Amazon's Bezos on way to richest Man on Earth?

No surprise if AntiTrust regulators are asleep at the wheel. Separation of own-account trading and platform for third parties or you create a Monster Monopoly!
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B5550BF6C-154E-11E7-BCC7-456FC1EDA05D%7D&siteid=rss&rss=1

Apple sends warning to banks with Australian mobile payments decision

Time to get tough with the (mostly) American Oligopolies (that try to become de-facto monopolies). If Apple sells a phone it should not be allowed to control the content. In the case of payment systems there should in any case a requirement to make them open to all. There is only one telephone network for landlines, imagine the Telcos could tell you who you would be allowed to call!
So break up Apple, the USA  trustbusters of the early 19th century knew what they had to do!
Same for Google, Yahoo, Facebook - not control of search history or mixing search function with other lines of business.
Amazon should only be allowed to sell for other businesses or on its own account. Running a platform as well as a business is clearly stifling competition.
Apple sends warning to banks with Australian mobile payments decision

Pension at Center of next Crisis

The idea that the average person should be wholly/predominately responsible to save for his/her retirement is laughable. It may appeal to doctrinaire free market advocates and it certainly appeals to the providers of the many 'products' that are supposed to provide for a care-free retirement.

But much better for the state to provide a sufficient pension. Longevity and investment risks are truly shared, between all citizens and all generations. Costs are very low - no pass the parcel investment games, no expensive admin (everyone gets the same pension, higher rate taxpayers give back more than those in a low tax bracket or not liable to any income tax). This is to some extent akin to the currently debated 'Guaranteed basic income', but only applied to those already retired.

Anyone who has tried to manage his own investment portfolio will understand how difficult investing is. Even so-called professionals time and again mess up, highly acclaimed 'Masters of the Universe' in the Hedge Fund industry often produce lamentable investment returns. So pushing the masses into the investment game means they are supposed to do the equivalent of Brain Surgery on themselves.

By all means encourage people to save, but this part of their retirement provision should not benefit from overly generous tax benefits (that mostly flow to those already enjoying high incomes) and also be free from all other regulatory and bureaucratic restrictions. These additional nest-eggs can help to provide a more comfortable old age than the universal state pension will be able to provide.

48% of Americans saving for retirement are pretty sure they have no idea what they are doing (Business Insider)
Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2015 (Federal Reserve)
Your Pension Will Be At The Center Of America's Next Financial Crisis

EU recommends suspending drugs tested by Indian firm

The shady side of Globalization! And why are call centres located abroad permitted by regulators?
EU recommends suspending hundreds of drugs tested by Indian firm

China: Great Internet Firewall Is a Trade Barrier

Why do we pussy-foot with Communist China? Protectionist policy eats our lunch, hollows out technical advantage, pushes ordinary workers into penury.
The Great Firewall Is a Trade Barrier - Bloomberg View

Real Inflation out of control!

You cannot eat your mobile phone or laptop! Inept Central Banks and Politicians bleed us dry!
Cost of living data on essential household items, property, fuel, insurance - Business Insider

Pension Crisis Too Big for Markets to Ignore

The idea that the average person should be wholly/predominately responsible to save for his/her retirement is laughable. It may appeal to doctrinaire free market advocates and it certainly appeals to the providers of the many 'products' that are supposed to provide for a care-free retirement.
But much better for the state to provide a sufficient pension. Longevity and investment risks are truly shared, between all citizens and all generations. Costs are very low - no pass the parcel investment games, no expensive admin (everyone gets the same pension, higher rate taxpayers give back more than those in a low tax bracket or not liable to any income tax). This is to some extent akin to the currently debated 'Guaranteed basic income', but only applied to those already retired.

Anyone who has tried to manage his own investment portfolio will understand how difficult investing is. Even so-called professionals time and again mess up, highly acclaimed 'Masters of the Universe' in the Hedge Fund industry often produce lamentable investment returns. So pushing the masses into the investment game means they are supposed to do the equivalent of Brain Surgery on themselves.

By all means encourage people to save, but this part of their retirement provision should not benefit from overly generous tax benefits (that mostly flow to those already enjoying high incomes) and also be free from all other regulatory and bureaucratic restrictions. These additional nest-eggs can help to provide a more comfortable old age than the universal state pension will be able to provide.

48% of Americans saving for retirement are pretty sure they have no idea what they are doing (Business Insider)

Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2015
(Federal Reserve)

Pension Crisis Too Big for Markets to Ignore

Frankfurt is in 'pole position' in the Brexit jobs race

Been there dozens of times for business, nice people, but if anyone believes it will take over as THE major financial center I have a bridge to sell....

Frankfurt is in 'pole position' in the Brexit jobs race

How to Protect Yourself from the Looming Pension Crisis

This crisis is man-made, due to poor policies adopted on the basis of flawed ideologies. Private provision may fulfill a useful purpose allowing savers to have a more comfortable retirement. The basic pension, however, should be provided by a simple-to-run State Pension. Not means-tested, identical for all, ending all tax subsidies (only helping the better-off) for private pensions can finance a sufficient basic protection.
How to Protect Yourself from the Looming Pension Crisis

Using The Chai Latte As Replacement For The Big Mac Index

These indices are for amusement only! Most people in the less-affluent countries can only dream of buying a Big Mac or visiting Starbucks which sells 5 cents of coffee for 4 or 5 dollars

Using The Chai Latte As Replacement For The Big Mac Index

Governments Have Put the ECB in a Bind

Wrong way round! ECB allows Governments to delay or abandon any structural reforms by bailing them out, keeping rates at absurd levels and effectively stealing from Savers - most of them low or middle income citizens that benefit little from the asset bubble the Central Banks create.
Governments Have Put the ECB in a Bind

Lobster-crazy China sets record for US crustacean imports

Given the size of population they might vacuum clean the World's oceans, there needs to be a limit on fishing in the 'open oceans', 3, 10, 200 mile limits are just not enough
Lobster-crazy China sets record for US crustacean imports

Tax burden on the wealthy has trebled since the 1970s

Meaningless statistic, the wealthy also increased their share of wealth, income, so only logical their share 'burden' goes up, how about Philip Green's Monaco shifting of wealth?
Tax burden on the wealthy has trebled since the 1970s, Telegraph analysis shows

The Dystopian Future of Price Discrimination

Time for our Solons to stamp out any incipient abuses. Start with Google - ban collecting search history, ban selling slots on search results, then Amazon - break up the business, own sales and agency sales, Apple - divest from content sales
The Dystopian Future of Price Discrimination - Bloomberg ViewThe Dystopian Future of Price Discrimination - Bloomberg View

Janet Yellen: Micromanagement taken to extreme

Maybe the next step is - weekly data and adjusting Fed action accordingly? O tempora! where has intellectual honesty gone?
Janet Yellen says economic data hasn't notably strengthened - Business Insider

Calafia Beach Pundit: Richer than ever

These stats are for entertainment more than serious discourse. Say we trade all shares suddenly at twice their present worth? and do the same with Real Estate? Are we really twice as 'rich'? It is all hot air, some win at the expense of others

Calafia Beach Pundit: Richer than ever

Money Laundering: The Madness is growing

 Wen das neue Geldwäschegesetz betrifft | private-banking-magazin.de