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In this week's print edition, Barron's Randall Forsythe updates his readers on the story of Bitcoin, the virtual currency that saw its value balloon and burst in a matter of days. He sees the story as a reflection of skepticism towards fiat money as

Almost one in five U.K. companies favor Britain pulling out of the European Union because it would have a positive impact on their business, according to a survey. The British Chambers of Commerce said today its polling of 4,387 companies showed 18

Hedge funds and other speculators added to bullish gold bets as the metal slumped into a bear market and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. warned the retreat is accelerating after the longest rally in nine decades. The investors increased net-long positions

Gold futures tumbled by more than $90 on Monday, deepening their descent after entering bear-market territory last week, while prices for industrial metal copper also slumped following economic data from China that fell short of expectations. Gold

Bruce Bartlett held senior policy roles in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and served on the staffs of Representatives Jack Kemp and Ron Paul. He is the author of “The Benefit and the Burden: Tax Reform – Why We Need It and What It

Cyprus is no longer center stage. Nicosia has agreed a 10 billion euro bailout deal with its euro zone partners and the International Monetary Fund. A visible bank run has been averted by stringent capital controls. International markets, which only

European bank stocks are officially in bear market territory, now down over 22% from their highs with today's drop closing the index at seven month lows. Financial stocks have played catch down to credit's early warning weakness but still have more

Distrust of the Federal Reserve and concern that U.S. dollars may become worthless are fueling a push in more than a dozen states to recognize gold and silver coins as legal tender. Lawmakers in Arizona are poised to follow Utah, which authorized

Key points Users are reminded that the figures within this release are estimates and are on a seasonally adjusted basis. Both production and manufacturing fell in February 2013 when compared with February 2012 by 2.2% and 1.4% respectively. There are

Europe is a wreck, but for the most part, people these days are talking about crises of democracy and growth, rather than sovereign debt. Borrowing costs for several nations (ones that have been bailed out and ones that haven't) have come in sharply

The "troika" of lenders at the EU, the ECB, and the IMF are back in Greece, and the Greek stock market is up 5.4 percent today. On Sunday, the troika and the Greek government froze a plan to merge Greece's two largest banks, National Bank of Greece

U.S. wholesale inventories dropped 0.3% in February and were revised down for January, a sign that companies stopped stockpiling goods as rapidly, perhaps in anticipation of slower sales. Wholesale sales jumped 1.7%, however, the Commerce Department

It is just 11 months since France elected François Hollande as its first Socialist president since 1995, spurring a wave of expectation on the European left that he would lead a pro-growth offensive against the cheerleaders of austerity. When his

Gold prices steadied above $1,570 an ounce on Tuesday as renewed strength in stock markets and a weaker tone to the dollar lent support, but the metal struggled for traction after plumbing 10-month lows last week. A positive start to US earnings

Just when you thought it was safe to go out and sell that 17-member single currency, all things turn pear-shape for the remaining ‘bear’ as the EUR takes on a new big figure level with gusto, touching $1.31 for the first time since mid of last-month

The dollar rose to a four-year peak against the yen, within striking distance of the key 100 mark, on Wednesday after minutes of the Federal Reserve's March meeting reinforced expectations of an end to its bond-buying sooner rather than later. The

Germany is heading for a recession of its own making, warned billionaire George Soros. In a speech in Frankfurt this week, the Hungarian-born investor said he expected Europe's largest economy to be contracting by the time Germans vote in national

Bank lobbyists and congressional staff received potentially market-moving Federal Reserve information 19 hours before the public in a release the central bank called accidental. Brian Gross, a member of the Fed’s congressional liaison staff

Markets are very quiet this morning. US futures are essentially flat. Europe is not going anywhere either. Pretty much the only big mover was the same-old Japan, which gained another 2%, hitting a new 5-year high. As you can see on the Nikkei chart