My Comments: To me, it’s both pathetic and amusing to hear political candidates rail against the idea of ‘socialism’ and declare it’s mankind’s greatest threat. Like so many of the ‘…isms” applied to economic models of all stripes, socialism is no more a threat to the health and welfare of any society than is capitalism …
Category: Global Economics
Higher Tariffs Won’t Work Now Because They Never Did
My Comments: At the national level, if we want more money to spend, both on ourselves as citizens and at the Federal level on things that require money to finance, please tell me why this administration insists on doing things that will result in less money. Yes, I know, the old and wealthy white cadre …
Continue reading Higher Tariffs Won’t Work Now Because They Never Did
‘Rolling Bear Market’ Will Paralyze Stocks for Years: Morgan Stanley
My Comments: It became accepted wisdom that a properly diversified stock portfolio can indefinitely absorb an annual 4% withdrawal rate to satisfy a need for retirement income. That assumption is now disappearing. There is growing sentiment that over the next decade, if not longer, a 4% withdrawal rate will lead to the exhaustion of your …
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Retiring Soon? Plan for Market Downturns
My Comments: Are you nervous yet? If you have 20 years or so until you retire, you may not need to be nervous. But if retirement is just around the corner, then you need to start being defensive, if you’re not already. There are a number of pressures building in the markets. This gives you …
We’re underestimating China’s economic power. Here’s why
My Comments: By first choosing to opt out of participating in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and then inviting a trade war with China, the US has effectively ceded global economic supremacy to China. The expressed logic behind these moves was in the guise of ‘Make America Great Again”. Hah! In turn, China is attempting …
Continue reading We’re underestimating China’s economic power. Here’s why
In Defense Of Playing Defense (Part 3)
My Comments: On Wednesday I usually talk about Globla Economics. Today, however, I’m less concerned about emerging markets than I am the evolution of ideas that influence what is happening on Wall Street. Yes, it’s influenced by the hiccups we see in emerging markets globally but the political and economic forces at work in this …
Check your math, central banker says: less immigration equals less growth
My Comments: I have an interest in the immigration debate. I’m an immigrant, granted US citizenship on May 1, 1959. As I read horror stories about parents and others being deported, it has crossed my mind that I’m at risk. Probably not, but with ICE nosing about, who knows? It’s not just the New York …
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Why the American Middle Class Is Disappearing (and What It Will Mean for the Economy)
My Comments: Today is Wednesday and my topic is, as usual, ‘global economics’. The decline of the middle class has not happened overnight. It brings to mind the phrase ‘watching grass grow’ or ‘watching a car turn to rust’. You know it happens, but from day to day, you never notice any change. And what’s …
Is Capitalism Killing America?
My Comments: In the minds of many, capitalism is the antithesis of communism. And they are essentially right. In the minds of many, communism and socialism and fascism are one and the same. And they are essentially wrong. Communism is an economic model where the state owns everything involved in providing goods and services to …
The end really is near: a play-by-play of the coming economic collapse
My Comments: The headline says ‘really near’ but what does that mean? In my past I worked with a currency trader whose idea of a long term hold of a position he’d bought was 3 days. His idea of 'really near' was about 30 minutes. If you are now in your 30’s or 40’s, your …
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Helping Define Your Financial Future 