Investopedia

Economics Articles

  1. The Dangers Of Deflation

    We look at what life would be like in a deflationary environment, and what you can do to protect your investments.
  2. 3 Economic Reasons Behind The Protests In Egypt

    Find out the underlying issues that have led to the recent protests and change in government in Egypt.
  3. An Introduction To Hyperinflation

    Hyperinflation isn't some historical curiosity. It is a very real risk that countries and governments still struggle with today.
  4. How Governments Influence Markets

    The biggest influence in the markets today can create some unintended consequences.
  5. 4 Economic Lessons That Can Save Your Marriage

    Successful marriages are built on many of the same principles as thriving businesses are. Learn four messages that are essential to a strong economy and lasting matrimony.
  6. How The Loch Ness Monster Affects The Economy

    Do sightings of Bigfoot, Nessie and UFOs lead to massive market fluctuations?
  7. An Explanation Of Stagflation

    Find out how stagflation is measured, what factors contribute to it and how to protect your finances.
  8. Why You Can't Influence Gas Prices

    Don't believe the water-cooler talk. Big oil companies aren't to blame for high prices.
  9. How To Manage Bull Put Option Spreads

    Learn how to halt options losses when the market moves quickly in an unfavorable direction.
  10. 4 Key Factors That Drive The Real Estate Market

    Whether you are investing directly or indirectly in property, you need to know the factors that affect its value.
  11. 2 Indexes That Help Assess Market Behavior

    The Herrick Payoff Index and New-High New-Low Index are some of the more interesting (and often complex) measures of crowd psychology.
  12. Government Regulations: Do They Help Businesses?

    These rules are in place to protect consumers and help businesses thrive at the same time.
  13. 2 Key Tactics Retailers Use To Increase Sales

    Many companies use versioning and bundling to increase sales. These strategies can offer value to consumers, but they also mean higher costs.
  14. What Determines Gas Prices?

    Gas prices are influenced by more than supply and demand. Find out what determines the price you pay at the pump.
  15. How Unemployment Stats Affect Employed People

    Unemployment is still hovering close to 10%, but what does it all mean to you? Find out how unemployment statistics affect your employment.
  16. Cautionary Signs For International Investors

    "Going global" is a fashionable investing style, but investors should know the risks.
  17. Signs That Gas Prices Are Going Up

    These events can precipitate a rise in the price at the pump - keep your eyes peeled
  18. What Investors Should Know About Interest Rates

    Understanding interest rates helps you answer the fundamental question of where to put your money.
  19. Taking Advantage Of Central Bank Interventions

    These interventions provide great opportunities for investors and traders to seize entries into longer-term trends.
  20. Do Americans Get A Discount On Everything?

    Americans almost certainly get a benefit from the dollar's global stature - including a significant break in interest rates.
  21. 7 Countries Raising The Minimum Wage

    Beijing city recently increased minimum wages by 21%, find out what other areas of the world are paying more.
  22. Using Base Metals As An Economic Indicator

    Base metals may not glitter like gold, but they can still guide an investor to a conclusion about overall economic health.
  23. 7 Market Anomalies Investors Should Know

    Though they're unpredictable and heavily contested, market anomalies can often work in an investor's favor.
  24. Water Cooler Finance: Conflicting Job Reports And A Facebook IPO

    With forecasted employment growth, robust tech and automakers, and some serious social media stock action, it's an exciting start for 2011.
  25. Explaining The World Through Macroeconomic Analysis

    From unemployment and inflation to government policy, learn what macroeconomics measures and how it affects everyone.
  26. Understanding The Basel III International Regulations

    The Basel III regulations mark a drastic reform in international banking. But how do they impact the future's investment landscape?
  27. The Pitfalls Of Financial Regulation

    Regulatory actions usually have lofty intentions that end up with unintended and negative consequences.
  28. How To Trade Currency And Commodity Correlations

    Relationships between currencies and commodities exist throughout the financial markets. Find out how to trade these trends.
  29. How Your Tax Rate Is Determined

    Feel like the government always has its hand in your pocket? Learn the theory behind how it decides how much to take.
  30. History Of The U.S. Federal Trade Commission

    Since the early 1900s, the Federal Trade Commission has been working to protect U.S. citizens from corporations.
  31. 5 Products That Cost Way More In Canada

    Despite the CAD flirting with parity to the USD, many Canadians still shop stateside for deals. Here are five products that are always cheaper to buy in the U.S. than in Canada.
  32. Who Stands To Benefit From QE2?

    With the Fed opening the tap again, some specific industries could see easy money come their way.
  33. A History Of U.S. Monopolies

    These monoliths helped develop the economy and infrastructure at the expense of competition.
  34. The Economy And The Market: A Tale Of 2 Indicators

    The economy is still suffering, but the stock market seems to be doing fantastic business - we look at how this can happen, and what it means for the future.
  35. Trading With Gaussian Models Of Statistics

    The entire study of statistics originated from Gauss and allowed us to understand markets, prices and probabilities, among other applications.
  36. Water Cooler Finance: Lions And Diapers And Dows, Oh My!

    This week in finance, unemployment numbers were stagnant and a major movie company files for bankruptcy protection.
  37. Quantitative Easing: What's In A Name?

    This controversial monetary policy has been used by some of the world's most powerful economies. But does it work?
  38. Jobless Recovery: The New Normal Since 1990

    Just because the economy rebounds from a recession does not mean the unemployment rate will follow.
  39. 10 Reasons To Fear The U.S. Economy

    With Halloween around the corner, here are some spooky thoughts about the economy.
  40. How To Invest In Everyday Products

    Investors are often told to "invest in what you know." Find out what companies make the products you use daily.
  41. What Is Quantitative Easing?

    This is the latest economic buzzword; find out what it is and how it will affect you.
  42. House Price Vs. Interest Rate: Which Is More Important?

    Deciding which factor is more important can make a difference in monthly payments, ability to move and Homowners Association fees.
  43. 4 Key Factors To Building A Profitable Portfolio

    Buying stocks is a careful balance of risk and reward. Learn to identify your risk tolerance and financial goals with these fundamental tips.
  44. Drastic Currency Changes: What's The Cause?

    Currency fluctuations often defy logic. Learn the trends and factors that result in these movements.
  45. The Rise And Fall Of The Shadow Banking System

    We look at the evolution, failure and fallout from the shadow banking system.
  46. Commodity Prices Are Pinching Consumers

    Prices of commodities - cotton, wheat, coffee, etc. - have recently spiked. Learn how that affects consumers.
  47. How The Federal Reserve Was Formed

    Find out how this institution has stabilized the U.S. economy during economic downturn.
  48. Water Cooler Finance: The Post-Stimulus Slump

    The recession may be over, but the market is still sluggish.
  49. When The Federal Reserve Intervenes (And Why)

    The Federal Reserve doesn't interfere with the economy every time it flounders. Find out more here.
  50. 4 Key Indicators That Move The Markets

    Find out what reports to watch in order to anticipate and react to market movements.
  51. What's Preventing Inflation?

    These economic factors are keeping inflation in check.
  52. Compound Annual Growth Rate: What You Should Know

    The CAGR is a good and valuable tool to evaluate investment options, but it does not tell the whole story.
  53. Market News That Seems Promising - But Isn't

    Not all good news is created equal. Find out how some positive stock market news can actually be bad news for investors.
  54. Global Trade And The Currency Market

    Learn how the Bretton Woods system got the ball rolling for world trade.
  55. Using Historical Volatility To Gauge Future Risk

    Use these calculations to uncover the risk involved in your investments.
  56. 6 Outrageously Overpriced Products

    From movie theater popcorn to printer ink, here are six of the most ridiculously overpriced products consumers can't seem to live without.
  57. The 6 Signs Of An Economic Recovery

    For all the talk of whether the economy is recovering or sinking, what should a recovery actually look like?
  58. Introduction To Remittances

    Remittances are an important factor in the global economy, and help drive growth both at home and abroad.
  59. Low Interest Rates: Where You Should And Shouldn't Invest

    Learn how low interest rates affect stock prices and how you should invest in low-rate times.
  60. The Fed's New Tools For Manipulating The Economy

    The economy can be volatile when left to its own devices. Find out how the Fed smoothes things out.
  61. The Importance Of Inflation And GDP

    Learn the underlying theories behind these concepts and what they can mean for your portfolio.
  62. Top 6 Most Indebted Countries (And Why)

    Is the U.S. debt as bad as it sounds? Take a look at these European countries, and the U.S. doesn't seem so bad.
  63. The International Fisher Effect: An Introduction

    The Fisher models have the ability to illustrate the expected relationship between interest rates, inflation and exchange rates.
  64. The Upside Of Deflation

    Deflation has continued to pop up throughout economic history - but is that such a bad thing?
  65. Why Prices Never Really Go Down

    If deflation and inflation are opposite polls of monetary policy, how come we put up with one but fear the other?
  66. How To Prepare For Rising Interest Rates

    Get to know the basic, time-tested strategies that any investor or trader can use to profit in a rising interest rate environment.
  67. 6 Factors That Influence Exchange Rates

    Find out how a currency's relative value reflects a country's economic health and impacts your investment returns.
  68. BP's Broken Window

    The broken window fallacy is an economic tale of caution about ignoring unintended consequences - something the BP disaster has no shortage of.
  69. June Retail Sales: Worthless Data Or Valuable Tool?

    Investors live and die by monthly retail sales, but the data might be too short term and unreliable to use.
  70. Government Debt: From Billions To Trillions

    The national debt has been growing in leaps and bounds. Find out why.
  71. 5 Factors To Watch In A Housing Recovery

    What are the economic signs that will point the way to a better housing market?
  72. 10 States Where Unemployment Is Falling

    The numbers don't lie: unemployment is still high in the U.S, but there are places where things are looking up.
  73. Why The Jobless Claims Report Doesn't Really Matter

    This weekly report can influence the markets, but is it a reliable indicator of economic health?
  74. 5 Things To Do Before Interest Rates Go Up

    It is inevitable that interest rates will go up, but what should investors do to prepare themselves?
  75. June's Economic Pulse

    Economic indicators reveal a clear picture of the economic situation.
  76. Do Tax Cuts Stimulate The Economy?

    Learn the logic behind the belief that reducing government income benefits everyone.
  77. Cashing In On Macroeconomic Trends

    Learn to identify the things that may impact your investments down the road.
  78. Understanding The Federal Reserve Balance Sheet

    We are all connected to the Fed's balance sheet, and the currency notes that we hold are its liabilities.
  79. Water Cooler Finance: The iPhone Launch, Buffett's Lunch And BP's Lashing

    This week in financial news saw more uncertainty in the markets on bad news from retail, GM and BP.
  80. Deflation: A Two-Sided Coin

    Deflation fears are sweeping the U.S. , but the effects of this economic phenomenon are not all bad.
  81. What Are Central Banks?

    They print money, they control inflation, and much, much more. All you need to know about central banks is here.
  82. Why Duty-Free Isn't Always Cheaper

    These purchases include restrictions, and many cases, shopping this way it more trouble than it's worth.
  83. May's Economic Pulse

    Economic indicators released in May paint a picture of the economic situation.
  84. Is The U.S. Census A Waste Of Money?

    Although the requirement to conduct a census is outlined in the American Constitution, should we really spend $15 billion on today's U.S. Census?
  85. Backtesting And Forward Testing: The Importance Of Correlation

    Correlations between backtesting and forward performance testing results can help you optimize your trading system.
  86. 4 Reasons Why Airlines Are Always Struggling

    Why is the airline industry synonymous with ongoing losses and insolvency? We list four reasons.
  87. Understanding Supply-Side Economics

    Does the amount of goods and services produced set the pace for economic growth? Here are the arguments.
  88. How Influential Economists Changed Our History

    Find out how these five groundbreaking thinkers laid our financial foundations.
  89. April's Economic Pulse

    We look at April's economic developments, see what it means for the overall economy, and figure out where we go from here.
  90. What The National Debt Means To You

    The U.S. deficit seems to grow every year. But how does it actually affect you?
  91. What Is the Quantity Theory of Money?

    Take a look at the tenets, assumptions and challenges of monetarism's principal theory.
  92. Top 5 All-Time Best Mutual Fund Managers

    The best managers produced long-term, market-beating returns and helped investors build big nest eggs. Find out who made the cut.
  93. Master Futures Trading With Trend-Following Indicators

    The futures market is a lot less scary when these indicators are used to establish current trends.
  94. How Much Is The Government Making Off You?

    More than 65% of income-tax-paying Americans got a tax refund in 2009. It may have been good for taxpayers, but it was even better for the government.
  95. Timeless Ways To Protect Yourself From Inflation

    Inflation is a natural part of modern life - but there are some ways to cover your assets.
  96. How Countries Deal With Debt

    For many emerging economies, issuing sovereign debt is the only way to raise funds, but things can go sour quickly.
  97. The Most "Wasteful" Industries

    Some industries require a lot more input to produce their product, and investors should be aware of the impact.
  98. Microsoft Vs. Apple: Does Equal Size Mean Equality?

    After a stellar run, their sizes are closer than ever. Both giants are leaders in their industries, but do both provide giant investment opportunities?
  99. How Interest Rates Affect The Housing Market

    Learn how rate changes can affect home prices and how you can keep up.
  100. As Interest Rates Rise Inflation To Follow

    Fed's focus on unemployment blinding it to price pressures.
Marketplace
Trading Center