I’ve already vented my spleen at enough of the powers-that-be today, so this re-post can go up pretty well without comment.  I can’t even remember which blogger first recommended it, but at least a couple of places have already pointed this out as a good read, and Doom is happy to expose the first couple of charts above the fold here. The author does do a good job on the old Birth Death Model   The December Non-Farm Payrolls Report: Portrait of a Ponzi Economy by Jessie The ‘headline number’ is the seasonally adjusted net change in jobs. The drop…
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In my humble opinion — this image is no accident (click the pic for context [1] ): The mainstream media routinely uses modified or carefully selected images for ad hominem attacks, but this example deserves to become a Communications course classic.  Note the stark primary color-scheme and a cropping that places Neel’s right ear squarely at the center of the frame.  The ear is also emphasized by the white arrow formed by his shirt collar, and as an added bonus, his left index finger is precisely in line with top edge of cartilage, fortuitously lit to suggest a point.  What…
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Among the options: Get in line with other victims looking for restitution. Keep quiet and hope nobody notices. Return the money. Or hire a lawyer and fight to keep profits that were probably fraudulent. [1] Doom saw this one coming a few days ago, but Caruso’s headline pretty well nails it: "Madoff ‘victims’ do math, realize they profited" … as in, oops!

Still, while such a transformation is, to put it mildly, undesirable, the policies are necessary. As outlined in these pages, the U.S. and many of its G-7 counterparts over the past 25 years have become more and more dependent on asset appreciation. Under the policy-endorsed cover of technology and somewhat faux increases in financial productivity, we became a nation that specialized in the making of paper instead of things, and it fell to Wall Street to invent ever more clever ways to securitize assets, and the job of Main Street to “equitize” or, in reality, to borrow more and more…
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  Feeling depressed by all the tough economic news out there?  Here’s your morning chuckle- real estate will come "roaring back" in 2009:  [Thanks L!] FAIR OAKS, CA – The nation’s foreclosure hemorrhage has finally slowed and 2009 should see a significant decline in foreclosures as buyers return, pushing home prices up and fueling a real estate recovery, according to the 2009 Outlook from ForeclosureS.com. “Recovery is underway. Affordable is back in the housing market,” says Alexis McGee, real estate expert, educator, and president of ForeclosureS.com. “In 2009, housing will not only recover, but we’ll see buyers leap into this…
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Feeling down by all the bad news dominating the headlines?  You should enjoy this piece of fantasy that L ran across. It should be good for your morning laugh.  Read about how real estate comes “roaring back” this year: FAIR OAKS, CA – The nation’s foreclosure hemorrhage has finally slowed and 2009 should see a significant decline in foreclosures as buyers return, pushing home prices up and fueling a real estate recovery, according to the 2009 Outlook from ForeclosureS.com. “Recovery is underway. Affordable is back in the housing market,” says Alexis McGee, real estate expert, educator, and president of ForeclosureS.com….
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The Twists are old Asia hands, and they remind me that, for whatever reason, Western calendar year-end is a big deal for the host cultures of the foreign central banks that have been buying America’s debt over the last few years. Their increasing appetite for single-malt has become legendary around here — maybe they’ve started celebrating Hogmanay? Anyway, I had a look at our data-set, and indeed the first couple of weeks in a year don’t usually see big moves (it’s not universal, though, early 2006 was pretty lively). This year’s early days aren’t just quiet, though, they’re just about…
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