Economy

In Europe, they were able to come up with a clever moniker, PIGS, to succinctly represent [and name the countries in dire financial straights - Portugal, Iceland, Ireland, Greece and Spain] the most boorish animals on the farm, and [I have taken it upon myself to call the U.S. state budget crises] the story of CAIN (California, Arizona, Alaska, Illinois, New York and New Jersey), the seven most rotten pillars of our union, and (Un)Abel, the country as a whole, which is (Un)Abel, i.e. unable, to do anything about the impending crises. Given the current political climate and implicit anti-bailout mandate of the new Congress, the Federal government might be powerless to do anything but accept painful state defaults. Before we know it, we could all be ancestors of evil... 2011 could be the year that CAIN starts to face some serious trouble, and may need some serious help to avoid killing his brother (Un)Abel! Words: 1529

At present, the governors of the Fed are creating massive distortions in the financial markets with little hope of improving real economic growth or employment... Quantitative easing promises to have little effect except to provoke commodity [gold and silver] hoarding, a decline in bond yields to levels that reflect nothing but risk premiums for maturity risk, and an expansion in stock valuations to levels that have rarely been sustained for long (the current Shiller P/E of 22 for the S&P 500 has typically been followed by 5- to 10-year total returns below 5% annually). [Let me explain.] Words: 3066

Fox News' Glenn Beck has repeatedly stoked fears that the U.S. would see "massive inflation," stating, as far back as 2008, that inflation would go "through the roof" in the "next year." In fact, inflation remained low in 2009 and 2010 and looks to remain the same in 2011. Let's review Beck's prognostications one by one and come to our own conclusion. Words: 1764

A major crisis is coming in the first half of 2011 and it could cause a worldwide financial disaster, global market crashes and the destruction of wealth that will make the popping of the dot-com and housing bubbles feel like a mild inconvenience! Why? Because, quite simply, America is playing a dangerous game of “chicken” with its national debt - and the ramifications are extraordinary. Words: 1475

If I was the President right now and could give a fireside chat (FDR-style) to all American citizens here is what I would say. So get warm and cozy and take a healthy dose of the red pills. Words: 1652

The chief institutional strategist at Canada’s biggest bank, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), believes gold prices are probably heading the way of the NASDAQ in the 1990s and the Nikkei in the 1980s into mania territory on the road to $3,800 an ounce. Words: 647

The National Inflation Association (NIA) believes it is very unlikely that our representatives in Washington will have the political backbone and courage to implement any of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform's proposed cuts in domestic and defense expenditures and increases in tax revenues. [Instead, as the NIA sees it,] the U.S. is on a path towards exploding budget deficits in the years ahead that could cause an outbreak of hyperinflation by the end of calendar year 2015. Words: 887

Another brick has been taken out of America's dollar fundamentals. China and Russia intend to stop using the U.S. dollar and begin to pay for trade between their two countries in renminbi and rubles, respectively, from now on. Watch out America - with the coming demise of the U.S. dollar your free ride is over!

We are an environment in which a U.S. dollar (USD) collapse has fueled inflation trade mania. By launching additional quantitative easing (QE) measures at a time other central banks (e.g. the ECB and the Bank of England, among others) have renounced additional easing measures or are actively raising interest rates (e.g. China and Australia), Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has made it clear he is willing to trash the USD. Words: 797

"QE 2" is radically different – and radically more dangerous – than the risky games that were played with earlier "quantitative easings". This brief article is intended to warn readers about some of the key differences this time around. Words: