Bernanke- The Economy is Weak “I don’t think the Fed can get interest rates up very much, because the economy is weak, inflation rates are low, if we were to tighten policy, the economy would tank.” Ben Bernanke testifying at the House Financial Services Committee last week. With those words Ben Bernanke confirmed what we … Read More →
Axel Merk (@AxelMerk) of Merk Investments made this point on Twitter “Why are there blogs, when there’s Twitter? 140 characters plenty to summarize Bernanke.” I agree but couldn’t resist banging out a blog post anyway. I tweeted a few times my summary of Bernanke’s testimony this way: @AxelMerk @WSJ Ben saying it all “depends” “IF” … Read More →
Yesterday in a question and answer session Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke made it clear that the Fed’s dual mandate, one that includes maximum employment was not being met. Bernanke said that he was not satisfied with the employment situation because of underemployment and the low labor participation rate. He also noted that the unemployment … Read More →
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 →
Announcing Smaulgld’s You Tube Channel with our first podcast: The Fed’s No Exit Dilemma Get Free Updates From Smaulgld.com Subscribe to Smaulgld.com and get the free “In Case You Missed It” weekly email as well as updates and analysis on gold, silver, real estate and the economy. Also get the free report “Twelve Key Differences … Read More →
“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 →
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 →
“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 →
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 →
The Economic and Real Estate Recovery is Based On QE “You can ignore reality, but you can’t ignore the consequences of reality” – Ayn Rand It’s raining horrible economic news, yet the real estate and stock markets are staying dry and heading higher. It has been nearly five years since the financial crisis of 2008. … Read More →