Analysis Topic: Economic Trends Analysis
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.Sunday, September 20, 2009
American's Need More Debt? / Economics / US Debt
Numerous people sent me a link to a preposterous statement by fund manager Ken Fisher regarding debt. Please consider Too Much Debt? Please. We Need MORE Debt, Says Ken Fisher.
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, September 20, 2009
America's Berlin Wall, A Disaster That's Hard to Escap / Economics / US Economy
Editor's note: My friend Steve Sjuggerud is one of the most optimistic analysts I know� and he always manages to find big opportunities even in the worst market situations. That's why when Steve warns me something is going wrong, I always take notice. I know it's serious. Please read on for just such a warning...
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Economic and Financial System Train Wreck Dead Ahead! / Economics / Great Depression II
Many ECONOMISTS AND MARKET ANALYSTS ARE PREDICTING AN END OF THE RECESSION AND GROWTH GOING FORWARD. MY RESPONSE IS THE NUMBERS HAVEN’T ADDED UP FOR YEARS, AND REGARDLESS OF WHAT THEY CLAIM, WE ARE ABOUT TO COMMENCE THE NEXT LEG DOWN INTO WHAT WILL become known as the GREATEST DEPRESSION in history. The numbers they point to are POLITICALLY-CORRECT measurements, but practically incorrect; any insights you may glean from them are HEADLINE illusions for the sheep that are being FLEECED and who have misplaced their faith in the government to PROVIDE for them.
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Outrageous Artificial Deflation and the FDIC Black Hole / Economics / Deflation
Elements of Deflation, Part 3
Outrageous! - Artificial Deflation!
If You Are in a Hole, Stop Digging!
The Hole in the FDIC
How Can Just Four Stocks Be 40% of the NYSE Volume?
This week we continue to look at what powers the forces of deflation. As I continue to stress, getting the fundamental question answered correctly is the most important issue we face going forward. And the problem is that we cannot use the usual historical comparisons. This week we look at one more factor: bank lending. I give you a sneak preview of what will be an explosive report from Institutional Risk Analytics about the problems in the banking sector. Are you ready for the FDIC to be down as much as $400 billion? This should be an interesting, if sobering, letter.
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Protectionism Enemy of Economic Recovery / Economics / Global Economy
In the most global-reaching recession since the Great Depression, protectionism is a poison pill for recovery. And we got a taste of it this week …
The Chinese supply about 19 percent of the U.S. tire market. And the Obama administration just slapped a 35 percent tariff on those imports!
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, September 19, 2009
The Recession has Technically Ended, Is Bernanke Joking? / Economics / Recession 2008 - 2010
To borrow from an old joke about politicians, we ask our subscribers if they know how to tell when Helicopter Ben Bernanke, the current Fed Head, is lying. Answer: Whenever his lips are moving. Now we hear from the Dollar-Destroyer that our recession has technically ended (heaven forbid that we should call our current Fed-caused calamity a depression, which is what it has been since Obama took office). So we guess that we should take his word for it, seeing that every call he has made during his short tenure as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board has been 100% wrong.
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Academic Economists Lead Governments to the Edge of the Abyss / Economics / Economic Theory
99.9% of academic economists living in ivory towers lost in world of their own formulae's and theories of what should happen and what could not happen not only did not see the crisis coming but far more dangerously led the government and central bank policy makers down a long winding garden path towards the edge of the financial and economic abyss. It was only after all of the economic theory was binned i.e. that which the academics had worked on and spouted for decades was financial armageddon avoided.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, September 18, 2009
Mervyn King’s Comments Hit Sterling While Stocks Continue to Rise / Economics / UK Economy
Sterling faced considerable selling pressure this week following Bank of England Governor Mervyn King’s Treasury testimony on Tuesday. The Governor commented that the BoE were “looking at” possibly lowering the deposit rates paid to commercial banks on reserves although not mentioning negative interest rates. The resulting decline in yields at the short-end of the curve weighed on sterling and in particular EUR/GBP which closed the week at 0.9045 having broken through 0.90 for the first time since 14th May. All the G-10 currencies posted gains versus sterling.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, September 18, 2009
Rich and Poor Parallel Economies, Recession and Record Profits / Economics / Recession 2008 - 2010
The Real Estate Bubble is Not Over
In December 14, 2008, in his interview on the CBS sixty minutes show, Whitney Tilson an investment fund manager predicted that the subprime collapse was only half way of the total real estate bubble, and that the second half will begin take place around 2010 and will continue until about the year 2013. Tilson also discussed the two fancy Wall Street terms for bad mortgages namely Alt-A (Alternative-A paper) and option arms mortgages. These loans lured borrowers with teaser rates that will begin to reset this year.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, September 18, 2009
US DEBT Out Of Control! / Economics / US Debt
It is not my imagination. The total US debt is sky rocketing. People are entitled to their opinions…but not entitled to the facts.
The US Govt debt this year is spiraling out of control. Estimates place the increase of debt by at least $2 trillion dollars. The question is, can this debt reach 100% of GDP at around $13 trillion. Putting things into context…before the Great Depression in 1929 the US Govt debt was only 15% of GDP! To make matters even worse, the US in 1929 was a creditor nation. Today the US is a debtor nation. Comparing the current situation to the situation prior to the Great Depression total US debt (individual, business,local, state and federal) was approx 170% of GDP.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Deflation and Bankers Mix Like Oil and Water / Economics / Deflation
Why is deflation bad? If one can manage to keep one's job and one has some savings, deflation is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Stuffing cash under the mattress is actually profitable during a true deflation, as the prices of most goods fall during deflation. Why exactly then is deflation bad?
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, September 17, 2009
How To Stimulate Consumer Spending and Jumpstart The Economy / Economics / Economic Recovery
My survey produced an interesting anomaly--- several respondents felt that excessive consumer spending was the primary cause of the economic problems we face today, and that spending is not to be encouraged.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Is the Fed's Money Pumping Inflationary? / Economics / Economic Theory
Given the recent, massive increase in commercial banks' excess reserves, many commentators are of the view that banks will sooner or later start employing these reserves in lending and thus cause an increase in the inflation rate.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
U.S. August Retail Aales up 2.7 per cent / Economics / Recession 2008 - 2010
While many top economists have suggested that housing and credit sectors have bottomed, most have still been watching and waiting for retail sales and consumer spending to give more legs to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s comments that the recession is over. Perhaps Tuesday (September 15) morning’s August retail sales report is just the medicine investors and consumers are looking for.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Outsourcing Unemployment To China / Economics / China Economy
As goes the US consumer so goes Chinese manufacturing. Here is a long but educational video produced by Vanguard on several Chinese manufacturing cities and what the economic downturn has meant for them. It's well worth a play.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
China Trading Places with U.S. As Economic Super Power / Economics / China Economy
Here’s a headline that broke my heart when I read it last week: “U.S. Poverty Rate Hits 11-Year High.”
The U.S. Census Bureau reported that a sad-but-true 13.2 percent or 39.2 million Americans are living below the poverty line, defined as less than $22,025 for a family of four. That’s the highest rate since 1997.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The Fed Owns Most American Monetary Economists / Economics / Economic Theory
The Social Security system has long been described as the third rail of American politics. "Touch it, and you die." You get electrocuted. If you should somehow survive, the next subway train will cut you in pieces.
There is such a rail in academia: the Federal Reserve System.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Economic Outlook for 16th September 2009 / Economics / Recession 2008 - 2010
Broadly speaking, the theme of equities making progress on the back of ample liquidity in financial markets continues to hold. Yesterday’s stronger-than-expected economic data from the US and UK were also helpful, with US retail sales of particular note. But all that glitters may not be gold. As in other countries with incentive schemes to scrap old cars in favour of new models, the boost to consumer spending is not permanent.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
U.S. Economic and Interest Rate Outlook, Depression Avoided but Economy Still Faces Strong Headwinds / Economics / Economic Recovery
We have just weathered the longest (19 months?) and deepest recession in the post-WWII era.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Disturbing Financial and Economic Trends 2009 / Economics / Credit Crisis 2009
Bail, rescue, print formula no cure for what ails America.
"[E]normous dosages of monetary medicine continue to be administered and, before long, we will need to deal with their side effects. For now, most of those effects are invisible and could indeed remain latent for a long time. Still, their threat may be as ominous as that posed by the financial crisis itself." -- Warren Buffett
Read full article... Read full article...