The German-born and British-based economist Detlev Schlichter warns us of the impending dollar doom. According to him, the world’s major currencies, the dollar, the euro and the yen, are destined to crash as they are locked in a race to the bottom. The only remaining question is which one will crash first.

He argues that we are only partially through a market meltdown that will be even worse than the Great Depression. One fact he employs to support his argument is that “U.S. industrial production is 12 times higher now than it was in 1929, but the amount of U.S. dollars in circulation is 200 times higher.”

Another fascinating piece of evidence Detlev uses is the history of paper money in China. The Chinese invented paper and ink, which quickly led to the creation of paper money. By tracking the development of paper money through a number of dynasties, he draws the conclusion that “all of these experiments ended with worthless currencies.” The underlying argument is that paper money will eventually get depreciated.

Founded in 2008, Groupon, the Chicago-based daily-deal giant, is a good example of entrepreneurship. Groupon is the first company to tap into the power of collective buying with its daily deals, identifying a new market and providing it with a unique service. Through the demonstrated innovation, it has gained various competitive advantages, which should have led to the rapid creation of a substantial amount of wealth. However, this is not the case for Groupon, which is currently running at a net loss. On the other hand, as a tech firm and a newer business, I would be rather surprised if Groupon is actually earning a profit. After all, given a young market that still needs some development, marketing expenditure is going to be astronomical. This has proven to be true as a major source of Groupon’s net loss is marketing expenditure. However, I felt that the key point is not whether Groupon is currently profitable or not, but whether it has the potential to rapidly creates a substantial amount of wealth in the future. Despite Groupon’s apparent success, many people are still skeptical about the sustainability of its success given the high risk associated with E-commerce.

Bank of Nova Scotia is changing the name of its securities and investment banking unit, a name it has used for 12 years now. Although the new name has not been revealed yet, the general expectation is that it will start with Scotiabank, the common link in the bank’s new branding strategy. This move is intended to reinforce the fact that the division is not a separate entity, but a part of the bank’s overall business.

The rebranding of Scotia Capital is just a small part of the bigger change that lies ahead. Bank of Nova Scotia is planning to get rid of approximately half of its 60 brands around the world in an effort to present a more consistent face to clients.

Stressing the bank connection is not only a message to clients, but also to employees, emphasizing the integral role their business plays in the parent bank’s overarching brand. As a result, this new branding strategy allows for the clear identification of the bank among clients and employees alike. Given its large number of different brands, a result of years of growing by acquisition internationally, this plan to narrow them down seems rather inevitable.

The upgraded iPhone 4s is rather……underwhelming. I refrained from using the word “disappointing” because the hardware upgrades definitely have a wow factor to them, but overall, it failed to meet our “great expectations.”

It looks exactly like iPhone 4. For customers, while hardware upgrades are great, it is also important to look edgy at the same time. In our minds, Apple is associated with words like “chic,” not only because of the application of revolutionary ideas in its products, but also their slick physical features.

This failure to blow our socks off would not be such a big deal for any other company. However, for Apple, which has this “tradition” of impressing its customers, it was unexpected. With its competitors working hard to push for market share, this will have a negative impact on the company, slightly damaging its brand image.

However, this is not to say that it’s over for Apple. The brand name is still going strong and without a shadow of a doubt, the line-up for the new iPhone 4s will be crazy. Ultimately, it’s unlikely that a less-than-revolutionary product launch is going to persuade many Apple customers to switch to a different phone.

It became rather clear during the past three months that both the United States and the European Union will not be able to generate much economic growth for a while as neither of them has a plan to solve the issue of oversized government debt.

The loss of confidence in the United States and the European Union, which takes up the majority of Canadian exports, turned our eyes to China, our second-largest trading partner and one of the fastest-growing investors in Canada. Our ties with China have proven to be a lifesaver in the past. During the recent recession, when trade with every other major economy fell dramatically, exports to China kept rising.

Why must we strengthen ties with China instead of some other countries?

The amount of exports to Japan has hardly changed in a decade. Russia and Brazil are competitors as much as customers. India, although demonstrating great potential, will have to remain outside of our consideration for the moment as it is conveniently close to the Middle East, the main source of its oil imports.

In many ways, strengthening ties with China is no longer a matter of enlightened self-interest, but economic survival.

There are many risks associated with international trade. Generally, these risks can be categorized under political risks, commercial risks, economic risks, and other risks. Despite these risks, many companies are still eagerly looking to expand internationally. This is because there are various ways a company can use to lower risks.  Some of the risk management tactics include a thorough market research, a comprehensive insurance plan, or partnership with a bank that has plenty of expertise. Therefore, with reduced risks, international trade becomes very attractive as it opens up new market or lowers cost depending on whether the company is importing or exporting.

Economic sanctions put into place by a government are a huge factor influencing international trade. When an economic sanction takes effect, the presumed outcome is that no company will trade with the country under sanction. However, in reality, this failed to be the case. One obvious reason is the high profit, which is accompanied by the high risks. While there is a way to get around the legal aspect of the economic sanction by going through another country, which acts as “the middleman,” the risks associated will inevitably become higher and harder to reduce.

I am intrigued by the “balance” that is present in the airline industry between being ethical and making a profit. The method of which an airline uses to decide when one will overrule the other in a given situation has always puzzled me a little bit.

For instance, if you are late for a flight, regardless of the reason, you will not be getting on that airplane. After all, it costs the airline more to open that cabin door than the profit it will make from your ticket. No matter how desperate you are, whether it is a family emergency or an important meeting you must attend, the airline doesn’t care. You are still going to be held captive in the airport, waiting for the next available flight.

On the other hand, if you are having a heart attack during a flight, then it is very likely that the plane is going to make an emergency landing at the nearest place possible regardless of the cost. It is, indeed, a very comforting thought to know that at least the airline will try its best to make sure that I don’t die on the plane.