Month: February 2016

On January 29th, Bank of Japan announced that they would lower their interest rate past the traditional 0% – into the negatives (-0.1% to be specific). I initially wrote this off as more Abenomics, but as I looked further into the concept I discovered that Bank of the Japan was not the only bank to adopt a negative interest rate. The US Federal Reserve had a near 0% interest rate for about a decade to encourage growth and take the edge off the 2008 recession. But what does a negative interest rate mean for banks? Bloomberg asked 63 economists, that focus Continue reading Negative Interest Rates→

After last week’s post on cost per vote figures last week, I decided to keep the ball rolling. Here are some more figures, compiled from various sources. US Presidential Elections 2012 The Cato institute estimates that, in the general election, the Obama and Romney campaigns directly outlaid $10.37 per vote received and $7.11 per vote received, respectively. Factoring in allied spending, these figures rise to $16.73 per vote received and $20.09 per vote, respectively. Scottish Independence Referendum 2014 The BBC reports that a total of £6.7m was spent by campaign groups in the lead up to the referendum. Around 3,620,000 people cast Continue reading Campaign Spending Per Vote: Part II→

Returning to US after having been abroad for six months required me to retrain my mind in a number of different ways regarding social norms. One of the main things I noticed while traveling was that tips are not a mandatory part of eating out, and were sometimes even seen as rude. They serve more as a signal to the waiter to convey out of the ordinary, outstanding service. This made me think about how in America the price that is advertised to us is often never the price we pay, while in most parts of Europe taxes are incorporated Continue reading Should We Ban Tipping?→

The 100th year anniversary of daylight savings time will be on March 13th, so to celebrate I thought that it would be helpful to gather a few fun facts about the event and also ask some important questions as well. Like most people, on Monday March 13th at 6:59 a.m. I will be asleep, and I will not recognize when the minute passes and the clock jumps an extra hour ahead. At the premature 8:00 a.m. I will be groggy, disoriented, and dissatisfied with our modern society. And as I drink an unusually large cup of coffee I will ponder along with the rest of Continue reading 100th Year of Daylight Savings Time!→

I interviewed alumni Ryan Tate over Skype about his experiences after UPS and his startup, Venture Equity Exchange. Ryan has a great perspective on entrepreneurship and startups, an often overlooked option for economics graduates (but a potentially very rewarding one if you’re willing to take the risk and put in the work). I’m no dictation machine so I’m going to be paraphrasing Ryan’s answers and our discussion to the best of my ability. Ryan came to UPS (graduating in 2009) from San Diego partly because his father lived nearby in Silverdale and because he appreciated the uniqueness of the school. He majored Continue reading Alumni Interview: Ryan Tate→