With the US being a 17 trillion dollar economy, it can sometimes be easy to forget that both of its neighbours, Canada and Mexico, are in the trillion dollar club as well. Canada is the 10th largest economy in the world by nominal GDP and 17th by purchasing power parity (PPP)-adjusted GDP; Mexico is theContinue reading “Upstairs, Downstairs”
Autonomous Cars, Semi-Autonomous Cars, and Toronto’s Railways to Nowhere
The City of Toronto has two “railways to nowhere”: the Sheppard subway and the Richmond Hill GO train. The Sheppard Subway The Sheppard subway is 5.5 km long, has five stations, and connects to only one other rail line, the Yonge line. By comparison, the Yonge-University subway will soon be 38.8 km long (when theContinue reading “Autonomous Cars, Semi-Autonomous Cars, and Toronto’s Railways to Nowhere”
Demographics, Drivers, and Dreams
On The Future of the Canadian Auto Sector There is a profound difference between Canadians, Americans, and Chinese, both in their demographics and in their dreams. In the US, the largest population group is 20-35 year olds. Many of these Americans will, in the years ahead, be looking to pursue the American Dream: to buyContinue reading “Demographics, Drivers, and Dreams”
Like Night and Day
The e-commerce vs bricks-and-mortar debate never stays out of the headlines for long, it seems. It has surfaced again this past week, prompted by the discussion of whether or not New York City will host Amazon’s planned second headquarters. This has left investors to mull yet again what the state of retailing will become inContinue reading “Like Night and Day”
Robots & Ontario’s Minimum Wage
Economists have long tried to identify “goldilocks wages”: ideal compromises in the tradeoff between higher minimum wages and higher rates of un(der)employment. This is, of course, far more than merely a theoretical pursuit. With an election coming up in Ontario next year, it is also one of the main issues likely to spill over fromContinue reading “Robots & Ontario’s Minimum Wage”
The Geopolitics of Chinese M&A
According to an article in The Economist, the value China’s outbound M&A activity rose sharply in 2016, up approximately fivefold since the summer of 2015 and eightfold above its average rate between 2010- 2015. The article mentions that this increase could represent a troubling trend for China, of capital fleeing the country in response toContinue reading “The Geopolitics of Chinese M&A”
The League of the Overshadowed
It is easy to be small and ignored. But to be large and ignored, it helps to hide within the shadow of an even larger entity. In the realms of economics and geopolitics, there are three very large countries which, though not actually ignored, do not always receive the respect their size demands, as theyContinue reading “The League of the Overshadowed”
Peace and Prosperity in Israel’s Future?
In Israel’s last major war, in 1973, 0.08 percent of Israel’s population was killed. During Israel’s last serious financial crisis, in the 1970s and early 1980s, its economy faced hyperinflation. In the four decades since, Israel’s casualty rates have declined while its real income, per capita, has risen. Israeli casualty rates as a result ofContinue reading “Peace and Prosperity in Israel’s Future?”
North Korea in the Next Five Years
The Korean War, fought from 1950-1953, was a result of two earlier wars in the 1940s: the US-Japanese War, which ended with the destruction and occupation of Japan in 1945, and the Chinese Civil War, which ended in a Communist victory (and Nationalist retreat to Taiwan) in 1950. With the Communists and Americans as theContinue reading “North Korea in the Next Five Years”
Talking Trade With Trudeau and Trump
NAFTA stands for the North American Free Trade Act, but President Trump does not. After campaigning on a promise to repeal the Act, then adapting his position to that of merely supporting the Act’s renegotiation, Trump recently announced that he would no longer tolerate the status quo arrangement for American imports of dairy and forestryContinue reading “Talking Trade With Trudeau and Trump”
Future Economics 