by
Vadim Pokhlebkin
7/1/2009 5:00:00 PM
Here's an interesting question we've just received at EWI's Message Board: "Dear EWI, as the Madoff hoopla is going full blast today on TV, I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this question: Are today's banks in their vast majority also massive ponzi schemes?" Answering a question like that can be a simple matter of definitions -- so let's give it a shot...
Filed Under:
Federal Reserve, fractional reserve, easy money, Robert Prechter, multiplier effect, fiat money system, Madoff, ponzi scheme
Category:
Economy
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by
Vadim Pokhlebkin
6/29/2009 5:30:00 PM
At EWI's Message Board, readers ask us dozens of questions, daily. We try and answer everyone, and the best Q&As we publish for all to see. Below are our three nominees in the "Best Question" category for the month of June. Enjoy!
Filed Under:
consumer confidence, social mood, Robert Prechter, socionomics, message board
Category:
Economy
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by
Robert Folsom
6/29/2009 12:00:00 PM
Bernanke's 2002 speech was titled, "Deflation: Making Sure 'It' Doesn't Happen Here." It was a manifesto which spelled out the tools and means of influence the Fed could employ in an anti-deflation policy. Seven years hence, see how Bob Prechter saw it coming seven years ago...
Filed Under:
Category:
Economy
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by
Jeff Reckseit
6/24/2009 4:00:00 PM
It’s counter-intuitive to think of stocks, rates, gold, oil, real estate, and commodities, all trending together over time, but that is exactly what these markets have done in recent years...
Filed Under:
Category:
Economy
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by
Editorial Staff
6/17/2009 3:30:00 PM
The recent sell-off in the 30-year US Treasury bond has created a very steep yield curve that, in normal times, would seemingly help stimulate increased borrowing, lending and economic activity. Buttoday’s times are anything but normal. Let's examine what the yield curve is really telling us now.
Filed Under:
steep yield curve, 30-year US Treasury bond, inverted yield curve, 13-week T-bill, 10-year Treasury note, spread, recession, social mood
Category:
Economy
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by
Nico Isaac
6/12/2009 5:30:00 PM
After two years of suffering through what has aptly been called "financial hell," many in the mainstream say the torture is finally over. According to them, the fire & brimstone is about to become fortune & boom. Well, in a special "Double" (text + video) issue of the brand-new June 2009 Elliott Wave Theorist, Bob Prechter recognizes a "swift return of all the old beliefs" in a new bull market. His next step is to reveal whether those beliefs are based in fact or fantasy.
Filed Under:
U.S. economy, bull market, new bull market, the Fed, DJIA, Gold, Precious metals, bob prechter
Category:
Economy
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by
Editorial Staff
6/12/2009 4:00:00 PM
Robert Prechter answers questions after his May 14 presentation at Bloomberg headquarters in New York for the Market Technicians Association's 2009 Symposium.
Filed Under:
Robert Prechter, Retail Brokerage Industry
Category:
Economy
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by
Bill Fox, Senior Bonds Analyst
6/9/2009 1:00:00 PM
The Federal Reserve’s balance sheet has exploded, with total reserve bank assets now standing at $2.079 trillion. This same time last year, total assets stood at $1.181 trillion. Inflation? Yes, the balance sheet is significantly inflated -- but is it inflationary? Not necessarily.
Filed Under:
inflation, deflation, hyperinflation, nationalization, quantitative easing, yield curve
Category:
Economy
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Bill Fox, Senior Bonds Analyst
6/2/2009 1:00:00 PM
The winds of deflation are blowing in Europe, and Jean-Claude Trichet, European Central Bank president, is at the helm of the economic ship, desperately hoping to avoid the shoals of policy error. Trichet does not need a GPS unit or navigational charts to see the rocks, because the wreck of the Federal Reserve lies just ahead and is plain enough to see.
Filed Under:
Trichet, ECB, deflation, Federal Reserve, Bernanke, U.S. Treasuries, bund
Category:
Economy
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by
Nico Isaac
5/27/2009 3:30:00 PM
At exactly 11:59 pm (E.S.T.) on May 26, 2009 General Motors' bondholders rejected an offer to drop an estimated $27 billion in debt claims in exchange for a 10% stake in the company's stock. So, as the clock struck midnight, GM shares turned back into a slumpkin.
As this icon of American manufacturing fails to stave off Chapter 11, many observers are asking: How did GM go from long-time leader and star – to – exemplar of failed business practices and faulty management?
Filed Under:
GM, General Motors, chrysler, auto bankruptcy
Category:
Economy
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by
Robert Folsom
5/26/2009 1:00:00 PM
I'm biased, but it may well be the best summary I've read in the media regarding the "how" and "why" of the current economic crisis. Readers who do and who don't know Bob can benefit equally from his views
Filed Under:
Category:
Economy
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by
Bill Fox, Senior Bonds Analyst
5/26/2009 1:00:00 PM
If you're a parent with teenagers (like me), you probably know of the spectacularly successful video game called Grand Theft Auto. I have been unsuccessful in limiting my son’s access to it, as he simply plays it at somebody else’s house. Recently, it got me thinking: If we can't get through to our teens regarding the importance of the rule of law, what chance do we have of getting through to our government? Let's look at the Chrysler bankruptcy as an example.
Filed Under:
chrysler bankruptcy, secured bondholders, U.S. Constitution, deflation
Category:
Economy
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by
Robert Folsom
5/20/2009 5:00:00 PM
The study of purchasing patterns among credit card users goes back nearly two decades, but insights into the psychology which drives those patterns is more recent...
Filed Under:
Category:
Economy
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by
Alan Hall
5/19/2009 5:15:00 PM
With more than $4 trillion in losses, 9% of the labor force now unemployed, industrial production down 13% from a year ago and most company profits falling or crossing the zero line into losses, it has become starkly evident that the economists who failed to see the crisis coming really don’t understand what drives the economy.
Filed Under:
waves of social mood, Economy, Shiller, Animal Spirits, herding, social mood, Robert Prechter
Category:
Economy
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by
Nico Isaac
5/8/2009 5:00:00 PM
The long-awaited "Stress Test" for banks is complete and the prognosis is in. We'll spare you the 38-page report of unintelligible Fed-speak and skip to the bottom line... But what happened to the test that warned of banks impending crisis long before any obvious signs of weakness appeared to the public?
Filed Under:
Stress Test, Banks, financial sector
Category:
Economy
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by
Robert Folsom
5/7/2009 5:00:00 PM
I agree that it ain't much to look at. Its location (Cainsville MO, pop. 370) doesn't exactly distinguish the place, either. But the building in the photo is the First National Bank of Cainesville -- and a firesale price of $17 million did distinguish it enough to turn a New York private-equity-billionaire-investor into a buyer...
Filed Under:
Category:
Economy
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by
Susan C. Walker
4/30/2009 5:15:00 PM
The recent current events game has been to rate our new President's first 100 days in office. How about turning the tables and rating the way most of us have dealt with investing over the past 100 days?
Filed Under:
buy and hold, Case-Shiller, 401(k), 100 days
Category:
Economy
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by
Nico Isaac
4/27/2009 10:45:00 AM
According to the mainstream experts, all bonds are NOT created equal. There is debt, and then there is government-backed debt. And never the twain shall meet. So, when all asset-backed forms of credit were pulled under by the financial tsunami, the general consensus was to keep moving to higher ground. And don't stop until you hit the Municipal Bond market...
Filed Under:
munis, municipal bonds, safe-haven
Category:
Economy
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by
Robert Folsom
4/21/2009 5:45:00 PM
Every one of the 12 branches of the Federal Reserve System has an ENTIRE STAFF of economists! What, pray tell, is the job of these individuals, apart from "aggregating, sifting, and analyzing warning information flowing in from many sources and pushing it up to the decision-making level"??
Filed Under:
Category:
Economy
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by
Robert Folsom
4/15/2009 4:00:00 PM
"Consumer prices dipped unexpectedly in March, leaving inflation over the past year falling at the fastest clip in more than a half-century."
Filed Under:
deflation
Category:
Economy
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