2013

Despite the grandiose title of this post, I intend to keep my comments brief. Having had a few days to digest the news without having to write, I come back somewhat more optimistic about the European economy. I wouldn't call myself a bull…

News links for 16 Aug 2013

News links for 15 Aug 2013

The center-left could unseat Merkel, but its sectarian tendencies make it unlikely. The SPD and Greens have refused to consider the Linke (Left) party as a coalition member. The Left's agenda, which is anti-NATO and anti-EU, is…

Osborne's behaviour both angers and frightens me. He is playing brinkmanship with the UK economy to achieve political ends. Nothing he does makes much sense from an economic point of view - which is why the flagship Help to Buy scheme has…

Brazil's financial markets remain under pressure. In spite of some recent interventions, including a rate hike, the currency touched another multi-year low today. The market is "testing" the central bank with bets that the real has more…

News links for 13 Aug 2013 - Lots of links today on the usual topics with a special emphasis on Blackberry

Yves Smith argues that the US equity markets have come to play an outsized role in the US from a policy and practical level. And she warns that it is never a good idea to try to assess complex phenomena with a single metric.

Fred Sheehan provides a compilation of articles and quotes suggesting that the solution to the mortgage problems in the United States bears a striking resemblance to the policies which led to those mortgage problems in the first place.

We continue to identify four main macro issues shaping the investment climate: The tapering anticipation in the US; the stabilization of the Chinese economy; a cyclical recovery in Europe; and the long awaited Japanese purchases of foreign…