Economy

Goldman Sachs investment strategist Abby Joseph Cohen's massive presentation on the state of the world economy and investment environment looks at the state of several key economic and financial market metrics in key countries around the world and discusses her outlook for the rest of 2012 and beyond.

I posted information from FaceTheFactsUSA.org on the state of the American union on munKNEE.com for 11 consecutive days earlier this month. Unfortunately, in spite of the fact that Americans make up 55% of the 100,000 or so visits to the site each month, all such articles proved to be of little interest. That is a shame because FaceTheFactsUSA.org is making an unbiased effort to present substantiated information which would be invaluable in assisting Americans make an informed decision as to who to vote for in the upcoming Presidential election. Below are links to Facts 12 through 21 as posted on FaceTheFactsUSA.org and to the previous 11 Facts as posted on munKNEE.com.

The median household income in the U.S. is $51,914, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. To find out just where that cash is going, we've trolled through the latest data in employment, transportation, and common consumer expenditures. [Here it is.]

The impact of sluggishness in the U.S. consumer base, U.S. fiscal policy changes, and the prospect of recession in the eurozone now rank in the top five slots on Fitch Ratings' map of the most important and urgent risks to global ratings. Read on to learn what the other 10 major risks are to the global economy.

The warning bells are ringing, and they are ringing loudly. We've already allowed bad economics to lead to bad politics. Now, it's high time to put a stop to the cycle where bad politics undermines an already fragile economy. [Let me explain.] Words: 1085

The articles posted on this site are so serious in content it always is enjoyable when an opportunity presents itself to comment on a serious subject but still manage to put a smile on your face. This is one such occasion. Enjoy!

In today’s overleveraged world, greater deficits and government spending, financed by an expansion of public debt and the monetary base (“the printing press”), are not the answer to our economic woes. In fact, these policies have been proven to have a negative impact on growth. [Therefore] as long as we continue down this path, the “solution” will continue to be the problem. There is no miracle cure to our current woes and recent proposals by central planners risk worsening the economic outlook for decades to come. [Let us explain.] Words: 1510

"The U.S., with $15 trillion in debt, and roughly $1.5 trillion in tax revenues, is an enormous disaster waiting to happen. At 10% interest rates the U.S. would use 100% of its tax revenues to finance the debt....This is why money printing is guaranteed...and this time, like it has before, it will lead to a financial crash [which] will be of a worldwide magnitude.”

This post shows JPMorgan's estimated probabilities on four different fiscal cliff outcomes, conditional on who wins the presidential election in November.

The perfect storm is the real fiscal cliff that we’re going to go over. The real fiscal cliff is when we can’t borrow any more money because our creditors wake up to the fact that we’re no good for the debt and interest rates start to rise.