The New York Times – Robert J. Shiller: Better Insurance Against Inequality Paying taxes is rarely pleasant, but as April 15 approaches it’s worth remembering that our tax system is a progressive one and serves a little-noticed but crucial purpose: It mitigates some of the worst consequences of income inequality. If any of us, as… Continue reading Income Inequality And Taxes
Comment Jim Bianco was on CNBC on Friday discussing the yield curve. To view the interview, click on the image above. To view any of our recent interviews click here.
Facebook – Mike Lee Behold my display of the 2013 Federal Register. It contains over 80,000 pages of new rules, regulations, and notices all written and passed by unelected bureaucrats. The small stack of papers on top of the display are the laws passed by elected members of Congress and signed into law by the… Continue reading Government Gridlock & The Markets
<Click on chart for larger image> Bloomberg.com – Matthew Klein: Ignore the Market, Watch the Data Sensationalists are warning that recent declines in stock prices are the start of a crash. While that may be possible, it’s hard to see why. And even if stock returns during the next few years are disappointing, that still… Continue reading Some Perspective On The Current Stock Market Selloff
Bloomberg.com – Japan Risks Public Souring on Abenomics as Prices Surge Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s bid to vault Japan out of 15 years of deflation risks losing public support by spurring too much inflation too quickly as companies add extra price increases to this month’s sales-tax bump. Businesses from Suntory Beverage and Food Ltd. to… Continue reading Is Abenomics Working?
Bloomberg.com – High-Frequency Traders Get Curbs as EU Reins In Flash Boys European Union lawmakers are poised to approve some of the toughest restrictions in the world on high-frequency trading, the first crackdown in the aftermath of Michael Lewis’s latest book, “Flash Boys.” The curbs are part of revamped EU markets legislation ranging from commodity… Continue reading Curbing HFT
Bloomberg.com – The Dangers of Policy Drift No market-moving news, and no significant economic signals. That’s what traders should conclude this morning after a weekend full of policy meetings, communiques and news media commentaries that attended the conclusion of the annual spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The meetings also… Continue reading Mohamed El-Erian On Central Bank Policy
The Wall Street Journal – VIX Signal on Stock Selloff Is Yesterday’s News The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index, or VIX, is popularly dubbed the “fear gauge.” A better name might be “rear gauge.” Stocks have had a rough time of it lately, with the S&P 500 falling 4% from its peak early this… Continue reading The VIX
Real Time Economics (WSJ Blog) – Fed’s Stein: Financial Stability Fits Within Central Bank’s Dual Mandate The Federal Reserve doesn’t need to expand its focus from its dual mandate to take financial-stability concerns into account, Fed governor Jeremy Stein said Sunday. Mr. Stein, who has expressed worries that the Fed’s easy-money policies could spark instability… Continue reading Jeremy Stein Speaks On Financial Stability & The Fed’s Dual Mandate
The Wall Street Journal – Top Earners Feel the Bite of Tax Increases The jump in federal tax rates that kicked in last year is causing sticker shock for many higher earners this tax season. That, in turn, is rekindling a debate over a question likely to smolder for a long time: How much more… Continue reading Time To Pay The Taxman