I am a physician, currently practicing as an Anesthesiologist. My other passions are finance and investments. As of 2013, I have passed all three levels of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exams, all in my first attempts. I received my Masters of Business Administration degree in 2008. I received my certification as a securities specialist from the Philippine Stock Exchange in 2009.
Celebrities Dennis Trillo, Tom Rodriguez and Daniel Matsunaga promote GoldXtreme, an Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) company, that is a subject of a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) advisory against illegal investments.
In your opinion, why do you think these celebrities are promoting GoldXtreme? Type your answer in the comments section
A. They think this is legit, and they are probably investors themselves
On Valentine’s day, Michele Ferrero, Italy’s richest man, and the creator of Nutella, one of the world’s most loved bread spreads, died at the age of 89. In other news, another iconic spread, Vegemite, is still hated the world over.
Vegemite vs. Nutella. Which would you put on your bread? Image from wanderingsheila.com
February 14 is Valentine’s Day; when lovers celebrate their love, and when companies sell to these lovers all sorts of merchandise and services. What about singles? November 11 is Singles’ Day. Even companies get their turn to make money off singles.
Wait, isn’t there a Singles’ Awareness Day which is celebrated also on February 14? This serves as an alternative to people who are not in a relationship. Why is it called Singles Awareness Day? This might be the answer:
The Economist invented the Big Mac Index in 1986 to better demonstrate Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). But does The Economist actually eat the Big Macs in their study? The Big Mac Index assumes parity in value; but I disagree, because Big Macs around the world are not equal in yumminess.
An economic theory that estimates the amount of adjustment needed on the exchange rate between countries in order for the exchange to be equivalent to each currency’s purchasing power.
In layman’s terms; if a basket of goods and services is worth US$100 in the United States and an identical basket of goods and services is worth only US$ 77 in the Philippines at current exchange rates, then the Philippine Peso (PHP) is undervalued by 23 %.
Unfortunately, many people in the world no longer use baskets, and deciding which good makes it to the basket may be contentious. Since McDonald’s (see MCD:US latest stock quote), the company that serves Big Macs, can be found in most countries, using the burger as a proxy for the “basket of good and services” makes sense. Of course, the Big Mac method is not accurate; but according to The Economist, this makes the PPP theory more “digestible”.
Digestible? Did The Economist staff actually eat the Big Macs? Do The Economist writers actually eat at McDonald’s? In my opinion, some Big Macs are yummier than others.
Here is a rundown from Big Macs from around the world, and a depiction of the countries’ under/ over-valuation against the US Dollar:
Big Mac from New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America. Average Price: US$ 4.79
Do students in Yale eat this New Haven Big Mac while debating the merits of the Big Mac Index? Image from spaceofjase.com
It seems Fracking has a lot to do with this phenomenon.
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the process of extracting natural gas from shale rock layers deep within the earth. Read more about Fracking at http://www.what-is-fracking.com/.
The Fracking revolution in the United States has been cited as the cause of lower crude oil prices in 2014. See the graphs from the Motley Fool website.
However, in 2015, these low prices may eventually put pressures on Fracking as firms struggle with lower profitability. It seems that Fracking is becoming a victim of its own success.
Finance, M.D. thefinancemd.com 