MarketWatch – The hype that has fueled the skyrocketing prices of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies was on full display this week in San Francisco, where a conference showcasing young companies seeking to catch the crypto wave before it crests offered a perplexing mix of a fantastical future and likely reality.
Finance
Transit System Travails Persist as Economic Worry for Connecticut
Stamford Advocate – A growing number of economists and public officials think Connecticut’s transportation troubles are contributing to the state’s slow economic recovery.
Norwich Public Utilities is Economic Engine for Norwich, Region
The Day – Norwich Public Utilities (NPU) has always done well when evaluated by typical metrics for a utility company. Our rates are often lower and always competitive with investor-owned utilities; exceptional storm response is a point of pride within the organization, and our customer service is available to Norwich residents every minute of every day of the year.
But a recent study by the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis (CCEA) measuring the economic impact of NPU in Norwich and New London County provides a new way of appreciating the value of NPU. The CCEA is a University Research Center in the School of Business at the University of Connecticut.
Read article
GOP Tax Bill: A Tale of Two Middle Classes
Connecticut Post – President Trump’s advisers argue that if the Republican tax plan is viewed in its entirety, its benefits outweigh the loss of the state-and-local tax (SALT) deduction in states like Connecticut.
Tax the Land, Save the People
San Francisco Magazine – One man’s quixotic—but totally serious—quest to upend the tax system, rebalance wealth, and cure all of our social ills.
Read article
As Layoffs Mount, RBS Holds on in Stamford
Stamford Advocate – The Royal Bank of Scotland’s daisy-wheel logo still stands on top of 600 Washington Blvd. — even after many rounds of cutbacks at the downtown financial hub.
Battered by weak earnings and legal and regulatory pressures, the bank has slashed some 700 jobs in the past three years at its Americas headquarters. In an industry that has undergone seismic changes in the past decade, RBS is unlikely to bring back the lost positions. But the bank says Stamford remains vital to its business, and the firm’s strong ties to the area suggest it will carry on its curtailed Connecticut operations.
No State Budget Deal in Sight
New Haven Register – Connecticut might be the last state to be without a budget, but plenty of areas around the country struggled with failed revenue projections, the lingering effects of the 2008 recession and changing political dynamics.
Republicans Should Gladly Pay for My Pre-Existing Condition
Los Angeles Times – It’s a question I encounter frequently when I discuss healthcare with conservatives, particularly after I note that I have a chronic and costly preexisting condition, Type 1 diabetes.
“Why should I pay for your healthcare?” they ask.
Reinsurance Firms Ride Out Wave of Storm Losses
Greewich Time – The reinsurers figure out how to cover their losses long before the storms hit.
Amid an exceptionally active Atlantic hurricane season, reinsurance firms in Stamford and elsewhere are tracking the tempests with concern, but not much surprise. Based on decades of experience, many reinsurers have built operations that can cumulatively pay out billions in claims from hurricanes like Harvey and Irma without jeopardizing their fiscal security.
How Much Value Does Regular Maintenance Add to Your Home?
Kane County Chronicle – A Farmingdale-based startup is bringing infusion services to rural locations and smaller health-care facilities to spare patients the hassle and extra cost of having to travel far from home.
Read article