Category Archives: General Interest

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 , | 1 Comment

Happy St. Patrick’s (Maweyn Succat) Day!

Posted on March 17, 2012 by macromon

In case you’re wondering,  Maweyn Succat was St. Patrick’s real name and he wasn’t even Irish!.   Click here for some great background and history of St. Patrick’s Day. Go Paddy, Rory, Graeme, and Darren! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  Not … Continue reading →

Posted in Bonds, General Interest, Picture of the Day, PIIGS | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

TED 2012: Why Videos Go Viral

Posted on March 14, 2012 by macromon

Good stuff from the TED 2012 conference.  Kevin Allocca, YouTube’s trends manager, shares the 4 reasons a video goes viral and provides insight into the new media. (click here if video is not observable)

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Japan Remembers Earthquake

Posted on March 11, 2012 by macromon

(click here if video is not observable)

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Could Tiger Do This?

Posted on March 7, 2012 by macromon

Here is the next Masters Champion taking a point from Anna Sharapova  at the BNP Paribas Showdown at MSG on Monday night.   Rory, the number one ranked golfer in the world, was there watching his girlfriend,  Caroline Wozniacki,  play … Continue reading →

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Is Sunspot Theory Back?

Posted on March 7, 2012 by macromon

Do you remember being flabbergasted as an economic graduate student when studying business cycles and learning that recessions and booms were once linked to sunspots and solar flares?  In case you haven’t heard, the sun emitted a massive solar flare … Continue reading →

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

Political Job Security in Different Countries

Posted on March 5, 2012 by macromon

Nice chart from the Economist.  Here’s their take, How long leaders stay in office in different countries OMAN’s name is thought to derive from a word meaning “a man residing permanently in the homeland”—but “presiding” might be more apt. Since … Continue reading →

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The New Normal

Posted on March 2, 2012 by macromon

You know what’s coming once the markets get comfortable with the new normal reflected in this great photo of Ernest Hemingway.   That said,  rather than clearing our desk for the weekend we’re gonna hit the links. Have a great weekend! … Continue reading →

Posted in General Interest | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Annualized Cost of 30-Second Super Bowl Ad > German GDP

Posted on January 30, 2012 by macromon

The average cost for a 30-second ad during Sunday’s Super Bowl will be $3.5 million, with some slots costing as much as $4 million.   That’s a rate of $7 M per minute; $420 M per hour; $10.1 B per day; … Continue reading →

Posted in General Interest | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Dow in the Year of the Dragon

Posted on January 23, 2012 by macromon

Gong Xi Fa Cai!  恭禧發財 It’s now The Year of the Dragon and the Economist  has posted an interesting piece on the performance of the Dow Jones Industrial and the Chinese astrological calendar. The Economist writes, CHINESE people across the … Continue reading →

Posted in Charts, China, General Interest, Global Stock Performance, Technical Analysis | Tagged , , | 1 Comment