economy Archives - Along the Boards Mon, 30 Aug 2021 10:17:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.1 https://alongtheboards.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/cropped-Favicon-1-32x32.png economy Archives - Along the Boards 32 32 Managing Inflation With A Precious Metals IRA https://alongtheboards.com/2021/08/30/managing-inflation-with-metals-ira/ Mon, 30 Aug 2021 10:17:36 +0000 https://alongtheboards.com/?p=27457 Everyone knows the basic law of supply and demand when it comes to economics. When more people want one thing, its price is going up. If no one wants it, the price is going down. That’s pretty simple when we’re dealing with products and services. If someone wants an apple for 10 cents, you can […]

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Everyone knows the basic law of supply and demand when it comes to economics. When more people want one thing, its price is going up. If no one wants it, the price is going down. That’s pretty simple when we’re dealing with products and services. If someone wants an apple for 10 cents, you can pay 11 cents and buy it if it’s the last one. It’s like a bidding match. However, how can anyone solve the problem of supply and demand when it comes to money. Everyone wants more of it.

You can visit this link to read more.When the demand is so high, the supply can’t keep up. When you ask kids what the solution to this problem would be, they  would tell you to print more money. However, that just creates a problem of inflation and hyperinflation.

Even a low and stable rate of injecting money into the system can cause severe difficulties in the economy. New money always ends up in the top one percent of people and businesses and then goes down the ladder whilst everyone keeps a small piece. When it gets to the people who need it most, the value has been distorted, and all the prices around them have been increased. This is called the Cantillon effect and causes a sequential shift in buying power.

How can we manage it?

The best that governments have been able to come up with is using monetary policies. Every country has a financial regulator who is responsible for keeping this phenomenon under control, in the case of the United States, which includes the Federal Reserve and the Central Banks. They calculate the amount and the pace of expansion of money, which is code for how much new dollars are going to be printed. The thing that every country is trying to do is maximize employment. The more people are working, the better the economy is going to be.

Next on the list is price stability. You want a pound of apples to cost the same today and tomorrow. The prices can change gradually so that they can’t be drastically felt. Finally, there are interest rates, which tend to be moderate around the world. These three factors combined together can ensure a stable financial environment. That’s the ideal case. Let’s look at what happened in the past two years. You can go to metal-res.com to read more. A pandemic hit out of nowhere and halted trade for a couple of months. The stock market took a hit.

Cryptocurrencies became trending because people started to lose faith in the government. Additionally, more than 40 million Americans lost their jobs. Next, the government decided to create stimulus checks which cost a couple of trillion dollars. All of these things happened in a single year. That’s not good at all for the economy. Now, the consistent rate of inflation is going to change and become drastically higher. Everyone knows it and is starting to prepare for it. Here’s how you can do it too.

What can you do to protect yourself?

Source: ai-cio.com

When you know that a disaster is coming, you need something to hedge against it. Most people believe that stocks are the best option. This option has benefits and drawbacks. When inflation happens, the stock market goes down, too, since it’s linked to currencies. This means that your money will be liquid, but if you decide to sell, you will just get a bad deal. It’s a great asset for stable economic times. But when there’s going to be a lot of turbulence, the best option is definitely precious metals.

Even though we think we’ve progressed a lot since breaking the gold standard, that is not really the case. Precious metals are now more relevant than ever. Just look at the prices of Bitcoin, which is the digital equivalent of gold. The prices keep breaking new records. During times of economic distress, the value of precious metals rises. For that reason, you need to have a part of your portfolio devoted to safely storing platinum, palladium, silver, and gold. Having a mix of them all is the best option. If you don’t want to do all of the buying yourself, you can create an IRA which will match your portfolio.

Examples

Source: usmoneyreserve.com

At the moment, all of the currencies in the world are fiat. This means that their value depends on the politics of each individual country. One example of inflation happened after World War I. Germany lost, and even though they didn’t have any money after losing the war, other countries pushed the nation for reparations. Their paper currency didn’t mean anything because the rest of the world devalued it, and hyperinflation followed.

People instantly spent all of their cash and started to trade in silver and gold. For a single ounce of gold, you could get an entire house. An ounce of silver was worth a car at the time. This is an extreme example that happened a hundred years ago.

History has a way of repeating itself. Another similar situation happened in the 1990s in Peru, and Zimbabwe was last in the crisis of 2008. The people who lived in those times didn’t have the chance to learn about personal finance and invest their money wisely. For that reason, you need to have a hedge in case anything similar happens. It’s better to have gold and never need it rather than need it and never have it.

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5 Best China’s Free Trade Zones for Your Business https://alongtheboards.com/2020/10/22/chinas-free-trade-zones-for-business/ Thu, 22 Oct 2020 11:55:58 +0000 https://alongtheboards.com/?p=25647 In the past few years, many developed and developing countries have turned to the Free Trade Zone (FTZ) model to boost economic growth. In many ways, an FTZ is created with an intent to attract foreign businesses who want very relaxed taxation policies, zero legal hassles, and reduced paperwork. For a very long time, China […]

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In the past few years, many developed and developing countries have turned to the Free Trade Zone (FTZ) model to boost economic growth. In many ways, an FTZ is created with an intent to attract foreign businesses who want very relaxed taxation policies, zero legal hassles, and reduced paperwork.

For a very long time, China has been criticized by the global economic community for being a closed economy. However, the Chinese government in order to integrate the country into the global economy has started 18 FTZs throughout the length and breadth of the country.

In this article, we are going to look at 5 of the best FTZs in China that are ideal for foreign businesses. However, before we proceed to the list of China’s Free Trade Zones, let us first define what are FTZs?

Source: South China Morning Post

Free Trade Zones: Meaning and Definition

A Free Trade Zone (or even a Foreign Trade Zone in some countries) is a geographically demarcated area within a country created with the aim to boost economic performance.

Specifically, FTZs are designed with the intention of foreign brands who want to use the resources of a specific country but are too afraid when it comes to getting the paperwork done or paying the high taxes.

In short, China’s Free Trade Zone allows any business entity to take advantage of all the good an FTZ stationed country has to offer and negate all the things, which are not feasible for conducive operations.

According to business and financial experts, an FTZ is beneficial for businesses because it helps with-

  • Great Cash Flows
  • Improves Logistics and Supply
  • Create Flexibility in operation
  • Use a Market for stopovers
  • Employ local labor at reduced prices

For a country, attracting business via the FTZ route can help in improving foreign investments generating employment opportunities. If you wish to know more about starting a business at any of China’s 18 FTZs, you can click here.

List of 5 Best China’s Free Trade Zones for your Business

1. Hainan FTZ

Source: CGTN.com

Hainan was added to the list of FTZs in 2018 when China decided to increase the number from 12 to 18. Hainan is an island in Southern China, and the FTZ is likely to be leveraged around the port. Many believe that the aim is to attract shipping companies and logistic ones to the Hainan FTZ. It is speculated that breaking Singapore’s hold over the shipping ports is also another major intention.

2. Lingang FTZ

Source: Wikipedia

The newly constructed Lingang FTZ is an extension of China’s first and hugely successful Shanghai FTZ. The attempt is to draw from the success of the Shanghai FTZ and position Lingang as being the hub of trade and commerce in mainland China. Many of the world’s biggest companies are based in the Shanghai FTZ and would not mind a new office or a factory at the Lingang FTZ.

3. Jiangsu FTZ

Source: Hong Kong Means Business

Jiangsu is also one of the newest FTZs, which was announced as part of the second restructuring in 2019. The FTZ is expected to cover an area of nearly 120 sq. km. It is also supposed to concentrate on heavy manufacturing, with a strong tech and innovation-led approach. Jiangsu is located on the eastern borders of China and is a strategic part of China’s bigger Belt and Road Initiative.

4. Yunnan FTZ

Source: 云桥网

For China, the success of the Yunnan FTZ is critical towards its overall economic plan for the South Asian seas. The Yunnan FTZ is also a strategic location for the Belt and Road Initiative. In addition, it also looks to revive the economy of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. The major industries, which China expects to attract to Yunnan are from the health and medical sectors. It wants businesses to transform Yunnan into a global manufacturer of medical equipment.

5. Guangxi FTZ

Source: Shanghai Paper

The Guangxi FTZ is strategically located to trace the Silk Route trade trajectory of the Chinese with other south Asian countries. It is also part of the Belt and Road Initiative and seeks to connect countries like Laos, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand with China. According to the Chinese state, the aim is to create a free-flowing tourist hub and to develop infrastructure related to logistics and supply in Guangxi FTZ.

Is China Opening up its Economy to the World?

For a very long time, China has been accused of following an economic model, which is export oriented and unfavourable to imports. China has emerged as the manufacturing capital of the world by pursuing such a policy for the last three decades.

However, countries are not calling China out for its protectionist economic policies and its inability to allow foreign manufacturers to compete in the Chinese hinterland.

While China’s Free Trade Zones are a step forward in this regard, they cannot really be referred to as promoting foreign companies to do business.

The recent trade wars with the United States, which led to both the nations imposing tariff on each other is an important development in terms of world trade.

Many other countries are now taking a stand against their markets being flooded by cheap Chinese goods to the detriment of their own local manufacturing.

China continues to grow as an economic superpower and is now the world’s second largest economy after the United States. The attempt to create China’s Free Trade Zones has been done to allow foreign companies to take use of China’s vast skilled labour force and create manufacturing hubs.

Source: EY

The Final Word

According to analysts and experts, China’s attractive and skilled labor along with relaxed taxes, make China’s Free Trade Zones more attractive than others in Asia. For China, it is essential that they try to open up newer areas of economic cooperation and expansion and give vision to their Belt and Road Initiative.

There is no doubt that people have a lot of questions when it comes to doing business in China. However, with FTZs, China is slowly opening up and allowing foreign businesses a completely free environment to run their operations.

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5 Reasons Why Sports Gambling Should Be Legal https://alongtheboards.com/2020/10/19/reasons-why-sports-gambling-should-be-legal/ Mon, 19 Oct 2020 07:20:35 +0000 https://alongtheboards.com/?p=25526 Wagering, betting, gambling, or whatever you want to call it, has been a huge part of human life since the dawn of time. People have wagered their own items, money, or any other kind of possession for sports or other events. This is mostly done for entertainment reasons, but there are others who do it […]

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Wagering, betting, gambling, or whatever you want to call it, has been a huge part of human life since the dawn of time. People have wagered their own items, money, or any other kind of possession for sports or other events. This is mostly done for entertainment reasons, but there are others who do it from a profitable perspective. Unfortunately, even though it is obvious that sports gambling is quite a normal thing for humans, it is still illegal in a lot of countries around the world.

However, it seems like times are changing and gambling is becoming more and more accepted across the globe. Even has made their federal law that makes sports betting illegal is now unconstitutional. But, there is still a long way to go because this is not a quick and easy process. It will take years or maybe decades for every country to make this kind of activity legal.

To speed up the process, we, the regular citizens have to speak up on the subject and convince the government across the globe that this is a completely healthy activity that should always be legal, no matter what.

To make people understand why exactly it should be allowed, I decided to write this article and provide different reasons that support this idea.

1. It is already a huge industry

Sports gambling might be illegal in a lot of states in the United States, but it is allowed in many other countries around the world. The people in these countries simply love to gamble which is probably why the industry is so big. Certain experts claim that the industry is worth at least $100 billion globally.

Yes, that is a huge number and it could become much larger if countries around the world decided to allow this activity for their citizens.

Even when it is illegal, citizens have easy access to online websites which allows for a better to be placed. This is a simple loop in the system which means that those laws are certainly unnecessary.

Source: Gambling Sites

2. Such an industry can help the country’s economy

I already mentioned previously that this sports gambling industry is worth well over $100 billion. Why is that important? Well, with so much money circulating the market, you can imagine just how much of an impact that can have on the economy of a certain country or state.

This would be especially beneficial for Third World countries. Supporting such a well-known and such a rich industry will definitely bring a lot of money to the economy.

I think it is becoming obvious to a lot of people and governments that there is simply no explanation of why this should be illegal. If it could support the economy by such a large margin, why should not they allow it?

Source: New York Post

3. People have been doing it for years

I did mention in the first point of this article that people have easy access to websites which allow for betting even though the country has made it illegal. This is a loop in the system which will never be removed. It is also important to consider the fact that using that loop in the system is not punishable.

In other words, everyone has already been doing this for years. The Internet has been around for more than 20 years, enabling people to wager their money on certain websites such as UFA quickly and easily. All they have to do is just make an account, put in their credit card, and then start betting their money on certain matches and games.

Yes, it is actually that easy. But, it seems like governments want to ignore that fact and act like that option does not exist. So, even if this kind of activity is not legalizing your country, you can freely start gambling with no repercussions.

However, I would advise that you first do some research on the laws in your area and find out whether truly there are no repercussions. If you do not feel safe, you could always try using a VPN which will hide your personal information and will block others from tracking your data.

Source: HelenaIR.com

4. Supports sports

All those different sports we can watch on TV are very important for a lot of people across the world. But, those people cannot directly affect and support those sports matches. Sure, by watching TV and ads, the players, coaches, managers, and even the stadiums are getting paid, but as we all know, TV and its ads are still slowly starting to fade away. A lot of us prefer online streaming services instead of cable TV.

Fortunately, sports betting allows a person to individually support the entire industry and help it grow further. If you were to ask a certain soccer team or the entire league, everyone would agree that betting should be completely legal in every country across the globe.

So, if everyone supports this idea, why are governments deciding against it? Why do they get to decide what is good or bad for us, when we obviously know the answer to this question? Usually, they defend their laws by making the same argument that it supports gambling addiction. Which takes me to the next point.

Source: Wall Street Journal

5. By keeping it illegal, it creates gambling addiction stigmas

In the previous paragraph, I talked about how governments use the argument that gambling enables addictive personalities. But, is that really true? Alcohol and cigarettes are one of the most commonly used addictive substances on this entire planet, but they are still very illegal almost everywhere. Why are not they banned by law?

Even that little argument that they have does not make any sense. It is much better to keep such addictive activities legal, removing the stigmas, and making addiction recovery from gambling much more acceptable and easier. In other words, making sports gambling completely legal can directly help people that have problems with their wagering addiction.

As you can see, there are a lot of reasons why sports gambling should be made completely legal considering that governments do not exactly have an explanation keeping it illegal. I hope that this article will change the minds of a lot of people.

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