What Is Articles

Things continue to heat up between the two Countries.

Russia's defense ministry said on Wednesday it had proof that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his family were benefiting from the illegal smuggling of oil from Islamic State-held territory in Syria and Iraq.

Mark Zuckerberg will put 99 percent of his Facebook Inc.

It’s going to be a big month for investors.

December will be full with big financial news that is bound to move the markets. They range from crucial rate decisions at the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank to an important OPEC meeting.

Here are the top four economic events of December that will guide you through the month:

1. More 'easy money' and another rate cut in Europe?

The European Central Bank's leadership meets December 3 and many expect it will take action of some kind to boost the region's economy. The ECB began its stimulus program in March, buying bonds at a monthly rate of 60 billion euros, and it could increase that pace.

The ECB could also cut its interest rate, which is already in negative territory. When rates are negative, banks essentially pay borrowers to take out money, instead of borrowers paying the bank.

Low interest rates are meant to make it easy for businesses to borrow and spend. That spending could create jobs and boost economic growth.

The ECB's economy -- made up of 19 countries -- only grew 0.4% in the third quarter. Unless the economy improves, experts expect the value of the euro to fall even further against the dollar, to a point that the euro and dollar could be at parity in 2016.

2. Big jobs report including NFP (Non-Farm Payrolls) on Friday

The world's biggest economy gets its latest health check up on Friday, December 4, when the monthly U.S. jobs report is released.

It follows a particularly strong October jobs report when not only were there a lot of new jobs created, but wage growth had finally picked up. The November report can confirm whether employers are really hiring in great numbers, or if October's wage growth was a fluke.

The unemployment rate fell to 5% in October, and it could go below that mark for the first time since 2008 on Friday.

An improving job market should translate into more Americans spending, which would boost the U.S. economy in 2016.

3. The Fed could finally raise rates

The jobs report Friday has an extra special meaning this time: it's the last economic data hurdle for the Fed before its two-day meeting December 15-16. The Fed appears ready to raise its key interest rate for the first time in nearly a decade, and only a terrible report may change their mind.

No one expects the first rate hike to be big. However, everyone expects it to be the first of several over the next year or so. The Fed has said they plan to raise rates at a slow pace. Rates have been near zero since 2008.

It would also signal the divergence between the Fed and the ECB, which is cutting rates. That divide will likely cause the dollar to rally more into 2016.

4. A divided OPEC meets. Will it cut production?

It's a tense time for OPEC, the oil cartel led by Saudi Arabia. They meet towards the end of this week to determine whether to cut production as oil prices -- the main engine for these countries' economies -- are at less than half of what they were at last year.

Saudi Arabia, the kingpin of OPEC, wants to maintain its oil production levels. But smaller OPEC countries, like Venezuela and Algeria, want to cut production in an effort to boost oil prices, and they're all but begging Saudi Arabia to change course.

OPEC meets December 4 in Vienna, Austria. Few expect Saudi Arabia to lower oil production, but tensions amid members could rise even further, threatening OPEC's unity.

Ask us about our FREE financial advice program: 

Other Top Stories:

Will Twitter's Share Crash?

Technical Analysis Lesson 1 - Introduction

How I Made Over $30,000 a Year by Investing in Binary Options

Follow us and SHARE this story on Facebook:   

30

Nov

This video by Amazon, shows a family in the "not too distant future" receiving a replacement soccer shoe via drone after their bulldog chews up the original. 

It is the first such video from Amazon in two years, showcasing new flight footage and revealing a new design for the company's drone fleet. Amazon is seeking to win public support for its project and overcome regulatory hurdles in the United States, United Kingdom and elsewhere.

"In time there will be a whole family of Amazon drones, different designs for different environments," Clarkson says, narrating footage of a drone flying over a suburban area.

"This one can fly for 15 miles," he says. "And it knows what's happening around it. It uses 'sense and avoid' technology to, well, sense and then avoid obstacles on the ground and in the air."

Amazon first spoke publicly about its plans for the Prime Air delivery service in December 2013. "I know this looks like science fiction. It's not," Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said on "60 Minutes."

Back then, Amazon shared footage of a delivery drone taking a package to a customer, but the company's engineers have clearly made many enhancements since then. In Sunday's new video, the drone flies much higher and seems to be more stable.

Clarkson, the narrator, is known around the world as the host of the BBC's "Top Gear." When the BBC sacked him earlier this year, Clarkson and his producing partners struck a deal with Amazon. Their new show will debut on Amazon sometime next year.

In the promotional video for Prime Air, Clarkson describes Amazon's drone design in a way that is meant to assuage safety concerns. "After rising vertically like a helicopter to nearly 400 feet, this amazing hybrid design assumes a horizontal orientation and becomes a streamlined -- and fast! -- airplane," he says.

As the drone approaches its destination, the customer receives a message on a tablet "to say that your Prime Air delivery is arriving," he continues.

Once approved for a landing (via a tap on the tablet) the drone "goes back to vertical mode and scans the landing area for potential hazards. This amazing innovation then lowers itself slowly to the ground, drops off the package, and flies straight back up to altitude."

An Amazon spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for further comment. But the company's website was updated on Sunday with new information about its plans.

"Amazon Prime Air is a future service that will deliver packages up to five pounds in 30 minutes or less using small drones," the site says.

"Flying under 400 feet and weighing less than 55 pounds, Prime Air vehicles will take advantage of sophisticated 'sense and avoid' technology, as well as a high degree of automation, to safely operate beyond the line of sight to distances of 10 miles or more," it adds.

Ask us about our FREE financial advice program: 

Other Top Stories:

Will Twitter's Share Crash?

Technical Analysis Lesson 1 - Introduction

How I Made Over $30,000 a Year by Investing in Binary Options

Follow us and SHARE this story on Facebook: