The smaller economies within the Caribbean region appear to be better managed than the larger economies in the region. IC Insider.com looked at the exchange movements of Jamaica, Costa Rica, Guyana and Dominica Republic between 1972 to date, to see how they performed against each other.
No studies appear to be have been done on this feature of the region and the major reasons why large states seems to be managed so poorly compared to the much smaller ones. The major movement in exchange rates of the countries’ currencies against the United States dollar speaks eloquently of the differences in management quality or could it be that the larger countries are much more difficult to manage? The smaller islands of Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean and the Cayman Islands have maintained the value of their currencies to that of the US from 1972 until now.
At the beginning of 1972 it took 6.635 colon to purchase one United States dollar, by 1989, the amount increased to 79.7335 colon for an increase of 12 times the 1972 value. By the end of 1999 it required 50 times the amount in 1972 or 331.796 colons to buy the US dollar. By 2009 it took 554.5 colon to buy the US dollar or 83.6 times the amount in 1972. As of September this year it requires 80.2 times the amount in 1972 to purchase the US dollar which trades at 532.45 colon to US$1.
In the case of Guyana it took GY$2.087 in 1972 to buy the Us dollar but by 1989 it required 13.4 times the amount as in 1972 as the rate slipped to GY$27.95. By 1999 it was taking GY$178.63 or 85.6 times the 1972 figure, for the next ten years the change slowed markedly to GY$202.876 or 97 times the 1972 and in September 2015 the rate inched up to GY$205.79.
In the case of Dominican Republic it took 1 peso in 1972 to buy the Us dollar but by 1989 it required 6.53 times the amount as in 1972 as the rate slipped to 6.53 pesos. By 1999 it was taking 16.09 or 16 times the 1972 figure. By 1999 the Dominican peso fell further in value, requiring 35.35 pesos or 35 times the 1972 figure to buy the buck. In September 2015 the rate climbed to 44.26 pesos to the US dollar or 44 times the amount in 1972.
Jamaica has turned out to be by far, the worst performing currency in the Caribbean region since 1972 and probably the worst managed economy. Between 1972 and September this year, it takes 154.55 more Jamaican dollar to buy one United States dollar as the country’s economy has performed poorly. Having been trading at 77 Jamaican cents to the US dollar for a number of years, by the January 10, 1973, the Jamaican dollar was devalued by 15 percent to 91 cents to one US dollar. On the January 13, 1978, the official rate had moved to $1.05, by May 10, the rate ended at $1.55 and ended at $1.69 on the last day of the year. On May 2, 1979 the rate moved to $1.78 where it stayed until November 1983, at which stage the rate moved to $3.15. By 1985 the rate climbed to $5.50 and to $6.50 by the end of 1989, taking 365 percent more Jamaican dollars to buy the US dollar, since 1983 and requiring 8.44 times the amount in 1972.
Ten years later in 1999, the rate reached $41.42, requiring 637 percent more local currency to but one US dollar than ten years before, and 53.8 times the amount in 1972. By the end of 2009, the rate moved to $89.60, requiring just over twice the amount of Jamaican dollars for one US dollar. At the end of trading on Friday September 25, 2015 at just over $119 to 1 US dollar for the first time, requiring 33 percent more Jamaican dollars to purchase the US dollar, than at the end of 2009.
Columbia will win 2014 world cup
The 2014 world cup will end up in South America, but it won’t go to Jamaicans beloved Brazil or their second love Argentina. 
Jamaican dream of seeing their first and the second choice teams win the world cup football seems set to be shattered unless something miraculous happens. Neither of these teams have found the critical element to score enough goals and even if they do, there are serious questions about their ability to defend their goal. Brazil scored 9 goals so far and conceded 3, while Argentina scored 7 and gave up 3, that equates to 1 net goal per match for Argentina and 1½ for Brazil. Holland scored 12 goals and gave up 4 for a net score of two per match, France scored 10 goals for and two against for 1½ per match in their favour and Germany had a net goal score of 5 with 8 for and 3 against. Columbia scored 11 with 2 against, for just over two per match. Costa Rica the giant killers scored 5 with 2 against. IC Insider that forecasted all the winners in the quarter finals is now forecasting that the 2014 world cup winner will be Columbia.
Costa Rica should bow up when they play Holland, thus ending their dream run. Columbia will beat Brazil and Belgium will beat Argentina, France will put Germany out to pasture.
Columbia, Netherlands or France world cup winner?
The IC Insiders forecast for the quarter finals winners is spot on so far. With only two matches to go the IC Insider’s forecast have been panned out exactly as set out in our report prepared after the preliminary rounds were completed. The closeness of the quarter finals suggest that matches in the semis should be very close once more. Data suggest that the three top teams likely to land the cup are Columbia, Netherlands and France. All three appears to be very close but with Columbia having a very small edge. Brazil is a some what off from the three leading teams.
Ranking| IC Insider ranked the teams in the quarter finals and make its forecast based on the preliminary round performance of the teams. The report that was posted indicated that Brazil the number 4 ranked team should have the better of the number 10 team, Chile with the latter scoring 5 goals and conceding 3 versus Brazil with an 8 to 2 superior record. Holland with 10 goals for and 3 against should have the better of Mexico with a 4 for 1 record, but this is not expected to be a walk over as the Mexicans demonstrated in the preliminary rounds that they don’t intend to quit easily. Columbia’s 9 goals for and 2 against should, on paper place them ahead of Uruguay the number 13 ranked team with 4 and 4 but the latter performance in their last two matches suggests that it could go either way. Costa Rica looks as if they will progress to the next round over Greece who only won one match and have a negative goal difference with only two goals being scored by them. Costa Rica 4 goals and one against was achieved in one of the toughest groups. 
France the IC insider’s number 3 team should be too good for the number 15 team, Nigeria, the same is true for Germany IC Insider ranked number 5 team who should do away with Algeria the number 12 team. Argentina the number 6 team should blow away the Swiss team who are ranked at 11 with 7 goals for and 6 against compared to 6 to 3 for Argentina. Belgium on paper should have the better of the USA having had a superior goal difference and what a appears a more solid defense but the USA team seems to have a better goal hungry approach, if the latter can do better in defense than their last two encounters they look as if they are in with a good chance of winning.
2014 World Cup Quarter finals forecast
IC Insider has ranked the teams in the quarter finals and make its forecast based on the preliminary round performance of the teams. Brazil the number 4 ranked team should have the better of the number 10 team, Chile with the latter scoring 5 goals and conceding 3 versus Brazil with an 8 to 2 superior record. Holland with 10 goals for and 3 against should have the better of Mexico with a 4 for 1 record, but this is not expected to be a walk over as the Mexicans demonstrated in the preliminary rounds that they don’t intend to quit easily.
Columbia’s 9 goals for and 2 against should, on paper place them ahead of Uruguay the number 13 ranked team with 4 and 4 but the latter performance in their last two matches suggests that it could go either way. Costa Rica looks as if they will progress to the next round over Greece who only won one match and have a negative goal difference with only two goals being scored by them. Costa Rica 4 goals and one against was achieved in one of the toughest groups. France the IC insider’s number 3 team should be too good for the number 15 team, Nigeria, the same is true for Germany IC Insider ranked number 5 team who should do away with Algeria the number 12 team. Argentina the number 6 team should blow away the Swiss team who are ranked at 11 with 7 goals for and 6 against compared to 6 to 3 for Argentina. Belgium on paper should have the better of the USA having had a superior goal difference and what a appears a more solid defense but the USA team seems to have a better goal hungry approach, if the latter can do better in defense than their last two encounters they look as if they are in with a good chance of winning.
World Cup IC TOP 10 teams
At the mid-way point of the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals, the appropriate ranking of the various teams are best gleaned. The FIFA system of ranking teams is clearly flawed, with some of the top teams booted from the competition at a very early stage and others that were low on the list ending up in the 16 to contest the quarter finals. The get a better picture of what is likely to be a better ranking, 
IC Insider decided to use the data up to the mid-way point to rank the teams and arrive at the IC TOP 10. The TOP 10 rankings are listed in the accompanying table and shows the FIFA June ranking for comparison purposes. The winner for this year’s World Cup seems set to come from within the top 6 but Columbia appears the weakest of the lot but could well go far.
FIFA number 1 team Spain won just one match after they were eliminated from this year’s World Cup finals, the number 10 team, England never even won a match. The number 9 ranked team, Italy, managed just one win and bowed out of the tournament at the end of the preliminary round. The number 4th ranked team Portugal is also out of the top 16. The 28th team Costa Rica won all their matches against FIFA’s 7th, 9th and 10th ranked teams. The team that was ranked at 44, Nigeria, is in the top 16. Korea Republic was ranked at 57 did better than many ranked above them and so is the case with Iran that was ranked at 43, Ghana was ranked at 37 and is out of the top 16 but ended up at 23 based on IC Insider’s ranking.
FIFA incredible ranking system left wanting
The world cup finals are making a mockery out of FIFA ranking system for its members. For years FIFA has been using a system of moving nations up and down the ranking ladder based on results of games played. Unless there are regular interchange of teams globally so that there is a good comparison that can be done internationally, the ranking system is likely to be flawed which is exactly what the June rankings and the world cup outcomes indicate. Commentators have been caught out as well as they have in many cases limited information to compare one team with another. The results many have been confounded by the results of world cup 2014.
FIFA number 1 team Spain won just one match but only after they were eliminated from this year’s world cup finals, the number 10 team England never even won a match, their no 9 ranked team managed just one win and bowed out of the tournament at the end of the preliminary round. The number 4th ranked team Portugal is in with a chance of staying in the top 16 but may well not make it.
The 28th team Costa Rica won all their matches against the 7th, 9th and 10th ranked teams, the team that was ranked at 44 is in the top 16. Korea Republic that was ranked at 57 did better than many ranked above them and so is the case with Iran that was ranked at 43, Ghana was ranked at 37 and is close to being in the top 16.
Something must be terrible wrong with a system that gets the ranking so wrong. FIFA needs to revisit this system if it to have credibility as the present system has little. But this is not the only thing that FIFA a body of mostly well aged men control. Cricket has moved to let technology help in determining the accuracy of developments during a cricket match, tennis has done so for years but FIFA has refused to move into the modern era except belated for goal post technology. The present series and past ones have had so many bad calls that the time has long gone for football to move fully into the modern world and let technology assists the referees on the field.
Costa Rica 3, Uruguay 1
Costa Rica had the better of play in their group D world cup match against the South American Uruguay. After they stupidly gave away a penalty by pulling down one of the Uruguaian players in the penalty area, they now lead 3-1 with three excellent goals, with the last minutes from the end thus putting paid to any hope Uruguay had of winning the match. Campbell was the star for Costa Rica in scoring the first goal for his country.
Things got worse for Uruguay in the dying moments from the end with a Uruguay player being red carded, the first of this year world cup.
