Decoder: Crypto currencies, good or bad, are here to stay

Decoder: Crypto currencies, good or bad, are here to stay

They can fluctuate wildly in value. They can be hard to spend. They devour energy. But crypto currencies are here to stay and will surely bring changes. Photo by STRF/STAR MAX/IPx 2021 1/21/21, courtesy of AP Photos In the past few weeks, an iconic Los Angeles sports...

News Decoder is committed to explaining, in simple terms, complicated stories that appear over and over on front pages and in news broadcasts. For lack of time, money and space, most mainstream news organizations don’t take the trouble to explain the background to complicated issues and assume readers and viewers understand why the story matters. How many of us say to ourselves when running across a story on crypto currencies: “I need to educate myself about these things because they are not going away.” In his decoder, Stuart Grudgings explains how crypto currencies emerged, how they work and why they are with us to stay.

Exercise: Ask students to debate whether crypto currencies will eventually replace traditional money.

Decoder: Why a young person should not ignore the stock market

Decoder: Why a young person should not ignore the stock market

On any day, the stock market can go up or down. But in the long run, a young person cannot afford to ignore the chance to invest in company shares. The effect of compound interest, with an initial investment of $1,000 and 20% annual interest, compounded at various...

Alan Wheatley’s article on stock markets touches on concepts of tremendous long-term importance to young people, such as compounded interest and interest rates. Wheatley has decades of experience covering international finance, and it shows as he connects investing fundamentals with economic growth and the current U.S. political situation. The article finishes with questions that can be taken up in a wide range of classrooms: Who would be better for stock markets — Trump or Biden? If you have $1,000, should you spend or save it? And why is Wall Street near a record high during the coronavirus pandemic? With Wheatley explaining matters, there’s no reason why economics should be “the dismal science”!

Tag: finance