Interest Rates Effect US Economy, Consumers - December 12, 2007 9:52

Following today’s Federal Reserve interest rate cut, many are wondering if the United States Central Bank has moved too quickly to reduce the benchmark interest rate that it charges to banks.  Others were hoping for an even more dramatic move of a half-point reduction instead of the quarter-point decrease.

Pensioned off? - December 11, 2007 16:16

There I was, keyboard and mouse at the ready, a hot mug of coffee carefully placed in the thoughtfully supplied cup holder on my Dell.

US Sub-Prime Mortgage Market bailed out - December 7, 2007 10:45

The housing market slump which has been a drag on the US economy and financial markets over the last several months has been highlighted by the collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market. 

United States Housing Market Slump Showing Signs of Potential Bottom - December 6, 2007 23:40

The recent housing market slump in the United States has affected many areas of the consumer and financial markets.  The cyclical movement in the last decade within the housing markets has been very indicative of the psychological market factors influenced by supply and demand.

What’s LIBOR Got To Do With It? - December 6, 2007 12:54

LIBOR, the London Interbank Offered Rate is set daily as the cost of short term borrowing between banks. Quoting LIBOR is all the rage at the moment, it even gets a mention on the national news these days. The question is why?

The Event Horizon For Credit - November 26, 2007 23:03

I was going to write a letter that pointed to evidence that supported the scenario that you see near the beginning of my occasional letters. I decided not to.

Is Ben Bernanke Getting Undeserved Criticism? - November 14, 2007 23:46

As the markets rock and roll from one event to another hopefully readers kept a close eye on the $/Yen rate that we discussed in the previous letter. It certainly helped me, there is nothing like a bit of carry trade unwinding to help with market direction.

Has the Housing Market Hit Bottom? - November 5, 2007 9:52

The epicenter of current market tremors is the depressed housing sector. As contrarians we need to consider whether the psychology is sufficiently pessimistic so as to create a bottom and thus offer a huge buying opportunity. Are we there yet? Has the housing market hit bottom or is there still more pain to come?

War Plans: United States and Iran - November 2, 2007 9:50

A possible U.S. attack against Iran has been a hot topic in the news for many months now. In some quarters it has become an article of faith that the Bush administration intends to order such an attack before it leaves office.