Handwringing Distracting Investors from Good Economic News

I am always intrigued by the words of optimism and the steadfast bullish arguments in the midst of market sell-offs. I am not talking about technical assessments calling for a short-term bounce. I am talking about the “everything is just fine” variety. Monday’s Nightly Business Report provided a picture-perfect example of such talk from Bernarnd … Read more

Market Oddities Abound in This Era of Globalization

(This is a guest post written by “Chenzo” of forexcharts.net) If any lesson was clear during the past few turbulent weeks of trading, it was that our markets are more closely entwined than ever. Perhaps this is a sign of our continuing globalization path, but the waves created by any financial event are traveling across … Read more

“Collateral Damaged” Tackles America’s Addiction to Debt and Credit

“Collateral Damaged: The Marketing of Consumer Debt to America” by Charles R. Geisst is a detailed and captivating examination of the history and growth of consumer debt in America. The book scrutinizes the political, cultural, social, and financial forces that converged to inflate America’s tremendous bubble in consumer credit. Geisst reaches all the way back … Read more

Smash A Toyota, Boost the American Economy?

In her Nightly Business Report blog, Terri Cullen summarizes the potential economic impact of Toyota’s problems in “Toyota Recalls and the Economy.” In this article, Cullens suggests that what is bad for Toyota (TM) might be good for the U.S.: “The Toyota recalls may turn out to have a positive impact on the U.S. auto … Read more

The Consumer Remains Bullish on Spending, Not On Mutual Funds

Major resistance has broken and trends are turning back up on the major indices, so it is time to consider more seriously the prospect of the market printing fresh highs on the year sooner than later. Yesterday, I examined Cummins (CMI) as one of several stocks that may indicate the market has sufficient buying power … Read more