Zero Hedge – Jim Grant On Gold-Backed Bonds And ‘The Hope Leeches’ James Grant, of Grant’s Interest Rate Observer makes some thought-provoking statements in his must-listen Bloomberg Radio interview with Tom Keene today. While noting America’s exceptionalism (h/t Clint Eastwood?), he perhaps doesn’t mean all Americans as he takes the Fed and Treasury to task… Continue reading Jim Grant Discusses Gold
<Click on picture for to view video> Comment Jim Bianco was on Reuters TV discussing Greece yesterday. To view the interview click on the image above. To view any of our recent interviews click here. Regarding Greece, we noted that most European finance ministers have announced there will be “no Lehman in Europe.” Translated, no… Continue reading Greece
Zero Hedge (Blog) – Guest Post: Why Is Gasoline Consumption Tanking? Retail gasoline deliveries, already well below 1980 levels, have absolutely fallen off a cliff. Is the plunge inventory-related, i.e. are storage facilities so full that retailers are simply putting off deliveries? Though I don’t have data on hand to support this, I know from… Continue reading What Does Declining Gasoline Consumption Mean?
<Click on chart for larger image> The Wall Street Journal – Bank of Japan Surprises by Easing, Setting Price Goal The famously conservative Bank of Japan has surprised the markets with two new measures to battle the country’s long-running deflation, getting a shot in before potential further easing steps by the Federal Reserve that could… Continue reading Our QE World Expands Once Again
MarketWatch – Succeeding in an ‘NBA’ market No, I am not referring to Jeremy Lin. I am referring to how much Apple AAPL has come to dominate the stock market. Over the last decade, the company’s stock has risen nearly 4,000%, or nearly 45% per year on an annualized basis. In 2011 it was the… Continue reading Apple’s Market Capitalization
<Click on chart for larger image> The Wall Street Journal – For Bond Investors, Bigger Is Better Corporate-bond investors are finding there is safety in bigger deals amid the pullback in trading on Wall Street. How easy it is to trade a bond has long influenced the performance of high-yield, or below-investment-grade, debt. But until… Continue reading Corporate Bond Issuance
<Click on chart for larger image> The Wall Street Journal – Obama Seeks New Taxes on Rich President Barack Obama called on Congress Monday to enact new taxes on the wealthy, restructure the tax code and approve short-term spending measures as part of an election-year budget plan aimed at boosting job growth and helping the… Continue reading Balancing The Budget
The Financial Times – Germany faces a machine from hell Across southern Europe, the “ugly German” is back – accused of driving other nations into penury, deposing governments and generally barking orders at all and sundry. There is also a much more polite form of German-bashing going on at the official level. At the recent… Continue reading Where Do German Responsibilities Begin And End?
The Wall Street Journal – Raising Capital: A Love Story? The Old Continent’s lenders haven’t been getting much love from investors and regulators lately, and for good reason. Only an incurable romantic, or a risk-hungry hedge fund, can believe that Europe’s financial groups will survive unscathed the triple-whammy of domestic economic woes, stricter capital rules… Continue reading European Banks
The New York Post – Lin’s lifting MSG above the rim Knicks fans, after crowding through the turnstiles at Madison Square Garden this month and pushing TV ratings to season highs — the better to drink in the heroics of the suddenly star-lit Jeremy Lin — yesterday elbowed their way into MSG stock, pushing it… Continue reading Sports & Finance – U.S. Edition
Real Time Economics (WSJ Blog) – Reducing Market Volatility Through Soccer The European Central Bank has found a way to calm financial markets that doesn’t involve controversial purchases of government bonds, costly bailouts or massive loans to banks. More World Cups. During the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, equity trades plunged an average of… Continue reading Sports & Finance – European Edition