Monthly Archives: February 2011

Week in Review: Bonds Crack and EU to Crack Specs

Posted on February 7, 2011 by macromon

Nice bounce back last week for equities x/emerging markets.  The Russell and Nasdaq were up 3 percent with the S&P500 and Dow increasing over 2 percent.  France continued its run and is now up almost 6 ½ percent for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Week in Review | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Annualized Cost of Super Bowl Ad = $3.2 TN, German GDP

Posted on February 5, 2011 by macromon

Here’s a little fun breaking the law of large numbers on the eve of the Superbowl.   The cost of a 30 second ad during game time will average around $3 million.  You we do the math: That’s one big nut … Continue reading →

Posted in Charts, Economics, General Interest, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 5 Comments

The Weekend Read: Superbowl Sunday

Posted on February 5, 2011 by macromon

Sunday’s game featuring the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers is believed to be the first Super Bowl without cheerleaders since Super Bowls II, said NFL Films president Steve Sabol. Only six NFL franchises do not use official cheerleaders, including … Continue reading →

Posted in The Weekend Read | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Mubarak Hired Rural Poor to Attack Opposition – Der Spiegel

Posted on February 4, 2011 by macromon

This is stunning yet not surprising.  The German newspaper Der Spiegel reports, In exchange for the equivalent of a few euros, poor seasonal workers have taken part in street fighting in Cairo on the side of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The thugs, who … Continue reading →

Posted in Egypt, Geopolitical | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Au revoir, Hosni?

Posted on February 4, 2011 by macromon

The crude and gold market are certainly trading as if Mubarak will be out before the weekend is over.  We heard an oil trader say that if democracy breaks out in Egypt, i.e., Mubarak is forced out, it would be … Continue reading →

Posted in Crude Oil, Egypt, Geopolitical, Video | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

America’s FIRE Economy

Posted on February 3, 2011 by macromon

We suspect you’ve seen a version of the following chart, which illustrates the secular decline in manufacturing and the rise of finance, insurance, and real estate (FIRE) in proportion to U.S. GDP.   We’ve added a few years to the data … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, General Interest, Real Estate | Tagged , , | 25 Comments

Middle East Social Indicators

Posted on February 3, 2011 by macromon

The BBC has a pretty good piece looking at Middle East countries where the unrest in Egypt could potentially spread.  We’ll let you link to the story, but we  found some data from article interesting and after tweaking and adding … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Swan Watch, Egypt, Geopolitical, Politics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Will the Egyptian Army Remove Mubarak?

Posted on February 3, 2011 by macromon

During the recent events the Global Macro Monitor, along with most of the rest of the world, has been impressed by the discipline of the the Egyptian army and their unwillingness to use force against their own people.  This reminds … Continue reading →

Posted in Egypt, Geopolitical | Tagged | 2 Comments

The Crude Top 15

Posted on February 2, 2011 by macromon

The following “Top 15 tables” from the E.I.A. provide a comprehensive geopolitical perspective of the crude oil market.  You can see who is benefiting and who is taking pain from the increase in crude oil prices.   The data are from … Continue reading →

Posted in Charts, Commodities, Crude Oil, Geopolitical | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

How U.S. Income Groups Get Squeezed By Food Prices

Posted on February 2, 2011 by macromon

Take a look at the chart we’ve constructed from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics 2009 Consumer Expenditure Survey.  It conveys a sense of how Egypt’s poverty combined with the sharp rise in food prices sparked the political revolt against … Continue reading →

Posted in Commodities, Demographics, Food Prices | Tagged , | 13 Comments