Category Archives: Economics

Trichet Says Bond “Haircuts” Would Reward Short Sellers

Posted on February 8, 2011 by macromon

A few week ago ECB President, Jean Claude Trichet, torched the short sellers of the Euro and he is now warning Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) that demanding “haircuts” from bondholders in Greece and Ireland would reward the short … Continue reading →

Posted in Credit, Economics, Euro, Monetary Policy, PIIGS, Sovereign Debt, Sovereign Risk | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Germany Rising – Keine Gehäuse Bubble

Posted on February 7, 2011 by macromon

The latest Economist reports the Germans are the most optimistic they have been since 2000 and business confidence is at its highest level  since the Ifo institute began tracking it 20 years ago.    The Economist writes, What’s Germany’s secret? … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Euro, Geopolitical, Sovereign Debt, Sovereign Risk | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Peru’s Meltdown

Posted on February 7, 2011 by macromon

A  good friend from the hedge fund community and one of the best economists to have ever worked in the financial markets, and who also happens to be from Peru sent over a piece on the Andean glacier melt from … Continue reading →

Posted in Clean Tech, Commodities, Economics, Food Prices, Geopolitical, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , | Leave a 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

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

How Poor is Egypt Relative to MidEast & North Africa?

Posted on January 29, 2011 by macromon

(click here if not observable)

Posted in Economics, Geopolitical | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

A Major Factor Driving Political Instability

Posted on January 28, 2011 by macromon

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;  Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world – W.B.  Yeats Here’s a report from India’s NDTV on the “hyperinflation” in food prices in some countries, which already is and could further destabilize regimes … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Swan Watch, Commodities, Currency, Economics, Food Prices, Video | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Japan: Risk of Sovereign Interest Rate Shock – IMF

Posted on January 27, 2011 by macromon

In the context of S&P’s recent sovereign downgrade of Japan we thought you’d be interested in this IMF piece published in October.  The basic thesis is that Japanese commercial banks have been the main buyers of JGBs over past few … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Swan Watch, Bonds, Budget Deficit, Chart of the Day, Economics, Japan, Monetary Policy, Policy, Sovereign Debt, Sovereign Risk | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Comps of Doing Business in the G5 and BRICs

Posted on January 26, 2011 by macromon

The President spoke a lot about competitiveness in his State of the Union last night so we thought we’d do a little comparative analysis.  Sorry to throw so many charts at you but we think they’re a little more sexy … Continue reading →

Posted in BRICs, Charts, Economics, Japan | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Why Los Angeles Doesn’t Have An NFL Football Team

Posted on January 23, 2011 by macromon

We grew up in Los Angeles watching our beloved Rams, who fled for St. Louis in 1994.  The city was also temporary home for the  Oakland Raiders from 1982-94 as the Rams played their home games in Anaheim for almost … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, General Interest | Tagged , , | 1 Comment