By Adam Walker, Economics Correspondent  The Two True Stock Market Forces The behaviour of the stock markets and the speculation surrounding them has been a source of debate for decades. Corporations have gained and lost millions in hours due to shifts in trends and demand with a variety of experts claiming to recognise patterns and forecast behaviour changes. There is no doubt that speculation is one of the most powerful forces in financial market behaviour, with events such as the...

By Sally Saar  International perceptions of Bahrain can be deceptive. After two decades of unprecedented change, Sally Saar documents the evolution of the notorious Gulf State, the social tolerance and the role of women in guiding its future.   I have lived in Bahrain for over two decades – half my life. Having spent such an important part of my life here, I call Bahrain home. When I first arrived on the island, the airport was the size of a luxurious mansion with the...

By Haridos Apostolides, US Correspondent Even delayed decisions are giving hope to same-sex couples On Saturday morning hundreds of same-sex couples marched down the aisle to county offices across Michigan in order to exchange vows, only to have that right halted mere hours later by an appeals court. Friday welcomed the northern territory into the growing gang of states which allow same-sex marriages after a voter-approved ban was struck down by Federal District Court Judge, Bernard A. Friedman, for its unconstitutional...

By Pieter Cranenbroek – International Politics Blogger The European elections won’t be held for another two months but the four biggest political parties in Britain are already warming up to it. After Nick Clegg challenged Nigel Farage to an old-fashioned duel, Ed Miliband and David Cameron have been dragged into the Europe debate as well. Let’s hope two things will have become clear to the British voter by the end of May: the European elections do matter and Britain, for Europe’s...

By Haridos Apostolides, US Correspondent Once again President Obama is facing resistance in his flanks, handling more than just the Russians over the Ukraine situation. Congressional Republicans in Washington have demanded more action be taken, believing the current sanctions against the Russians are not enough. Senator John McCain denounced the reprimands, calling them “wholly inadequate” for trying to force only a handful of Russians into compliance. Further right, Tea Party darling Senator Ted Cruz criticized the White House’s current procedures...

By Mary Mellor, Emeritus Professor, Northumbria University author of The Future of Money Pluto 2010 Things have not been going well for the bitcoin experiment recently. There have been accusations of money laundering, enabling the global drugs trade, tax and capital control evasion, fraud and theft (leading to the collapse of the MtGox exchange). Prices have fluctuated wildly and monetary authorities are suspicious, if not actively hostile. What is bitcoin? It is a privately issued digital currency. It can be earned by...

By Lock Bailey Iraqi-Kurdistan President Barzani turned down a White House invitation last month.  Barzani has asked the American government for years to remove the Kurdish people from Washington’s terrorist list yet he has been denied each time.  Barzani’s refusal to visit sends a clear plea: The Kurds are not terrorists, but a peaceful people long oppressed and victims of genocide. In 1988, at the tail end of the eight year war between Iraq and Iran, Saddam Hussein and his Ba’ath pilots...

By Tim Stacey from The Equality Trust This week is Budget week and there’s been plenty of talk about the tax and spending changes that could be announced. These include increasing the personal tax allowance, which is talked about in terms of helping ‘low earners’, and raising the starting point for the 40p tax rate, which is believed to help those on ‘middle incomes’. The focus of these tax measures, and usage of these terms, suggests a slightly skewed view is present...

By Adam Walker, Economics Correspondent Are Academic Attitudes Degrading The Manufacturing Industry? Over the past 30 years the UK has gone from housing a manufacturing industry to being an almost entirely service-based economy with a particular emphasis on the financial sector. On The London Economic we have discussed this in a number of articles including Jack Peat’s article on 3D printing aiding British manufacturing and one of my previous articles on whether London’s service sector is draining the UK. Regardless of the...