Financial and risk bubbles don’t pop in a vacuum–all the phantom collateral constructed with mal-invested free money for financiers will also implode. If there’s one absolute truism we hear again and again, it’s that central banks are desperately trying to create inflation. Perversely, their easy-money policies actually generation the exact opposite: deflation. I will leave the debate…
Asian stocks fell, after U.S. shares dropped the most in almost seven weeks, as oil extended its decline and a stronger yen weighed on Japanese exporters. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index slid 0.3 percent to 139.70 as of 9:06 a.m. in Tokyo after adding 0.1 percent yesterday. Japan’s Topix index decreased 0.7 percent after the…
A bargain, forged in the fires of 2012’s economic emergency, has defined the European Union for the past two years. It was an agreement made between two sides that can be defined in several terms — the center and the periphery, the north and the south, the producers and the consumers — but essentially one…
Are much lower oil prices good news for the U.S. economy? Only if you like collapsing capital expenditures, rising unemployment and a potential financial implosion on Wall Street. Yes, lower gasoline prices are good news for the middle class. I certainly would rather pay two dollars for a gallon of gas than four dollars. But…
With the third quarter earnings reports for the S&P 500 now in, I can update my quarterly analysis of earnings and estimate trends through the 3rd quarter of 2014. Third quarters results were improved over Q2 as activity continued its rebound following the exceptionally cold winter season. For the quarter, operating earnings rose from $29.34 per share to…
In Europe people can still feel the aftermath of the financial crisis, while in the US things are looking a lot better already. Our economy is clearly picking up speed and that is something Europe can only dream of right now. The difference between Europe and the United States has grown dramatically after the crisis…
Early retirement may sound appealing. But like most things, timing and planning are essential. Assuming that you have planned your retirement with the help of a professional financial advisor, you should know how much money you will need to support your future lifestyle. If your retirement income won’t suffice, you may need to consider part-time…
T2108 Status: 54.1%T2107 Status: 48.2%VIX Status: 14.2 (a 20% jump!)General (Short-term) Trading Call: Start selling bullish positions. Aggressive bears can open fresh shorts.Active T2108 periods: Day #35 over 20%, Day #33 over 30%, Day #30 over 40%, Day #28 over 50% (overperiod), Day #3 under 60% (underperiod), Day #105 under 70% Reference Charts (click for view…
Source: Wikimedia Dear Diary, New York is filling up with holiday shoppers and tourists. On Saturday, we went to the Broadway show Jersey Boys. It was not an especially complex or subtle storyline. But the music, of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, was lively and agreeable. It took us back to the early 1960s. Those…
Here’s one of my first principles: Everybody who works in the for-profit world should own or start a business. Now that I’ve said that, I’d like to spend most of the rest of this post describing all of the terrible things about starting or owning your own business. Entrepreneurship requires ignorance. Entrepreneurship induces anxiety and…
