Economics

When the United States closed the gold window in 1971, the world entered a new era in which nearly all money was supported by nothing more than the full faith and credit of the governments issuing it. If one looks back to the history of…

Press reports coming out of Germany are suggesting that the Germans are looking to hook up Opel with Fiat in order to prevent a lot of job losses when General Motors goes under.  In my view, this means curtains for both Chrysler and GM and…

This is another post I originally ran on Naked Capitalism last month. As you know, I have turned more positive about the potential for a cyclical economic recovery. However, I am unchanged regarding much of the sentiment expressed in this…

Marshall Auerback here with a few thoughts about this economic cycle, external imbalances, fiscal stimulus, and current account deficits. This is not the Great Depression. We are going to have "muddle through" here precisely because we…

Two weeks ago, the Fed roiled bond markets by signalling it would start to purchase Treasury bonds with printed money - the very definition of inflation.   Now, its the ECB's turn to show it can inflate with the best of them.  They have…

This post is a contribution from Rob Parteneau of MacroStrategy Edge about fiscal expansion, printing money, avoiding debt deflation, and U.S. treasuries. He has some great insights on deflationary spirals, the paradox of thrift and the…

James Montier has a very good piece out via John Mauldin ([email protected]) on the need for real economy stimulus over financial sector stimulus. The quote I find most memorable goes to the heart of our debate about the…

I plan to visit Mexico early next month as I do at least one or twice every year. This year I question what awaits me as evidence that Mexico's economy and civil order is imploding mount. The latest strike against Mexico comes in its now…

Paul Kasriel of Northern Trust is one of the few economists to have warned about the present economic malaise. So his analysis of present events carries weight. In making recommendations about our future economic path, Kasriel leans heavily…

Depression is a taboo word in the English language. Its mention conjures up images of bread lines, shanty towns an general misery from the 1930's. Yet, the D-word is making a comeback amidst the backdrop of a weak global economy. In fact, a…