If you think Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has a firm grasp of the economy, you may change your mind after listening to Bain Capital co-founder Coleman Andrews quoting Chairman Bernanke…
Sequestration: The Crisis Du Jour
It’s crisis time again in Washington, D.C. Having just barely avoided a swan dive off the fiscal cliff, the leaders of our country are now locked in battle over the…
Europe – The Weakest Link
With the election, sequestration showdown and other pressing domestic news, we’ve hardly had time to think about Europe. Yet the continent is as troubled as ever and is crying out…
Investors Are Back … So Expect a Correction
Individual investors are moving in. And the smart money is moving out. With the Dow Jones Industrial Average pushing past 14,000, individual investors jumped back into the stock market, it…
The Incredible Shrinking Economy
Only in today’s America would a shrinking economy cause the stock market to rise. The federal government reported this week that the U.S. economy contracted by -0.1% in the last…
Where’s the Equity in HFT?
In spite of all of the talk about equity, fairness and helping the middle class that’s been circulating in Washington, the stock market is now rigged to help the rich…
The End of QE?
The Fed’s quantitative easing program has been like that endless tub of popcorn or vat of soda that those with large appetites buy at the theater. It goes on and…
Fiscal Cliff Turns Into Fiscal Bluff
“What’s a five letter word for ‘cliff’?“ an editorial page cartoon asked. The answer: “Bluff.” To bluff is to mislead and that’s an appropriate summary of the fiscal cliff agreement,…
Housing Recovery Continues … Sort Of
For the economy to recover, the housing market must recover. When consumers can barely pay their mortgages, they’re unlikely to spend money on other things – and when consumers don’t…
From Goldfinger to Groundhog Day
Tick. Tick. Tick. It’s like that scene in “Goldfinger,” where the seconds are ticking down and James Bond is trying to defuse the bomb. He succeeds, of course, just in…