Influences of Stock Options on National Issues (Part 2)
Influences of Stock Options on National Issues (Part 1)
National Stocks and Governance
MTBE is an example from the United States of how stock price considerations influence national priorities. That does not mean that Washington is alone in keeping stock exchange considerations uppermost in minds. Countries with all varieties of governance share common concerns over the vital need to protect selected stocks. The stock market sometimes overtakes inflation and jobs in keeping federal honchos busy! Private capital holds sway in emerging economies such as that of India, while regimes in Russia and China make no bones about using State power as corporate forces. Globalization implies that small policy changes in one economy can set off tsunamis in many others. Most Asian stock markets for example, react in most exaggerated ways to anything and everything a US Federal Reserve Chair Person says!
Some interfaces between governments and stock options are more obvious than others. Stocks of government-owned companies that work for profit are nearly as sound as bank deposits. This ownership structure is virtually unknown in the United States, though companies that depend almost entirely on government custom are equally well protected. Governments in India and most Middle East countries are important stock market players, which is why their stocks are highly prized. Links between caucuses and lobbies are more difficult to spot, but unreasonable protection as we find with MTBE, are sufficient grounds for discerning investors.
Integrating Citizenship and Financial Planning
The 2008 Presidential election shows a new path to blending democratic rights and stock investment. Indeed, such an approach has profitable implications for all financial planning. We could well see the vice-like grip of financial institutions give way for ever. The sub-prime imbroglio has occurred at the same time as the extensive use of the Internet by Presidential hopefuls. We find similar trends in other democracies as well. Small investors can now use their franchise rights to forge the same advantages for their portfolios that top executives have enjoyed in secret for long. Tax rates, incentives for new sectors of the economy, international relations with foreign stock trading interests, outsourcing jobs, and the rising insecurity of all welfare programs, are examples of issues raised all over the country, as candidates get down to the rah-rah of capturing your vote.