Cracker Barrel Loads up For Another Proxy Fight
By Greg Ruel, Senior Research Associate As Cracker Barrel Old Country Store prepares for its November 15 annual meeting, its largest shareholder is waging war over two board seats. This marks...
View ArticleFlash Eurozone PMI Composite at 45.8, 40-month low.
Markit reported that output of the manufacturing and service sectors dropped at the fastest rate since June 2009. Commenting on the flash PMI data, Chris Williamson, Chief Economist at Markit said:...
View ArticleJulian Robertson on CNBC
Maria interviews the “Great One.” Money quotes, “I think our economy and some of the things overseas are having a big effect on investors,” Robertson said. “I think right now a lot of very good...
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America's Next President Could Destroy The Mortgage Industry
Two questions on every mortgage applicant’s mind: What are the current mortgage rates? Does it make sense to wait until after the presidential election to complete my purchase or refinance? Let’s be...
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Why You Can't Blame Bush For The Great Recession
Washington has produced lots of policy in response to the Great Recession. TARP, the $800 billion stimulus, Dodd Frank, HAMP and HARP, the QEs. But would policymakers have acted differently if they...
View ArticleDaily ETF Roundup: Fed Reiterates Grim Economic Outlook
Following yesterday’s steep losses, U.S. markets took another hit today after the Federal Reserve reiterated its economic concerns during the FOMC meeting. The Fed also announced that it will keep...
View ArticleFOMC policy remains unchanged
FOMC’s monetary policy remains unchanged. The Federal Reserve will continue to keep interest low through to mid-2015. QE-Infinity of buying US$40 billion of mortgage-backed securities and operation...
View ArticleRomney’s Prescience—a.k.a., The OTHER important point about Romney’s...
IF General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye. It won’t go overnight, but its demise will...
View ArticleThe GOP, rape and abortion, and the place of God in political discourse
by Linda Beale The GOP, rape and abortion, and the place of God in political discourse Remember GOP candidate Akin and his comments about no-pregnancies-from-legitimate-rape, suggesting somehow that...
View ArticleKrugman and Stiglitz
Via Economist's View comes a segment from a Krugman and Stiglitz video: instituteforneweconomicthinking on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free [Note: The video starts at the 16:15 mark, and the...
View ArticleAfter the Downgrade, the Deluge
Having crossed the feds already, the plucky rating agency Egan-Jones is going all in… and joining up with the Chinese and the Russians. Egan-Jones is the lone rating agency that’s paid by the buyers...
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Now's The Time To Hedge Your Bets, Up Your Stops And Sell Gold
So far fourth quarter earnings have made a mockery of things. Of the 20 S&P 500 companies that have provided Q4 guidance so far, 18 of them have guided lower, "slashing" their forecasts, according...
View ArticleWhat if Recovery is Actually Bearish?
A few years back, top value investor Seth Klarman called this a “Twinkie” market — an unnatural concoction stuffed with artificial ingredients. The twinkie manufacturers, of course, are the world’s...
View ArticleA Total Dedication to Sponges
I was strolling along the wharf in Bodrum, Turkey, and I was intrigued to see some natural sea sponges on a table with a merchant behind the table telling me something about them in Turkish. I vaguely...
View ArticleBlowing the Whistle on Government Whistleblowing
In this clip from RT’s Capital Account, Joel Bowman blows the whistle on the whistleblowing process itself — specifically, the none-too-surprising biases of the process. Pro-government whistleblowing:...
View ArticleThe Quiet Fact That Obama Should SHOUT About
Two articles published late yesterday in the New York Times, when juxtaposed with each other, pretty much encapsulate my frustration with this campaign. One, titled “New Federal Rules for Debt...
View ArticleBuying and Storing Gold in Singapore
October 25, 2012, Singapore. We’ve discussed at length the importance of owning precious metals. The financial system is so full of insolvent banks and bankrupt governments, and gold is one of the few...
View ArticleConsumer expenditures by homeowners and renters – BLS
Good piece by the BLS of the average annual expenditures of renters and homeowners. In 2010, people who rented their residences paid more, on average, in annual rent ($8,798) than homeowners reported...
View ArticleTell Hannah and Redford Not To Bother: The Market Will Destroy The Oil Sands
Protesting oil sands crude has become a Hollywood cottage industry with celebrities like Daryl Hannah, Robert Redford and Julia Louis-Dreyfus lining up for the cause. But there are much larger forces...
View ArticleThe Real Estate Market is Important to Voters
Although the presidential candidates are adamantly avoiding talking about the real estate market, the housing market is still very much a part of everyday conversation for many throughout the country....
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