Category: Economic Depression
The analysis published under this category are as follows.Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Tucson and the Great Depression- This Is Not Your Normal Economic Downturn / Economics / Economic Depression
…Goldman Sachs recently revised its forecast for the U.S. economy, predicting a recession in 2008 (Reuters)…Of course, not all recessions are created equal. Goldman doesn't predict a deep recession, but rather a mild turndown, with modest recovery in 2009. CFR.org, 1/18/08 , Lee Hudson Teslik, Assistant Editor and economics writer at CFR.org The Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Teslik is 26 years old.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
It is 1937 for the US Federal Reserve / Economics / Economic Depression
This Letter is a follow on from my article The Future Actions of The Federal Reserve and US Govt are known in which, using the work of GB Eggertsson, we showed that the Fed/US Govt is following a plan to stimulate the economy and avoid a deflationary episode. Essentially the plan is to avoid the mistakes of the Depression and those of Japan in the 90's by using increased Government debt, monetized by the Fed, targeted directly at consumers. By employing a credible threat of an inflationary stance the Fed/US Govt hope to raise inflation expectations and therefore raise the price of assets.
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Friday, April 11, 2008
Brother Can You Spare $10 Grand? / Economics / Economic Depression
The grainy footage of Great Depression soup lines and Hoovervilles now in heavy rotation on the major news outlets has been largely counterbalanced by a parade of economists who reassure us that such a protracted downturn is currently inconceivable. Their confidence stems primarily from the belief that government safety nets enacted since the New Deal, together with a Fed chairman who is a self-professed depression buff, will prevent a replay of the 1930s. As usual, this analysis is woefully optimistic and sidewalk pencil sales may in fact be a growth industry.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Three Lessons from the Great Depression / Economics / Economic Depression
Sean Brodrick writes: A huge bull market in commodities takes a downturn. Equities are getting clobbered. The nation is groaning under insurmountable debts after the banks throw caution to the wind.
It's an election year, and some people say the market is over-regulated — others that it's not regulated enough. All the while, weather is making headlines — in fact, some people believe the weather could herald the beginning of the end.
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Saturday, March 08, 2008
Post Bubble America Heading for Deepest Recession Since the Great Depression / Economics / Economic Depression
“Market conditions are the worst anyone in this industry can ever remember. I don't think anyone has a recollection of a total disappearance in liquidity...There are billion of dollars worth of assets out there for which there is just no market.” Alain Grisay, chief executive officer of London-based F&C Asset Management Plc; Bloomberg News
The hurricane that began with subprime mortgages, has swept through the credit markets wreaking havoc on municipal bonds, hedge funds, complex structured investments, and agency debt (Fannie Mae). Now the first gusts from the Force-5 gale are touching down in the real economy where the damage is expected to be widespread.
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Thursday, February 07, 2008
The Bush Financial and Economic Bust of 2008 - The Destruction of Capital / Economics / Economic Depression
" I just saw a picture Bernanke stripped to the waist in the boiler-room shoveling greenbacks into the furnace .” Rob Dawg, Calculated Risk blog-site
On January 14, 2008 the FDIC web site began posting the rules for reimbursing depositors in the event of a bank failure. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is required to “determine the total insured amount for each depositor....as of the day of the failure” and return their money as quickly as possible. The agency is “modernizing its current business processes and procedures for determining deposit insurance coverage in the event of a failure of one of the largest insured depository institutions.” ( http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2008/fil08002.html#body )
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Friday, February 01, 2008
US and European Economies Heading for Depression 2.0 / Economics / Economic Depression
Depression 1.0 started about 1929 and ended around 1940 with the entry of the US into WW2. Even then, many economists say that, had the US not entered WW2, the depression would have continued for years in the US, and the rest of the world.
Now, since WW2, the US and West entered a period of unparalleled post war prosperity. This resulted in an incredible rise in the standard of living in the US and West. People don't realize, but much of the US didn't even have electricity in the 1920's!
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Friday, February 23, 2007
US Housing Market Crash to result in the Second Great Depression / Economics / Economic Depression
This week’s data on the sagging real estate market leaves no doubt that the housing bubble is quickly crashing to earth and that hard times are on the way. “The slump in home prices from the end of 2005 to the end of 2006 was the biggest year over year drop since the National Association of Realtors started keeping track in 1982.” (New York Times) The Commerce Dept announced that the construction of new homes fell in January by a whopping 14.3%. Prices fell in half of the nation’s major markets and “existing home sales declined in 40 states”. Arizona, Florida, California, and Virginia have seen precipitous drops in sales.
The Commerce Department also reported that “the number of vacant homes increased by 34% in 2006 to 2.1 million at the end of the year, nearly double the long-term vacancy rate.” (Marketwatch)
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