2011

The “smart money” has been buying up farmland hand over fist for the past few years and you can see how they helped drive up land prices in the U.S. heartland. Some think this is the place to be if the shit really hits the fan. Not gold,…

The guys over at Bespoke put out a great piece yesterday comparing the post-bubble performance of U.S. financials after the February 2007 top and the technology sector after the dot.com peak in March 2000.

All in all, the negative fallout from the EU sovereign debt crisis and the outlook for the U.S. economy are likely to have a strong downward pull on the stock market. Rather than reflecting fear, the market seems unusually complacent as…

The dollar is broadly weaker as news developments remain mostly positive, boosting sentiment. North American session sees US November inflation; euro likely supported today on short-covering rally. RBI left rates on hold at 8.5%, as…

As Eurocrats dissemble, ratios that quantify U.S. financial system exposure to European insolvency are dated, even as they are published.

In Europe, the discussion of fiscal prudence vs. fiscal profligacy seems to have taken on a normative hue. It’s doesn’t seem to be just about economics, it’s also about who’s a saint and who’s a sinner. In the US, strategic default was…

Through all of this hand wrangling, the Euro remains fixed at the same value as it started with in January, roughly $1.30. If open interest information from our futures markets are any valid indication, currency speculators, both commercial…

The dollar is broadly weaker as Spanish auction goes well, euro zone PMIs better than expected. SNB held policy steady with no change to EUR/CHF floor. China, Singapore data help boost sentiment; Hungary reaches deal with banks on CHF…

The downfall of MF Global has exposed yet another patch of the underbelly of the brokerage industry. Practices that are routine and legal – and hitherto largely unknown to most investors – can leave a company vulnerable when abused.

By cutting 50 bp in one swoop, the Norges Bank hopes to get ahead of the curve. This is part insurance against addition headwinds, but also responds to the recent data indicating an economic slowdown.