Jonathan Barrett, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Should the country go into debt or raise taxes to pay for disaster recovery? The best solutions might not be the most politically attractive – and that’s a problem.
Low-income countries that sought to spend more on health care during the pandemic have been hit with ratings downgrades, while others avoided borrowing entirely.
Students pulling a heavy ball representing the total outstanding student debt in the U.S. at over $1.5 trillion.
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Yes, the bank would effectively pay you to borrow money. But negative interest rates won’t please savers, nor will they meet the big challenges of economic recovery.
Massive borrowing to fund NZ’s economic recovery due to COVID-19 cannot be written off without the risk of worsening the crisis it was designed to meet.
South Africa’s finance minister Tito Mboweni says the IMF loan will limit the country’s economic vulnerabilities which have been exacerbated by COVID-19.
Gallo Images/Brenton Geach
The IMF loan does not impose any conditions over and above what is in South African law on how the funds can be used; it only seems to expect the country to implement policies already announced.
A little cash can be costly.
AP Photo/Sid Hastings
Use of installment loans has grown dramatically in recent years – all without the regulatory scrutiny that tamped down on abuses in the payday loan market.
The Privacy Act gives you the right to find out what’s in your credit report and change any incorrect information in your report.
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A higher education professor explains the complex rules behind Public Service Loan Forgiveness, a program meant to provide debt relief to student loan borrowers who went into public service jobs.
The financial system is awash with money, which is why interest rates have been so low for so long.
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It’s been 10 years since the U.S. signed into law a scheme to print money, essentially, and save the financial sector amid the sub-prime mortgage meltdown. Did it work? And who’s truly benefitted?
Waffle making with rented waffle maker from the Library of things.
Sebastian Wood/Library of Things
The Federal Reserve lifted rates for the second time this year and expects to do so once more, suggesting it’s fairly confident the economic recovery will continue. Is it overconfident?
if you like to drink (or sell) German beer, higher rates are a wonderful thing.
Matthias Schrader/AP Photo
While borrowers may not be thrilled by the Federal Reserve’s decision to raise rates, many of us have plenty of reason to celebrate.
Nelson Mandela with his predecessor FW de Klerk. Tough questions are being raised about the compromises Mandela made for South Africa’s transition to democracy.
Reuters/Peter Andrews
South Africa’s transition into democracy involved compromises that left white privilege intact and black poverty undiminished. Here are a dozen of Mandela’s economic deals that need to be undone.
Many people aspire to live a middle class life. Once they attain it, sustaining it is a big challenge.
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Credit rating agencies have come in for a lot of flack. But the bottom line is that to attract investors with deep pockets countries can’t avoid having a credit rating. And a good one at that.