You Can’t Get There From Here – Straining to Regain Real Estate’s Promised Land

You Can’t Get There From Here Real Estate News “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven..” ― John Milton, Paradise Lost As the real estate market gained steam earlier this year, a common anti bubble meme emerged- “this ain’t no bubble, home prices Read More →

Part -Time U.S.A. – How Part-Time Employment is Impacting the Economy

Part Time USA “I tried for modeling work but it was a bit slow and that’s when I took a part-time job at McDonalds. It gave me income while I was waiting for my big break and at the very least I could eat.” Sharon Stone Friday as the jobs report was being released Ryan Read More →

The Part Time Recovery – Podcast 7/5/2013

The Part Time Recovery Are we becoming a nation of part timers? Introduction: 0:00-1:40 Discussion of the upcoming job report number & unemployment rate releases & predictions on the impact of a potentially improving job market 1:40-7:05 Discussion of mortgages & the float down option mortgage 7:05-10:06 Louis predicts that if the jobs number comes Read More →

Mandatory Retirement Accounts?

Mandatory Retirement Accounts “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have.” attributed to Thomas Jefferson How to Buy Gold How to Buy Silver UPDATE: January 29, 2014: Obama Announces MyRA Retirement Savings Accounts The Fed’s Exit Strategy? There has been a lot of talk Read More →

If the Fed Stops Buying U.S. Treasuries, Who Will Buy Them? – Podcast 6.24.13

If the Fed Doesn’t Buy U.S.Treasuries, Who Will? Podcast Summary Ryan and Louis discuss the recent rise in interest rates. Louis notes that when rates move higher they move fast.Louis note that the refi market was killed due to the taper talk from the Fed. Louis thinks the economy will start to slow and that Read More →

The King is Surrounded: Bernanke’s No Exit Dilemma

“To print or note to print that is the question;-Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of economic misfortune, or to print volumes against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them?” Imaginary ruminations of Ben Bernanke Last week was a bad week for Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. The Read More →

Is the QE Trade Over for Gold and Silver?

Hard Assets Investor made the observation – The QE trade is over, noting that price fluctuations in gold have been disconnected from monetary policy for a while. As a practical trading matter, Hard Assets Investor is correct. It seems now QE (quantitative easing) impacts the bond, stock and real estate markets but not the gold Read More →

The Coming Real Estate Supply/Demand Inventory Reversal

Real Estate Supply and Demand Real Estate News “Housing prices have risen dramatically not because of simple supply and demand, but because the Fed literally created demand by making the cost of borrowing money artificially cheap” Ron Paul 2007 The real estate market as measured by price increase (not volume of sales) is recovering. This Read More →

Fed Puts Markets on Notice:Possible Discontinuation of 24/7 Happy Hour

“Hitler will send no warning- so always carry your gas mask” – British Ministry of Home Security poster circa the Sitzkrieg* (October 1939-April 1940) The economy is already wearing an over sized Fed tailored suit and now the market is worried that the Fed might “taper” that suit. Here is what the Fed has already Read More →

The Fed: Talk Taper, Print Paper

Since the beginning of the year the Fed has been talking about cutting back on its quantitative easing (“QE”) program that has been in effect for nearly five years. That talk has been increasing in recent months. QE involves creating money out of thin air in order to purchase US Treasuries and Mortgage Backed Securities Read More →