capital investment

"I have this to say to my fellow Germans in East Germany: The introduction of the social market economy offers you every chance, in fact, even a guarantee, that (the East German states of) Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania,…

These charts were compiled by Pimco via data collected from the Federal Reserve and Credit Suisse. They show that U.S. companies are earning record amounts of money but are not re-investing it. Instead, companies are hoarding cash.…

On Monday when I wrote Why Stimulus Is No Panacea, I mentioned that I had written two posts in the past entitled "It's the debt, stupid" (read them here and here). Just as the Clintonites of 1992 pointed to the economy as the…

I fully support deficit spending as a means to prevent a debt deflationary spiral in a deep downturn.  However, there are limits to what stimulus can actually do. Stimulus is no panacea for an unbalanced economy. In particular, when…

This is a question I have been struggling with since the sovereign debt crisis began.  So let me run a little of it by you.  This may be half-baked but I would love some comments. In a perfect world, we would have full employment…

Nassim Taleb speaks to the issue I have been addressing here for two years, namely that the problem with our financial system is debt.  There is too much of it. And all the stimulus in the world won't solve that problem.  The…

This fairly well sums up my view: hen our policy makers insist on defending reckless lenders with public resources, we have to recognize that this is not free money. When the government issues a paper liability for real value, that real…

I don't buy into the core inflation number that the press or Federal Reserve use. Today's Wall Street Journal has an article on the front page entitled "Inflation at 44-Year Low." When you read further, you realize they are using…

Michael Pettis is out with another great piece on the likelihood that non-performing loans (NPLs) will rise in China when the present spate of malinvestment comes a-cropper.  What caught my eye were his statements about the hidden ways…

Earlier today, I had a brief e-mail exchange with Marshall Auerback in which I said that I had basically thrown in the towel on US (and global) policy makers. Early on in this crisis, I had advocated a number of policy paths which I think…