by Rob Viglione on March 29, 2009
Inflation has long been a contentious topic in the U.S., not really abating at any point since the 1960’s. President Johnson’s “Guns & Butter” policies of the Vietnam war era sparked a good deal of money printing, inflation, and debate. Since then the Federal Reserve, Congress, and every President have gone on spending binges, rampant borrowing, and always increasing money supply. These are the tools of macro-economics, in which central decision authorities nationalize resources to socially engineer what they think will be perpetual prosperity. The results are debatable, but the consequences clear: [read more…]
by Rob Viglione on March 29, 2009
Funny things have been going on in markets for some time now. Stocks, corporate bonds, commodities, and currencies were decimated in 2008, with the volatility threatening to persist into the New Year. There’s talk of deflation, inflation, stagflation, defaults, bankruptcies, layoffs, unemployment, and the best word of the year: de-leveraging. Wait, is that even a word? [read more…]
by Rob Viglione on March 29, 2009
With financial markets disintegrating, housing devastated, unemployment nearing double digits, and our incoming president warning that things will get worse before they get better, it is tough to see better times on the horizon. One simple observation should inspire some bit of hope, however: stocks go up the more government borrows and spends. [read more…]
by Rob Viglione on March 29, 2009
