Author Archives: Darren Marchal

Seeing red: China’s credit addiction

In June, the Chinese government made a fruitless attempt to curb the nation’s increasing dependency on credit. By August, loans from shadow banks reached an all time high. If lending continues at this rate, the Chinese economy is heading for a dip. China responded to the economic events of 2008 with an investment-heavy stimulus programme…

Angry Over U.S. Surveillance, Tech Giants Bolster Defenses

SAN FRANCISCO — Google has spent months and millions of dollars encrypting email, search queries and other information flowing among its data centers worldwide. Facebook’s chief executive said at a conference this fall that the government “blew it.” And though it has not been announced publicly, Twitter plans to set up new types of encryption to protect messages from snoops….

Abbott’s new Australia

Tony Abbott’s election as the new Australian Prime Minister in September comes as the 13th biggest economy enters its 22nd consecutive year of growth. The defeated Labor Government, with the help of the Reserve Bank of Australia, diverted the economy from succumbing to the global financial crisis in their six years of power. This is…

Globalisation on hold

Five years ago, George W Bush gathered the leaders of the largest rich and developing countries in Washington for the first summit of the G20. In the face of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, the leaders promised not to repeat that era’s descent into economic isolationism, proclaiming their commitment to an open…

How To Start A Small Business In Kansas

Are you thinking of starting up a small business in Kansas? If so, you are not alone. In 2012, over 15,000 new businesses opened their doors in the state – 1,500 more than in 2011. Even more encouraging, that number is far more than the 13,354 businesses that were formed in 2007 before the Great…

Why You’re Still Going To Buy Apple’s Ho-Hum iPad Upg

Let’s get this straight: No matter what Apple announces Tuesday, if you’ve bought Apple devices before, you’re going to buy this one, too.  That choir of the converted, though, isn’t enough for Apple anymore. As Business Insider’s Jay Yarow points out, Apple’s iPad sales have been consistently falling for several quarters, and growth has been slowing for years….