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[Video] Shocking Facts About the US Prison System On Sunday, after accepting his Academy Award for his song “Glory” in the film “Selma”, John Legend called for reform to the US criminal justice system. In his speech, he stated: “There are more black men under correctional control today than there were under slavery in 1850.” Today there are 1.7 million black men under some form of correctional control such as probation or parole, excluding those held in jail....

According to research from Ark Invest, investors are holding onto bitcoin for longer and longer durations. By holding the asset rather than selling, it decreases the supply of coins available on the market at any given moment, which can drive up price. This suggests that market participants see the long-term value and potential future payoff the asset possesses. In the past, durations of days and months were the most common holding periods for bitcoin investors, while holding for more than a year was practically non-existent up until recently....

2014’s Most Promising Alternative Energy Trends The business world has recognized a need for viable alternative energy solutions, and investors are now pouring in their cash. Last year, a staggering $214 billion was invested in renewable energy worldwide. Many nations and corporations across the world are taking steps to develop alternative energy solutions and the private sector is taking note of this opportunity. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (NYSE: KKR), one of the world’s largest private equity firms, invested $567 million USD for a 33% stake in Acciona’s renewable energy efforts....

However, investors could consider expanding their geographic exposure. From Shanghai to London, 20 of the world’s stock exchanges have a market capitalization above $1 trillion. This infographic from MSCI highlights the possibilities in international equity investing. Let’s dive into some of the key concepts covered in the visualization. Consider Correlations For starters, by looking abroad, investors may be able to include markets in their portfolio that have relatively low correlation with their home market....

We’re aiming to take hundreds of pages of our best infographics, charts, and visualizations, and connect them with one universal theme: what are the fundamental forces shaping the business and investing world? To make the book a reality we are funding through Kickstarter – and with just a few days remaining to reach our goal, only you can help us make it there. Example Book Spreads As we get closer to the funding deadline, we’ve been working hard to imagine how the book could look....

It’s well known that a correction can occur at any time, and the fear of market crashes can make even the most seasoned investors to make questionable decisions. While it’s true that putting your money on the line is never easy, the historical record of the stock market is virtually irrefutable: U.S. markets have consistently performed over long holding periods, even going back to the 19th century. Market Performance (1872-2018) Today’s animation comes to us from The Measure of a Plan, and it shows the performance of the U....

For many millennia, it was almost unfathomable for a city to sustain more than 1 million residents. In fact, it wasn’t until the 19th century that the largest cities globally, such as London and Beijing, were able to consistently hold populations beyond that impressive mark. Despite this, in the modern era, we’ve quickly discovered that a city of 1 million people isn’t remarkable at all. In China alone, there are now over 100 cities with a million people today – and as such, our mental benchmark for what we consider to be a “big city” has changed considerably from past times....

This week’s chart outlines the interest rates attached to loans dating back to the 1350s. Take a look at the diminishing history of the cost of debt—money has never been cheaper for governments to borrow than it is today. The Birth of an Investing Class Trade brought many good ideas to Europe, while helping spur the Renaissance and the development of the money economy. Key European ports and trading nations, such as the Republic of Genoa or the Netherlands during the Renaissance period, help provide a good indication of the cost of borrowing in the early history of interest rates....

China’s Yuan Devaluation: The Aftermath [Chart] Oil and copper get decimated; Euro an unlikely winner The Chart of the Week is a weekly Visual Capitalist feature on Fridays. Sometimes it feels like the market is one giant ant farm. Investors and traders build all of their little tunnels, and then all of a sudden someone shakes the ant farm causing impending chaos for the hapless ant denizens. In this case, it was the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) that shook the ant farm – and they did it multiple times this week....

Every Chinese Overseas Investment Over $100M Visualized The global reach of the world’s most populous country has grown exponentially over the last decade. China’s thirst for assets in metals, energy, agriculture, and other sectors is reflected in today’s post. In the above data visualization, every attempted Chinese merger and acquisition (M&A) overseas over $100 million is sorted by country and industry. Showing over 1,250 attempted transactions (excluding bonds), this list includes both successful and failed attempts in order to help visualize the ebb and flow of Chinese investments up until mid-2014....

The Federal Reserve’s accommodative monetary policy, supply chain struggles, and high demand for fuels and raw materials for the clean energy transition largely shaped the markets. Alongside the rise in inflation, commodities and cryptocurrency outperformed as broad equity indices saw double-digit returns, with the S&P 500 rising by 26.9% in 2021. Markets Roundup for 2021 Speculation and the energy fuels for the world’s reopening were two of the main themes for markets in 2021, reflected in Bitcoin (59....

There are over 1.1 billion websites on the internet, but the vast majority of all traffic actually goes to a very select list of them. Google.com, for example, has an astounding 28 billion visits per month. The next closest is also a Google-owned property, Youtube.com, which brings in 20.5 billion visits. Today’s infographic comes to us from Vodien, and it lists the 100 highest ranking websites in the U.S. by traffic, according to website analytics company Alexa....

However, even with today’s advancements – almost all early-stage prospecting methods are still based on the same key principle: trying to find areas of exposed bedrock, called outcrops, that indicate an orebody is near. But such outcrops only form in certain circumstances – and what happens when a geological system doesn’t come in contact directly with the surface? The Problem of Cover Today’s infographic comes to us from Nevada Exploration, and it identifies the problem behind finding these “hidden” deposits that do not leave a helpful trail of clues on the surface....

But while the Yukon only produced 2.2% of Canada’s gold in 2016, the territory’s considerable potential may finally be getting realized in a big way. In the last few years, globally significant discoveries have been made, and now mining giants such as Barrick, Goldcorp, and Agnico Eagle are making their move into the Yukon to get in on the action. A Coming of Age Story Today’s infographic comes from Strikepoint Gold, and it showcases some of the reasons on why the most important chapter in the Yukon’s mining story may just be beginning....

Many organizations say that their greatest asset is their people. In fact, Richard Branson has famously stated that employees come first at Virgin, ranking ahead of customers and shareholders. So, how do businesses effectively manage this talent to drive success? This question is top of mind for many bank CEOs. As processes become increasingly automated and digitized, the composition of banking talent is changing – and banks will need to become adept at hitting a moving target....

During the longest bull market in modern history, the S&P 500 surged a whopping 418% over the 9.5 years between November 1990 and March 2000. This was during the famous economic expansion that took place during the Clinton era, in which job growth was robust, oil prices fell, stocks soared, and making money was as easy as throwing it in the stock market. In mere months, this famed bull market may lose its title as the “longest” in the modern era....

The United States has some of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, but their distribution is extremely uneven. Today’s infographic comes from Highrises.com, and it covers the tallest building in each state. New York City alone has 6,229 highrises – more than the next nine cities combined, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Honolulu, San Francisco, Houston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Miami, and Dallas. Surprisingly, multiple states don’t have a single building over 200 feet (61 m) tall....

That’s why claims about guaranteed returns or “can’t miss” opportunities can be extremely tempting when they appear. After all, many people have been grinding it out for years in the markets – and rightfully they may feel overdue for their big moment. But as always, opportunities that are too good to be true must pass the smell test. And most of the time, if you do your homework, they fail with flying colors....

But losing money doesn’t just happen in a stock portfolio – it’s also a common occurrence in other facets of life. That’s why Warren Buffett leads such a frugal lifestyle. He knows that every extra dollar spent on something he doesn’t need is wasted capital. In practically every house in America, capital is being wasted on energy consumption. That’s because the average electricity spend per year is $1,368.36 per year, and 35% of the power used is actually wasted....

But what will our homes look like in the more distant future, beyond the implementation of advanced home monitoring systems and other smart devices? The future is bizarre Today’s interactive infographic comes to us from RS Components, and it previews some of the upcoming technologies that futurists see inside your next home. And while some of the examples are easy to imagine, such as “smart windows” that can automatically turn from translucent to opaque with the touch of a button, others are a little more difficult to picture....