America's Economic Future – A Discussion By Ted Kavadas
I have been intermittently commenting upon the growing number of investment frauds being uncovered. Those posts can be found under the “investment frauds” tag. Here is yet another alleged Ponzi scheme as seen in Thursday’s Wall Street Journal article titled “SEC Charges Couple in Florida Ponzi Scheme.” As seen in the article, this alleged scheme …
One of the commonly stated reasons for buying a home now, as opposed to renting, is that “I can own (a home) cheaper than I can rent.” This is no doubt the case in many areas of the country, especially those that have experienced large declines in residential real estate prices. Is this condition, where …
I came across an interesting Fortune Magazine story dated February 16 titled “Where’s housing headed? Follow rents.” The link can be found here. Of course, given my previous posts on residential real estate I don’t agree with many aspects of the story, especially the statement “Given that analysis, it’s likely that prices will fall another …
Here is a link to the NY Fed’s page regarding the yield curve (specifically the 10-year rates vs. 3-month rates) as a leading indicator. What I find interesting is that the chart (pdf, at this link) plotting the current probability of recession indicates an imperceptibly small .04% chance of recession as of January 2010. As …
The March 1 edition of Fortune Magazine has an article titled “Alan Greenspan Fights Back.” The link is found here. I found the article interesting for a variety of reasons. As the article mentions, rarely has Greenspan addressed his purported culpability in creating the housing bubble and its accompanying impact on the economy. Greenspan’s tenure …
Up to this point, I have yet to mention “Keynes” or any derivative thereof. The reason for this is simple – I don’t believe that the efforts taken to stimulate the economy are reflective of the theories that Keynes espoused. Instead, they are a type of “bastardized” Keynesian Theory – used by various parties in …
“One of the biggest economic myths since the Great Depression is that governments can ameliorate or counteract the ebbs and flows of free markets. Government spending has never worked as a trigger for sustained and vibrant economic growth. Ever. Scholarship has demonstrated that the New Deal perpetuated the Depression rather than cured it. On the …
On October 16 I wrote a post titled “Tax Increases And Our Economic Situation.” That post can be found at this link. Some may wonder what tax increases I am referring to, as at least headline tax rates have yet to increase in many areas. Tax increases have been deferred for many reasons. Among these …
Here is poll (in PDF format) on economic conditions that I believe is highly notable. It is from CNN and was conducted February 12-15, 2010. The question presented was “How would you rate the economic conditions in the country today — as very good, somewhat good, somewhat poor, or very poor?” A total of 83% …
The February Wall Street Journal Economic Forecast Survey can be found at this link. There wasn’t much change in the survey results from last month. Also, as seen in the detail, there hasn’t been much change for many of the parameters for the last few months. As I have previously commented, I find it highly …