The Ticking Credit Card Time Bomb Friday, May 9, 2008
For those holding out hope that the American economy can miraculously avoid a long and deep recession consumer credit is often viewed as the wonder drug that can cure all manner of economic ills.
Ben Bernanke is no Paul Volcker Friday, May 2, 2008
With what many have described as a flash of monetary discipline worthy of Paul Volcker, Ben Bernanke reduced short-term interest rates this week to a mere 2%, apparently turning a deaf ear to those on Wall Street who wanted more.
Why Not Let Markets Set Prices? Friday, April 25, 2008
Those unfamiliar with marketplace dynamics may not recognize how government activity has created price distortions across our economy. Much as government mandated easy credit propelled home prices to bubble levels,
The Collapse of America’s Service Economy Friday, April 18, 2008
Recent high profile bankruptcies of mainstay American retailers, such as The Sharper Image and Linens ‘n Things, as well as the proposed mergers between Blockbuster/Circuit City and Delta/Northwest,
Rationing-Food For Thought Wednesday, April 30, 2008
‘Food, glorious food’ conjures up the image of Oliver Twist and his brother orphans wailing over a shortage of porridge in Dickensian England.
Earnings Speak Clearly Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Last week, as the corporate “earnings season” got underway and some 30 percent of S&P 500 firms reported their results from the first quarter of 2008, investors seized on any shred of positive news in the first wave of reports and sent share prices surging.
The Problems Spread Monday, April 14, 2008
Last week, General Electric one of the finest companies in the world and an American icon, announced a major fall in earnings. Amazingly, the bad news surprised Wall Street, and GE shares fell 13 percent in a single day. Some surprise!
Paulson's ‘Civic Robbery' to Finance Hyper Inflation Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Yesterday (March 31st), Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson announced the laying of the government’s foundation stone for the next big financial bubble, heralding an era of hyperinflation and probable further runs on the U.S. dollar.
