Monthly Archives: March 2012

Happy New Year, Fools!

Posted on March 31, 2012 by macromon

It seems nobody knows for sure the true origins of why we do the things we do on April Fools’ Day.   We’re commoners so we’ll go with the commonly held view that the April 1st informal holiday has its origin … Continue reading →

Posted in General Interest | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What the ‘frack is ‘fracking’? – GPS

Posted on March 31, 2012 by macromon

Good stuff from Fareed Zakaria’s GPS blog.  He argues that the rise of “shale gas is shaping up to be the biggest shift in energy in generations”  and, More important, the United States has become the world’s low-cost producer of … Continue reading →

Posted in Commodities, Energy, Geopolitical | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Charlie Rose: Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson

Posted on March 31, 2012 by macromon

Excellent discussion on the U.S. fiscal crisis with Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson.  They were co-chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, commissioned by President Obama in 2010 to identify “…policies to improve the fiscal situation in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Swan Watch, Bonds, Budget Deficit, Economics, Interviews, Politics, Sovereign Risk, State and Local Government | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Real Pain in Greece

Posted on March 31, 2012 by macromon

This chart of Greece retail sales comes to us from Reuters via the Zahari blog in Athens.   It encapsulates the economic collapse that is taking place in Greece.  We seriously doubt the U.S. or most of the core of Europe … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Swan Watch, Euro, PIIGS, Politics, Sovereign Debt, Sovereign Risk | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Building the New World Order: BRIC By BRICS

Posted on March 31, 2012 by macromon

(click here if video is not observable)

Posted in BRICs, Geopolitical | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Weekly Eurozone Watch – LTRO Anesthesia Wearing Off

Posted on March 30, 2012 by macromon

(click here if charts are not observable)

Posted in Weekly Eurozone Watch | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Does Apple Need to Fill the Gap?

Posted on March 30, 2012 by macromon

Apple is down almost $10 (1.63%) today,  which is a surprise given the overall market is up.   After making an all-time high at $621.45 on Wednesday (note the Doji candlestick) the stock has traded down, most likely on profit taking … Continue reading →

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France’s River of de Nile

Posted on March 29, 2012 by macromon

Good Economist cover story of the upcoming French elections.  Keep this one on your radar, folks, it could start moving the market needle.     Here’s a little taste of the article, Yet what is most striking about the French … Continue reading →

Posted in Euro, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

CNBC Interviews Jim Grant

Posted on March 29, 2012 by macromon

In case you missed this fascinating interview with Jim Grant. He plans to open the “Office of Unintended Consequences” when he is appointed Fed Chairman. The money quote, “All of us investors live and work in kind of a hall … Continue reading →

Posted in Monetary Policy, Video, Whales | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Highest Employed Occupation? Retail Clerks…

Posted on March 29, 2012 by macromon

Good stuff from the BLS.   Here’s their latest analysis on U.S. occupations, Retail salespersons and cashiers were the occupations with the highest employment in 2011. These two occupations combined made up nearly 6 percent of total U.S. employment. The 10 … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Employment | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment