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Does Government Spending Create More Economic Growth?

Does Government Spending Create More Economic Growth?

After the 2007-2009 global financial crisis, fears of ballooning public debt and worries about the drag on economic growth pushed authorities in some countries to lower government spending, a tactic that economists now think may have slowed recovery. Note that in the United States the total debt to GDP ratio stood at 349 in Q1 […]
North Korea Test Drives Safe Haven Demand

North Korea Test Drives Safe Haven Demand

The US Dollar edged lower against safe haven currencies, specifically the Swiss Franc and the Japanese yen, after the latest nuclear test from North Korea prompted investors toward safe havens. Despite the drive, FX traders kept moves in safe haven pairs within “normal” ranges as they appear to have assessed a low probability threshold on a […]
Playing With Numbers To Make Wage Growth Look Better

Playing With Numbers To Make Wage Growth Look Better

The average hourly wage has risen by 2.5 percent in the last year. We have that on pretty good data from Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s okay in a context of inflation around 1.7 percent (it translates into 0.8 percent real wage growth), but hardly great. It is not keeping pace with trend productivity growth and is […]
Auto ETFs And Stocks To Ride Out Harvey Disaster

Auto ETFs And Stocks To Ride Out Harvey Disaster

The auto industry has been struggling this year after seven consecutive years of growth. This is especially true as auto sales dropped 1.8% year over year to an annualized 16.13 million units in August, marking the lowest level since February 2014. This was the eighth straight monthly decline in sales thanks to Hurricane Harvey. Of […]
A Simpler MLP Can Be Better

A Simpler MLP Can Be Better

“Oceania was at war with Eurasia; therefore Oceania had always been at war with Eurasia.”1984, George Orwell. The hurriedly organized investor call with Plains All American (PAA ) a week ago (rushed because of approaching Hurricane Harvey) must have been inspired by the revisionist history propagated by “the Party” in Orwell’s polemic against totalitarianism. PAA’s […]
Ethereum Prices Plummet Into Support – 295 Critical

Ethereum Prices Plummet Into Support – 295 Critical

ETH/USD Daily Chart Technical Outlook: Ethereum prices reversed off slope resistance last week with the decline now approaching in initial support at the confluence of the 100% extension, the 38.2% retracement and the trendline extending off the July lows at 295-303. Heading into the start of the month, the focus will be on this region and price […]
The Bear’s Lair: Jackson Hole 2017 Was A Barmy Ideas Factory

The Bear’s Lair: Jackson Hole 2017 Was A Barmy Ideas Factory

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City is a relatively solid, well-run institution and its President Esther George is among the most sensible members of the Federal Open Market Committee when she is permitted to attend it (her next triennial year of service is 2019). It is thus surprising and regrettable that its annual Jackson […]
Euro Under Pressure Until The ECB Meeting

Euro Under Pressure Until The ECB Meeting

Today, stocks opened down in Europe. A rise in political tensions brought about by North Korea’s nuclear test triggered a retreat towards safe haven assets and a bump in the price of gold to 1340 USD. The US dollar fell against the Swiss franc to 0.9554, and against the yen to 109.38. The euro/dollar pair […]
ECB – Draghi & Tapering

ECB – Draghi & Tapering

The European Central Bank (ECB) is expected to begin reducing its bond purchases gradually tampering its stimulation program of Quantitative Easing (QE). Nevertheless, reliable sources tell of the ECB being extremely cautious fearing what will happen if buyers do not appear and rates begin to rise sharply. The difference between the ECB and the Fed […]
The Benefits And Costs Of A U.S. Tax Cut

The Benefits And Costs Of A U.S. Tax Cut

from the International Monetary Fund — this post authored by Sandra Lizarazo, Adrian Peralta-Alva, and Damien Puy U.S. lawmakers getting ready to rewrite the nation’s tax code have a fundamental question to answer: What are the priorities for tax reform? Do you want faster growth? Less income inequality? A tax cut that doesn’t increase the budget deficit? In […]