- Lower beef exports and higher imports thus far in 2012 (Drovers Cattle Network)
- Asian Markets Are Slipping On Concerns About Europe – Mamta Badkar (Business Insider)
- Staying power keeps foreign investors in China – Wang Li (Market Watch)
Author Archives: Claudia Soria
Interesting Links of the Day – June 18, 2012
- Dads and Development – David McKenzie (World Bank)
- NYMEX July crude settles 12 cents higher at $84.03/barrel ahead of Greek elections (Platts.com)
- Greek election result calms Europe for now – Sarah Turner and Sara Sjolin (MarketWatch)
Interesting Links of the Day – June 15, 2012
- One Laptop Per Child is not improving reading or math. But, are we learning enough from these evaluations? – Berk Ozler (World Bank)
- US considers exporting excess LNG – Kate Winston (Platts.com)
- Investment opportunities in Spain: The five hidden gems – Tomas Berggren (TradingFloor.com)
Interesting Links of the Day – June 14, 2012
- Eurozone crisis hitting developing world growth, warns World Bank – Larry Elliott (The Guardian)
- Wrapup of USDA Supply and Demand Report Coverage – Open Markets (CME Group)
- We have to believe we can save Spain’s banks” – Tomas Berggren – (TradingFloor.com)
Interesting Links of the Day – June 13, 2012
- India advances, but many women still trapped in dark ages – Nita Bhalla (Reuters)
- Africa land deals lead to water giveaway – Mark Tran (The Guardian)
- Sustaining Women – Kandeh K. Yumkella (Project Syndicate)
Interesting Links of the Day – June 12, 2012
- New farm bill has N.C. peanut growers crying foul – Robert Willett (The Charlotte Observer)
- USDA Report summary table – Dow Jones Newswires (Agriculture.com)
- Another Frightening Bubble In China: Cars – Wolf Richter (Business Insider)
Global Index of Economic Exuberance
After the financial crisis of the recent years, there are countries that have fared better than others, due in part to a transfer of capital from financial markets in developed countries to emerging market economies.
To identify the winners and losers, economists Ignacio Munyo and Ernesto Talvi calculated a Global Index of Economic Exuberance where the winners are Argentina, Angola, and Brazil, and the losers are Hungary, the United States, and Kazakhstan.
CERES: Center for the Study of Economic and Social Affairs
Raw Sugar Prices Increase
Raw sugar prices are on the rise on fears that world demand will exceed global supply. According to Bloomberg, damaged sugar crops due to a drought in Russia and adverse weather conditions in Brazil and China are responsible for a supply shortage.
Brazil, India, China, Thailand, Pakistan, Mexico, Colombia, Australia and the United States are the world’s largest sugar producers. Brazil dominates sugar world markets thanks to high demand for sugar-based ethanol.
Corn Prices on the Rise
Corn ending stocks for the US for 2010 are projected to be lower than corn demand for the same period, prompting a rise in corn prices. Corn prices increased about 55% for the June-November 2010 period. According to the Corn and Soybean Digest low crop yields explain the supply side. The demand side can be explained mainly by the increase of corn-derived ethanol production.
Sales Tax Collections Increase in Oklahoma
According to Stateline.org, sales tax collections have been on the rise in the last six months for some states, Oklahoma and West Virginia among others. They are expected to grow even more during the months of November and December 2010. As can be seen in the graph below, sales tax collections have been on the rise except for the period between the fourth quarter 2008 and the first quarter 2010.
The second quarter 2010 shows an increase in sales tax collection of 9.4% with respect to the previous quarter.
Sales tax revenue is the second largest source of tax collections after individual income tax revenue for the state of Oklahoma as can be seen in the chart below.