Category: Government Intervention
The analysis published under this category are as follows.Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Speculators are Evil According to EU and Devila Merkel / Politics / Government Intervention
God and Markets in general have officially conceted that political masterminds are smarter and better than them.The easiest way to “help” markets is to ignore any and all signals and just go with your gut being the experienced trader you are. Angela I am proud to donate my entire portfolio to you, I consider Germans pretty smart so if they are willing to do it why wouldn’t I be?
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Saturday, May 15, 2010
Has The World Had Enough Of Governments?......Market Has!.... / Stock-Markets / Government Intervention
When Governments start to intervene on everything maybe it's time for them to stop. Maybe the stock market is sending a message that it has had enough of their constant interference. The Government is trying to make the world pay for others discretions. How many more taxes can they create so we can pay for their bail outs for those who deserve to fail? How many innocent people have to lose their jobs because the Government puts undue tax burdens on corporate America and corporations around the world that will force these corporations to fire employees? At what point does the pot runeth over and we have more than we asked for? Will there be blood on the streets? Riots such as those that we saw in Greece right here in our back yards!
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Wednesday, December 09, 2009
The Economic Curse of Good Government / Economics / Government Intervention
As one who has made a career out of criticizing government and exposing the various predations of government, one would think I would be intelligent and wise enough not to expect that entity we know as "good government." In fact, given that I am quite familiar with the entire socialist calculation debate and have assigned numerous papers covering that subject to my MBA students, it should have dawned upon me by now that "good government" is an oxymoron at best and a delusional term at worst.
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Thursday, September 10, 2009
Government Run Economy, A New Era of Opportunity / Economics / Government Intervention
Could it be that the government is now in the driver's seat of the economy, having replaced the private sector? We certainly don’t believe it is the engine yet, but increasingly it has moved from being the backseat driver directing instructions intermittently, to taking over the steering wheel.
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Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The Crime of Big Government / Politics / Government Intervention
David M. Woods writes: The following is a fictitious, but predictable conversation:
Read full article... Read full article...Me: I have a problem.
Other guy: Well, I have a solution!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Shifting Sands of Foreign Economic Policy Impacting on America's Shores / Economics / Government Intervention
The monstrous typhoon that pounded away at coastal areas of the Pacific last weekend certainly qualified as a disaster for anyone who happened to be in its path. But for those of us safely in bed, the storm not only provided some remarkable meteorological footage, but also a stealth lesson in economics.
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Sunday, July 19, 2009
Cooking the Economy, the Great Government Bread Machine / Economics / Government Intervention
David Calderwood writes: "Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded – here and there, now and then – are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty. This is known as ‘bad luck.’" ~ Robert A. Heinlein
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Friday, June 12, 2009
Property Rights Take a Hit Due to Crony Capitalism / Politics / Government Intervention
“Crony capitalism” is a term often applied to foreign nations where government interference circumvents market forces. The practice is widely associated with tin-pot dictators and second-rate economies. In such a system, support for the ruling regime is the best and only path to economic success. Who you know supersedes what you know, and favoritism trumps the rule of law. Unfortunately, this week's events demonstrate that the phrase now more aptly describes our own country.
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Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Market Discipline: Margaret Thatchers True 30 Year Legacy / Politics / Government Intervention
Revealing the hideous off-spring of Margaret Thatcher's "market disciplines" and the ever-swelling tax-funded state...
LIFE AFTER THE BALLOT BOX is rumored to pay pretty well, no matter how hateful you become in office.
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Monday, February 09, 2009
Freedom From Government Intervention and Funding and Restrictions / Politics / Government Intervention
President Obama signed an executive order last week continuing the faith-based initiatives program created by former President Bush. When the program was created, I warned that giving taxpayer money to private religious organizations would eventually lead to political control and manipulation of them. This week has provided some evidence that this was a justified concern.Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, January 29, 2009
"Bad Bank" Does Not Trump "Bad" Stocks Bear Market / Stock-Markets / Government Intervention
A "bad bank" does have some positive elements and in the long run could help both the economy and the financial markets. This morning's futures tell me people are focusing on the positives many of which are significant and real. However, when managing risk, especially in a bear market, it pays to play devil's advocate. For investors rushing to buy SPY (S&P 500 ETF), DIA (Dow 30), QQQQ (NASDAQ), or XLF (Financials), it may pay to temper your enthusiasm a little.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, January 26, 2009
Why Politicians are Suckers for Protectionism / Politics / Government Intervention
Well, we managed to get through the weekend without any more banks being nationalised, or brave new stimulus packages from the Government being announced.
Perhaps the reaction to last week's put them off. Share prices in the banking sector were demolished, while sterling did a nose-dive from an already weak position.
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Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Economic Freedom to Fail or Socialist Government Intervention? / Politics / Government Intervention
Last week, the big 3 American automakers came back to Capitol Hill with their hands out to the government. Congress spent this past week debating how much money to give them and what strings should be attached.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
China Gets it Right on Economic Stimulus Package 17 Times U.S. Effort / Economics / Government Intervention
The announcement of a massive stimulus package of almost $600 billion shows that China means business not just in reviving, but also in rejuvenating its economy.
As both America and China confront the prospect of a global depression, both countries have chosen to fend off potential unrest with liberal government spending. But the Chinese move is bolder and more likely to succeed.
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Saturday, November 08, 2008
Obama's Counter Revolution to Reaganomics / Politics / Government Intervention
In 1980, when the U.S. economy was last in serious trouble, Ronald Reagan offered the correct diagnoses that government was the problem and not the solution. His message resonated with voters, propelling him into the White House to implement an agenda of lowering marginal tax rates, reducing government spending and business regulations, restoring sound money, abolishing entire government departments, and basically allowing free market vibrancy to unshackle an economy burdened by big government. Though in practice much of the Reagan revolution never materialized, at least in theory his basic premise was sound.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, October 24, 2008
Government Intervention Changes the Rules of Stock Market Investing / Stock-Markets / Government Intervention
The government is stepping in to rescue Wall Street and Main Street. This money comes with many strings attached that stem from good intentions. We will get further "help" from the government when a new administration takes over, even if we do not want it. Therefore, investors need to prepare themselves for all this help and the unintended consequences.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Welcome to George Orwells Version of the "Free Markets" / Politics / Government Intervention
In what may be the most Orwellian comment in history, President Bush just stated: " Bank buyout needed to preserve free market ".
The US Government is to spend up to $250 billion buying direct stakes in banks and other financial institutions under a controversial emergency plan which President Bush insisted today was "not intended to take over the free market but to preserve it".
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Sunday, September 21, 2008
Bush Seeks Dictatorship Powers / Interest-Rates / Government Intervention
Bloomberg is reporting Treasury Seeks Authority to Buy Mortgages Unchecked by Courts .
The Bush administration sought unchecked power from Congress to buy $700 billion in bad mortgage investments from financial companies in what would be an unprecedented government intrusion into the markets.
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Sunday, September 21, 2008
Paulson's Market Manipulation Bailout Will Fail Because.. / Stock-Markets / Government Intervention
As a trader, I stopped getting disgusted at government manipulation of markets several years ago, didn't pretend it wasn't happening, just tried to find when it was coming. I decided to develop an indicator that would tell me when the probability was extremely high that the Master Planners would intervene. That approach has served us well, and that indicator is known as the Plunge Protection Team (PPT) Indicator. It flashed a new “buy” signal Monday, September 15 th at the close, rising above positive + 20.00, warning that the decline from August 11th was terminal. The Industrials have risen 565 points since that buy signal. When this measure rises above positive + 20.00, it is usually early, but very right, an early warning indicator telling us to enjoy the decline for a few more trading days but get ready for a spike rally.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, September 19, 2008
The Death of Capitalism / Politics / Government Intervention
Markets have soared late this week on the news that Superman (aka Henry Paulson) will once again fly into the heat of battle and snatch victory from the jaws of sure defeat. According to Paulson, the federal government is busily crafting a taxpayer funded scheme to absorb all of the bad mortgage debt and make Wall Street whole again. The idea of course is to put an end to the annoying financial crisis so we can get back to the serious business of overconsumption and debt accumulation.Read full article... Read full article...