China’s shadow banks have increased credit from 120 to 190 percent of GDP.
A historic credit boom, unregulated lenders promising high, “risk-free” returns, and surging property prices making it all go – is this the U.S. in 2004, or China in 2014?
Continue reading… “Is China’s credit bubble about to burst?”
The U.S. Marshals will likely auction off the Bitcoins.
The online drug bazaar, Silk Road, was taken down this past October by the feds. Nearly, 30,000 bitcoins in Silk Road’s coffers was seized in the process. Last week, the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office, which is prosecuting the Silk Road case, announced that a judge had signed off on a forfeiture order for those coins. That means they’re now free to get rid of the 29,655 bitcoins, worth about $25 million at Bitcoin’s current $850 value.
Continue reading… “Feds are free to sell seized Silk Road bitcoins worth $25 million”
The use of Bitcoin will evolve beyond ‘store of value’ or ‘transactions’
There was a lot of speculation and excitement about Bitcoin in 2013. A good way to start 2014 is with a list of predictions for Bitcoin. These predictions are based on growth patterns of similar networks, the traction in various ecosystem activities last year, and conversations with various Bitcoin enthusiasts.
Continue reading… “Top 10 predictions for Bitcoin in 2014”
The Target hack shows our payment systems are in big trouble.
The problems with debit and credit cards are no longer about high-tech skimmers at gas stations and restaurants. Things have gotten worse, not better. According to a December 19 update on the Target problem by security reporter Brian Krebs, as many as “40 million credit and debit card accounts may have been impacted between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15, 2013.” After first claiming that ATM PINs weren’t involved, Target later conceded they were stolen, too.
Is there a retirement saving crisis in the U.S.? A study recently released by the National Institute on Retirement Security shows we are in bad shape. Retirement saving is dangerously low especially for people without retirement accounts. Let’s take a look at the data.
Continue reading… “Do we have a retirement savings crisis in America?”
Venture capitalists invested a record amount in agriculture and food startups in the third quarter this year, totaling $269 million across 41 deals. Conservis, for example, raised $10 million to offer farmers a real-time view of operations. FarmLogs raised $4 million to deliver apps that help farmers increase their productivity and profitability by identifying the crops most likely to sell. In November, Eric Schmidt’s Innovation Endeavors and Flextronics Lab IX launched Farm2050, a collective to support “ag-tech” startups whose solutions boost global food production.
Continue reading… “The Venture of Agriculture”
The Reserve Bank of India says it is “closely watching” the growth of bitcoins.
The virtual currency, Bitcoin, has been gaining popularity globally this year and is catching the attention of India’s youth.
Continue reading… “India is the next country to catch Bitcoin fever”
The Northeast region shows a kind of wealth belt unmatched even on the West Coast.
America is a tremendously unequal place at the county level. In 2012, the median household income in the poorest county (Wilcox County, Alabama) was $22,126. In Falls Church, Virginia, where highly educated defense contractors and federal government workers cluster, the median income last year was $121,250, more than five times higher.
Continue reading… “Northeast corridor is the wealthiest region in the U.S.”
Where do students have it worst?
Student debt is a national problem that affects all 50 states (51, if you count D.C.). The amount and frequency with which undergraduates borrow varies vastly from state to state, some of which are far better at providing an affordable education than others.
Continue reading… “The number-one state with the highest public-college tuition is…”
Piper Jaffray got this when he last surveyed teenagers to learn how they spend money.
Nobody ever said it was easy being a teenager but, this make it look fun. Clothes (including shoes), electronics, movies, music, video games, concerts, accessories, food: That is the life. And together, it makes up about 70 percent of the teen budget.
Continue reading… “Millennials are cheap – a graph that explains the teenage budget”
Biggest funding source is family and friends.
You hear about startups in Silicon Valley getting venture capitalor crowdfunding money all the time. But the two combined barely make up the money given by startups’ biggest funding source: friends and family. (Infographic)
Continue reading… “Biggest funding source for startups is surprising”
Number 1 on the list – San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA.
Do you want to make more money? It’s easy, just move to San Jose, Houston, or Washington D.C. Well, maybe it’s not really so easy. Of course there’s no guarantee that you’ll earn a bigger paycheck in these cities—but it is more likely, as they’re among the highest-paying metro areas in the country.
Continue reading… “U.S. cities with the biggest (and smallest) paychecks”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.