As the crisis at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant continues, some worry that radiation from the damaged reactors will reach U.S. shores. Dr. Edward Maher, president of the Health Physics Society, and an environmental science expert at Harvard, explains why we should breathe easy.
Despite turbulent times, U.S. markets are rising again. But is this a temporary bump, or the return of a bull market? The sharp-eyed analysts of Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs say its the latter, and their money is on strong growth ahead.
The Japanese government says the economic toll from the earthquake and tsunami could exceed $300 billion, considerably higher than other estimates.
Both a major buyer and processor of fish, Japan is an important link in the global seafood distribution chain. So the effects of the disaster -- including the ruined ports, roads, fisheries and processing centers -- have taken their toll on the seafood industry worldwide.
One of Japan's best-known exports, its unique style of animation, faces a new crisis -- a disruption in production following the recent earthquake and tsunami. The multi-billion-dollar "anime" industry has already been challenged by overseas competition and high employee turnover at home.
Japan's Nikkei 225 Index advanced 2.7% on Friday, ending a turbulent week at 9,207. In Hong Kong the Hang Seng Index inched up 0.1% to 22,300 and in China the Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.3% to close at 2,907.
The Group of Seven countries on Thursday agreed to intervene to reduce the value of the Japanese yen, which has surged to record levels after last week's earthquake and tsunami. A strong yen could cripple the country's exports and further damage its economy.
It's easy to be pessimistic these days. Libya's civil war, surging oil prices and the disaster in Japan have combined forces to send financial markets tumbling. But the cold, hard facts about the economy paint a more optimistic picture.
Two veteran observers of the global economy, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and hedge fund manager John Paulson, offer mixed forecasts on immediate and long-term economic prospects.
The Japanese automaker has extended its halt on vehicle production at its plants in Japan through March 22, as the country continues to reel from the devastation of last week's massive 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami.
The Japanese are the world's most voracious consumers of luxury goods, from Louis Vuitton handbags to Cartier jewelry to Hermes high fashion. So purveyors of those luxury goods are justifiably worried about the effect of the Japanese quake and tsunami on their bottom lines.
