The probability that Congress and the Administration fail to raise the debt ceiling before the Treasury runs out of cash has risen substantially... [Frankly,] it seems the height of policy folly for elected officials, intent on a game of budgetary chicken, to chance this downside risk during an economic recovery that was sub-par to begin with and lately seems to have faltered further. [It is important to remember that] sometimes in a game of chicken, people get injured—seriously. [Let us explain.] Words: 608

Do not raise the debt-ceiling. You heard me: block the debt ceiling vote. Don’t raise it. America’s out-of-control, a debt addict. It is time to detox - to deal with the collateral damage [now] before it’s too late. We need to fix America’s looming credit default, failing economy and our screwed-up banking system now - with a Good Depression. If we just kick the can down the road one more time, we’ll be trapped into repeating our 1930’s tragedy - a second Great Depression. [Let me explain.] Words: 1422

SocGen has published a fantastic, must read, big picture report which compares the world in the 1980/1985-2000/2005 time period and juxtaposes it to what the author, Veronique Riches-Flores, predicts will happen over... the period from 2005/2010 to 2025/2030. She sees dramatic changes but, unfortunately, they will not be pretty. Let's take a look at what the report has to say about the future. Words: 3025

To move up from the current 12,600 level to 20,000 by the summer of 2014, the Dow would need to rise about 16.5% each year or about 58% in a three-year period and in the past 25 years the Dow has risen by this much on at least 13 occasions. During those times, there was only one period of sustained annual gains, when the Dow rose an average of 26% from 1995 through 1999. The key question: what would it take to justify a three-year, steady, robust gain? It all comes down to corporate profits [and the extent to which] multiple investors are willing to assign [dollars] to these profits. [Let me explain.] Words: 761

The recent outperformance of precious metals, combined with budget problems in the United States and parts of Europe, has prompted some to speculate that gold or silver will become the next international reserve currency [but in my opinion that is highly unlikely. As such, investors would be highly encouraged to give pause [before] allocating a portion of their portfolios to precious metals. Let me explain further.] Words: 1094

A hurricane of debt, deficit, and demographics is heading to the shores of all developed economies. With it will come high inflation rates, high costs for credit, low growth rates, and weakening developed country currency value. Ben Bernanke in a helicopter will not stop the hurricane’s devastating path. More stimulus packages will not stop it. Blaming the Chinese for lending us too much money will not stop it. Pretending that the storm isn’t coming will most assuredly not stop it. It threatens to derail the lukewarm economic recovery and to alter forever the heretofore path of robust growth for the developed world. In a sense, debt, deficit, and demographics will reset the world to a “New Normal”. Words: 3341

Get ready to be financially conscripted into a citizen army assembled for the greater cause of saving America from being swamped by a tsunami of debt as a new policy initiative known as "financial repression" takes hold. ‘Repression’ rhymes with ‘depression’ and that is what we may have to look forward to as rampant price inflation and permanently lower living standards take hold as a result. Let me explain. Words: 1797

While Washington debates raising the debt ceiling and cutting spending to achieve $1 to $2 trillion of savings over the next decade, it’s worth pointing out that these savings may never materialize because the existing official budget numbers are too optimistic across several fronts. [Let me show you some numbers that will both surprise, concern, and enlighten you.] Words: 1070

The budgetary and fiscal crisis right now has made many political issues far clearer in people's minds. The debt dilemma is a challenge and an opportunity to set America on a freer and potentially more prosperous track, if the reality of the situation is looked at foursquare in the eye. Otherwise, dangerous, destabilizing, and damaging monetary and fiscal times may be ahead. [Here is how I see the situation and how I would propose solving the inherent problems.] Words: 3518

According to conventional market wisdom, there are three safe haven currencies: the Swiss franc, Japanese yen, and US dollar. It is to these currencies that investors flock whenever there is a crisis, or merely an outbreak of uncertainty, and for much of the period following the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the three were closely correlated [but that is nolonger the case as the title of this article so indicates. Let me show you what has happened of late.] Words: 670