Why Interest Rates Must Not Rise

In May 2014 many of us were shocked by a report that Ben Bernanke, who had recently departed the Fed, told a group of wealthy investors that he did “not expect the federal funds rate…to rise back to its long-term average of around 4%” in his lifetime. I remember feeling Bernanke’s statement represented both extraordinary … continue reading →

Charts I’m Watching: Mar 21, 2013

ORIGINAL POST:  9:25 AM The EURUSD is still trying to change trajectories (purple channel to red), but hasn’t been able to break out yet. The dollar is similarly facing a change in direction if the red channel can hold. Judging from the futures, SPX is set to react off the neckline and TL we’ve been … continue reading →

Ay, There’s the Rube

Oil is often viewed as a proxy for economic health.  In a growing economy, energy consumption increases.  This increased demand generally pressures prices higher.  Likewise, a decline in oil prices often accompanies declining demand. That’s a greatly oversimplified view, of course.  It ignores such important issues such as Middle East tensions, weather and refinery anomalies, … continue reading →

There is Nothing Wrong…

I can picture it clearly:  It’s 1963 and 10-year old Benny Bernanke sits staring at the black & white Zenith in the living room of his East Jefferson Street house, captivated by the voice of Vic Perrin… “There is nothing wrong with your television set.  Do not attempt to adjust the picture.  We are controlling … continue reading →

What Do Bankers Dream Of?

When Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf sleeps, he dreams — like all good bankers — about numbers.  He probably doesn’t dream about the number 600 — the number of foreclosure packages signed each day by his robosigners.  He probably doesn’t dream about 14,420 — the number of conveyance claims fraudulently submitted to HUD in exchange … continue reading →