September 2012 archive

Sep 04

Arctic ice forecast models

Most computer models of climate change indicate the ice could disappear in summer in 30 to 40 years, said Lars-Otto Reiersen, head of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme. “But there are models that indicate 2015 as an extreme,” he said to Reuters. Suggested by Petrolio.

Sep 02

Bank lending slows in Brazil as loan delinquency climbs

Brazil’s banks abruptly slowed the pace of loan disbursements in July as caution took center stage among private sector lenders seeking to protect earnings from near record delinquencies and a drop in borrowing costs (Reuters).

Sep 01

Next winners in the global economy

Who is going to win the global competition between old and new economies? Dani Rodrik’s insight, professor at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, provides a three condition scenario for relative growth: “those that do relatively better will share three characteristics. First, they will not be weighed down by high levels of public debt. Second, …

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Sep 01

France shale ban

France isn’t prepared to tap its shale energy resources until “clean technologies” are invented to replace hydraulic fracturing, Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg said as reported by Bloomberg. IEA’s opinion on fracking does not differ much: “Industry must win public confidence by demonstrating exemplary performance; and governments must ensure that appropriate policies and regulatory regimes are …

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Sep 01

Oil prices in the next decade

  An influential working paper was released by IMF on The Future of Oil, and “its point forecast is for a near doubling of the real price of oil over the coming decade”. This is really bad news for the world economy, but the debate on its effects still languishes as economists and policy makers are …

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