Credit Card Use Has Changed In A Dramatic Way

| December 17, 2010

Debit cards are the new growth area…..”The lowest percentage of shoppers in the 27-year-history of a national survey said they used credit cards over the Thanksgiving weekend, while the use of general credit cards like Visa and MasterCard fell 11 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, according to the credit bureau TransUnion. “Britt […]

Extension Of Unemployment Benefits Won’t Help Beyond 99 Weeks

| December 17, 2010

The extension for unemployment benefits that is part of the compromise tax deal is good news for many of the unemployed, but it won’t provide aid to anyone who’s been out of a job over 99 weeks. The extension worked out by President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans only lets unemployed workers continue to draw […]

U.S. House Passes Tax-Cut Extension Bill

| December 16, 2010

The U.S. Congress passed an $858 billion bill extending for two years all Bush-era tax cuts, and now the measure goes to President Barack Obama for his signature. Majorities of both parties supported the bill. Voting in favor were 139 Democrats and 138 Republicans, while 112 Democrats and 36 Republicans voted against it. Eight lawmakers didn’t vote. The […]

Economic Tid Bits

| December 16, 2010

Neal Soss at Credit Suisse: We have rising prices in gasoline and food.  That is worldwide.  It is also the warning sign of the worst-case “nightmare scenario.”  It as an “eruption of headline inflation (food and gasoline) with no accompanying pick-up in wages or real growth.”  David R. Kotok of Cumberland Advisors: Through the December […]

Hmm, So What Happened To The Housing Recovery?

| December 16, 2010

Home Mortgage Rates Spike To The Upside

| December 16, 2010

The most recent look at the 30 Year Cash Fannie Mortgage showed a rise by 11 bps overnight, and by a stunning 1% in the last month. At 4.703% the prevailing wholesale mortgage rate is back to the highest it has been since May 2010. And while some have speculated that this inflection in rates would have […]

United States Debt Is Fast Approaching 100% Of GDP

| December 15, 2010

This chart sure goes back a long ways in time!   1792-Present!   Geez

World GDP (Gross National Product) Map

| December 15, 2010

When was the last time we saw this chart turn down…..Umm, You’re right if you said we haven’t….Until now! www.mybudget360.com

32’nd Consecutive Week Of Equity Fund Outflows

| December 15, 2010

ICI has just released money flows…..and we have the 32nd consecutive outflow from domestic equity mutual funds. Total outflows for the year to date are $96 billion.   We also saw for the first time in a while, an outflow of $401 million in taxable bond funds  (and $1.3 billion in outflows from muni bonds). And here is the cumulative flows chart:

The Real Story On The Tax Cut Bill

| December 15, 2010

Wow!  We’re not sure just where the President is going with this……. The Hill reports that the president has been telling members of Congress that failure to pass the tax-cut legislation could result in the end of his presidency. This begs the question: How does one view this….Reuters reports 2010 may be the second highest bonus payout season […]

Senate Approves New Tax Bill Extending Bush Tax Cuts For Two Years….Done Deal, Now It Moves To The House

| December 15, 2010

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday officially approved an $858 billion bill extending the Bush-era tax cuts for two years in an 81-19 vote. Next up the House vote…..huff and puff maybe as soon as Thursday. The new legislation would extend Bush-era tax cuts for an additional two years for people of all income levels. It would cut […]

Portugal Sugar Hoarding Amid Shortage

| December 15, 2010

Looks like we’re seeing inflation but not the kind Ben Bernanke is trying to create, such as real estate going up, instead it’s commodities.  Sugar at 30 year highs….stay tuned, many commodities (wheat, corn, soybeans,  rice etc.) may be getting ready to explode if any kind of shortages show up. Portugal Tries to Prevent Sugar Hoarding Amid Shortage By Alan […]

Muni Bonds Signal Trouble For State And Local Government Borrowing

| December 13, 2010

This added interest expense should bust state and local budgets for next year. So what’s a borrower to do?  Well to start…cut backs are in order across the board and that’s official! Investors are demanding higher interest payments on municipal bonds in a race for year-end issuance.  Yields are pushing highest rates since 2009 while the Build America Bonds program appeared […]

One Down And One To Go! Senate Sends The Tax Cut Bill To The House According To The Wall Street Journal

| December 13, 2010

The $858+ billion bill to extend the Bush tax cuts has secured 60 votes in the Senate, the minimum needed to schedule a final vote. That tally effectively gives a green-light for the Senate to finish the debate and send the package to the House.  Inquiring minds wonder what kind of pork was added to this monstrosity.

Goldman Sachs Reviews Best Commodity Returns for 2011

| December 13, 2010

Goldman Sachs Predicts Best Commodity Returns for 2011 will be in Precious Metals….. The raw materials most affected for 2011 will be those with the tightest supply, including crude oil, copper, cotton, soybeans and platinum….and we think you might want to add wheat, corn and rice to that list! By Maria Kolesnikova – Dec 13, 2010 Precious metals will […]

Something To Think About!

| December 12, 2010

As this chart from Calculated Risk shows we’re about 99 weeks since the very worst of the job losses from late-2008/early-2009. The extent to which their cutoff effects the consumer recovery (and thus everything else) is something to consider. Read more: www.businessinsider.com

Tax Plan Looks To Pass Congress

| December 12, 2010

No good solutions ahead and problems galore, but this one was needed badly!  The Senate votes on the fiscal package Monday at 3:00 pm. Assuming it passes, the House of Representatives is likely to vote later in the week. Congress plans to adjourn for the year December 17. President Barack Obama’s tax-cut deal with Republicans […]

A World Recession Until 2018? Just Ask Japan

| December 12, 2010

Looks like we’re in a real pickle, if we try to borrow our way out of this mess, then the dollar will plunge, and if we go the austerity route-we have another World recession.  Who would know better then Japan!  They say “The world is set for a long-term structural slump reminiscent of the 1870s”…..The reason for the slowdown? […]

Puff…..Where Did The Middle Class Go?

| December 12, 2010

 “The top 1 percent of wage earners in America earned more than the bottom 48 percent of Americans.  Source:  Social Security Substantial income inequality is not the path to a strong and vibrant middle class.  17 percent of Americans are either unemployed or underemployed so the lower end of the curve is dragging more people […]

Stock Brokerages With The Most Account Closures

| December 10, 2010

According to research released today by Cogent, affluent Americans are closing brokerage accounts an increasing clip: 13% of affluent individuals closed at least one account in the last 12 months, more than twice the pace of account closures in the previous five years. Fidelity Investments:            15% Wells Fargo Advisors:           11% Merrill Lynch:                       […]

The Real Story Of Eonomic Inequity In The United States (Must Listen To Video)

| December 10, 2010

Economic Inequality…..we present a great 3 minute summary, which even a third or fourth grader will understand.   What is gradually becoming accepted as the most troubling social, economic and political development in America, namely a record amount of income,wealth and social inequality. From the CBS 60 Minute interview of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke: Q: The gap between rich and poor in this […]

Kindergarten Economics 101A

| December 10, 2010

For those who understand this, no explanation is needed.  For those who do not understand this, no explanation is possible, you flunked kindergarten. Kindergarten Economics….The Tax System Explained In Layman Terms Ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100…If they  paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go […]

Monster Storm Targets Midwest, May Be Worst Of Season

| December 9, 2010

The monster snowstorm slated for this weekend will hit portions of the Midwest, eastern Great Lakes, central Appalachians, Ontario and Quebec hardest. The heaviest snow is most likely to begin over Iowa and surrounding areas Saturday. The snow will then encompass Michigan, western New York, southern and southwestern Ontario and southwestern and central Quebec for […]

The U.S. Fed’s Worst Nightmare!

| December 9, 2010

The Federal Reserves’s worst nightmare has just come true. Representative Ron Paul, Texas Republican and author of “End the Fed,” will take control of the House subcommittee that oversees the Federal Reserve. House Financial Services chairman-elect Spencer Bachus, an Alabama Republican, selected Paul, 75, to lead the panel’s domestic monetary policy subcommittee when their party […]

Pimco Says ‘Massive’ Stimulus On The Way! Still Have To Contend With ‘The New Normal’

| December 9, 2010

So that’s why interest rates have been rising lately! Pacific Investment Management Co., which manages the world’s biggest bond fund, is raising its forecast for U.S. growth next year as policy makers pump a “massive amount” of stimulus into the economy, Chief Executive Officer Mohamed El-Erian said.

Credit Default Swap Spreads…..5 U.S. States Make The Top Ten List

| December 9, 2010

Definition: A Credit Default Swap (CDS) is a swap contract and agreement in which the protection buyer of the CDS makes a series of payments (often referred to as the CDS “fee” or “spread”) to the protection seller and, in exchange, receives a payoff if a credit instrument (typically a bond or loan) experiences a […]

Fed Releases Z1 Statement…..Wealth Report

| December 9, 2010

From the looks of this, it understates the actual wealth loss by about 2-4% This from todays Federal Reserve Z1 report……”business debt increased to an all time record high of $7,351 billion, an $82 billion increase in the quarter”…..so yes I know corporate cash is very high, but so is corporate debt…….they’re borrowing to put cash on […]

House Democratic Caucus Rejects Tax Deal

| December 9, 2010

This may get very personal with President Obama.  Democrats are playing with fire here! Ben Smith of Politico says the House Democratic caucus has just voted to reject the tax deal. Posturing or the real deal?

Interest Rates Rising…Uh Hmm!

| December 9, 2010

Unintended Consequences Chris Verrone over at Strategas points out that the recent sell off in treasuries was “the second largest 2 day sell off in 50 years.”  A move by the 10 year to 3.50% could have serious consequences.  We’re getting dangerously close.

Art Cashin Talks About The Stimulus That Never Was

| December 9, 2010

December 9, 2010 Excerpts from Art Cashin on the floor of The New York Stock Exchange Back in February of 2009, we wrote in these Comments that there was nothing stimulating in the proposed “stimulus package”.  We were not alone in that assessment.  Our good friend, Dennis Gartman, and several others voiced the same doubts […]

New York Times Says There Are Counter Attacks On Hackers’ Sites

| December 8, 2010

Anyone care to guess where the counter hackers are coming from……so, one wonders what’s taken so long for this!

31 Consecutive Outflows From Domestic Equity Funds

| December 8, 2010

ICI reports equity domestic funds saw outflows of $1,801MM last week, which is the 31st consecutive outflow. 

Question: Can Hackers Take Down The Entire Internet

| December 8, 2010

Stay tuned, best guess to the question above is NO…..but one has to wonder!

A Word To The Wise, Personal Consumption At 70.4% Will Have To Come Down With Forced Austerity Of The New Normal

| December 8, 2010

Personal consumption expenditures still account for 70.4% of national income (GDP) as of Q3 2010, that was down slightly from the record of 71.1% Q3 2009.  But look where it was just 10 years ago in 2000. Standard of living reductions will force the chart below to seek lower levels of consumption.  A small reduction in […]

Retirement May Never Happen For Many

| December 7, 2010

Real Estate On The Ropes

| December 7, 2010

A report out of RealtyTrac talks about “the new normal” thinking! Two-thirds of mortgage holders said they would consider trying to modify loan terms if they couldn’t afford their payment, Trulia and RealtyTrac said. Almost half would think about halting payments altogether if their home value fell below the loan amount. Mounting foreclosures and an unemployment […]

Remember Back In July 1997, It Was “The Asian Crisis” Then

| December 7, 2010

The Stated Truth  Op-Ed Tuesday, December 7, 2010 Let’s Go Back In Time……To 1997 In July 1997, the Asian crisis evolved into fears of a worldwide economic meltdown due to financial contagion. On December 1st 1997 South Korea had to be saved with a $55 billion bailout.  It was then the largest bailout in the history of the world, […]

U.S. Rail Carloads Disappoint!

| December 6, 2010

Didn’t the government say things were getting better….by the looks of the chart below, we’ve seen a very anemic recovery considering all the money (debt) that has been thrown its way. The latest AAR Rail-Time Indicators report that seasonally adjusted rail carloads across all commodities have seen a sequential volume decline in three of the past […]

Now They’re Talking…..Literally

| December 6, 2010

Can’t say it’s a done deal, but it sounds pretty darn close! President Barack Obama said he’ll agree to a two-year extension of all Bush-era tax cuts in exchange for extending federal unemployment insurance. The plan also would cut the payroll tax by 2 percentage points. Obama said he would accept a lower rate for […]

Broken Promises: Can The World’s Stressed-Out Pension Plans Be Rescued?

| December 6, 2010

This is an interesting summary of a review on retirement plans “Broken Promises” from Knowledge@Wharton …… From the women’s movement to the sexual revolution, the generation of 77 million baby boomers born in the United States between 1946 and 1964 has spent the last five decades loudly breaking new ground. Now, as they head toward their “golden years,” […]

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