The stock market tends to act as a leading indicator of the economy, such that stock prices reflect investor sentiment and expectations about future earnings and economic growth. During the first half of 2022, investor sentiment focused on the risk of a recession premised on higher inflation, rising interest rates…

Before each planting season, farmers must make crucial decisions about what crops to plant and what seeding rates, fertilizer, and other input levels to use. These decisions are made months before crop yields and prices are known, leaving farmers exposed to unpredictable factors such as weather, pests, and socio-economic issues…

Many consumers are looking to limit their consumption of goods made in China and instead purchase items that are more consciously-sourced to align with their values. This can be surprisingly difficult, with many categories of goods almost exclusively manufactured in China. However, through research and careful consumption, it is possible…

This article aims to provide a basic understanding of how neural networks work, and are used in decision making. What are Neural Networks? The term “Neural Network” was inspired by the way biological neurons signal to one another within the brain. Neural networks are typically composed of artificial neurons called “nodes” which are connected…

Financialization describes the process by which the share of the overall economy represented by the financial economy increases relative to the real economy. …

A futures contract is a standardized, legally binding agreement, where two parties agree to buy and sell an asset at a future date. Futures contracts specify the underlying asset, quantity, grade, delivery point, delivery period and delivery terms. Consider the following example. Assume Joe is a local wheat farmer growing…

Predicting how the stock market will perform is a very challenging undertaking. There are many factors that affect daily price changes such as macroeconomic events, investor sentiment, earning reports, and irrational behavior. All of these elements combine to influence the volatility and unpredictable nature of the markets. Traditionally, fundamental and…

Today marks the end of week 15 of the Growth Project! Below is a recap on this weeks progress in my 10 developmental areas! Mindfulness On Monday was Canadian Thanksgiving, which I celebrated at home with my mom, brother and grandma. We had a delicious turkey dinner followed by my mom’s…

Today is an exciting milestone as it is day 100 of my growth project! The past two weeks have been a very busy and exciting time for my family, so I took a little break from writing my blog posts. …