The Business and Economics Portal

The time required to start a business is the number of calendar days needed to complete the procedures to legally operate a business. This chart is from 2017 statistics.
Small business vendors at a public market

Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit."

A business entity is not necessarily separate from the owner and the creditors can hold the owner liable for debts the business has acquired except for limited liability company. The taxation system for businesses is different from that of the corporates. A business structure does not allow for corporate tax rates. The proprietor is personally taxed on all income from the business.

A distinction is made in law and public offices between the term business and a company (such as a corporation or cooperative). Colloquially, the terms are used interchangeably. (Full article...)

Economics (/ˌɛkəˈnɒmɪks, ˌkə-/) is a social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyses what is viewed as the basic elements of economies, including individual agents and markets, their interactions, and the outcomes of those interactions. Individual agents may include households, firms, buyers, and sellers. Macroeconomics analyses economies as systems where production, distribution, consumption, savings, and investment expenditure interact; and the factors of production affecting them, such as: labour, capital, land, and enterprise, inflation, economic growth, and public policies that impact these elements. It also seeks to analyse and describe the global economy. (Full article...)

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Finn Michael Westby Caspersen, Sr. (October 27, 1941 – September 7, 2009) was an American financier and philanthropist. A graduate of Brown University and Harvard Law School, he followed his father, Olaus Caspersen, a Norwegian immigrant to the United States, as chairman and chief executive of Beneficial Corporation, one of the largest consumer finance companies in the United States. After an $8.6 billion acquisition of Beneficial by Household International in 1998, Caspersen ran Knickerbocker Management, a private financial firm overseeing the assets of trusts and foundations.

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"The New Fred Meyer on Interstate on Lombard" (7404 N Interstate Ave, Portland, OR 97217).
Photo credit: Genghiskhanviet

In commerce, a hypermarket is a superstore combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is an expansive retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, including full groceries lines and general merchandise. In theory, hypermarkets allow customers to satisfy all their routine shopping needs in one trip.

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Trade panel of BM&F Bovespa, the São Paulo Stock Exchange

São Paulo is one of the largest cities in the world economically, and is expected to be the 6th largest in 2025. According to data of Fecomercio/SP, its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017 was R$699.28 billion ($219.11B today).

The biggest financial center in Brazil and one of the biggest financial centers in the world, São Paulo's economy is going through a deep transformation. Once a city with a strong industrial character, São Paulo's economy has become increasingly based on the tertiary sector, focusing on services and businesses for the country. The city is also unique among Brazilian cities for its large number of foreign corporations. Many analysts point to São Paulo as an important global city, even though this assignment can be criticized considering its serious problems of social exclusion and spatial segregation. Although being the most important financial centre of the country, São Paulo also presents a high degree of informality in its economy. (Full article...)

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"The type of fallacy involved in projecting loss experience from a universe of non-insured bonds onto a deceptively-similar universe in which many bonds are insured pops up in other areas of finance. “Back-tested” models of many kinds are susceptible to this sort of error. Nevertheless, they are frequently touted in financial markets as guides to future action. (If merely looking up past financial data would tell you what the future holds, the Forbes 400 would consist of librarians.)

Indeed, the stupefying losses in mortgage-related securities came in large part because of flawed, history-based models used by salesmen, rating agencies and investors. These parties looked at loss experience over periods when home prices rose only moderately and speculation in houses was negligible. They then made this experience a yardstick for evaluating future losses. They blissfully ignored the fact that house prices had recently skyrocketed, loan practices had deteriorated and many buyers had opted for houses they couldn’t afford. In short, universe “past” and universe “current” had very different characteristics. But lenders, government and media largely failed to recognize this all-important fact.

Investors should be skeptical of history-based models. Constructed by a nerdy-sounding priesthood using esoteric terms such as beta, gamma, sigma and the like, these models tend to look impressive. Too often, though, investors forget to examine the assumptions behind the symbols. Our advice: Beware of geeks bearing formulas."

Warren Buffett, To the Shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., 2009

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  • ... that YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim has updated the description of his video "Me at the zoo" on multiple occasions to criticize the website's business decisions?
  • ... that Billy Gallagher's Times Square cabaret was open from sundown to dawn, with a mix of "reputable people" and those "who had practical reasons for circulating after dark"?
  • ... that a hiking trail established by Suh Myung Sook is estimated to contribute more than US$800 million to the economy of Jeju Province?
  • ... that former Nazi officer Reinhard Höhn founded a business school after the Second World War?
  • ... that Bill Chisholm's announced $6.1 billion purchase of the Boston Celtics is the largest amount ever paid for a North American sports team?
  • ... that Amon G. Carter Jr. worked as a newspaper salesman as a child, despite his father being a successful businessman?

On this day in business history

September 13:

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11 September 2026 – Israel–United Kingdom relations
In retaliation to British sanctions on goods from Israeli settlements earlier this week, the Israeli government orders a team of British soldiers who train and advise Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank to leave the country. (The Telegraph)
10 September 2026 – Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
The International Monetary Fund reports that the global growth of the global economy is on track to reach 3% in 2026 despite the war in Iran, but also cautioned that risks still remain high. (Reuters)
8 September 2026 – International sanctions against Iran
The U.S. treasury department imposes sanctions against 27 Iranian airlines, including flag carrier Iran Air, in an effort to squeeze Iran's economy. (Al-Monitor)
8 September 2026 – Israel–United Kingdom relations, Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Legality of Israeli settlements
The United Kingdom announces it will ban imports of all goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, as well as some services, including financing, construction, infrastructure, real estate, and advertising. (Telegraph India)
7 September 2026 –
Kenya grants temporary legal status to undocumented East African nationals who registered with their embassies, after president William Ruto ordered the closure of small businesses operated by foreign traders without work permits. (Reuters)
2 September 2026 –
A Maltese jury acquits businessman Yorgen Fenech of complicity in the 2017 car-bomb killing of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and of criminal association, finding him not guilty by an 8–1 vote. (AP via NPR)

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