Biggest Pension Fund to Consider Emerging Markets

Government Pension Investment Fund, Japan's leading pension fund (and the world's biggest pension fund), will begin investing emerging market stocks:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-29/world-s-biggest-pension-fund-plans-to-start-investing-in-emerging-markets.html

Other Emerging Market News:

India Tries to Provide Banking Access to its Rural Population:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/30/business/global/teller-atm-hybrid-takes-banking-to-rural-india.html

Putin’s Return – Not So Great News for Investors?

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-30/putin-s-second-coming-is-no-gift-to-russia-s-workers-or-investors-view.html

Why are US Bond Yields So Low?

Stanford Economist Ronald McKinnon has some interesting thoughts on recent developments in the bond markets:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904332804576538363789127084.html

Meanwhile, New Zealand becomes the latest advanced economy to face a sovereign debt rating downgrade:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/business/global/New-Zealand-Double-Ratings-Downgrade.html

Price Signals and Incentives Work

As prices of rare earth materials rose, and as their supplies tightened, companies sought alternatives and workarounds (successfully):

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-28/rare-earths-fall-as-toyota-develops-alternatives-commodities.html

Bernanke on Economic Growth

Interesting Speech by the Fed Chairman
http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/bernanke20110928a.pdf

Skill-Biased Technological Changes and High Unemployment

Watch the full episode. See more PBS NewsHour.

Related:
Wealth Distribution in the US

Watch the full episode. See more PBS NewsHour.

Chicago School of Economics & Robert Lucas

Here is a fascinating WSJ interview with Nobel Laureate Robert Lucas:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904194604576583382550849232.html

MBA Applications

Not So Counter-Cyclical.