Enjoy U.S. Entrepreneurial Dynamism

Pete Peterson Enjoys a Challenge

Commentary By David On July 21st, 2009

Pete Peterson discusses his attempts to raise awareness of America’s fiscal challenges with Charlie Rose.

Enjoy Algae

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 21st, 2009

Exxon partners with Synthetic Genomics to develop algae-based fuel technology. CEO Rex Tillerson, who has derided corn-based ethanol as “moonshine,” expects meaningful production of algae fuel to be at least 5-10 years away.

Enjoy Canadian Banking

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 21st, 2009

How Canada’s banks avoided the financial crisis.

What Caused the Housing Bubble?

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 21st, 2009

Enjoy Debt For Equity Conversion

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 21st, 2009

Black Swan Nassim Taleb propses an immediate solution to the financial crisis: creditors should convert the massive debt of homeowners to equity.

Enjoy Swedish Models

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 21st, 2009

Can Europe find the solution to its economic woes in Scandanavia?

Enjoy Smaller Banks

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 21st, 2009

Enjoy Small and Simple Banks. Justin Lin, the chief economist at the World Bank, encourages emerging countries in Latin America and Africa to avoid the temptation of growing too large a banking system.

Enjoy Dollar Dominance

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 21st, 2009

Enjoy Consumer Protection

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 21st, 2009

Enjoy Canine Fashion

Commentary By David On July 21st, 2009

Dogs have always been great consumers so it’s high-time we tap into their love of high-fashion.

Enjoy Anti-Vilification

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 20th, 2009

Atlantic’s Megan McArdle responds to Matt Taibbi’s muckracking Rolling Stone piece on the evils of Goldman Sachs.

Shlaes: Money Tight? Lower Taxes

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 20th, 2009

Historian Amity Shlaes compares Obamanomics to Reaganomics. According to Shlaes, the twin challenges of high unemployment and large fiscal deficits also faced President Reagan when he assumed office in 1981.

Enjoy Street Harvest

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 20th, 2009

Milwaukee’s Will Allen brings banana peels to the blacktop spurring innovation in the burgeoning local farm movement.

Enjoy U.S. Entrepreneurial Dynamism

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 20th, 2009

Penned by Adrian Wooldridge, @TheEconomist’s Lexington column has offered the British perspective on American society for many years.

Enjoy Sino-American Divorce?

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 20th, 2009

The symbiotic relationship between the Chinese and American economies is old news. To recap: China cheaply produces goods that American consumers buy. China gets a lot of dollars and re-invests those savings in dollar-denomiated assets like Treasury Bills.

Enjoy Smarter Regulation

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 20th, 2009

Does Geithner’s plan for regulatory reform punish the innocent? Community banks — many of which avoided the subprime excesses that nearly toppled America’s financial system — are worried that the new regulatory regime will hurt their business models

Slangin’ Jargon: Green Shoots, Daffodil Tops

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 20th, 2009

Do the slogans of the economic crisis ever remind you of an enterprising young drug trafficker with a serious talent for product branding? Got that Sub-prime Exposure? Enjoy this Bailout Package.

The Economy Enjoys Metaphors

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 20th, 2009

Ben Bernanke invoked the metaphorical phrase Green Shoots on March 15th to describe incipient economic recovery. The plant analogy was squarely aimed at improving market psychology: if the Fed chief exudes optimism, confidence will begin to sprout.

RIP PPIP

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 20th, 2009

Enjoy PPIP’s Eulogy: Noam Scheiber of the New Republic explains why the PPIP program is no longer necessary.

Enjoy Thermal Trading

Commentary By David On July 20th, 2009

Enjoy Beautiful Symmetry

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 20th, 2009

Harvard economist Martin Feldstein says economic recovery will be both “temporary” and “substantial.” As economists have given up on a “V” shaped recovery — one in which GDP plunges then increases quickly, economists have shifted to a “W” shaped return to American prosperity…

Enjoy Gladwellian Business Models

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 20th, 2009

In his cutting review of Chris Anderson’s new book, “Free - The Future of Radical Price,” Malcolm Gladwell challenges the increasingly popular notion that “information wants to be Free.”

Enjoy Prison Love

Commentary By David On July 20th, 2009

Enjoy Shanking: Bernie gets 1.5 centuries in the penalty box and the crowd goes wild.

Enjoy De-Globalization

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 20th, 2009

Roger Altman mulls the inauspicious consequences of a global economic crisis with U.S. origins.

Enjoy Inflation Battles

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 20th, 2009

Former Fed chair Alan Greenspan says coming inflation will be the real impediment to economic recovery.

Stimulate Your Income

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 20th, 2009

Enjoy Income Stimulus. U.S. personal incomes rose 1.4% last month, beating economist forecasts.

Enjoy Savings De-Linkage

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 20th, 2009

By increasing their personal savings, Americans are reducing their dependence on foreign investment from China.

Enjoy Global Currency

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 20th, 2009

China again expresses a desire to replace the USDollar with a global reserve currency managed by the International Monetary Fund.

MTA Sells Out

Commentary By David On July 20th, 2009

Enjoy Aggressive Branding: MTA approves sale of naming rights of Atlantic Ave station to Barclays.

Enjoy Green RPMs

Commentary By David On July 20th, 2009

Enjoy Auto Stimulus: Tesla to get $350 million Dept. of Energy loan for their Model S, an electric sedan with over 1,000 orders placed already.

Enjoy Green Tech

Commentary By David On July 20th, 2009

Enjoy Green Stimulus: Siemen’s receives $8 billion in orders for green technology from worldwide stimulus programs.

Enjoy Casa delle Libertà di Amore

Commentary By David On July 20th, 2009

Berlusconi Stays Grinning: Italian prosecutors to question 30 women in Berlusconi sex scandal. The Prime Minister remained upbeat at an appearance this weekend, talking soccer and kissing babies.

Enjoy Inflation Protection Vending Machines

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 20th, 2009

Thomas Geissler of TG-Gold-Supermarkt has created a commercial vending machine for gold.

Enjoy Great Depression Aversion

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 17th, 2009

According to Martin Wolf, output data indicate that year one of this recession is as bad as year one of the Great Depression.

Obama Enjoys Free Markets

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 17th, 2009

President Obama Enjoys Free Markets!

Dr. Soros’ Prescription

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 17th, 2009

George Soros outlines a three-part vaccine to protect our economy against future financial epidemics.

Enjoy Nuclear Renaissance

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 17th, 2009

Energy experts view nuclear power as a low cost and environmentally friendly way to make electricity without emitting noxious carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Enjoy Collaborative Capital

Commentary By David On July 17th, 2009

Enjoy Open Source: Collaboration makes the media world go round. How will participation by the masses impact the mass media landscape?

Enjoy You Are What You Eat!

Commentary By David On July 17th, 2009

In his new film, Food Inc., Robert Kenner exposes the underbelly of our nation’s food industry and the machinations that have preserved a system largely hidden from the public.

Enjoy Financial Media Reform

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 17th, 2009

Can we make financial TV less sensationalistic?

Enjoy Paperless Post

Commentary By David On July 17th, 2009

Digital stationary business grows amid recession.

Enjoy Global Rebalancing

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 17th, 2009

Mohamed El-Erian’s insightful book, When Markets Collide, discussed the “rebalancing” of global economic power — meaning a shift away from the G-7 nations towards the industrializing world.

Enjoy Roubini vs. Volcker

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 17th, 2009

Enjoy Dollar Debates. @NourielRoubini and former Fed Chair Paul Volcker disagree about the continued status of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency.

Enjoy Sichuan Hummer

Commentary By David On July 17th, 2009

GM to sell Hummer to Chinese Machinery company - ensuing spike in traffic and car crashes seen on China’s roadways.

Enjoy Executive Transportation

Commentary By David On July 17th, 2009

Amid worldwide economic downturn, Rolls Royce posts best sales in 18 years. Success lies in a relatively unaffected customer base and flexibly-scaled production model.

Enjoy Cheerful Branding

Commentary By David On July 17th, 2009

A look at how the recession is transforming corporate logo design.

Enjoy Electric Auto

Commentary By David On July 17th, 2009

Chrysler submits $448 million electric car plan.

Enjoy Runaway Inflation

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 17th, 2009

Enjoy Alarmist Rhetoric. Marc Faber is “…100% sure that the U.S. will go into hyperinflation.”

Enjoy Sicilian Cash

Commentary By David On July 17th, 2009

Enjoy Palermo Liquidity. The mafia’s debt-free, cash is king bizness model thrives amid credit crunch.

Enjoy Raw Materials

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 17th, 2009

Hedge funds are pouring money into commodities yet again as investors bet that products like sugar, corn, coffee, oil and copper will rise in value.

Kanye x Vuitton Backstage

Commentary By David On July 17th, 2009

Enjoy Creative Collaboration: Behind-the-scene pics of Kanye x Vuitton collaboration.

Enjoy Chinese Capitalism

Commentary By David On July 17th, 2009

Beijing to encourage private investment in industry.

Confidence Boosts US Tech & Consumer Stocks

Commentary By David On July 16th, 2009

Enjoy Consumer Confidence: Conference Board’s index surges, bolstering stock prices, brightening economic outlook. Apple, Home Depot, Exxon among stocks leading advance.

Enjoy Healthy Junk

Commentary By David On July 16th, 2009

Sunny D has a new look, more juice. Now 70% better than purple stuff.

Enjoy Fledgling Financiers

Commentary By David On July 14th, 2009

Enjoy Fledgling Financiers: Financial-themed exhibit opens at Disney World, sponsored by T. Rowe Price. The Great Piggy Bank Adventure is aimed at educating kids about how finance works. Enjoy Young Alpha.

Enjoy Responsible Credit

Commentary By David On July 14th, 2009

The Senate has passed a bill that puts restrictions on credit card issuers and requires they be more transparent about their terms.

Enjoy Over-Stimulus

Commentary By David On July 14th, 2009

Apparently, hyperactivity is good. Twit me on the hip, BBM me..get that ADD stimulus! Sam Anderson looks at how our “power browsing” culture helps productivity.

Kiwis Get it in the Sky

Commentary By David On July 14th, 2009

Enjoy Love in the Air: Air New Zealand launches matchmaking airline, encouraging travelers get familiar during overnight voyage. Enjoy in-flight amenities.

French Gekko Gambles Life on Futures, Mocks Countrymen

Commentary By David On July 14th, 2009

Jouir l’economie: Marc Fiorentino’s new novel, Un Trader Ne Meurt Jamais (A Trader Never Dies) about an over-leveraged “Gallic Gordon Gekko,” draws on France’s preoccupation with financial scandal while mocking the country’s national economic malaise - “Egalite, Mediocrite, Egalite.”

Australians Enjoy the Sunshine

Commentary By David On July 14th, 2009

Enjoy a Sunny Future: Australia announces plans to build world’s biggest solar energy plant, supporting the environment and the economy. Enjoy Ecological Stimulus!

Lord Mandelson Enjoys Capitalism

Commentary By David On July 13th, 2009

Enjoy Capitalism: British Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson, warns of dangers of over-regulation at critical juncture of re-thinking free markets.

Enjoy Better Regulation

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 13th, 2009

What lessons can history tell us abt. how to fix the economy? Enjoy Better Regulation. According to Niall Ferguson, deregulation did not cause the financial crisis.

Enjoy Economic Recovery

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 13th, 2009

When FDR raised taxes and interest rates in 1936, the economy began to contract again after three years of recovery. Alan Blinder alerts Washington to the dangers of prematurely tightening monetary and fiscal policy to stave off inflation fears.

Christie’s Enjoys Record Prices

Commentary By David On July 13th, 2009

Enjoy Boom Bust Art: Big night at Christies shows uncanny excitement about buying art amid seemingly tough economic climate.

Enjoy Scandanavian Prosperity

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 13th, 2009

Enjoy Scandanavian Prosperity. Norway’s economy has been resilient in the face of global recession. Buoyed by oil revenues (Norway is the world’s third largest oil exporter) and frugal investing of oil profits, the country has saved its commodity windfall and formed a stable $300 Billion sovereign wealth fund.

Hayek, von Mises Enjoy Real Growth

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 13th, 2009

Amid the ashes of a bubble now burst, the once marginalized theories of Friedrich Hayek and Ludwig von Mises have drawn new acclaim . The controversial school of economic thought contends that business cycles are driven primarily by central bank policy (i.e. the movement of interest rates).

Enjoy Austrian School

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 13th, 2009

Enjoy Ludwig von Mises’ Legacy. Former Polish Deputy Prime Minister, Leszek Balcerowicz, argues that the current financial crisis does not represent a failure of free market capitalism (and, by implication, an affirmation of a more statist-driven capitalism).

Enjoy Yesterday’s Math

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 13th, 2009

Enjoy Free Trade. Avoid Smoot-Hawley. Ben Stein explains how protectionist tariffs can prolong economic downturns by crippling global trade. Conceived by U.S. Senators Reed Smoot and Willis Hawley of Utah and Oregon, the 1930 tariff raised duties on many imported goods in an effort to stimulate domestic manufacturing.

Enjoy Runaway Inflation

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 13th, 2009

Enjoy Keynesian Stimulus. Fabius Maximus thinks Obama’s solution is the softer approach — massively stimulate recovery and hope for the best instead of trying to rebalance the very structure of our economy.

Enjoy Re:Regulation

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 13th, 2009

Federal circuit judge Richard Posner explains America’s financial calamity in sensible terms. Mr. Posner attributes the collapse to ineffective monetary policy and regulation by the Federal Reserve Bank. In Posner’s rendering, central banks should be responsible for deflating asset bubbles — like that in housing — before they become unwieldy.

Enjoy More Culpability

Commentary By Dr.VonMises On July 13th, 2009

Enjoy More Culpability @ New Yorker’s Next 100 Days conference. What caused the financial collapse? Gladwell says banker overconfidence. Fat Tail Taleb blames the economist geeks. Martin Wolf points to the central bankers.

Enjoy Inflation Battles

Commentary By David On July 13th, 2009

The coming inflation storm is no match for Ben Bernanke. Uncle Ben says the Fed is well-equipped to fight a coming inflation onslaught. Bernanke said the Fed is heavily focused on developing an exit strategy from the historically massive monetary and fiscal stimulus that has been deployed by Washington.

Enjoy House Advantage

Commentary By David On July 13th, 2009

Enjoy Mirage: MGM playing an aggressive hand, bullish investors betting on a deck full of green shoots - but are profits what they seem?

Enjoy New Pandemonium

Commentary By David On July 13th, 2009

The Axis of Upheaval: Niall Ferguson looks at how the ripple effect of economic turmoil hits hotbeds of instability hardest.

A conversation with the President of the World Bank

Commentary By David On July 13th, 2009

Charlie Rose speaks with Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank.

Enjoy Bailout Purgatory

Commentary By David On July 13th, 2009

Nouriel Roubini discusses the stress results findings. The NYU economist says the regulators are presenting an overly-optimistic scenario about the health of bank balance sheets. In order to get realistic about rampant insolvency in the among financial institutions, Roubini offers the following…

Enjoy Sunshine

Commentary By David On July 13th, 2009

Enjoy Solar Power. SolarWorld is expanding solar wafer manufacturing operations in the face of recession. Currently accounting for less than 1% of America’s total electricity generation capacity, solar energy has a lot of room for growth.

Got that greenhouse gas?

Commentary By David On July 13th, 2009

Got that greenhouse gas? Enjoy Cap & Trade! Paul Krugman says we can stimulate business investment without harming electricity consumers too much by gradually implementing a cap & trade system for carbon emissions.

Enjoy Pirate Finance

Commentary By David On July 13th, 2009

Enjoy Pirate Finance. Planet Money delves into the operations and finances of an East African piracy business. Are pirates just good entrepreneurs gone awry?

Enjoy Sino-American Stimulus

Commentary By David On July 13th, 2009

Enjoy Sino-American Stimulus. China’s $585 Billion stimulus plan is helping U.S. companies who do business in the world’s third largest economy, including Caterpillar, Yum Brands, and Goodyear. The Chinese stimulus plan appears to be working far more effectively and quickly than its American counterpart, driven by the central government’s ability to distribute cash immediately.

Enjoy Durable Goods

Commentary By David On July 13th, 2009

U.S. Economy Shrank at 6.1% Rate in First Quarter; however, durable goods purchases, a strong economic indicator rose 9.4%. What are durable goods? Durable goods are manufactured products expected to last at least three years.

Enjoy Animal Spirits

Commentary By David On July 13th, 2009

Enjoy Animal Spirits. Robert Shiller and George Akerlof underscore the need for smart regulation in a free enterprise system to tame animal spirits. The “unrestrained” capitalism that emerged over the past several decades flouted a formative lesson of the Great Depression: capitalism needs a referee.

Nouriel Roubini Stems Green Shoots

Commentary By David On July 13th, 2009

Nouriel Roubini prefers brown roots to green shoots. The ultra-pessimist — albeit a prescient cynic thus far — thinks growth will be anemic in the second half of this year in contrast to more optimistic economists.

Enjoy Swiss Banking

Commentary By David On July 13th, 2009

Enjoy Swiss Banking. Credit Swiss returned to profitability in the first quarter of 2009. The bank benefited from relative prosperity in its investment banking business, though private banking profits were down. The stock has surged more than 13% today.

Enjoy Florentine Capitalism

Commentary By David On July 13th, 2009

Enjoy Florentine Capitalism & Art with Yesterday’s Math. Renassiance scholar Richard Goldthwaite, a researcher at Johns Hopkins, has penned a fascinating new study on the rise of capitalism and its symbiotic relationship with the art world. Powered by the fast-flowing Arno River, Florence was able to develop a an entreprenurial international business by importing wool fron England and Spain. The banking business then flowered.

Politics vs. Problem Solving

Commentary By David On July 13th, 2009

This week’s Economist points out how “political constraints interfere with economically efficient solutions.” The concept has been most clear in Washington’s (happily now subsiding) demonization of Wall St.’s leaders — essentailly forcing the Treasury to avoid legislative requests while rushing to fix the country’s most imminent and intractable problem.

Killa Cam on Supply Chain Management

Commentary By David On July 13th, 2009

Cam’ron speaks on supply chain management. Ohio Dirty highlights a bottom-line approach to raw material procurement strategy. Enjoy Value Chain Management, Best Practices!

Enjoy Nu Capitalism

Commentary By David On July 12th, 2009

Has the crisis discredited the fundamental tenets of American-style capitalism? In today’s Times, Richard Stevenson outlines the Obama vision for a new brand of capitalism.

ENJOY MORTALITY

Commentary By mikhail On July 10th, 2009

Enjoy Mortality? Amid fears of mounting U.S. inflation, a widening deficit, and a weakening dollar, China is stepping up a gradual effort to establish its currency — the renminbi aka the yuan — as an alternative to the dollar’s world currency reserve status. But according to Keith Bradsher of the NYTimes, full convertibility of the renminbi “is likely to take years.” “Full convertibility” is a necessary precondition to foreign central banks holding renminbi instead of $s in their foreign exchange reserves.

Enjoy Bamboo Shoots

Commentary By David On July 10th, 2009

Defying all odds, China’s resilient economy may grow at 8% in 2009 despite a hard-hit export sector. The economy has been buoyed by a $600 Billion fiscal stimulus, which is expected to account for 75% of GDP growth this year.

Wolf to Johnson: U.S. not Russia

Commentary By David On July 10th, 2009

After summarizing Simon Johnson’s provocative article in Atlantic, which compares our current financial predicament to that of post-Communist Russia, Martin Wolf concludes that our experience has been far different. Although bankers did gain a large share of wealth and influence in the period leading up the the present crisis (as in the period between 1909 and the Great Depression), America has far less corruption than Russia in the “free market” epoch.

Animal Spirits Enjoy Stimulus

Commentary By David On July 10th, 2009

According to Yale economist Robert Shiller, the American economy needs “massive pump priming” (PAUSE). Shiller argues that the government must focus on two key goals in order to restore all-important confidence: stimulating (aggregate) demand and repairing the credit system. But how to achieve?

Enjoy Paradox of Thrift

Commentary By David On July 10th, 2009

The “paradox of thrift” is rearing its ugly head across America. While the recession may be teaching materialistic, over-leveraged Americans the value of saving, that very saving is hindering economic recovery as consumers tighten their belts. Nonetheless, over the long-term, a reaffirmation of saving is likely to benefit our sick economy.

Enjoy Resilient Entrepreneurship

Commentary By David On July 10th, 2009

Is the recession actually sparking entrepreneurship? In this week’s Times column, Rob Walker examines the successful rise of Garment Valet, a business founded by 23-year old college student Dominic Coryell.

Enjoy Nano Whips

Commentary By David On July 10th, 2009

Tata, India’s largest carmaker, has seen its stock price rise more than 70% since the beginning of 2009. The Company has sold more than 51,000 order forms for the world’s smallest car. Car deliveries will begin in July of this year.

Enjoy New Uses for Currency

Commentary By David On July 10th, 2009

The Zimbabwean economy is an unfortunate living example of what happens when a government prints too much currency. With an inflation rate peaking at over 100 million percent, some newspapers are using the country’s devalued bank notes to educate citizens on Robert Mugabe’s atrocities in a public art/advertising campaign.

Enjoy Balance of Trade

Commentary By David On July 10th, 2009

The U.S. trade deficit, defined as the amount of goods/services America exports minus the amount of goods/services America imports, shrank 28% in February — the largest drop since October 1996. While much of the decrease can be attributed to declining consumer spending in the U.S., translating to less demand for foreign good…

Enjoy Economic Recovery

Commentary By David On July 10th, 2009

Several prominent economists and bankers, including James K. Galbraith and Roger Altman, express their opinions on economic recovery.

Gold Fronts: Inflation Hedge?

Commentary By David On July 10th, 2009

As the $800 billion stimulus package and growing budget deficit fan fears of inflation, heads with gold fronts are looking lovely.

Geithner: Heads May Roll on Wall St.

Commentary By David On July 10th, 2009

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said that Wall St. executives may be forced out as a precondition to further government assistance. As with the removal of Rick Wagoner from the top post at GM, Geithner and Obama believe ousting management will be key to ensuring accountability and protecting the taxpayer.

Enjoy Economic Slowdown

Commentary By David On July 10th, 2009

Good graphic on the ripple effect of a company going out of business

Bill Gross Enjoys Geithner Plan

Commentary By David On July 10th, 2009

Prominent economists such as Paul Krugman and Joseph Stiglitz have denounced Geithner’s P-Pip bank detox plan as “robbing the taxpayer.” Others have stated that the plan equates to “bribery” of investors. Based on the positive repsonse from large fixed income managers, including PIMCO, both sides may have compelling arguments. But one conclusion is clear: if Geithner’s goal is to sell bank’s troubled assets — even at above-market prices — it appears to be working.

Stiglitz: Geithner a Stick-Up Kid, Robbing Taxpayer?

Commentary By David On July 10th, 2009

Columbia professor Joseph Stiglitz has three serious issues with Uncle Geithner’s P-PIP (Public Private Investment Partnerhsip) plan to detox bad assets from bank balance sheets. First, Stiglitz believes the plan robs the taxpayer by privatizing gains (enriching the already rich) and socializing losses (”robbing the taxpayer” in Stiglitz’s words). The plan requires private investors to put up a modicum of skin in the game with the government shouldering most of the financing burden and a huge % of the potential downside.

Sarkozy @ G20: If no global regulator, I’m ghost.

Commentary By David On July 9th, 2009

In a noble (read: French) display of defiance, French President Nicolas Sarkozy is threatening to leave the London G20 summit if his country’s demand for a more stringent global regulator of the financial system is not met. Sarkozy’s request comes in the face of pressure from Gordon Brown and Barrack Obama to increase coordinated global stimulus. So Anglo-Franco strife is already plaguing the “summit,” jeez.

Beautiful Minds Globalize Solutions

Commentary By David On July 9th, 2009

Pimco’s Mohammed El-Erian hopes the opportunity to “globalize” the solution the the world economic crisis will not be lost at this week’s G-20 summit in London. In a paper released today on Pimco’s website, El-Erian likens the current positioning of three broad approaches — the U.S. approach, the European approach and the emerging market approach — to Princeton’s economist John Nash’s equilibrium.

Breakup Banks?

Commentary By David On July 9th, 2009

CEO Semiotics: M.I.T. management professor Simon Johnson discusses the Bank CEOs response to their public “vilification.” Chiefs of Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and City have all stated that the public denouncement of bankers from Washington and the media has impeded well-conceived problem-solving. But what portion of the banker retort is self-serving?

Dr. Copper Brings that Diagnosis

Commentary By David On July 9th, 2009

Copper, the red metal used in pipes, doorknobs, wires, and electronics, is often called Dr. Copper thanks to its historical ability to predict broader economic trends. Investors generally see rising copper prices as a positive (if sometimes inflationary) sign for the economy and vice versa.

London’s G-20 Summit: A New Kind of Capitalism

Commentary By David On July 9th, 2009

John F. Burns and Landon Thomas Jr. discuss the lofty expectations surrounding this week’s G-20 summit in London. The meeting of world leaders will be a chance for British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, to redeem himself in the face of plunging popularity; Brown faces an election within 14 months.

Enjoy The Story of the Credit Crisis!

Commentary By David On July 9th, 2009

Jonathan Jarvis’ animated 11-minute video provides the best explanation of this complex situation.

Visualize Obama’s Stimulus Plan!

Commentary By David On July 9th, 2009

The Washington Post provides an incredible graphic breakdown of the spending package

Dear AIG: I Quit

Commentary By David On July 9th, 2009

Jake DeSantis publicly resigns through NYTimes. DeSantis represents the latest casualty of the vitriol spewing out over the AIG bonus debacle. He is the type of person AIG needs most right now but has been ungraciously driven out of the company by political grandstanding and media villification.

Geithner’s De-Tox Plan

Commentary By David On July 9th, 2009

Is Geithner’s plan as anemic as respected economists like Simon Johnson and Paul Krugman have suggested?

Goldman Sachs to Return TARP Funds: Will others follow?

Commentary By David On July 9th, 2009

Amid political and populist upheaval surrounding controversial AIG bonuses, Goldman Sachs is reportedly planning to repay its $10 billion government investment within the next month.

Enjoy Pump-Priming: Trichet Condemns U.S. Over-Stimulus

Commentary By David On July 9th, 2009

According to European Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet, America’s attempt to “spend its way out of the crisis” will be ineffectual.

Friedman: We Need Leadership to Rise Above Gaggle

Commentary By David On July 8th, 2009

Thomas Friedman argues that the vilification of AIG’s bonus recipients is undermining serious recovery efforts.

Enjoy AIG Schadenfreude Musings

Commentary By David On July 8th, 2009

Bailout as Scapegoat: Kimberley A. Strassel’s lucid editorial in today’s WSJournal opines on how Washington’s persistent demonization of Wall St. thwarts even the best conceived economic recovery plans.

Enjoy Free Trade

Commentary By David On July 8th, 2009

While there are compelling arguments on both sides of the “should we nationalize banks” debate, there should be no questions about keeping the international trade of goods and services as open and buoyant as possible.

Secretary Geithner’s Conundrum

Commentary By David On July 8th, 2009

Is the nationalization question as intractable as it is beginning to appear?

Peterson Institute: Global Response Needed

Commentary By David On July 8th, 2009

C. Fred Bergsten, Director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, calls for a coordinated global prescription for the world’s economic woes.

Fed’s Trillion Dollar Gamble

Commentary By David On July 8th, 2009

Will Uncle Ben Bernanke’s decision to purchase $1 trillion in long-term government bonds and mortgages kindle inflation (inflation means increasing consumer prices) over the long-term?

Villifying Wall Street: American Political Tradition?

Commentary By David On July 8th, 2009

Has demonizing Wall St. become an American political tradition?

Innovation, Change, & The American Dream: Who’s Leading the Way?

Commentary By David On July 8th, 2009

Who most personifies the new American Dream?

The Discretion of the New York Post

Commentary By David On July 8th, 2009

Yesterday’s New York Post cover captures pubic sentiment over the AIG bonus story — characteristic subtlety and all.

Enjoy American Dream Revival

Commentary By David On July 8th, 2009

Enjoy SImple Mortgage Reform

Commentary By mikhail On July 7th, 2009

Richard Thaler on Mortgage Reform: Simplify! Thaler is a behavioral economist from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He has been instrumental in shaping Obama’s early economic policy (in tandem with Austin Goolsbee). In yesterday’s Times, Dr. Thaler weighed in on the debate over mortgage reform. In his reading. many subprime borrowers (even prime borrowers) did not understand (tangent: real shocker right?) the complex mortgages that were marketed and sold to them during the housing bubble.

Enjoy America’s Entrepreneurial Dynamism

Commentary By mikhail On July 7th, 2009

Enjoy U.S. Entrepreneurial Dynamism. Penned by Adrian Wooldridge, @TheEconomist’s Lexington column has offered the British perspective on American society for many years. Sadly, Mr. Wooldridge will move on after 13 years at the Lexington’s helm. In this weeks’ issue, the journalist reflects on America’s recent blunders: Iraq, Abu Gharib, mounting fiscal deficits, poor regulation, xenophobia, over-consumption etc. Given the challenges facing America’s future, pessimism is the order of the day.

Could the recession strengthen China?

Commentary By David On July 7th, 2009

In response to the crisis, the Chinese government is using a $600 billion stimulus package to propel the long-term global competitiveness of its economy.

Don’t Sleep on Sam Israel III

Commentary By David On July 7th, 2009

Your favorite former financial fugitive strikes again.

Enjoy New Banks

Commentary By David On July 7th, 2009

Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan recently said this is an opportune time to form a new bank.

Bernanke to America: Stabilize the Financial System, Enjoy Recovery

Commentary By David On July 7th, 2009

Last night Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke spoke to Americans in a rare interview with 60 Minutes.

Enjoy Visualizing the Crisis

Commentary By David On July 7th, 2009

Designers and artists graphically interpret the current economic predicament.

NYTimes responds to accusations of fear-mongering

Commentary By David On July 7th, 2009

Is the NYTimes fanning the financial fire by over-emphasizing negative economic news?

Illegal $$$: How much it Finances National Debt

Commentary By David On July 7th, 2009

Media Alarmism: Ratings Up, Confidence Down

Commentary By David On July 7th, 2009

EB believes that the 24-7 news cycle clearly played an important role in fueling the financial excess between 2003-2007.

Enjoy Capitalist Revival

Commentary By David On July 7th, 2009

So does the world need a new form of capitalism? Or do we need a better understanding of what capitalism means

The Oracle Enjoys Takeovers

Commentary By David On July 7th, 2009

Warren Buffett is presently searching for takeover opportunities in the U.S.

Lula Condemns Protectionism

Commentary By David On July 7th, 2009

Brazil’s President, Lula da Silva, criticizes emerging signs of protectionism across the world.

Enjoy Corporate Governance

Commentary By David On July 7th, 2009

The Harvard Corporate Governance Blog is a MUST read.

Enjoy Big Mac

Commentary By David On July 7th, 2009

McDonald’s same-store sales rose by 1.4% in February 2009.

Enjoy Stabilization

Commentary By David On July 7th, 2009

Bernanke: “Recession could end this year”

Pharmaceutical Companies Merge

Commentary By David On July 7th, 2009

Schering Plough, Merck, Pfizer and other major names in the drug-making industry are looking for ways to join and streamline their operations

Enjoy Private

Commentary By David On July 6th, 2009

Noted Princeton economist Alan Blinder argues against nationaliziation.

Enjoy Federal Loans

Commentary By David On July 6th, 2009

Enjoy Partners

Commentary By David On July 6th, 2009

Enjoy Your Garden

Commentary By David On July 6th, 2009

Voltaire was right: il faut cultiver notre jardin. The American Dream endures through gardening.

Enjoy NY Resilience

Commentary By David On July 6th, 2009

Florida points out that financial capitals have “remarkable longevity” in spite of their boom/bust nature.

Enjoy Nationalization as Last Resort

Commentary By David On July 6th, 2009

Enjoy De-mythologizing the Virtues of Thirft

Commentary By David On July 6th, 2009

Keys to recovery

Enjoy Crisis Linguistics - the Great Devaluation?

Commentary By David On July 6th, 2009

Cousin Bill Safire drops science on the interesting language surrounding the recent “plunge” in the global economy.

Enjoy Wall St. Bonuses - $18.4 Billion

Commentary By David On July 6th, 2009

Crisis Linguistics - The Great Devaluation?

Commentary By David On July 6th, 2009

Cousin Bill Safire drops science on the interesting language surrounding the recent “plunge” in the global economy.

Delete This When Launching Num 1

Commentary By admin On June 23rd, 2009

This story fuckin rocks

Enjoy Great Depression Aversion

Commentary By mikhail On June 23rd, 2009

Enjoy Great Depression Aversion. According to Martin Wolf, output data indicate that year one of this recession is as bad as year one of the Great Depression.

Dr. Soros’ Prescription

Commentary By mikhail On June 23rd, 2009

George Soros outlines a three-part vaccine to protect our economy against future financial epidemics.

Enjoy Inflation Protection Vending Machines

Commentary By mikhail On June 23rd, 2009

Enjoy Smaller Banks

Commentary By mikhail On June 23rd, 2009

Enjoy Smaller Banks. Does Geithner’s re-regulation perpetuate the ‘Too Big To Fail’ pandemic?

BofA - Passing Stress Tests?

Commentary By mikhail On June 9th, 2009

According to Ken Lewis, BofA has a significantly higher tangible common equity than its competitors and is benfitting from its substantial deposit base? Does this mean no nationaliziation? EB hopes so.

Enjoy De-Globalization

Commentary By mikhail On June 9th, 2009

Over the past several decades, globaliziation has been one of the most important economic trends. The term refers to the increased free-flowing movement of goods/services , capital, and jobs.