Battered shipping industry faces grim choices as demand for commodities falls The shipping business has gone from bad to worse. As global trade slows, owners of the ships that carry industrial commodities across oceans are reeling from falling demand for coal, iron ore and other industrial commodities, which has sent shipping rates to new lows.

A Renewables Revolution Is Toppling the Dominance of Fossil Fuels in U.S. Power Renewable energy was the biggest source of new power added to U.S. electricity grids last year as falling prices and government incentives made wind and solar increasingly viable alternatives to fossil fuels. Developers installed 16 gigawatts of clean energy in 2015, or

The World’s Favorite New Tax Haven Is the United States Last September, at a law firm overlooking San Francisco Bay, Andrew Penney, a managing director at Rothschild & Co., gave a talk on how the world’s wealthy elite can avoid paying taxes. His message was clear: You can help your clients move their fortunes to

Mobius Buys Brazil as He Says Emerging Markets to Outperform Mark Mobius is increasing his bet on Brazil as he predicts a turnaround for emerging markets. “I’ve told our people that we have to be more weighted on Brazil,” Mobius, chairman of the emerging markets group at Franklin Templeton, said during an event in Sao

Opinion: Cash means freedom The German government’s plan to limit cash payments to a maximum of 5,000 euros has triggered a heated debate about the pros and cons of cash. DW’s Zhang Danhong is not convinced by arguments against paper money. Cash facilitates crime, preaches Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff, so cash should be killed. The

‘Thanking our lucky stars:’ Canadian resort real estate loves high U.S. dollar Realtors who sell Canadian resort properties say the low loonie is spurring interest from American buyers who are looking to pick up cheap vacation homes north of the border. “We’re thanking our lucky stars,” said Brad Hawker from Royal LePage Rocky Mountain Realty

A $59 trillion tailwind spurs governance changes in Asia firms A surge in socially responsible investments to $59 trillion globally over the past decade is nudging Asian firms to change a notoriously insular management style to one that actively addresses corporate governance concerns. As earnings growth and China’s economy slow, corporate executives are becoming more

It’s the Fourth Revolution, stupid! The rapid advance of digitization in all areas of life has been going on for quite a while. The way this issue is being discussed in Davos says a lot about the very nature of the World Economic Forum. At the Hanover Fair (Hannover Messe) in Germany, the world’s biggest

Economic Growth Isn’t Everything When you say that the golden days of growth are over, expect to get lots of attention, especially if you’re a prestigious economist. Robert Gordon, a professor at Northwestern University, has been going around for several years making exactly this case. He now has a book, “The Rise and Fall of

A day using Chinese goods in the US The US is a great place to invest – just ask the Chinese. Chinese investors have been putting their money in US companies, US real estate and recently US dating. They aren’t the only ones. In 2015 the US reclaimed its position as the top stop for