Another Fiscal Cliff For Japan Coincides With Another Visit to Historic Yen Levels

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 11, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) In August, 2011, Prime Minister Naoto Kan stepped down from power to resolve gridlock over the budget of the Japanese government. On September, 7, 2012, current Finance Minister Jan Azumi made … Read more

RBA Identifies Australian Dollar’s Support from Foreign Demand for Bonds

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on August 21, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) released the minutes of its last monetary policy decision during which it seemed to declare a soft landing for China. I took particular interest in … Read more

T2108 Update (June 14, 2012) – High Stakes

(T2108 measures the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages [DMAs]. To learn more about it, see my T2108 Resource Page. You can follow real-time T2108 commentary on twitter using the #T2108 hashtag. T2108-related trades and other trades are posted on twitter using the #120trade hashtag) T2108 Status: 29% VIX Status: 21.7 … Read more

Chart Review: TBT’s Bottom Already In Jeopardy

Almost a month ago I made another case for a bottom in TBT, the ProShares UltraShort 20+ Year Treasury. The related breakout include some large, upward one-day moves. The churn included a convincingly successful retest of presumed support at the upper channel that formed the consolidation pattern for TBT’s bottom. Alas, that was not enough … Read more

Robert Reich Over-Reaches By Blaming Investing and Shopping for Income Inequality

Soon after I finally posted my review and critique of Robert Reich’s book on income inequality titled “Aftershock: The Next Economy and America’s Future,” Reich published commentary which extended his analysis of income inequality to blame investors and shoppers for the problem. The concise argument appeared in an editorial in the Financial Times called “We … Read more

Wrangling Over Income Inequality: A Comprehensive Review and Critique of Robert Reich’s Book “Aftershock”

According to “Building a Better America One Wealth Quintile at a Time” by Dan Ariely and Michael I. Norton, Americans are generally misinformed about the true distribution of wealth in America. Robert Reich’s “Aftershock: The Next Economy and America’s Future” represents an insightful and creative approach to educating the reader on income inequality and potential … Read more

Global Economic Pressures Continue to Push the Dollar Reluctantly Higher

This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November 27, 2011. Click here to read the entire piece.) The U.S. dollar’s role as a “safety” currency has finally returned although the market has only reluctantly marched back to the dollar’s printing presses. This year’s first two market swoons sent … Read more

A False Choice Between Democracy and Financial Markets

Robert Reich recently asked “Which do you trust more: democracy or financial markets?” His article was written in response to Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou’s proposal to hold a national referendum on whether to accept the conditions of a bailout on their unserviceable government loans. He concludes the piece asking readers whether we should “…rule … Read more

As America Invests In Its Grid Modernization, You Can Too

This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha. Click here to read the entire piece.) On October 5, 2011, the Obama administration announced the launch of pilot projects for grid modernization. This news comes as a welcome relief to the constant drumbeat of recessionary fears. This news also suggests that … Read more

links for 2011-09-24

Argentina targets news reporting of inflation data – Yahoo! News A judge has subpoenaed six newspapers for the names and phone numbers of all reporters and editors who have covered Argentina's economy the past five years, so they can be called as witnesses against their sources. News organizations called it an attempt to censor and … Read more