Economy

The big news that the markets are attempting to digest this week is the €100 billion Spanish bailout. This action and the upcoming Fed FOMC meeting on June 19-20 will dictate the market's action over the next two weeks and possibly for the remainder of the year. [That being said, given what has transpired in Spain this past month, it is evident that the philosophy is to "lie until you are about to die." Let me explain.] Words: 640

As the focus of the euro crisis shifts to Italy, IMF head Christine Lagarde has warned that European leaders have less than three months to save the euro. Meanwhile top economist Nouriel Roubini has called on Berlin to drop its obsession with austerity, proposing that the German government give every household a 1,000 euro [$1,250 US equivalent] voucher to spend on a vacation in Southern Europe. Words: 990

On the heels of Spain asking for $125 billion to bail out their collapsing banking system...there will be a massive worldwide package coming out between the Fed, the ECB, the IMF and other central banks. The money printing is imminent. As I see things, we are on the road to perdition,...there is no exit strategy for the world (to get) out of these problems. There is no solution. If you look at what happened in 2008, people thought that was bad, but what’s going to happen, starting this year and in the next few years, will make 2008 look like a small rehearsal because the real collapse is going to start now.

“The financial markets continue to show extreme volatility as the various institutions and governments deal with the end of their respective roads....Governments, economies and societies are converging on a common dead end, and it is a dead end of historic proportions....There will come a moment when this dysfunctional system can be sustained no longer. It is not inevitable. There is still time for rational behavior and solutions, but that time is short."

Even as I write these words, the world's largest economy — the E.U. — is coming unglued at the seams, the world's second largest — the U.S. — is careening headlong toward a fiscal cliff that promises to gut its GDP, nearly all of Asia — including Japan, China and India — is slowing...and yet most investors still don't get the message. [Let me go on to explain just what that message is.] Words: 1357

LOOK! Everyone needs to see this. United States owes a lot of money. As of 2012, US debt is larger than the size of the economy. The debt ceiling is currently set at $16.394 Trillion, estimated to be hit around Sep 14, 2012. In the infographic below that enormous amount is illustrated in $100 bills. It's frightening! Words: 605

While the economy can certainly make job hunting frustrating for some recent grads, it's not all bad news. 59.3% of employers surveyed rated the current job market good to excellent, and 9.5% plan on increasing their number of hires this year. Learn more from the infographic below.

PARIS (Reuters) - There are signs that the economies of two of the world's leading emerging powerhouses, India and China, are starting to falter, while Europe continues to be handicapped by its debt woes according to a recent report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). [Here are some of the pertinent data.] Words: 250

Over the years foreigners have been buying more and more U.S. debt and now amounts to 33% of the total which is up from "just" 27% at this time 4 years ago and less than 15% only 20 years ago. However, given the dire state of U.S. finances it makes one wonder how much longer this trend will continue and what the consequences will be when the U.S. nolonger has a ready buyers to subsidize their excessive ways. Let's take a look at which countries and entities hold the U.S. debt and the extent to which it has changed over the years. Words: 480

Is this the time to acquire gold? Or is this the time to run away from it? Either answer could be correct, depending upon what course government chooses. Government is at a decision point, one that will determine how our economic malaise next turns. [Let's review their choices.] Words: 922