Economic growth for the second quarter of 2012 officially has been revised down to 1.25%, which is below the lowest previous estimate. In an effort to stimulate the economy, the…
Set Our Markets Free!
In the not-too-distant past, the stock market rewarded entrepreneurs who worked hard and had innovative ideas. Today, the market is driven primarily by two things: Monetary policy. The Federal Reserve…
The Truth about High-Frequency Trading
We’ve been critical before about high-frequency trading. While regulation sometimes makes matters worse, it’s encouraging that he U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs held a hearing this…
Going For Broke
So The Fed is “all in.” QE3, the third round of quantitative easting, will continue until the unemployment rate drops to an acceptable level. The implication is that buying bonds…
Consumers Might Spend – If They Had Any Money
Bond buying will pump money into the economy and reduce long-term interest rates, which are already at historic lows. Theoretically, this will give consumers a greater incentive to spend their…
When a Lower Unemployment Rate Is Bad News
Want to reduce the unemployment rate? Stop looking for a job. More than 300,000 workers dropped out of the labor force in August, while employers added just 96,000 positions. In…
The Other QE
It’s not QE3, the Fed’s highly anticipated and much discussed quantitative easing program, but the European Central Bank’s (ECB) bond buying program is having a similar impact. Stock markets worldwide…