Posted on December 11, 2008, 1:46 pm, by Jonathan, under
Economics.
For all of the hand wringing about the $700B bailout, the Feds have put our nation’s children on the hook for about $8T (and counting) without a single vote from Congress (who, by the way, is doing everything they can to do as little as they can so that they can avoid political liability that [...]
I have no clue what’s going to happen on the market, but I’d just like to point out something that I haven’t seen anybody really talk about yet. For all the talk about comparing this present market to the bear market of the early 30s, there is one huge, obvious difference: information moves a lot [...]
Posted on December 1, 2008, 11:46 pm, by Jonathan, under
Economics.
The central cause of the current recession (or maybe depression) was the overextension of credit, especially in the housing sector. So, how do you get out of that kind of jam? Foreclosures and time. Those that can’t afford their homes will have to lose them, and the banks will get back as much as they can, [...]
Posted on November 22, 2008, 11:58 am, by Jonathan, under
Economics.
I envision Bernanke in a headlock in one arm, screaming “Ok, ok, we over inflated!” with Paulson in the other, choking “Let go, can’t breathe! Ack. Fine! We lied about TARP! Ok?”
Posted on November 21, 2008, 11:50 pm, by Jonathan, under
Economics.
Many financial commentators, including the usually on-the-spot Mish Shedlock, have been saying for quite some time that gold will go up in a deflationary environment. Their argument is that gold is money and money does well in deflation. I would be willing to wager that Mish has more understanding of economics while half asleep than I [...]
Posted on October 13, 2008, 6:40 pm, by Jonathan, under
Economics.
Did I say bailout? I meant rescue. Here is an excerpt from one of the smartest financial writers I know of, Mish Shedlock:
To stimulate lending, the bailout plan will attempt to recapitalize banks. The method of recapitalization is best described as robbing Taxpayer Pete to pay Wall Street Paul. In essence, money is taken from [...]
Posted on October 1, 2008, 10:47 pm, by Jonathan, under
Economics.
It has been assumed that the cost of the putative bailout will be born by taxpayers. However, since that the Fed and Treasury will pay for it with debt and by printing money, the people who will pay for it are anyone who holds dollars. Given that the final cost could end up in the [...]