Category: Markets
-
How the Bank of Jamaica Sets Interest Rates to Control Inflation
Jamaica targets an inflation range of 4% to 6%. This allows flexibility because the economy is highly exposed to external shocks, such as volatile oil prices, global economic changes, and weather events like hurricanes or droughts. There are three main channels that the Bank of Jamaica uses to control inflation, as explained in Monetary Transmission…
-
The Story Behind Jamaica’s Floating Exchange Rate
Today the Jamaican dollar moves freely in response to supply and demand in the foreign exchange market. This was not always the case. Jamaica’s current system—where the exchange rate is largely market-determined—is the result of a long transition from a tightly controlled foreign exchange regime to a modern monetary policy framework. For many years, Jamaica…
-
Inside the Bloody Ocean of Cashless Payments
There is a quiet assumption in finance today that the world is steadily moving toward a cashless future. Mobile wallets, digital currencies, and fintech apps are framed as inevitable winners in a linear transition away from physical cash. That assumption is wrong. The payments landscape is not a clean transition. It is a competitive battlefield…
-
The Investor’s Toolkit: From Deposits to Derivatives
Investors today can choose from a wide range of financial instruments, each designed for different goals, time horizons, and risk tolerance. The simplest instruments are cash and deposits. Savings accounts and fixed deposits offered by banks are used for capital preservation and liquidity. They are most appropriate for individuals who want low risk and easy…
-
Why This Bitcoin Book Didn’t Stick
My own recent analysis in What Bitcoin’s Meltdown Reveals About Markets set a high bar — which is why Easy Money started strong but gradually lost me. Easy Money started strong for me. Ben McKenzie explains Bitcoin clearly for the layperson, and those early chapters helped frame the technology in simple, practical terms. But after…