Category: Economics & Investing

Strange and Crazy in the Financial World! o o o Reader B.B. Sent in this article: New Arizona Bill Would Give Tax Break To Gun Owners HJL’s Comment: While it seems at first glance that this bill is a good thing, a deeper look reveals that it is not. On July 29, 2010, Arizona’s Constitutional carry law went into effect. This means that if you are legally able to own a firearm and you are 21 years of age or older, you can carry concealed in the State of Arizona without a concealed weapons permit. (You still have to abide …

Mason jars in the backyard better than the markets for now – D.S. o o o San Francisco housing mania: Badly charred home that is uninhabitable sells for $186,000 over asking price.. In the S.F. Bay Area, the Housing Bubble now includes Rubble. What madness! – JWR o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News Big Banks Brace for Oil Loans to Implode (CNN Money) Excerpt: “The oil crash has already caused 42 North American oil companies to file for bankruptcy since the beginning of 2015, according to a list compiled by Houston law firm Haynes and Boone. It’s …

The U.S. Is At The Center Of The Global Economic Meltdown – D.R. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: World faces wave of epic debt defaults, fears central bank veteran – Folks on the inside are starting to let it out. These are very interesting times; stay alert. Items from Professor Preponomics: US News Stocks Drop as Oil Prices Tumble (Fox Business) Excerpt: “…the International Energy Agency on Tuesday said it expects excess supply to keep the oil market oversupplied through late this year, which the IEA said could make 2016 the third-consecutive year of supply exceeding demand by …

As this “Recovery” trudges on, the numbers are starting to become known. SurvivalBlog reader B.B. sent in this link showing that Americans are giving up on jobs. “As many as 40% of capable Americans without a job have completely given up looking for work” o o o Why U.S. Retail Sales Ended 2015 Poorly – RBS o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News More Pain Seen Ahead for US Banks Exposed to Energy Loans (Yahoo) Excerpt: “”Everybody was hoping for a bounce through most of last year and it hasn’t materialized so I think both the regulators and …

Italian banks are being squeezed at the margins. Some analysts anticipate more turbulence. “Analysts say stimulus measures by the European Central Bank have helped an economic recovery but have the side effect of putting bank margins under pressure.” 2 Italy Bank Stocks Plunge, Brokers Say Prepare for Tough 2016 – T.A. o o o China to spark financial ICE AGE with depression, says Societe Generale bear analyst – B.B. o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News Is Eating a Cinnamon Roll Irrational? (Mises) Who knows what’s best for you? Excerpt: “…in criticizing information asymmetry in markets, they are …

Brandon Smith: The Advantages of Barter and Localism. Something that we all need to be good at in the coming crisis. o o o The Deflation Monster Has Arrived – G.G. o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News Credit Crunch Could Be Worse that the Housing Crisis (CNBC) Excerpt: “Oil and gas companies borrowed heavily when oil prices were soaring above $70 a barrel. But in the past 24 months, they’ve seen their values and cash flows erode ferociously as oil prices plunge — and that’s made it hard for some to pay back that debt. This could …

Puerto Rico ‘in midst of economic collapse’ – G.G. o o o Keith Neumeyer – Triple Digit Silver Is Coming – The Daily Coin o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News Evidence Mounting that the Fed Made a Mistake (Washington Examiner) In light of the decisions made across many years involving everything from monetary and fiscal policy to international trade and other global financial agreements, it could easily be argued that any Fed decision at this point would have produced adverse consequences. The take home message may be that there is no easy way out of the economic …

Dow slides 391; oil and China drops rattle investors (Warning: Auto-starting video) o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: A Recession Worse Than 2008 is Coming – Don’t pay much attention to the video, as it is not related to article.. Retail Sales in U.S. Decrease to End Weakest Year Since 2009 Bill Gross’ Advice To Traders As Stocks Crash Items from Professor Preponomics: US News Stocks Get Crushed (Business Insider) U.S. markets will be closed on Monday for Martin Luther King Day, although we will see additional trading activity in other parts of the world which should offer some …

Maybe Valuations Do Matter – J.Q. o o o Audit the Fed Legislation Sinks: Plan Accordingly This article, sent in by C.T., should run right along side that one: Vote to Audit the Federal Reserve, guess who didn’t vote? o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: U.S. News Puerto Rico’s Slide (Bloomberg) Excerpt: “Puerto Rico has the population of Oklahoma and a gross domestic product smaller than Kansas. It also has more debt— $70 billion— than any U.S. state government except California and New York. This fact and the reasons behind it help explain why the territory has tumbled over …

The International War On Cash – Sent in by G.G. o o o Reader H.L. sent in this depressing link: This is how much the average American investor made last year o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News Oil Plunge Sparks Bankruptcy Concerns – Energy Journal (Wall Street Journal Money Beat) Excerpt: “As many as a third of American oil-and-gas producers could flirt with bankruptcy and restructuring by the middle of next year unless oil prices stage a big rebound…” Is the Auto Loan Bubble Ready to Pop? (Mises Institute) Excerpt: “While the media claims that this record …

RBS cries ‘sell everything’ as deflationary crisis nears – G.G. o o o Record Numbers Of Retired Americans Are Working Part-Time Jobs – G.G. o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News All of the World’s Money and Markets in One Visualization (Visual Capitalist) An excellent (and terrifying) representation beginning with Bitcoin and ending with derivatives. Oil Could Fall to $20 but NOT for the Reason You Think (Market Watch) Excerpt: “While oil markets are undoubtedly oversupplied, after a certain point, deteriorating fundamentals have little to do with the price action. ‘Oversupply may have pushed oil prices under $60, …

“Unprecedented Demand” – US Mint Sells Nearly As Much Gold On First Day Of 2016 As All Of January 2015 – G.G. o o o Shipping Said to Have Ceased… Is the Worldwide Economy Grinding to a Halt? – B.B. o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News More Trouble Ahead for US Oil Industry (Houston Chronicle) Excerpt: “The tentacles of the energy sector run deeper in the US economy than most understand…” Why Sugar, Once a Big Business in Hawaii, is Disappearing (Christian Science Monitor) Excerpt: “The company hopes to shield itself from the vulnerability of a single …