Tag Archives: financial


Equity Markets Continue to Bleed. Why? German Stupidity, Volcker Rule and the Carry Trade Unwind

As usual European news leads the way with a ridiculous ’shoot in the foot’ decision coming out of Germany… Merkel will announce, on Wednesday, a financial transactions tax, and a ban on naked short selling on 10 of the “most-important” financial institutions in Germany. Ban also applies to CDS and Euro govt bonds. Will remain in place for an indefinite period of […]

Understanding Recent Equity Market Mayhem: A Tidal Wave of Liquidity Creation Meets a Cavernous Trench of Debt

Over the last couple of weeks we have witnessed a series of conflicting reports from all over the media complex as to why equity markets are under pressure. Predictably, as soon as the markets recover a bit these same pundits come up with all sorts of reasons to cheer.  Needless to say these hysterical reports, bullish or bearish, are entirely […]

Stalking the Bear – Part 4: Paw Prints are Visible

The fourth installment of this ‘Stalking the Bear’ theme brings us face to face with the devastation created by a simple swipe of a claw. If a reader has heretofore been discounting my words as mere hyperbole than I do hope yesterday’s 3% free fall will act as smelling salts. Below you will find five paw prints, I mean charts, […]

Real Estate Wrap-up and the RIA

Residential Real Estate  There are dozens of reasons why the residential real estate market bubbled and exploded, causing the ensuing credit crisis and economic strife. The popularity of loans requiring no documentation, the easy access to sub-prime loans and the Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates low all intertwined to fuel the housing crisis. The housing bubble was also […]

Thomas J. Powell – Reasonable Regulation: That’s Allstate’s Stand

Reasonable Regulation: That’s Allstate’s Stand             Many companies involved in financial services cower when an official of any stature mentions the threat of national regulation, but Allstate has decided to embrace it. Since late April, Allstate has been pushing an advertising campaign that is rooted in support for creating a national regulation agency for all players in the financial industry, […]