Commentary Optimism is increasing on Wall Street, with investors hoping for a “soft landing” in the economy. “David Kelly, the chief global strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management, is betting that inflation will continue to ease in 2023, helping the U.S. economy to narrowly escape a recession. Ed Yardeni, the longtime stock strategist and founder of…
Gen Zers Are Overly Optimistic About Being Wealthy
Commentary Gen Zers, according to a recent Magnify Money survey, are overly optimistic about being wealthy. In fact, according to the survey, they are the most financially optimistic generation. To wit: “Nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of Gen Zers believe they’ll become wealthy one day, making them the most financially optimistic generation.” But, interestingly, that optimism,…
NFIB Survey Suggests a Recession Is Coming
Commentary The most recent survey from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is sending a strong signal of an economic recession. In 2019, the NFIB survey, combined with an inverted yield curve, suggested an impending recession. In 2020, those signals became a reality. As in 2019, we see many of the same warning signals…
Video Games Are Now the Most Potent of Political Weapons
Commentary Ray Bradbury, one of America’s finest writers of the 20th century, once described video games as “a waste of time for men with nothing else to do.” Humans with “real brains,” he asserted, don’t waste their time on such trivial activities. Tens of millions of Americans would probably beg to differ. Today, rather incredibly,…
US Debt Ceiling: Shutdown, Default, or Extraordinary Measures
January 20, 2023
admin
Business & MarketsBusiness Columnistsdebt ceilinggovernment shutdownsOpinionspending cutsthe constitutionViewpoints
0 Comment
Commentary House Democrats refuse spending cuts to keep the United States out of default. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen confirmed on Jan. 19 that the United States has reached its debt ceiling of $31.4 trillion and that the government would have to take extraordinary measures to avoid slipping into default. House Democrats blame the Republicans for not…
Housing Will Remain Depressed
January 20, 2023
admin
Business & MarketsBusiness ColumnistsFederal Reserve (Fed)housingmortgage ratesOpinionThinking About ChinaViewpoints
0 Comment
Commentary With the Federal Reserve (Fed) committed to raising interest rates still further, the future of the housing market remains problematic. The higher mortgage rates rise, the less affordable housing will become for the average American. Buying and building will accordingly fall even farther than they already have. In time, however, a counter-trend will likely…
US Household Debt Is Staggering
Commentary U.S. household debt increased by 15.2 percent last year and now stands at 36 percent of the GDP, while household financial savings are at the lowest in 30 years. Household savings fell from 7.3 percent of GDP in 2021 to 4 percent of GDP in 2022. If savings do not increase, consumption and investment…
Cancel the IRS? We Can Only Hope
Commentary While I can’t say I’m supportive of cancel culture, I am incredibly supportive of cancel culture when it is directed at the IRS. Recently the 118th Republican-led Congress introduced “The Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act.” If successful, the bill would abolish the IRS, replacing the income tax (and the income tax code)…
China’s Reopening Will Face Delays
Commentary Beijing has bowed to public pressure and abandoned its Zero-COVID lockdowns and quarantines. The anticipated “reopening” has caused a stir of optimism. However, China’s immediate economic prospects look pretty bad after a tough fourth quarter and with surging COVID-19 cases. The economic lift from the end of Zero-COVID will likely wait until later in…
Cut Russia’s Oil Income, but Keep the Pumps Flowing
Commentary So far, the Russian oil cap is having the desired effect. Russia’s economy is hurting, and the European Union has access to cheap oil. But maintaining the status quo will be a delicate game of financial carrot and stick. Since the war in Ukraine began, the United States, the G-7, the EU, and other…
-
Recent Posts
-
Archives
- May 2025
- April 2025
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- September 2013
- July 2013
- March 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- December 1
-
Meta