Tony’s Comments: I’m becoming a Social Capitalist in my old age. On the one hand I embrace capitalism as the most viable economic model for us to follow while on the other hand know that in it’s purest form, it can be as evil and unworkable as communism at the other end of the spectrum. …
Category: Global Economics
Trade Wars: Stop Hyperventilating, It’s All About the Dollar
My Comments: Since this article first appeared several months ago, the current administration has doubled down on the idea of import tariffs. For some reason, it thinks that trade wars are what is needed to ‘Make America Great Again’. A reverse analogy that comes to mind are the gas price conflicts that used to appear …
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Trump Is Losing His Trade War
My Comments: The article I share with you here appeared in Forbes, which no one thinks of as a liberal rag. The reality is that free markets evolve over time, with some markets proving resilient and profitable, and some going the way of the dodo bird. Putting limits on free trade makes little sense to …
Guggenheim investment chief sees a recession and a 40% plunge in stocks ahead
My Comments: We can argue ‘till we’re blue in the face about when this is going to happen and none of us will be right. Just know it will happen. There’s a reference in Scott Minerd’s comments below about the Fed raising interest rates. Here is a chart I found some time ago that shows …
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Can the Country Survive Without a Strong Middle Class?
My Comments: Most of the recent talk about the Constitution comes in the wake of the tragedy in Parkland, Florida, for obvious reasons. The attention is well deserved but I'd have you think about more than just the 2nd Amendment. At the national level, if not across the globe, society is re-evaluating itself. Are the values …
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Why Britain needs the immigrants it doesn’t want
My Comments: As someone born on British soil, I am more than casually interested as Britain comes to terms with it’s choice to leave the European Union. Immigration is but one of several areas with huge economic implications for Britain in the coming years. There are parallels between what is expressed in this article by …
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The Consequences of the U.S. Baby Bust
My Comments: We’re in the middle of a national re-assessment of who we are as a nation, what we value, and how we want our lives to play out going forward. It’s a stressful time for a lot of reasons. Our nation today is very, very different from the one found by father and his …
Our Aging Workforce Needs Foreigners
I’m part of our aging workforce. I’m semi-retired, spending less money every month than I used to, and knowing that I have far fewer years to live than those in my children’s generation. To have the same successful retirement that I’m hoping for, they will be fighting the same battles I’ve fought, but likely for …
Neoliberalism: the idea that swallowed the world
Wednesday = Global Economics If you are anything like me, you’re uncomfortable with the forces at work across society that are creating tension, fear and animosity everywhere you look. When you add the ever present slurs and crude expletives, the message often gets lost. My definition of civility is way out of date. Instead of …
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Income Inequality and Local Politics
My Comments: As an economist, I’ve talked consistently about the threat to society posed by income inequality. My rantings make zero difference at the national level, where if this issue is not addressed, there will be rioting in the streets. A friend and I talked this morning about the apparent collapse of societal norms he …
Helping Define Your Financial Future 