Maybe we should be used to high unemployment … but now the bad news on jobs is coupled with queasiness about corporate earnings. The latest earnings season began with the…
I Think I Can’t. I Think I Can’t.
The U.S. economy is becoming the little engine that couldn’t. You, of course, remember the children’s story in which self-confidence and determination pull the little engine up and over a…
Pretzel Logic
When Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said recently that he did not expect The Fed to initiate any additional monetary stimulus, apparently stock traders weren’t listening. The recent run-up in stock…
Bad News Boosts the Market
In the strange world of investment management, bad news is often good news. That was the case last week, as the S&P 500 gained a hefty 3.7%, more than reversing…
Compared To What?
The U.S. dollar is the strongest it’s been in a year-and-a-half. Is this renewed strength a sign of American economic strength? In a way – but it’s all relative. The…
Is America Going Greek?
The federal deficit of $1.327 trillion for 2012 marks the fourth straight year in which the deficit has exceeded $1.29 trillion. The U.S. Debt Clock is now above $15.3 trillion,…
The “Mortgage Deal From Hell”
In a deal with the U.S. Justice Department, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and 49 out of 50 state attorneys, five of the country’s largest lenders have agreed…
Beyond Sovereign Debt
Put together a union of strong countries like Germany and weak countries like Greece and what will happen? Will the weak countries learn from the strong ones and become fiscally…
Market Going In Wrong Direction
With profits exceeding analyst forecasts and a debt-ceiling agreement reached, there was reason to believe that the market might be ready to reverse direction and head back up last week.…
Sales of Bank-Owned Homes Fall
According to CNBC.com, which quoted a RealtyTrac report, “Sales of distressed U.S. homes fell in the first quarter as demand remained weak, but they still made up about 28 percent…