTC) above $9,000 on Tuesday to register its first above-$9,000 daily close in two months. Meanwhile, open interest – or the number of futures contracts outstanding on the CME – rose to $351 million on Tuesday, the highest level since July 10, 2019, according to the data provided by crypto derivatives research firm Skew. Source: Skew Open interest hit a bottom […]