ECONOMICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ECONOMICS - Essay Example The recovering signs of the world economy due to good performance by the policymakers led to the fall of gold prices as the demand for gold fell due to higher return on investment in other class of assets. Gold, Long a Secure Investment, Loses Its Luster: Background overview During the period of economic recession, the prices of gold soared and became the sought after investment for the investors. The rise in the prices of gold meant that the world economy was not performing well. Due to the economic recession and the global financial meltdown from 2008 to 2011, the gold prices reached its highest peak in 2011. This could be observed from the producer price index as given below. Due to the crisis in the economy, the total factor productivity of the nations was hit and the factors of production were affected due to the downturn of the economies. The crisis in the economy gave rise to a situation of liquidity crisis. The fall in income levels of the people led to the fall in consumptio n demand in the economy. Due to this, the productivity of the business houses and industrial bodies fell. The fall in revenue and profitability led to the erosion of wealth of the shareholders and market investors. Along with this the erosion of confidence of the investors on the stock performance of the companies led to the fall of valuation of the companies and market indices. As a replacement for the investment in stock markets, the investors confided on the investment in gold markets (McGuire, 2010, p.37)1. The investment in gold was considered to be lucrative as prices of gold increased on the back of high demand for gold. An investment in gold offered higher returns on investment and there was no erosion of wealth from the amount of investment. Apart from that gold could be sold at any point of time and was considered as marketable investment. The presence of large number of buyers gave the opportunity to transform it into cash at any point of time. All these factors led to th e rise in the prices of gold. Investment in gold was deemed to be an investment that would in which the returns obtained would never be lowered (Northcott, 2010, p.46)2. The spurt in he gold prices over the last few years fuelled by weak economic conditions has been represented below. Demand and Supply Analysis The fluctuation in the price of gold could be explained from the demand supply curve for gold as given below. As the demand for gold rose in a weaker economic condition, the demand curve shifted from position 1 to 2 depicted by the red line. As a result, in order to maintain a position of equilibrium with the supply, the prices of gold rose from P1 to P2. The reverse is also true for fall in prices for gold as a result of fall in demand. Gold looses its luster: Rational behind plunge in gold prices The unexpected plunge in the prices of gold in recent times has occurred as result of recovery in the performance of the economies all over the world. The correct strategies adopte d by the policymakers in order to maintain a proper balance of supply and demand in the economy, controlling inflation through appropriate interest rates, fiscal and monetary policies have led to turn around of the economies of the world. The economic reforms and recovery from the economic recession led to improvement in the performanc

Understanding Heroines Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Understanding Heroines - Movie Review Example Understanding Heroines Characters who cannot longer be understood the same way today because out reviling attitude toward the women have changed so thoroughly since the movie were made. For each of the heroines or leading characters, the following concerns would be addressed: to describe the attitudes that other characters in the Post 80 viewing assignment: choosing from Queen Latifah in " Bringing Down the House", Jennifer Lopez in " Selena" , Julia Roberts in " Erin Brockovich" or " Quinceanera" . What do these protesting women really want? Why did Woopi Goldberg become the first women of color to become a major movie star? And what in the climate of the 90s and early 2000 allowed the careers of Goldberg, Latifa, Halle Berry, J-Lo to flourish? Three Leading Characters Theda Bara was described by Rosen as â€Å"with her waist-length black hair, her darkly kohled eyes and crude exotic make-up, Theda Bara embodied still primitive notions of depravity and wanton lust. She postured triumphantly as the poor m ale on whom she drew a bead was driven to drink, ruin, slavery ...† Theda Bara catapulted to fame during the era of the silent films and her official website depicted the star as â€Å"the first studio-made sex-symbol superstar and the very first ‘vamp’†. Audrey Hepburn, on the other hand, was illumined by Rosen as â€Å"Hepburn simply out-dazzled by the sheer force of her piquant joie de vivre and the apposite way she was put together. Perhaps it was the unusual combination of a narrow, bony body which she carried like a queen and an elfin face whose doe eyes contradicted by the strength of intelligence in the look, the irregular nose and wide mouth whose smile was at once sensuous, mischievous and absolutely sincere† (285). Her career was more colorful and her achievements include becoming the â€Å"special ambassador to the United Nations UNICEF fund helping children in Latin America and Africa, a position she retained until 1993. She was named to People's magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world†¦ She had made a total of 31 high quality movies. Her elegance and style will always be remembered in film history as evidenced by her being named in Empire magazine's ‘The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time’† (Jackson, par. 1). Finally, Mary Pickford was described by Rosen as â€Å"with her thick golden curls, her cherubic body and pretty face, she was, from the beginning, the incarnation of angelic sweetness and childlike innocence† (37). A Canadian, Pickford’s career begun in 1909 and ended in 1933. She acquired the name â€Å"America’s Sweetheart† due to the image, fame and fortune amassed during the peak of her career (Canadaka, par. 2). The three female lead characters who became famous through the 1940s were shown to manifest roles of from focusing on the physical traits of beauty and sexism as the main captivating elements to increasing emphasis on enhanced awareness of women to expand their roles from the traditional housewife to intelligent and participative members of society. Comparative Analysis with Post 80 Heroines 1. Protesting Women When compared with famous heroines during the post 80s, such as Queen Latifah in her portraya l as a an ex-convict who met Steve Martin, a tax lawyer, through the internet, Jennifer Lopez in "Selena", and Julia Roberts in "Erin Brockovich†