investment

James Altucher: Why I Won’t Vote

"People get very upset about this voting thing. I’m accused of being unpatriotic, for instance. Or my little 10 year old told me, 'more people will run stop signs if we don’t have a President.' She associates a President with a magical parent. Perhaps projecting her own sense that I don’t give her enough boundaries for her to figure out where the edge of childhood ends and adulthood begins. I let her run a Stop sign when I don’t set a bedtime, or turn her TV off. She wants a President who will tell her when to 'STOP!' So here are some reasons for not voting. I’m not asking anyone to agree with me. Many people like to vote. Do things that you like to do." Continue reading →

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The New Trend in Gold

"Why is this happening? And what does it mean? Certainly some of the shift stems from concerns with the funds themselves. Another reason for the shift is certainly due to global economic, fiscal, and monetary concerns. As fears of systemic risk ratchet higher, it's only natural for investors to gravitate toward the safest methods for holding physical metal. Throw in events like what happened to MF Global last year, and it's easy to understand why many investors would prefer holding their own bullion over a fund. More important, what should we do as a result of this trend?" Continue reading →

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Where the Big Players Are Buying Housing

"The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta has put out a very informative chart on where three big money players are buying houses, how much they are spending and a bit about their investment strategies. Distressed sales are declining because these giants, and others, are picking up what is on the market. The housing downturn is over. From the supply side prices will be pushed higher. If Bernanke's new money printing gets into the system, prices will also be pushed higher from the demand side." Continue reading →

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What Ben Bernanke Will Do When the Accelerated Price Inflation Hits

"Many are familiar with the Ben Bernanke book, Essays on the Great Depression, which is a compilation of writings about the Great Depression by various economists. Fewer, however, are aware that Bernanke contributed to a work on inflation, Inflation Targeting. This second book may provide us with important clues as to how Bernanke will act if price inflation begins to accelerate. And, indeed, it appears that some time in 2013 a perfect storm of actors may develop to push price inflation much higher." Continue reading →

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Revisiting The ’87 Crash

"The key is to pay attention to the Fed. Volcker put the Fed into inflation mode, and big-spending Reagan only helped the inflationary cause throughout the 80's. Fast forward to 1987, and in comes 'The Maestro' Alan Greenspan as Fed Chairman. Within weeks of his taking over, the Greenspan Fed began tightening credit to stem the Volcker inflation that began with the Mexican bailout in 1982. Now, those who understand the Austrian Business Cycle Theory, know what happens once interest rates start to rise after a long period of double-digit monetary expansion. In 1987 it was a steep decline." Continue reading →

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Another Eurozone Country Bites The Dust

"What's unique in the collapsing housing bubble in Cyprus is a title-deed scandal of unimaginable proportions. And it has embroiled waves of foreign buyers. The banks aren't talking. And they aren't writing down their assets to reflect the layers of mortgages that are worthless. Developers are going bust. The money they pocketed has disappeared. Expat homeowners who don't hold title deeds are terrified of losing their homes, even if they paid cash. There are no legal processes in place to resolve this. Estimates of the missing money range from €3 to €6 billion—enough to take down all Cypriot banks." Continue reading →

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Jim Rogers: Neither Obama nor Romney Are Worth My Vote

"Rogers isn't an America basher but a citizen who feels apart from the economic policies pursued by his country. He casts a ballot for none of the above because he doesn't think President Obama or Mitt Romney can rebuild the nation's flagging economy. In terms of fiscal and all other policies, Rogers sees one major difference between the two candidates: 'One is from Boston and the other is from Chicago,' he states." Continue reading →

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More Greek firms eye low-tax Switzerland

"The Swiss fiscal policy has infuriated Brussels, as the European Union sees businesses fleeing EU countries to the tax haven of Switzerland. According to Swiss laws, foreign firms which set up in the country pay €51 billions ($66 billion) less in taxes per year than Swiss companies, said a Swiss television report. Setting an ultimatum, Brussels has given Switzerland until December 13th, when a European summit is held, to present a programme aimed at dismantling such privileges which are judged discriminatory and anti-competitive." Continue reading →

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French business erupts in fury against “disastrous” François Hollande

"France is sliding into a grave economic crisis and risks a full-blown 'hurricane' as investors flee rocketing tax rates, the country’s business federation has warned. Spending has risen to 55pc of GDP, similar to Sweden but without Nordic labour flexibility. French economic growth has been near zero for the past five quarters. It may have tipped into recession over the summer as the malaise spread from Italy and Spain. New car registrations were down 7.7pc in the third quarter from a year earlier. Unemployment has reached a post-euro high of 10.6pc. The fear is that a fiscal shock in 2013 will tip the economy into a sharp downward slide." Continue reading →

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13 Careers Short on Graduates

"In an economy with more than 53% jobless or underemployed recent college graduates, it’s hard to imagine that there are actually careers short on graduates. But it’s true: there are several different fields that simply can’t find enough qualified candidates to fill all of their job opportunities. Health care, skilled trades, and even finance are hurting for graduates — are you cut out for one of these careers with room to grow?" Continue reading →

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