From Liz Alderman in the NY Times today: Germany and France Aim to Avert a ‘Lost Decade’ The economy ministers of France and Germany called on Thursday for urgent overhauls and a series of investments in both countries to help prevent them and the eurozone from falling into a stagnation trap. This comes as news of increasing unemployment…
Americans are going to spend more than 600 billion dollars this Christmas season, and on Friday we got to see our fellow citizens fight each other like rabid animals over foreign-made flat screen televisions and Barbie dolls. As disgusting as this behavior is to many of us, there may soon come a time when we will all…
As we move into December, now is the time to prime your portfolio for the coming year. Some stocks may have performed well for you in 2014, but 2015 is showing signs of above average volatility. Here are 3 stocks to drop and 3 stocks to replace them for your income portfolio. Once we own…
Analysts are still trying to figure out what gold will do next. It does not seem like the precious metal can get a break, and the long-awaited recovery has still not shown its face. Uncertainty has increased, as a consequence, and people can only guess what’s coming. Precious metal prices did recover a bit last…
Retailers need to be ‘hawk-eyed’ this holiday season to make the most of it. They need to grab every opportunity as and when they come, and try all means to drive in cautious, budget-constrained consumers to the shop as the season may be a tough one. Retailers are gradually gearing up for the upcoming holiday…
This CNBC article starts off with the usual pablum about interest rates and how the Fed may decide to hold off beyond next spring given the lack of inflation expectations and effects in the economy. It’s brain melting mainstream media Pap 101. Fed now expected to stay lower for a lot longer Really? Ya think? As if…
Greater Manchester Police said two arrests were made and injuries reported as police closed some stores to prevent more severe problems. One woman was injured by a falling television set. The force tweeted “Keep calm, people!” at one point. There were problems in many parts of Britain, including Wales and Scotland. – From the Associated Press: Black…
“He is the Napoleon of crime, Watson. He is the organizer of half that is evil and nearly all that is undetected in this great city. Arthur Conan Doyle, The Final Problem Gold and silver got mugged in very quiet trading for the end of the month, with most traders off on holiday. If anyone was…
It is no secret that one of the primary drivers of relentless S&P 500 levitation over the past two years, ever since the start of Japan’s mammoth QE, has been the use of the Yen as the carry currency of choice (once again as during the credit bubble of the early-2000s), whose shorting has directly…
Marking the first occurrence since 2010, the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude dropped below $70 per barrel after the international cartel of oil producers – Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) – decided against an oil production cut. In the meeting at the Austrian capital of Vienna on Thanksgiving Day, OPEC members…
