published Aug 31st 2016, 3:56 pm, by Natasha Doff and Matthew Kalman (Bloomberg) — Emerging-market stocks fell, trimming their third consecutive monthly gain, as declining commodity prices weighed on benchmark gauges in exporting nations from Russia to South Africa and Brazil. A 0.6 percent decline that pushed the MSCI Emerging

published Aug 31st 2016, 6:33 pm, by Kevin Cirilli and Eric Martin (Bloomberg) —Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto downplayed differences and set aside harsh rhetoric after a meeting Wednesday in Mexico City that was a prelude to the Republican candidate’s speech on immigration later in the day.

I am currently reading a book entitled, George Washington’s Sacred Fire by Jerry Newcombe and Peter Liliback, Ph.D., published in 2006. It is a close examination of the religious comments and actions of George Washington as a child and as an adult. The authors discuss Washington’s education in detail. Schools,

published Aug 30th 2016, 1:19 pm, by Elizabeth Campbell (Bloomberg) — Chicago had its credit outlook raised by Fitch Ratings to stable because of the city’s work to shore up its retirement system and avert insolvency for the pensions that don’t have enough money to pay the benefits promised. “The

published Aug 30th 2016, 3:33 pm, by The Editors (Bloomberg View) — It shouldn’t qualify as news when a university says it strives to be an intellectually unsafe space that encourages unrestricted discussion. Yet the current climate on American campuses virtually guaranteed that a letter from the University of Chicago’s

published Aug 30th 2016, 5:57 pm, by Tsuyoshi Inajima (Bloomberg) — Oil is poised for the biggest monthly advance since April amid speculation talks among OPEC members in Algeria next month may result in action to stabilize the market. Futures in New York have risen 11 percent in August. Iraq

published Aug 25th 2016, 12:15 pm, by Justin Fox (Bloomberg View) — Despite a big increase in total miles traveled over the past two years, Americans are still driving markedly less per capita than they were a decade ago. I wrote about this Tuesday — and published the above chart,

published Aug 29th 2016, 1:00 am, by Mark Gilbert (Bloomberg View) — You’ve probably heard the old saw about equity markets “climbing a wall of worry.” Stock market prices can rise even when the economic backdrop is gloomy as investors look ahead and anticipate better times. But what if the

published Aug 29th 2016, 12:16 pm, by Megan McArdle (Bloomberg View) — The last few weeks have featured a great deal of news for Obamacare, most of it bad. Insurers are pulling out of the exchanges and premiums are rising. Coverage has been expanded, but it increasingly looks as if

published Aug 26th 2016, 10:06 am, by Nir Kaissar (Bloomberg Gadfly) — Defined contribution plans — American workers’ golden road to retirement — are on the defensive. A mountain of class-action lawsuits is piling up against a who’s who of blue-chip companies and prestigious universities, accusing them of failing to