The World’s Happiest Countries Ranking 2016

The world’s top happiest country is Denmark according to the UN’s World Happiness Report 2016 Update. The other countries in the top five list are Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Finland in that order. Canada is the 6th most happiest country. The U.S. ranks 13th just above Costa Rica. It is not surprising that the Scandinavian countries …

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China’s Roller Coaster Stock Market Returns

The Chinese equity market is characterized by booms and busts. Since 1996, the upward and downward movements in the market has been violent. For example, during the Global Financial Crisis of 2008-09 the MSCI China Index lost 65% of its value. From 2004 thru the peak in 2008, the index soared by an astonishing 757%. …

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Canada: Households’ Savings Rate and Indebtedness Ratio

The Canadian Household Savings Ratio stood at 8.1% in Q4, 2015 according to a new report by the OECD. Currently the US personal savings rate stands at 5.4%. The savings rate in Canada tend to be traditionally higher than in the U.S. Click to enlarge However Canadian household’s debt is also growing at an alarming rate. …

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The Leverage Ratio of Canadian Banks Has Declined

The leverage ratio measures the ability of a bank to absorb losses. This ratio is important because soundness of a bank is put to test during a financial crisis and strong banks usually tend to weather storms than weak banks. During the 2008-09 crisis, many small banks in the US failed due to this factor. From …

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