At Commonwealth Funds, we’re here to invest our time in providing investment insight to benefit the Fund shareholders so they grow their financial knowledge, make more informed decisions regarding their assets and investing internationally, and bring it home.
Spotlight on Japan: G20 Summit and Ministerial Offer Platform for Revitalized Nation
While many of the headlines and much of the markets’ focus related to Asia seem to revolve around the potential threat from North Korea or the ongoing trade dispute between the United States and China, the importance of Japan on the global stage cannot be overstated. Indeed, Japan will be in spotlight as it hosts…
Taking a Closer Look at Senegal
One of the benefits of either personally visiting Africa or talking with others who have traveled there is the opportunity it affords to dispel misconceptions about this vast and remarkably diverse continent. Often missed among the media stories about political strife are the numerous success stories and advances taking place. The West African nation of…
Ethiopian Airline Announces New Houston to West Africa Gateway
Thanks to an announcement by Ethiopian Airlines, Africa stands poised to strengthen its already significant business and social connections to Houston. The airline, which is the largest in Africa and a SKYTRAX certified 4-Star global airline, recently announced that it is restructuring its U.S. network to increase the number of flights from several U.S. gateways…
3 Wise Ways Millennials are Spending Their Money
Bank of America’s 2018 Better Money Habits Millennial Report (Winter 2018) is out, and the findings are surprising. The study surveyed 1400 people aged 18-71 to about their views on personal financial matters. For the purposes of the report, Millennials are in the 23-37 age range. Here are our three biggest takeaways from the report….
Spend Your Next Holiday Wining and Dining in Australia
The kickoff to Australia’s $36 million tourist campaign happened at, of all places, the Super Bowl. Their one-minute ad (part of a 5-episode arc) is part of a major push to get American tourists to Australia and to grow the USA market from $4 billion to $6 billion by 2020. Except where otherwise noted, statistics…
Interest Rates & Investing
On June 13, 2018, the Federal Reserve voted to raise the benchmark federal-fund rate from 1.75% to 2%, the second interest rate hike this year. This was reaffirmed at the August 1 meeting when the Federal Reserve held short-term interest rates steady and offered an upbeat assessment of the economy’s performance, suggesting another interest-rate increase…
Accessing the African Stock Market
The continent of Africa represents the second largest land mass in the world and is home to roughly 15 percent of Earth’s inhabitants. The continent is well known for its wealth of natural resources, like minerals and petroleum. Often overlooked is the human resource, an evolving source of educated and willing to work labor pool…
“Capitalize on” | Take Advantage Of
Australia Poised to Benefit From US-China Trade Volatility Thanks in part to the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement, Australia was spared from recent U.S. import tariffs on steel and aluminum. As one of seven exempt allies, Australia was extended the option of implementing a quota or other suitable means of protecting U.S. domestic steel interests….
“Reform” | Change
An Analysis of the U.S. Tax Bill While many effects of the recently passed tax bill are still unknown, there are several key changes to highlight. An expansion of 529 plans, continuance of existing policy on Education Savings Accounts, reduction of multinational corporation taxes and improved tax rates for long-term capital gains, dividends and pass-through…
Impacts on Japan Post-Election
Although Japan wasn’t set to hold an election until the end of 2018, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of the Liberal Democratic party called for a snap poll on September 25 of this year. Dissolving their parliament and running against Yuriko Koike, leader of the party of Hope, Abe’s campaign message was clear: a stable…