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Just when popular media suggests that the economy is back off the ropes, the Congressional Oversight Panel, which is charged with monitoring the banking system bailout, is warning that the economy could be headed into round two of the worst downturn since the Great Depression. Words: 734

The economy is now so manipulated by politicians, big bankers, and special-interest groups that making sense of the markets has become an almost impossible feat. Which is to say, it must push even harder on the levers of its printing presses, further setting the stage for the massive period of inflation we continue to see as inevitable… and for a stunning rise in interest rates. Words: 968

If the market is topping, it’s doing so in the face of rosy news in every area except for employment and there is nothing more ominous than a stock market turning down in the face of a “bright” economy. At such times, nobody is ready or positioned for a sudden reversal. [Are you?] Words: 637

It is appropriate that the fiscal crisis of the West has begun in Greece, the birthplace of Western civilization. Soon it will cross the channel to Britain. The key question, however, is when that crisis will reach the last bastion of Western power, on the other side of the Atlantic. Words: 609

In a global crisis sovereign debt fears have the ability to be contagious destroying investor confidence in the capital markets of troubled countries and the overall global economy alike and when confidence wanes, capital flees it is a surefire recipe for falling dominoes. That's especially true today in the wake of a deep global recession that has left many countries with bloated deficits and debt loads. Words: 707

The key concern for analyzing trading/investing opportunities for the rest of 2010 is whether we are facing a major pullback or 'crash back' to Autumn 2008 or March 2009 lows, or to see markets continue in their “risk on / risk off” pattern of the first quarter. Words: 516

You've probably heard about hedge funds, those super-secretive private pools where millionaires stash their money. Yes, sometimes they blow up. But many hedge funds have a long history of good returns in all market conditions. They do this by combining sophisticated trading techniques with long and short positions in various markets. The problem is that the best hedge funds aren't available to everyday investors in small amounts. Words: 1078

Our leaders in Washington are so detached from reality it begs the question, "What are they smoking?" I'm not talking about the insane amounts of spending that's going on in our capital, or even about the patently unpayable debts and promises they're making to all of us and our foreign creditors. Although I think these things, too, result from whatever drugs they're on inside the beltway I am referring the way Washington manipulates its official statistics. Words: 1107

Many ETFs now present unique approaches to stock and bond investing by tweaking popular and widely-followed benchmarks. The very first ETF, the S&P 500 SPDR (SPY), remains by far the largest U.S.-listed ETF, reflecting investor familiarity with the underlying benchmark, but there are now approximately 30 other issuers now competing for a slice of this still-growing pie. Words: 789

Looking forward, our formula for working out of the current deficit pattern would be to have the Republicans regain control of one house of Congress (but not both houses of Congress plus the White House). The economy fully recovers. I’m not ready to forecast surpluses to come, but I can envision the deficits coming down to reasonable magnitudes. Words: 1438