Well Beyond a Lost Decade for the U.S. Economy… and Counting

Is the U.S. at risk of suffering a lost decade? In reality, we’re well past that point.

The lost-decade question has been put forth by a host of economists and analysts over the past few years, and regularly pops up … Read More

Australia: The Worst is Yet to Come

In the aftermath of the Labor Party’s internal demolition of itself, the Australian people are putting their hope in the Opposition, the Liberal-National Party (LNP), and its leader Tony Abbott.  In Australian politics the LNP are supposed to be the … Read More

Bloomberg Says Taxpayers Should Bail Out Wealthy Detroit Creditors

The editors of Bloomberg acknowledge Detroit is facing Armageddon:

“In Detroit, a reckoning is near. A recent report from the city’s emergency manager on its deteriorating finances reads like a municipal adaptation of the Book of Revelation… The budget deficit … Read More

Todd Wood to Moneynews: Interest Rate ‘Shock’ Is Coming

Todd Wood

Born in Georgia and raised in Savannah, Todd spent his early summers in Carp Lake, Michigan listening to the vivid stories of his grandparents recalling their youth in the northern wilderness. Ever since his earliest days, he loved … Read More

Your Job is Not There to Make You Happy, It’s There to Make You Money

A post from The Street, “Unhappy Workers Cost Us All $550B Each Year,” provides guidance that could lead to, yes, unhappy consequence. At its best, the piece points out it is self-destructive for a supervisor to try to motivate … Read More

Egypt In the Maelstrom

The world woke up to the distressing news that the Egyptian Army fired upon Muslim Brotherhood protesters, killing 55 people as of last count.

The protesters were shot while praying at dawn and protesting the detainment of ex-President Morsi. After … Read More

Russian Realpolitik Could Lead to Higher Oil Prices

The civil war in Syria and its many moving parts have Americans confused as to what should be the proper response from the United States.  Especially confusing is the nature of the Russian involvement in the conflict; ie, their motivation … Read More

The Lurking Evil of Ben “The Shadow” Bernanke

What evil lurks at the heart of the U.S. economy? Ben “The Shadow” Bernanke knows.

Or does he?

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has pushed the evils of uncertainty to previously unknown levels by casting a long, dark monetary … Read More

New Poll, Liberals Leading in Australian Election: Close election, Not Much Philosophical Difference

It’s been a a week since the Australian Labor Party dumped Prime Minister Julia Gillard as party leader and replaced her with Kevin Rudd. And already the polls are speaking.

Kevin Rudd is suddenly showing as the preferred Prime Minister … Read More

Mexican Prosperity Means “New Worries”? Stop Justifying Envy!

Many Mexicans are finding new levels of prosperity through work and savings and capital improvements. Yet the Washington Post had to report this under this negative headline: With Mexican Auto Manufacturing Boom, New Worries.

“The average pay at his plant, … Read More

Shinzo Abe’s Destructive Plan for Japan

Under Shinzo Abe’s current government, Japan’s economy could face economic havoc. Within the first 6 months of his term as Prime Minister, Mr. Abe has unveiled massive amounts of monetary easing which has increased the Bank of Japan’s involvement in … Read More

Shooting Down Disney’s “The Lone Ranger”

I love a good western. Though never a big fan of the old Lone Ranger, part of me was looking forward to the arrival of Disney’s “The Lone Ranger” at movie theaters during the long July Fourth weekend.

Perhaps … Read More

One Way to Play the Coming Interest Rate Storm

To continue on the theme of an interest rate shock, I thought I would put out an idea of how to make money from this scary scenario. It seems to me we have a plethora of negative trends in … Read More

The Only Solution for Egypt is Economic Freedom

Hosni Mubarak was booted out two years ago. In 2012, Mohammed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, won the presidential election. And now, after protestors took to the streets, Egypt’s military has pushed Morsi out in a coup.

The hope is … Read More

Do Stock Bubbles Cause Zombies?

Japan appears to be suffering from a plague. Suddenly over the past decades many tens of young men and women (perhaps mostly men) have become reclusive hermits. Some reportedly sleep all day and stay out at night. They refuse to … Read More

Talking Turkey

It seemed a sure thing. Turkey was the great exception to the dreary tale of economically dysfunctional Muslim countries. A candidate for membership in the European Union, a long-time member of NATO, a “secular” Islamic state, all spoke in Turkey’s … Read More

US Birthrate Drops Once Again

… And that has a greater impact on the US economy than many people realize.  The connection of single-parent homes to poverty is undeniable.

The story flew under the radar last Friday, noting, “This overall contraction in childbearing was also … Read More

Australia’s Manufacturing Crisis

On May 23, Ford Motor Company announced it was closing its manufacturing plants in Australia.  Local manufacture ceases in October 2016.  This announcement does not end the availability of Ford vehicles in Australia.  But it is an admission that manufacturing … Read More

Trouble with the (Yield) Curve

As I’ve said before, interest rates only go from twenty percent to basically zero once in a lifetime. I’ve also discussed here my view that an interest rate shock is in store for the United States in the … Read More

The Cooling of Global Warming and How to Profit From it

Poll after poll is being released that points out the obvious: The public is just not that worried about global warming.  I think that’s probably because human-caused global warming doesn’t exist!  Yes, the climate changes–it has changed for millions of … Read More

Health Care Penalty Delay: Feds Can’t ‘Lose’ Money They Never Had

The delay in Obamacare’s employer mandate means, according to this story, “the federal government will lose $10 billion in employer penalties in 2015 because of the delayed enforcement.”  That, as defined by the Congressional Budget Office.

Interesting word choice: “lose.”  … Read More

Billionaire Obama Supporter Demands Double Minimum Wage On Limousine Liberal Bloomberg’s Web Page

Would you pay more for something than you had to? Nick Hanauer thinks you should. But don’t worry: it’s for your own good.

Hanauer is the founder of a venture capital firm called Second Avenue Partners, and recently published an … Read More

The Conundrum of Low Inflation Explained?

The conundrum of a low-growth, low-inflation environment combined with expanding, voluminous central-bank balance sheets has many scratching their heads. A recent stab at an explanation was given by Martin Feldstein, asking “Why is US inflation so low?”

Since 2008, Feldstein … Read More

No, CNBC, Americans Did Not “Follow the Rules”: July 4th Editorial Ignores Booming Debt

CNBC’s story “The State of the American Dream is Uncertain,” reads like a recipe for encouraging people to feel bitter and helpless because a standardized route to success no longer works the way it used to. If we hope to … Read More