First off, American Express, Capital One, Chase and Discover are all offering special perks for existing cardholders during the holidays.

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James Tobin, an American economist, first proposed a tax on cross-border capital flows in 1972, amid the collapse of the Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange rates.

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"Oil Creek Valley" demonstrated the American model for venture capital and innovation long, long before the first pioneer venture capitalists showed up in the almond groves around Stanford University that would in due course become Silicon Valley.

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The group noted that without crowdfunding, 50 percent of American businesses fail within their first five years (ironically, many of them due to lack of capital).

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