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

SEC Makes Up for Lost Time By Going for Maximum Impact on Goldman Sachs Fraud Charge

The news has rippled across the globe that the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) finally got around to charging Goldman Sachs with fraud: “The SEC alleges that Goldman Sachs structured and marketed a synthetic collateralized debt obligation (CDO) that hinged on the performance of subprime residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS). Goldman Sachs failed to disclose to … Read more

Could Nuclear Power Crowd Out Solar in Arizona?

During his State of the Union address, President Obama sent a cheer amongst Congressional Republicans when he announced (confirmed) his support for nuclear power as a source of clean energy. Obama followed through with his promise when he announced last week $8 billion in loan guarantees for building two nuclear plants by Southern Company in … Read more

Greek Finance Minister Blames Markets for “Attacking” His Country

“The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” (Proverbs 22:7, New International Version) This proverb is understood all too well by anyone who has become impoverished by severe indebtedness. I thought of this proverb as I read a Reuters article titled “Eurozone gives Greece 30 days to show good … Read more