Something Strange Is Taking Place In The Middle Of The Atlantic Ocean – Sent in by J.C.
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Baltic Dry Crashes To New Record Low As China “Demand Is Collapsing” – Sent in by G.G.
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Items from Professor Preponomics:
U.S. News
Fed Betting It Will Avoid Central Bank Errors of the Past (CNS News) Commentary: The Fed’s 1937 error, Japan’s lost decades, Europe’s dubious hikes… A stroll down a less than pleasant version of memory lane. Time will unfold the story about whether or not the current quarter point rate hike was the right Federal Reserve decision, and it may not be long before we know.
Fed Aggressively Ramps Up New Tool to Pry Rates Higher (Reuters) Article Quote: “The Fed’s first tightening in more than nine years represents a big step on the tricky path of returning monetary policy to a more normal footing…”
Did “Tight” Fed Policy Cause the Financial Crisis? (Mises Institute) Spoiler Alert: “Ted Cruz and the Market Monetarists are right to blame the Fed for the financial crisis, but they are focusing on the wrong end. The real problem was the Fed’s inflation of the early and mid-2000s that fueled the housing bubble and related malinvestments.”
Bernanke Says the Fed is Likely to Add Negative Rates to Recession Fighting Toolkit (Marketwatch)
In the Middle of the Night, Congress Unveiled a Massive, Trillion-Dollar Budget Deal. Here’s what’s in it… (Business Insider) Calendar Note: The vote is set for Friday…
International News
Russia is Bracing for $30 Oil in 2016 (CNN)
Personal Economics and Household Finance
How to Get Your Finances in Order in 30 Days (Clark Howard) Note: This article was originally posted to the Clark Howard site in September, but it’s timely given both the start of a New Year just around the corner now, and in light of the uncertainty of the economic future.