The succession of the two crises, first the pandemic and then the energy crisis in Ukraine, overturned the expected and largely discounted consequences of the initial fiscal easing on both the EU and US economies. The second round of fiscal “relaxation” made the first round unexpectedly toxic. He dismissed the expectation that after the end …
Τhe Audit & Τax Τreatment of Cryptocurrencies
The basic and initial stage of the life of the cryptocurrency is its creation, through the mining process (blockchain mining). In the process, cryptocurrency transactions are collected, verified and recorded in international, public records for the purpose of execution and liquidation. From an accounting and tax point of view, various issues have arisen, which must …
Emerging Stagnant-inflation in the Eurozone/EU & USA
Inflation begins to make a threatening appearance in the EU and US since last summer due to a combination of dynamic economic recovery in COVID-19 conditions, serious problems in international trade and supply chains and upward trend in international oil and mainly gas prices. Inflation had reached high levels before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. …
High probability the Price of Brent to Remain over $115 by the End of 2022
The recent EU deal on a Russian oil embargo has put upward pressure and volatility again, with Brent prices hovering well above USD120 last week. Trust Economics (https://trusteconomics.eu) estimates that developments in the oil market are expected to hit growth. The geopolitical risk and the EU agreement will keep oil prices high during the summer …
Where are the Economies and Businesses going after the Pandemic and War crises?
The West is also involved in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, imposing successive sanctions on Russia, while Russia threatens to close the energy supply tap to Western countries. Transiently continuing volatility in the stock markets is normal and expected. After all, the big fluctuations also result in the big benefits-profits, for those, of course, …
The Big Dilemma: Interest Rates Increases or Price Controls
The main driving force of inflation in Europe is not excessive demand, but mainly energy market problems and secondarily shortages and consequent price increases in raw materials or intermediate and final goods, due to the war in Ukraine and the Covid pandemic in China. If nominal interest rates rise do you think the problems will …
7 of the Fed’s 8 Rising Rates Periods (1955-present) ended in Recession in the US
The US Federal Reserve has already raised its lending rate by 75 basis points over the past two months. Money markets anticipate further increases of at least 200 basis points by the end of 2022. The European Central Bank (ECB) has announced the end of its government bond-buying program in the third quarter of 2022 …
The Role of Consulting in Internal Audit
The majority of internal audit departments consume an overwhelming percentage of their plan by doing traditional internal audits – what are known as “safeguards operations” and are the focus of internal audit, and are also the activity where most audit committees are expected to emphasis. However, many internal audit departments, either individually or through outsourcing …
The Uncertainty of the Future produced by the Crisis
The effects of the current crisis are manifold, but there are two conditions that limit the problem: energy prices and inflation. The rise in energy prices was directly reflected in the rise in inflation, which in March reached 7.5% in the Eurozone and 8.5% in the United Kingdom and the United States respectively. These countries …
Greece Returns Rapidly to the Era of Financial Support Packages
Greece, a member-country of the Eurozone/EU with 388 billion euros in public debt and a deindustrialized economy, is in danger of paying dearly for the EU sanctions imposed on Russia. The debt of the General Government of Greece, despite being sustainable in the medium term, despite being supported by the ECB and despite the fact …