Category Archives: Policy

Austerians Rising

Posted on September 28, 2011 by macromon

Interesting chart from the Economist.  Note the Brits are  much less supportive of spending cuts as they are actually experiencing the pain of an austerity program.  In other countries austerity is more of a concept than a reality. The Economist … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget Deficit, Charts, Fiscal Policy, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

EcoFin Meets in Poland

Posted on September 16, 2011 by macromon

(click here if video is not observable)

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

This Time is Different

Posted on September 9, 2011 by macromon

Those dreaded words you never want to hear as an investor.  But check out the Fortune Magazine graphic of this recession relative to others since the WWII.   Yes it’s a balance sheet problem and the economy needs more time to … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Swan Watch, Charts, Demographics, Economics, Employment, Fiscal Policy, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Time for the IMF and G20 to save Europe?

Posted on September 5, 2011 by macromon

Provocative FT piece by Barry Eichengreen & Co.  on why the IMF and G20 need to step up and help Europe save the Euro.    The article notes Europe is in a destabilizing feedback loop, The eurozone is caught in a … Continue reading →

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

Spiegel Unloads on Hedge Funds and the Markets

Posted on August 23, 2011 by macromon

Nasty article in Der Spiegel, Out of Control: The Destructive Power of the Financial Markets, which helps explain what’s behind the financial transactions tax that was recently introduced by Angela Merkel  and Nicolas Sarkozy.  The article opens, The enemy looks … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Swan Watch, Economics, Euro, Fiscal Policy, General Interest, PIIGS, Policy, Sovereign Debt, Sovereign Risk | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Margin Call Coming This Fall

Posted on August 22, 2011 by macromon

Timing couldn’t be more perfect, no?  Maybe we get a bottom in equities on the release date.  Go here to the movie’s official website. (click here if video is not observable)

Posted in Black Swan Watch, Equities, Policy, Video | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Credit-Anstalt 2.0?

Posted on August 12, 2011 by macromon

If there is any doubt what is spooking the global markets look to the IFR piece, Credit taps run dry for European lenders, setting scene for liquidity crisis.   This is a must read over the weekend. Remember,  Chairman Bernanke, … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Swan Watch, Currency, Euro, PIIGS, Policy, Sovereign Debt | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

64% of Americans Can’t Handle a $1,000 Emergency Expense

Posted on August 11, 2011 by macromon

This is a stunning stat and shows how out of touch Washington and Wall Street are with Main Street.  Imagine if gas prices spike $2.00 per gallon.    CNN writes, A majority, or 64%, of Americans don’t have enough cash … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Employment, Policy, Politics | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Quote of the Day: Brussels, We Have a Problem

Posted on July 11, 2011 by macromon

According to current banking regulations, sovereign credits are considered “risk-free.”   This means that banks can take on as much sovereign credit risk as they like without setting aside any capital.  Under such a structure, selling short CDS protection is akin … Continue reading →

Posted in PIIGS, Policy, Quote of the Day, Sovereign Debt, Sovereign Risk | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

It’s beginning to look a lot like? Choose your analog…

Posted on June 30, 2011 by macromon

It’s the end of the first half and we’ve updated our Presidential Stock Cycle, Decennial, and 1991 analog charts.   Click here, here,  and here for background.  Note,  the predicted performance of the Presidential and Decennial analogs are constructed from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Equities, Housing, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , | 1 Comment