E The Digital World Challenges Central Bankers
Central bankers have been greatly puzzled by low inflation, despite their valiant efforts to stimulate growth by expansionist monetary policy. Initially, bankers referred to the low inflation numbers as “transitory” and “noisy”, implying that patience is needed to reach inflation targets. Slowly, bankers are admitting that weak inflation may not be transitory and that other, […]
You Know It’s Late In The Cycle When The Yield Curve Starts Generating Headlines
The yield curve is one of those indicators that most people have heard of but few can explain. In part this is because it’s usually a non-issue, only becoming important enough to argue about during the final year of long expansions. Like now: Yield curve flattening maintains relentless momentum (MarketWarch) – The yield curve flattened […]
Bitcoin Vs. Dot-Com Bubble: You Are Here
There have been no shortage of attempts to compare the meteoric rise of Bitcoin (and cryptocurrencies more generally) to the dot-com boom/bust. Critics of the crypto craze will tell you that what we’re seeing in the space mirrors the euphoria that ultimately ended in tears in 2000. Proponents will argue that betting against Bitcoin is […]
Bitcoin Is Like The Tech Bubble: It Could Run Higher
Bitcoin Is Skyrocketing The biggest story of the day, which was on most investors’ minds, was the rally in bitcoin. The fact that this was such a major story even though most people in finance don’t have a large stake in the currency shows how remarkable the rally has been. As you can see from […]
Cyber Monday Was Great, But Inventory Looks At More Than Online Holiday Shopping
As expected, Cyber Monday hit records all across the retail industry. According to Adobe Insights, sales recorded by online outlets, including those of traditional brick and mortar stores, hit $6.59 billion. That’s a record not just for a Cyber Monday but any single day in the internet’s two decades of mainstream usage. It was, Adobe […]
Semiconductor ETFs Recoil On Morgan Stanley Warnings
The hot and the soaring semiconductor corner of the broad technology market had a rough ride on Nov 27. The decline came as Morgan Stanly raised concerns on soaring memory chip prices and downgraded a number of chipmakers including Western Digital (WDC – Free Report), Samsung Electronics, and Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM – Free Report). The dual tailwind of strong […]
Politics And Public Banking
(Audio length 00:58:40) The excitement surrounding the inclusion of public banking in political campaigns is now shifting gears into the nitty-gritty process of educating and encouraging legislators and candidates to move forward. This week Ellen and Walt discuss some of these races and the issues that propel them, we talk with a NJ State legislator […]
UK & EU Agree On 45-55 Billion Divorce Bill, UK Denies – GBP Jumps
The UK has raised its Brexit divorce bill offer to a sum closer to the EU’s demands of 60 billion euros. According to a report in the Telegraph, the EU accepts this proposal and this will unlock the next phase of the negotiations, related to the future trade relationship. Update: the UK government denies the […]
Out Of Money By December 12th – Social Security Partial Inflation Indexing Part 2
Most advice on long-term planning for retirement and Social Security benefits is based on the assumption that Social Security will fully keep up with inflation. As we are establishing in this series of analyses, the full inflation indexing of Social Security is a myth and there are major implications for the standard of living in […]
How Much Does A Tax Cut Cost?
People often speak of tax cuts using topsy-turvy lingo like this quotation from the Committee for a Responsible Budget: “the country currently spends $1.6 trillion per year on tax breaks.” Or, as The Hill claims: “GOP tax plan would cost $2.4 trillion.” Statements like these make it sound like a tax cut is something you have to buy — […]
