Sunday, March 9

Author: Patti Mohr

Patti Mohr is a U.S.-based journalist. She writes about global diplomacy, economics, and infringements on individual freedom. Patti is the founder of the Global Economic Report. Her goal is to elevate journalistic principles and share the pursuit of truth in concert with others.
Tax Prep Software Shared Data With Big Tech
2Aug By Patti MohrNo Comments
Big Tech, Digital Economy, Types of News: Brief

Tax Prep Software Shared Data With Big Tech

Meta Pixel Collects Massive Amounts Of Information August 2, 2023—Several tax-preparation companies used a computer code known as pixels to share millions of data about users with Meta and Google, according to a congressional investigation. The companies TaxAct, TaxSlayer, and H&R Block confirmed to Senate investigators that they used Meta Pixel on their websites and a similar code for Google Analytics. The Meta Pixel is a piece of code used to track website visitors and their actions offsite. According to Meta, the parent company of Facebook, it is used for advertising and ad-targeting purposes. But the congressional report reveals that pixels contain "massive amounts of user data." Data Shared The report indicates that taxpayers who used the company websites to file th...
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El Salvador’s Bukele Rises In Popularity In Latin America
29Jul By Patti MohrNo Comments
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Democracy, Human rights, Types of News: Bit

El Salvador’s Bukele Rises In Popularity In Latin America

July 29, 2023—Reporting for the Los Angeles Times, Kate Linthicum describes El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has become a "hero on the right" for Latin American leaders even as human rights groups cry foul. It's been four years since Bukele took office and two years since he declared himself as the world's "coolest dictator." Today, many in Latin America view the president as a model for fighting gangs, violent crime, and corruption, even if it comes at the cost of civil liberties. Critics complain that the El Salvadorian leader embraces authoritarianism, but "as homicides plunged, Bukele's approval ratings skyrocketed," Linthicum writes in a LAT report this week. Even as he clears the way for mass criminal trials of hundreds of people at a time, his popularity rises in count...
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US Fed Raises Funds Rate By Quarter Basis Point
26Jul By Patti MohrNo Comments
Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Types of News: Bit

US Fed Raises Funds Rate By Quarter Basis Point

July 26, 2023—Citing ongoing concerns about elevated inflation, the U.S. Federal Reserve announced today it is raising its Federal Funds rate by a quarter of a basis point to 5.25 to 5.50 percent. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the economy is weathering the monetary-policy tightening well, and the Federal Reserve is committed to achieving its target of 2 percent inflation. The current U.S. inflation rate is hovering right around 3 percent. The key to whether the Fed's Board of Governors would begin cutting rates, Powell said, would be when inflation comes down in a credible fashion, not when the rate hits 2 percent. He doesn't see the inflation rate dipping down to its 2 percent target until 2025 or thereafter, Powell said during the press conference.
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Global Housing Prices See Both Modest Dips And Gains In 2023
25Jul By Patti MohrNo Comments
Global Economics, Types of News: Bit

Global Housing Prices See Both Modest Dips And Gains In 2023

July 25, 2023—With some exceptions, the prices of housing have dipped modestly in 2023 in response to higher interest rates, according to Fitch Ratings. In its midyear report, Fitch found that nominal housing prices reacted to rising interest rates with slight drops in prices in most countries under its radar. The exceptions were Australia, Denmark, Japan, Italy, Colombia, Mexico, and Spain, where prices rose. Factors that are impacting prices include inventory, wages, labor markets, government support for homebuyers, building costs, as well as interest rates.
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U.S. Stock Ownership Rises to 61 Percent
24Jul By Patti MohrNo Comments
Climate Action, ESG, Sustainable Finance, Finance, Investing, Types of News: Bit

U.S. Stock Ownership Rises to 61 Percent

July 24, 2023—Individual stock ownership in the United States fell after the 2008 financial collapse from 62 percent in 2007 to a low of 52 percent in 2013 and 2016. But now Americans' ownership stake in capital markets is rising. According to a Gallup poll taken in April, 61 percent of respondents said they own individual stock, a mutual fund, or a self-directed 401(k) stock fund. Stock ownership is significant not only as an indication of personal savings but also in regard to empowering individuals. For example, proxy votes, like the one that Disney faced in April, give shareholders to have a say in company decisions. It is a key benefit of capitalism that supports sustainable finance.
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Most U.S. Journalists Fear Restrictions On Free Press
24Jul By Patti MohrNo Comments
Types of News: Brief

Most U.S. Journalists Fear Restrictions On Free Press

July 24, 2023—Nearly six-in-ten journalists working in the United States reported having major concerns about potential restrictions on press freedoms. According to a Pew Research Center poll of 11,889 U.S. journalists, 33 percent of respondents answering the question said they are "extremely" concerned about the possibility the U.S. government would restrict press freedoms. An additional 24 percent said they were "very" concerned. The survey, which Pew conducted in 2022 also identified issues with "widespread misinformation, political polarization and the impact of social media."
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Currency Wars: Dollar Dominance Here To Stay? Maybe. Maybe Not.
16May By Patti MohrNo Comments
Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Geopolitics, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Brief

Currency Wars: Dollar Dominance Here To Stay? Maybe. Maybe Not.

China, India, and Others Vie For Status The United States has a significant economic advantage in having the U.S. dollar serve as the dominant form of global exchange. But several global leaders want to change that. China and Russia have long plotted to bring the dollar down. China wants its yuan to take over as the global currency leader. It's convincing trading partners like Argentina and Brazil to dump the dollar as a means for making trade and instead use the yuan. As Washington Post reporters Meaghan Tobin, Lyric Li, and David Feliba explained in an article today, Argentina's economy is in crisis, and its holdings of U.S. dollars are running thin. As a result, the government agreed last month to pay for $1 billion worth of Chinese imports with yuan. A New BRICS Currency ...
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Jamie Dimon’s Brand Of Stakeholder Capitalism
8May By Patti MohrNo Comments
Finance, Investing, Types of News: Bit

Jamie Dimon’s Brand Of Stakeholder Capitalism

May 8, 2023—Since JP Morgan Chase stepped into the midst of another bank crisis last week, observers are taking note of its CEO's brand of stakeholder capitalism. For example, Emily Flitter writes in the New York Times that Jamie Dimon has become a champion of the "publicly championed the concept of 'stakeholder capitalism,' the idea that doing right by shareholders also involved treating communities, workers and customers better." As head of one of the world's largest asset managers, Dimon is in a position to influence the state of capitalism. In 2008, he led JPMorgan's acquisition of troubled competitors. It was a decision that helped save the financial system as a whole. This year, Dimon is acting once again as a savior as regional banks come under stress. A week ago, U.S. regula...
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U.S.: Another Debt Limit Debacle Looms Large
2May By Patti MohrNo Comments
Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Types of News: Brief, United States

U.S.: Another Debt Limit Debacle Looms Large

May 2, 2023—U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned congressional leaders on Monday the federal government might have trouble paying its bills beginning in early June if Congress can't come together on terms for increasing the debt limit. The U.S. government breached the $31.381 trillion limit on amassing debt in January. Ever since the federal government has been resorting to extraordinary measures to get by. As of April 28, the U.S. federal debt stood at $31.45 trillion. State And Local Governments First To Feel The Pinch In a letter to Congress on May 1 Yellen said state and local governments are the first to feel the pinch. Today, Treasury stopped issuing securities known as State and Local Government Series (SLGS) that help states and local governments comply with tax reg...
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United States: Inflation Moderates In March
12Apr By Patti MohrNo Comments
Global Economics, Types of News: Bit

United States: Inflation Moderates In March

Housing Prices Rise While Energy Costs Fall April 12, 2023—Consumer prices still rose in March in the United States, yet they rose less than they have in previous months. The Consumer Price Index for all items increased by 0.1 percent for the month, seasonally adjusted, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the past year, prices as a whole increased by 5 percent—the smallest spike since May 2021. The category for shelter, specifically rent and housing prices, increased the most. It rose by 0.6 percent in March and 8.2 percent in the past year. Meanwhile, the cost of energy commodities and services started coming down by 4.6 percent and 2.3 percent, respectively, in March.
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