Megatrends

To reach as much as 50 billion barrels of deep-water gulf oil, Mexico is considering a constitutional change to allow foreign investment.

A report from the International Energy Agency also said that events outside the U.S. will continue to affect pricing.

Rooftop solar and utilities have been on a collision course for years, and now, the political fight is escalating, and getting dirty.

The U.S. will pass Saudi Arabia and Russia to become the world's top oil producer by 2016, the West's energy agency said.

Foreign investors are among the biggest beneficiaries of the U.S. energy boom, underscoring the great positioning of small energy companies.

The shale revolution helped push oil production in the world's largest economy to a record last year, BP said in a report this week.

There aren't a lot of motor vehicles using natural gas, but that could be changing thanks to a confluence of trends.

Growth in energy demand from developing nations will soon surpass the total energy consumed by the world in 1970. Is the world prepared to meet the energy needs of rising nations?

If the U.S. disappeared tomorrow, with global warming emissions dropping to zero, annual global emissions would be back to their current level in four years, courtesy of China.

With the profiles of shale and natural gas on the upswing, energy watchers say renewed interest in an old process could help rehabilitate coal's battered image.

The U.S. is more entangled in the global energy system than ever, and rising demand for energy will remain at the root of transformations in American energy, writes Michael Levi.

Leapfrogging legacy technology is a critical theme in the rise of the developing world, and China hopes to embrace this thinking when it comes to energy production.

America gets a D+ for its crumbling roads, bridges, other infrastructure. The Transport Secretary is calling for a gas tax to help pick up the tab.

The waiting game: Engineering has finally begun on California's bullet train, but after five years it still hasn't broke ground.

After its first trip from Vermont to New York, a floating farmers market has high hopes for reviving an old trade route and its historic canal towns.

A ban on the use of cryptocurrencies cannot be ruled out, although China’s latest rulings are an acknowledges the growing use of digital currencies.

Google will offer a prepaid debit card in the U.S. that will allow consumers to purchase goods at stores and to withdraw cash from ATMs.

Bitcoin's strong rally this week in the run-up to and following a U.S. Senate hearing on Monday, has led to the re-emergence of bubble fears.

"The small bull case scenario is a $400 billion market cap," Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss told CNBC in November 2013.

More than half the nation's small businesses refuse to take anything but cash, and that adds up to as much as $100 billion sales lost.

Originally conceived as an efficient method to make payments on microloans, Kenyans now send money from urban centers back to rural hometowns.

Bitcoin's new high suggests that the controversial virtual currency may still be young, but it's growing up.

The U.S. is synonymous with technical innovation but is way behind other countries in using smartphones for payment.

As mobile payments come of age, the big banks and transactions giants are trying to figure out their place, and if they do, not that much will change.

Retail banks care becoming increasingly concerned about being left behind by trends in social networking and mobile computing, according to a survey of the industry.

Chinese search engine Baidu, the world's fifth most visited site according to one set of rankings, has announced it has started to accept the online currency, bitcoin, for its security service.

What is the price of paying with cash? A study by Tufts University finds that the average American family wastes $1,739 a year.

A host of tech companies say that users' concerns about the security of shopping online must be addressed if e-commerce is to reach its potential.

Venture capitalists show no sign of shying away from investing in start-ups related to Bitcoin even as authorities step up their scrutiny.

Sake bombs, Flaming Tiger rolls and the $5 coffee before the craft brewery pub crawl: How the oil boom is changing Williston, North Dakota.

The urban-suburban divide has come full circle and one of the most overlooked solutions to suburban flight is a focus on making communities walkable.

Young people shunning the suburbs in favor of city life are leading the charge in the "reurbanization of America," real estate mogul Sam Zell says.

India's new exurban planned communities could be part of a solution to large-scale municipal failings, or the greatest mass fleeing from impoverished cities in the 21st century.

Urban buses of the emerging world have a bad reputation for choking pollution, which they no longer deserve. In fact, they could be future cities' best hope.

Though Colombia's cities are set to remain its primary growth engine, the country is now on the cusp of a rural revival.

Cable and content kings worry about cord-cutting, but a recent move by Disney suggests streaming content for kids is a plan to keep kids hooked on TV.

The Internet divides students as much as the cafeteria table, and it’s not just the classic schoolyard bullies who are becoming online menaces.

Young people in developing economies could be Silicon Valley's most important growth market. Here's the data that shows why.

The gaming world has its own haves and have-nots. Rich countries get the latest consoles, while other countries get past models. That’s changing.

Harleys as a status symbol appeal to an increasing number of Africans—a continent that historically relied on motorcycles for basic transportation.

The world’s biggest liquor brands stocked the emerging markets' top shelf to get dollars from the new middle class, but the hangover has been nasty.

November 11 marks Singles Day in China, a celebration of single life that has evolved into the biggest day for online shopping in the country.

Local liquors like cachaça in Brazil, baijiu in China and Indian whiskey are under attack as the emerging middle class develops a premium taste.

Paper towels embossed to look like cloth. Tampon packages with a glossy metallic sheen. Marketers are going glam with everyday products, taking them upscale.

Middle-class protest movements in countries like Brazil and China will define society’s wants and needs in the 21st century. Does the new middle class want the same things we did?

Income inequality is becoming a big issue in China, just as hundreds of millions start to lead the good life. Welcome to China's one percent versus 99 percent divide.

It's no surprise, given the years of economic data showing how hard it has been for many middle-income people to improve their economic situation.

As more people around the world achieve the middle class, they can't seem to get enough of U.S. fast food—just as Americans are looking to avoid that diet.

An entire class of economists and think tank officials has risen along with the new middle class in an attempt to define it, but so far, the results are inconclusive.

Emerging middle class-consumers in countries such as India and China are pushing up prices for everything from food to diamonds.