Economy

Remember when the war in Afghanistan began 8 years ago?  I remember reading sarcastic cartoons on a site by David Rees called “Get Your War On.” Here are the first entries: Certainly something to think about given the announcement…

The most recent Gallup Poll on what Americans think is the best way to create jobs is a bit disheartening because it flies in the face of basic economics. Protectionism is the number one way Americans believe more jobs can be created. …

This comes via the Wall Street Journal: Highway-construction companies around the country, having completed the mostly small projects paid for by the federal economic-stimulus package, are starting to see their business run aground, an…

House prices in Britain rose another 0.5% in November, putting them up 2.7% year-on-year. This is the seventh consecutive month of gains. All of the charts are looking spectacularly good. The only fly in the ointment is employment. …

Below is another great article from John Mauldin via his weekly newsletter, this time featuring John Hussman who is talking double dip and depression. My last post shows I am very concerned about this scenario – which I see as likely - and…

From the site News from 1930: National City Bank notes epidemic of bank failures, and that “processes of deflation operate in a vicious circle” but is nevertheless optimistic: “obviously this sort of thing has to come to an end some…

As we discuss sovereign debt levels, currencies and competitiveness, it bears remembering that interest rates are at the heart of many of these debates. To the degree debt service costs are the only measure used to determine how high a…

This post from November 2009 is a reminder of how things looked in the sovereign debt crisis just a few months ago.

A lot has been made of the most recent FDIC quarterly report, especially the large increase in problem banks to 550 – at least in the blogospehere; some media outlets seem to be burying this news.  Underneath this news are the specific…

By now you have heard that Dubai World, the investment company, has asked its creditors for a six-month delay in repaying its debt (see articles in links).  This is what is commonly referred to as default. Now many are wondering if…