Analysis Topic: Economic Trends Analysis
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Economic Recovery Euphoria, Ignorance Is Bliss / Economics / Economic Recovery
By: Peter_Schiff
While all the talk at present is about economic corners turned and markets charging ahead, no one is paying much notice to an American economy deteriorating before our eyes. These myopic commentators seem to be simply moving past the now almost-universally held conclusion that before the crash of 2008, our economy was on an unsustainable course. If these imbalances had been corrected, then perhaps I too would be joining in the euphoria. But evidence abounds that we have not veered at all from that dangerous path.
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Friday, October 16, 2009
The Flip Side of a Jobless Economic Recovery / Economics / Employment
By: Andy_Sutton
Perhaps one of the most preposterous statements made during the ongoing financial crisis was by Ben Bernanke when he stated that we would have a ‘jobless recovery’. Certainly this is not a new term, but that doesn’t change the fact that in concept, the idea that a real recovery can occur with rising unemployment seems pretty ludicrous. Again, the devil is in the details and it all comes back to how you define your terminology and ask “A recovery for whom?”
Friday, October 16, 2009
Greenspan a Decade Behind the Curve / Economics / Central Banks
By: Brady_Willett
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan is the worst Fed boss in history, but boy-oh-boy how we loved to watch him smile. We were so attracted to Mr. Greenspan’s girlish grin, in fact, that he could say just about anything and people would eat it up: “I guess I should warn you, if I turn out to be particularly clear, you've probably misunderstood what I've said”. How delightfully playful! He really must be the world’s best central banker!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Reviving the Economy with Publicly Owned Banks / Economics / Credit Crisis 2009
By: Ellen_Brown
The credit crunch is getting worse on Main Street, despite a Wall Street bailout that is now in the trillions of dollars. The Federal Reserve's charts show that "base money" is rapidly expanding - meaning coins, paper money, and commercial banks' reserves with the central bank. But the money isn't making it to where it needs to go to stimulate economic growth: into the bank accounts of American businesses and consumers. The Fed has been pumping out money to the banks, and their reserves have been growing at unprecedented rates; but the money supply in the real economy has been declining.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
A Theory of Socialism and Capitalism / Economics / Economic Theory
By: Mark_Thornton
In the wake of the downfall of the Berlin Wall, the breakup of the Soviet Union, and the emergence of capitalism in China, I was asked to teach the comparative-economic-systems class at Auburn University for the summer term in 1989. My only exposure to the topic had been as an undergraduate student, where my teacher was a Cold War–era professor who concentrated almost exclusively on the Soviet Union. His implicit message was to fear the Soviet Union, which would soon come to smother the American dream.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
U.S. CPI Deflation for 7th Consecutive Month / Economics / Deflation
By: Mike_Shedlock
Bloomberg is reporting Consumer Prices in U.S. Increased at Slower Pace
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Economists are Committed to the Expansion of Fiat Counterfeit Money / Economics / Fiat Currency
By: Gary_North
When someone announces the discovery of a new oil field, most people rejoice. There are exceptions. Owners of existing oil wells don't. Growth-hating environmentalists don't. But for most people, a new oil field means an additional supply of a scarce resource. It means slightly lower prices for the resource. What is good for the person who owns the oil field is good for almost everyone else.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Global Economic Growth Trends, The Falling Value of the U.S. Dollar / Economics / Economic Recovery
By: Hans_Wagner
Global growth trends are important factors that significantly influence the opportunities for investors. In the first article, we discussed the long-term employment problem within the United States that will cause the economic recover to be weaker than previous recoveries. In this article, we are addressing the three of the important fundamental factors encouraging U.S. dollar’s down trend.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
WSJ Inane Understanding of Economic Theory / Economics / Economic Theory
By: Paul_L_Kasriel
Increase Employment the Same Way You Increase Home Sales - Every month in its survey of economists' forecasts, the WSJ asks various inane questions. In its latest survey, one of the questions had to do with what the government could do to increase employment. Now that health-care "reform" appears to be on its way to being a done deal, the D.C. issue du jour is employment stimulus. Various kinds of employer-tax incentives are in the initial stages of being proposed. Of course, the editorial board of the WSJ, which has never encountered a tax cut it did not encourage, is lobbying for a cut in the Social Security payroll tax. Good idea if the WSJ editorial board also argues for an equal cut in Social Security benefit payments. Fat chance of that occurring - i.e., a cut in Social Security benefit payments.
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Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Ponzi Finance Deflationary Debt Deleveraging Downward Spiral Continues / Economics / Deflation
By: John_Mauldin
I look forward at the beginning of every quarter to receiving the Quarterly Outlook from Hoisington Investment Management. They have been prominent proponents of the view that deflation is the problem, stemming from a variety of factors, and write about their views in a very clear and concise manner. This quarter's letter is no exception, where they once again delve into the history books to bring up fresh and relevant lessons for today. This is a must read piece.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Refuting Keynes, Line-by-Line / Economics / Economic Theory
By: Gary_North
If I were a young man, I would not share this. I would implement it. It would become the foundation of my academic career.
The Austrian School of economics, more than any other, is built on the idea of the centrality of entrepreneurship. Ludwig von Mises explained the principle profit and loss in terms of some forecasters' ability to foresee consumer demand, and then plan to meet it at a total cost below the sales price. Successful entrepreneurs gain profit as a residual. Unsuccessful entrepreneurs gain losses.
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Monday, October 12, 2009
The End of Money and the Future of Civilization / Economics / Fiat Currency
By: Richard_C_Cook
It’s too late for anyone to pretend that the U.S. government, whether under President Barack Obama or anyone else, can divert our nation from long-term economic decline. The U.S. is increasingly in a state of political, economic, and moral paralysis, caught as it were between the “rock” of protracted recession and the “hard place” of terminal government debt.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Building the Labor Force with Forced Labor, Government Jobs, a Road to Bigger Economic Woes / Economics / Employment
By: Michael_Pento
The number of people eligible for work is known as the Labor Force. It should not now, nor should it ever be, thought of as the number of people government can force into labor. I would hope Robert Reich (former Labor Secretary under Bill Clinton) would understand that by now.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, October 12, 2009
EMphase Finance US Economics Monthly Report October 2009 / Economics / US Economy
By: Francois_Soto
Dear reader
EMphase Finance is proud to launch its new research service US Economics Monthly.
The goal of this publication is to provide in an executive format a clean, clear and concise overview of the US economy for both private and institutional clients.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Economic Data to Confirm or Refute Continuing Financial Markets Optimism / Economics / Economic Recovery
By: Lloyds_TSB
A sense of cautious optimism prevails in financial markets. And the week ahead is rich in economic data that will provide further clues on the pace of improvement in global economic conditions. Following September’s disappointing US non-farm payrolls and ISM manufacturing data, financial markets are likely to use this week’s releases to judge whether confidence has risen too far, too quickly. The latest monetary policy decision from the Bank of Japan is also due, where we look for the key overnight call rate to remain at 0.1%.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
U.S. Changing Unemployment Picture as Economy Emerges from Recession / Economics / Economic Recovery
By: Bob_Chapman
The number of Americans filing first- time claims for unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest since January, a sign the labor market is deteriorating more slowly as the economy emerges from the recession.
Applications fell by 33,000 to 521,000, lower than forecast, in the week ended Oct. 3, from a revised 554,000 the week before, Labor Department data showed today in Washington. The total number of people collecting unemployment insurance dropped in the prior week to the least since March.
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Sunday, October 11, 2009
Five Major Pension Problems and One Simple Solution / Economics / Pensions & Retirement
By: Mike_Shedlock
Even with this huge rally in stocks and corporate bonds, pension plans are in incredibly poor shape. The Washington Post lists Two Bad Choices Cut Benefits Or Take Greater Risks to Rebuild Assets.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Measuring CPI Inflation, Alice In Wonderland And The Bond Yield Paradox / Economics / Inflation
By: Andrew_Butter
This article is not about what inflation is, it's about how you measure one component, CPI (Consumer Price Index), there are other components; but that's the focus of this article.
Big picture to estimate CPI you work out a "basket" of goods and services that consumers buy which you think is representative of the structure of spending in an economy, and you do a survey, then you compare that with how much it would have cost to buy the same "basket" a year before.
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Saturday, October 10, 2009
Government Deficit Spending Killing the U.S. Free Market Economy / Economics / Economic Stimulus
By: John_Mauldin
Killing the Goose
What Were We Thinking?
Let's Play Turn It Around
Peggy Noonan, maybe the most gifted essayist of our time, wrote a few weeks ago about the vague concern that many of us have that the monster looming up ahead of us has the potential (my interpretation) for not just plucking a few feathers from the goose that lays the golden egg (the US free-market economy), or stealing a few more of the valuable eggs, but of actually killing the goose. Today we look at the possibility that the fiscal path of the enormous US government deficits we are on could indeed kill the goose, or harm it so badly it will make the lost decades that Japan has suffered seem like a stroll in the park.
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Saturday, October 10, 2009
The September U.S. Employment Rate is 90% / Economics / Employment
By: Robert_Singer
The U.S. Department of Labor Official Employment rate in September 2009 is now 90% (Unofficial rate is 75%).And for those Americans who are still employed, they will find it harder to get that sweet deal on a new car because auto dealers won’t be competing with each other now that Brian Deese, special assistant to president Obama for economic policy made the decision (not the Chrysler bankruptcy judge), to close dealerships without regard to profitability.
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