The Paradox of Deleveraging - July 29, 2008 10:43

Back in college, most of us took microeconomics before we took macroeconomics. In fact, at Grinnell College where I went, microeconomics was a prerequisite for macroeconomics. The reason was simple: microeconomics begins with the concepts of supply and demand, an essential starting point for the study of macroeconomics. But you only know you’ve mastered both [...]

A Occasional letter From The Collection Agency - July 28, 2008 16:00

It has been a rather busy time for The Collection Agency, picking up assets in lieu of cash. Anyone need a badly treated, surplus to requirements, Bank customer desk or ten? I can do job lots. We start off with an excerpt from The Bernanke Conundrum written on 8th May 08: “You see, For Ben [...]

Jobless, housing data sours markets - July 25, 2008 12:16

Following a strong starting to the week, financially, jobless claims and housing market data put Wall Street and consumers in sour moods Thursday (July 24). Weekly jobless claims were over 400,000, the highest weekly impact since 2005.

Financial sector rebound anything but certain - July 23, 2008 13:15

A fresh batch of earnings reports in recent days have definitely called into question the likelihood of a near-term recovery in the financial services sector. Some financial services and lending companies have performed better than anticipated.

Will Europe Escape the maladies of the U.S.? - July 23, 2008 6:58

Last week all was well, as no less a person as Paulson, the Treasury Secretary reassured us all that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were sufficiently capitalized. Last weekend a plan was put into effect to ensure their survival. The second largest bank failure ever in the States Indy Bank went bust. Many believe that [...]

Oil in freefall, but for how long? - July 18, 2008 10:02

Oil has been in a strong freefall over the last few days of futures trade. This has helped boost stocks, with the Dow regaining nearly 500 points in two days. The Dow bounce occurred after a drop below 11,000 early in the week.

Gold Dips as Oil Falls - July 17, 2008 13:35

Gold Dips as Oil Falls, Stocks Rally; Inflation “Won’t Fall” in Recession, Warns European Central Bank. SPOT GOLD PRICES fell back at lunchtime in London on Thursday, slipping 0.7% towards this week’s low of $955 per ounce as Western stock markets continued to rally on falling oil prices.