Unemployment Benefits in Jeopardy, GDP Jumps, A Currency to Watch, Signs of the Chinese Times and More!
Why Eric Fry isn’t surprised economists are calling the recession’s end. Congress fails to extend unemployment benefits… 1.1 million could be cut loose in March. Bill Jenkins eyes this currency as the next winning FX buy. Plus, a sign of times: World’s biggest diamond sold… to Hong Kong… Read More
A Closer Look at China, Where the Dividends Are, Credit Score Insanity and More!
Beijing on the brain: A revealing poll, gold-buying rumors, fevered activity at Treasury and the Pentagon. But is China really more capitalist than the U.S.? An income investor’s dream… Where to turn for high yield when the usual suspects don’t deliver. Americans give priority to credit cards over mortgages… FICO chief wigs out in response. “A shot across the bow” — Doug Casey on the Texas IRS attack… Read More
Gloom Abounds, Faber’s Forecast, Crisis at the FDIC and More!
Home sales, consumer confidence, jobs… gloom abounds. Yet stocks, and Knuckman, are resilient… discover the “crude correlation.” Faber’s forecast: Trillion-dollar deficits indefinitely, and a “dirty war.” FDIC’s shortfall grows, as does its “problem bank” list. Wonkish readers question our stats, especially as applied to Luxembourg… really… Read More
More Banking BS, Greeks Storm Athens Stock Exchange, Oil Industry Mega-Merger, Home Price Woes and More!
Another SEC screw-up… BofA steals billions, pays shareholders pennies. Conspiracy confirmed: The twisted circle of Goldman, AIG, CDOs, CDSs and your tax dollars. Greeks storm Athenian stock exchange… Byron King with some brutal truth for the region. Chris Mayer takes notes on one of the biggest oil service mergers in history. Plus, home prices could plunge again… the father of the CS home price index weighs in… Read More
Debt Warning Signals, Barriers to Recovery, The Uptick Rule and More!
NABE predicts “recovery firmly on track”… Rob Parenteau on what might derail mainstream expectations. Marc Faber identifies one nation/sector as “the perfect contrarian play.” Chris Mayer on when sovereign debt goes too far… and the many nations flashing warning signals. Since it worked so well last time… SEC mulling more rules/bans on short selling… Read More
Fed Raises Rate, Dollar Euro Parity, Counterfeit Coins and More!
Fed sets cat among the pigeons by resetting discount rate… Impact everywhere. Dollar-euro parity? Bill Jenkins on the prospect of a Greek bailout. An object lesson in debt… Olympic mountain on verge of foreclosure. How to steer clear of counterfeit collector coins from China. After we respond to a reader’s “cry for help,” he writes back… Read More
Stunning Debts, Huge IMF Gold Sale, The Trillion Dollar Pension Hole and More!
Scary budget numbers… Placing vain hope in Obama’s “debt commission.” China dumping U.S. Treasuries? Why there’s more than meets the eye. Stocks, gold holding up in the face of bearish news. The trillion-dollar hole… Crisis in state pension plans. “Waiting for collapse” — reader experiences cognitive dissonance; we reply… Read More
Earnings Breakthroughs, Recession Byproducts, Japan Now the Top U.S. Debt Holder and More!
Don’t look now, but U.S. companies are back… Chris Mayer on “one of the best earnings seasons on record.” George Soros doubles down his stake in gold… and picks up Citi? Patrick Cox on two encouraging byproducts of the U.S. recession. China loses a “world’s No. 1” status… Japan now the biggest holder of American debt… Read More
Greece’s Deadline, An American Bond Blunder, What to Buy Right Now and More!
EU gives Greece deadline to straighten up shop… Dan Amoss on why it will hardly matter. Bill Bonner on why a sovereign debt bailout is bad for your portfolio. The U.S. has a quiet (but significant) bond blunder of its own… Chuck Butler offers explanation. Chris Mayer on “where to invest now, and what to avoid.” Read More
China and Greece Slam Stocks, Marc Faber’s Latest Forecast, Strange Lumber Prices and More!
Retail sales delight… The 5 suggests a reason that should give Pollyannas pause. China and Greece send U.S. stocks tumbling… Why the Greek bailout is looking shaky. Forget “the next Greece”… Faber forecast sends CNBC talking heads into frothing frenzy. A real-world economic stat that actually looks healthy. Readers write: Are the Olympics a boondoggle? Are taxes really going up? Sit back and watch the show… Read More