The fall of the US empire?
US on the brink of default and bankruptcy; hard to imagine and harder to believe. However, this is the factual reality. A debt of...
‘Blood, sweat and tear gas’
Market reaction to the second European bailout contrasted sharply with Greek public sentiment as a rejuvenated euro climbed 700 odd points against the dollar...
If the US defaults
The US economy seems to have arrived at the D-Day, where amidst weakening of domestic socio-economic indicators, its global hegemony is also at stake....
The crafty side of advertising
Subliminal messages and the principles of subliminal response were first discussed in the book The New Psychology by EW Scripture. Later, in 1900, an...
SBP policy and growth
Perhaps the only positive outcome of the recent turbulence at the State Bank is initiation of serious debate regarding central bank autonomy and the...
Turkey hurting trade with Pakistan
The Turkish government has recently taken some steps which would decrease the trade volume between Pakistan and Turkey, while our policymakers have not taken...
Shari’a and insurance
Is insurance permissible in Islam? A simple answer to the question is in the affirmative, provided that the buying and selling of insurance fulfils...
Market like a cat on a hot tin roof
With the turmoil in international markets, the threat of a global meltdown on top of the still unresolved US debt row combining with yet...
Content is king
In the brick and mortar world, businesses vie for a coveted spot — the end of the aisle or end cap. On the internet,...
The importance of microfinancing
Unfortunately, corruption and defaulting has somehow become a part of our national heritage. People feel that if they have been provided with a loan...
More on tragedy and economics
My last piece for Profit, “The tragicomic science”, tried to bring the insights of Aristotle’s Poetics to bear on the praxis of economics. This...
Saving the day
Last week, the man who has been called a living legend celebrated his 93rd birthday at his residence in Johannesburg. Nelson Mandela is amongst...
Enlightened darkness
If you think Karachi has hit the bottom, think again. With target killings, burnings hovering over the whole city, having electricity in houses and...
Clueless in Paris
Maybe the weekend will have sobered market sentiment that embraced Thursday’s eurozone debt initiative by abandoning risk-aversion, fleeing the franc, yen and dollar and...
Dismal savings, abysmal growth
Not very long ago, economists from Chicago, went on a hyper drive to increase the savings rate of the country, which eventually led to...
Marketing ethics
Marketing ethics addresses principles and standards that define acceptable conduct in the marketplace. Marketing usually occurs in the context of an organisation and unethical...
Shari’a and hedging
Many people believe that hedging is not acceptable in Islam. They think that hedging involves reducing risk in an investment, which may lead to...
