How Is the Dollar Doing So Well in Today’s Economic Recovery?

Aug 30

The question “How’s the Dollar doing?” is one that I hear all of the time from international business professionals, investment bankers, and other movers and shakers in the financial world. In fact, the answer isn’t all that hard to find, but when it comes to implementing change, it can be a little more difficult to pull off. If you are trying to implement financial change in the wake of the mortgage crisis and credit crisis, you need to ask some tough questions to the people who manage your money for you.

How is the Dollar doing? That’s the question, right? Well, not quite yet, actually. The status of the American economy remains pretty low, and many economists have blamed President Obama and his economic team for not restoring American economic growth during the recession that they inherited. Still, the United States is not out of the woods by any stretch. The United States is still a world leader in its market strength, as evidenced by our continued ability to be a major currency.

The question of course is, how will we maintain our economic lead when China and other lower-cost economies catch up? How will we prevent a future where nations with less power become the main currency in the world? The answer may surprise you, but the status of the American dollar is actually stronger than most people think.

The reason is that the world is using the dollar to trade, just like it has done for centuries. This means that the dollar has very little exchange value compared to other currencies in the world. In fact, the dollar is actually losing value against almost everything else, including some of the worst economies in the world. How is the dollar doing so poorly compared to the economic recovery in Europe and Japan? Let me explain.

The European and Japanese economies are both growing at a very strong clip. They have tons of cash, and they have a central bank that is printing money to pay their debts. These two economies have more than enough money, and they do not need to borrow any more from external sources. That means that their national treasuries are growing faster than the U.S. economy, and this is forcing the U.S. government to pump even more dollars into their markets so that interest rates can continue to rise.

The problem is that these countries are using the U.S. money and printing it at a rate far too high compared to the world’s interest rates, and this has forced these currencies to appreciate significantly against the dollar. Now, how’s the dollar doing once these currencies have strengthened against it? It’s doing just fine! That means the U.S. economy has not only regained its economic lead, but it is expected to continue doing so in the future.

Read More

Waste produced across UK industries

Sep 03

The importance of waste management in any sector is as clear as daylight, but sometimes eager entrepreneurs fail to consider its importance when setting up their own businesses. In conjunction with Reconomy, which is a leader in offering a range of skip sizes across the United Kingdom, we take a closer look at how different businesses in different industries dispose of their waste as well the cost implications taking into to account the whole UK.

The key to success in any business is focussing on the core business activity which generates profits while operational costs should be minimised. Effective waste management is one way of reducing unnecessary costs. The implications thereof would entail working with a waste management company that will go on to create a more reliable and bespoke collection routine which better meets your business needs, after drawing up a profile of your business to calculate the amount of waste your company generates.

How much waste was produced by different industries in the UK (2014)?

Commercial – 15.1 million tonnes

Industrial – 12.6 million tonnes

Construction, demolition and excavation – 120.4 million tonnes (over 60% of the UK’s total waste)

Mining, agriculture, forestry and fishing – 26.9 million tonnes (in 2016)

202.8 million tonnes of total waste was produced in 2014, which makes for a 4.6% increase from 2012.

Here’s a breakdown of the waste produced by sector, including food waste as well as how much this is costing them as an industry in the UK:

The Restaurant and Pub Sector

The UK food industry produces 915,400 tonnes of waste each year, including 199,100 tonnes of food waste alone, while the pub industry’s total waste amounts to 873,000 tonnes per year, of which 173,000 is food waste.

Annual food waste management costs in these sectors amounts to £3,500 per tonne.

The Hotel Sector

The hotel sector’s annual expenditure on food waste comes up to £318 million, amounting to 79,000 of the 289,000 tonnes of total waste produced.

The Healthcare Sector

121,000 out of the 170,300 tonnes of waste produced by the health sector is food waste, costing £230 million to manage each year. 7% of all the waste in this sector is recycled.

Tackling Food Waste

Businesses can reduce their waste through better management of their core business operations that contribute to food waste, like cutting down restaurant menu sizes in line with customer consumption patterns, reducing portion sizes, buying food only as required, and donating unconsumed food to shelters and charities.

Government Action

As part of the British government’s aim to become a zero-waste economy, it has issued responsibilities to businesses to keep their waste to a minimum, sort their waste and store it correctly, and complete waste transfer notes when the waste leaves the premises.

Only certified waste carriers should be used, which are then to be reported to Crimestoppers if they dispose of your waste illegally and in a way that can damage the environment.

Naturally waste will still exist, but the aim is to deploy all resources possible to ensure we get full value out of all the products we use.

Read More

Bringing Sensibility Back to the Gift-Giving Ritual

Jul 28

Gift-giving makes for a positive reinforcement agent of the social experience, making for a tradition that largely stemmed from our natural instinct as a species to express our gratitude, appreciation, love, compassion and friendship. It’s a great way though which all of this can be achieved in line with the complex nature of our minds and associated emotions and the likes, so there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Read More

The Science of Consistently Providing Lower Prices

Sep 22

Okay, so we’re going to go a bit deep with this one, because frankly that’s what it takes to make good on one’s commitment to improve their finances, such as the situation I still find myself in (debt) and the situation I’m working very hard daily to get myself out of. I’ve come a really long way and have barely had time to post any real updates about just how far I’ve managed to slash my debt, but I guess that’s a good thing because what it means is that I can share some valuable information about the process itself.

Read More

What do you need to know when buying empty property cover?

Sep 14

Let’s examine some examples of situations that might result in you needing to consider empty property cover.

This is sometimes also known as “unoccupied property insurance” or variations thereof.

Unoccupied and insurance

When you’re letting a property, as a landlord, you’ll want to see it occupied for as high a percentage of the time as possible. That’s all about your income stream.

Read More

American Apparel That’s Always in Season

Jun 29

If you’re a savvy shopper like me, you know one of the best ways to save money is to shop for end of the season bargains.  I can’t tell you how much I’ve saved by going to clearance sales.  And I have a closet full of brand new dresses, blouses, jeans and sweaters with the tags still on them to prove it. I have a fondness for a bargain, but sometimes, what I buy sits in the closet because it doesn’t fit.  It’s one thing to be savvy, and another thing to be smart.  And not every deal is a smart one.  The problem is, I tend to buy an item I really like, even if it’s too small for me and swear I’m going to lose enough weight to get into it. 

Read More