2011

Market sentiment continue to improve modestly; European stocks and US futures both advance. Finland ratifies changes to EFSF, Germany votes tomorrow; EUR/USD trades just ahead of 1.37. EM price action of IDR & KRW reinforces themes;…

We’ve reached a very rare moment in economic history where the problem is greater than the ability of the politicians to respond.

Some of the dominant policy issues of today – immigration, energy, the emergence of China – have their analogues in the great Industrial Revolution. The key government policies that laid the foundation for the Industrial Revolution in…

Is the SEC Finally Taking Serious Aim at the Ratings Agencies? « naked capitalism tags: ratings agencies…

This column comments on Joe Nocera’s September 23, 2011 column entitled: The Phony Solyndra Scandal. Nocera’s column compares the statements of Solyndra’s controlling managers to Dick Fuld’s statements to the public about Lehman’s…

The consequences of negative real interest rates and financial repression. We know how this story ends. Keep this one on your radar.

Market confidence continues to improve amid hopes that euro zone policy makers take bold actions. Slovenia begins vote on EFSF ratification; sharp shifts in positioning may prompt mean reversion. Hong Kong’s trade figures showed a softening…

Marc Faber told CNBC yesterday that he thinks the S&P500 could fall to as low as 1010 by the end of the ongoing sell-off. Faber also believes gold could fall. However, he believes both markets are oversold and is more keen to buy gold…

I want to talk a little about the political economy. A few months ago I added the topic tag “nationalism” to the topics this blog covers because I believe this is an issue which becomes relevant during global economic crises.

It was not immediately clear to many when the current crisis began that it was going to be this kind of event. The G7 and IMF understand how the cash register works and have vast experience in tweaking the cash register from time to time.…