Q: Is it correct to assume throughout that an expanding trade deficit impacts the economy negatively? A: No, the relationship, if there is one, is that there has been a positive -- not negative -- correlation between the stock market and the trade deficit. Let me explain.

A sensible story of causation regarding oil prices and stock prices made by countless economists is that "rising oil prices increase the cost of energy and therefore reduce corporate profits and consumers' spending power, thus putting drags on stock prices and the economy." Stunningly, as far as I can determine, however, no evidence supports that claim, as the discussion below will show.

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Should we be concerned when tepid economic growth and low inflation are accompanied by increasing public and private debt? Are we borrowing just to stay alive? [As I see it,] national governments will increase national debt loads in order to stay in power until one or more of them default. Then their will be financial panic which will most certainly be deflationary. Here's why.

Even though the fact that we are in the midst of an absolutely insane financial bubble should be glaringly obvious to anyone with half a brain, the above referred to skeptics have convinced themselves that the current state of affairs can persist indefinitely. Sadly, it looks like what is about to hit us in 2015 is going to serve as a very rude wake up call for them and for the millions of other Americans that currently have their heads in the sand.

If we have an official Hindenburg Omen then a critical set of market conditions necessary for a stock market crash exists - and such occurred on Dec.2nd. We now have a much higher-than-random probability of a stock market crash, or at the very least a significant decline, starting sometime over the next four months.

This article takes a look at the expected trends in the price of oil, cost of living and currency wars and how they most likely will impact inflation.

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it’s hard to see the current spike in equities as anything other than a blow-off move into a final top. It’s the only description for what the equity markets are doing. Let me explain further.