America's Economic Future – A Discussion By Ted Kavadas
I would like to call attention to an article written a few months ago by Scott S. Powell titled “‘The Road to Sefdom’ – Revisited.” Although I don’t entirely agree with all of its points, it presents several themes and points that I believe to be very important and worthy of serious contemplation. Here is the …
Ever since the Economic Crisis began, there has been one facet that has been very under-recognized – that many long-held assumptions have proven incorrect. There are many of these assumptions, but I will list a few. The “fallout” from these assumptions proving incorrect has been widespread and very damaging: Real estate (particularly residential) always goes up. …
I found the following interview to be of interest. Pete Peterson certainly has an interesting background: http://www.chicagobooth.edu/magazine/31/2/peterson.aspx Of particular note was a quote from the article: “We now have political system where, unlike what the founders of the country had in mind, politicians consider the position a career and don’t want to lose their jobs. …
I find it interesting that the term “Green Shoots” seems to have been eradicated in any official government comments regarding the economy. I am not sure why this is so, as the term itself seems rather innocuous. There must be a reason for its demise, however… SPX at 907.07 as this post is written
I get the feeling that many people believe that we will get many opportunities to resolve The Financial Crisis and the associated economic difficulties now present. In other words, should the already enacted interventions, stimulus plans, bailouts, etc. not work, we as a nation won’t be limited in our number of potential efforts and will …
I found this on David H. Smith’s “The Grayling” blog. I found it to be very informative and interesting. While it can be easy to dismiss this as one state’s woes, I think this type of analysis applied to all states would be an interesting exercise, as I’m sure the trends indicated have been happening …
John Taylor wrote the following article “Exploding Debt Threatens America”: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/71520770-4a2c-11de-8e7e-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1 Although I don’t agree with some of his figures and reasoning, the central point is important: This debt level is a serious problem. It also illustrates the difficulty of ridding ourselves of this level of indebtedness. These issues will likely get greater attention now that sovereign debt …
Every so often I will mention the plight of GM as I think it has significance on many fronts. One question that came into my mind recently was “What could have been…” In other words, if GM were to achieve results typical of (at least) a well-run, diversifying/acquisitive company since its peak (defined in an all-things considered, …
I found this story to be of significance, regarding Ireland’s sovereign credit rating: http://www.cnbc.com/id/31164904 Also, as background info, this story was worth reading: http://money.cnn.com/2009/05/13/news/international/tully_ireland.fortune/index.htm In my opinion, the broader signficance is that sovereign credit ratings (and associated issues) appear to be getting more scrutiny; and this should only intensify if there is greater economic weakness. SPX …
Here is a recent interview of Rep. Barney Frank on CNBC. I found the first few minutes to be interesting, as well as disconcerting in many ways: http://www.cnbc.com/id/30980892 What nearly everyone, especially the decision-makers in Washington, don’t seem to grasp is the risks inherent in large-scale market interventions. One question to ask might be, “If large-scale market …