Economic Overviews

How bad do things have to get before people realize that we are living through a nightmare? Sadly, most Americans still have faith in the system. They are still convinced that our politicians will somehow find a way to turn things around. Most Americans...[don't realize that] America is literally falling apart all around them. We have been living in the biggest debt bubble in the history of the world, and it is only a matter of time until it bursts. 2008 was just a "hiccup" compared to what is coming. I hope you're getting prepared to survive the economic horror show that is rapidly approaching. Words: 1310

There are literally thousands of economic blogs out there and most don't have much to offer. One exception is a blog by "Katchum" that is dedicated to monitoring breaking global economic news on a day to day basis and, as such, provides unique insights into, and analysis of, various aspects of the financial markets, commodities and the economies of the world. Below is his latest post. If you like it why not subscribe? Words: 642; Charts: 6

Never before in American history have we seen such a pitiful, pathetic, and anemic response to challenges and trials. We are truly a society of wimps. Spiritual wimps, devoid of any courage and conviction when it comes to speaking the truth, and milquetoast coelenterates for failing to look past our own materialism to accept the common truth that what we have been doing is simply not sustainable. You and me both. Let’s dig into the undeniable conclusions, shall we? Words: 1331; Charts: 3

Thanks to the endless barrage of feel-good propaganda that daily assaults the American mind the citizens have no idea how disastrous the country’s fiscal, monetary and economic problems truly are nor do they perceive the rapidly increasing risk of a totalitarian nightmare descending upon the American Republic. Below, we outline America’s troubling and compounding predicament, and urge you to think about how to protect yourself from its consequences, both financially and personally.

The Fed’s plan B: Bail out the banks, transfer the banks bad bets onto its own balance sheet, hammer the greenback, slash wages (via inflation), boost exports, and pump as much money as possible into the unproductive, overbuilt black hole we call the U.S. housing market. [Let me explain why that is obviously the case.] Words: 1298

It seems clear that there are a number of investors who have gained confidence in the global economy and are seeking to capture the growth opportunities taking place around the world. With the European crisis comfortably in the rear view mirror and global central banks taking the position that they will continue their easing policies, investors have taken their foot off the brake and have begun to accelerate....We see more sunshine and less stormy weather ahead [and explain why that is the case in this article]. Words: 695; Charts: 3

America's GDP is still roughly twice as big as China's (using market exchange rates). To predict when the gap might be closed, The Economist has updated its interactive chart below with the latest GDP numbers. This allows you to plug in your own assumptions about real GDP growth in China and America, inflation rates and the yuan's exchange rate against the dollar. [Plugging in our assumptive] numbers China will overtake America in 2018. [Share your prediction in the "Comments" section at the bottom of the page.]

...[F]iscal austerity will envelop most advanced economies this year, rather than just the eurozone periphery and the United Kingdom. Indeed, austerity is spreading to the core of the eurozone, the United States, and other advanced economies (with the exception of Japan). Given synchronized fiscal retrenchment in most advanced economies, another year of mediocre growth could give way to outright contraction in some countries. Words: 780

Without economic growth, and real economic growth at that, there can be no meaningful long-term economic recovery in the developed countries. Growth or lack thereof will have to be reflected in the financial markets over time. Currently, I continue to see a disconnect between where the financial markets are pricing things, and where I think they ought to be pricing things. Words: 784

The United States imported about 40 percent of its oil in 2012. So where are we getting it from? It depends a lot on where you live. [This article presents a map showing U.S. crude oil imports by country of origin for 2012 with commentary on regional particulars.]