After weeks of anticipation, we may get the answer to a key question: Will the Fed launch another round of Quantitative Easing? Since the decision for QE II is linked to Fed Chair Bernanke's 2010 speech to the annual Economic Symposium at Jackson Hole, some expect a similar outcome this time. There is obvious confusion. […]
Making fun of Congress is a long-standing American tradition for comedians. Will Rogers — A fool and his money are soon elected. Ancient Rome declined because it had a Senate, now what's going to happen to us with both a House and a Senate? Current comics — "How much do you think Senators make? They […]
I cannot do justice to the concept of leadership in one article, but let us hit the highlights. Leadership is what most market commentators want when they complain about “politicians.” They want leaders of democracies to ignore the demands of constituents and do what is right. Unfortunately, the punditry has widely varying views on the […]
Here is a surprise for you. European leaders did better than your favorite pundit! They will also do better in the future. For the last two weeks the dollar has moved higher versus the Euro and stocks have moved lower — almost an unbroken string. The European story fit nicely with trader pre-conceptions about selling […]
In a light week for economic data, we can expect more attention to elections both in Europe and the US. Political activity provides both an opportunity and a trap for most investors. It is so easy to use our own electoral preferences in forming conclusions about economic and investment prospects. Just as Democrats did when […]