The Wall Street Journal is talking about a “full recovery” in luxury goods sales by 2011. And Wall Street itself is pricing stocks as if the record profit margins of ’05 and ’06 were just around the corner.
October 21st, 2009 | Bill Bonner | 0 comments | ContinuedAll Posts Tagged With: "Bubble Epoque"
Smart People to Blame for Central Planning
‘The Singularity’ is an idea from Ray Kurzweil. The gist of it is that computers will soon be smarter than humans; by the middle of this century they’ll be smart enough to figure out how to get smarter and smarter, faster and faster.
September 7th, 2009 | Bill Bonner | 22 comments | Continued
Ben Bernanke Averts a Second Great Depression
According to the popular version, Ben Bernanke, our flawed hero, has averted a Second Great Depression. When the crisis came in ’07-’08, he calmly took out the text he had written himself: “Dummies’ Guide to Avoiding a Japan-style Deflation”…or something like that.
August 31st, 2009 | Bill Bonner | 1 comment | Continued
The Codependent Relationship Between China and the United States
Each enabled each other’s excess. China added mightily to the world’s supply – far more than was actually needed. America, meanwhile, did heroic work on the demand side.
August 24th, 2009 | Bill Bonner | 7 comments | Continued
Each Major Economic Trend Rises and Falls
We have maintained an episodic correspondence with Jack Lessinger for nearly 20 years. Jack is a “socio economist.” That is, he’s looking at the big picture of economic trends as they fit into the wider world of social life.
August 18th, 2009 | Bill Bonner | 0 comments | Continued
Economists Agreed the Stimulus Was Working and the Recession Was Coming to an End
We don’t know when the recession will end…but we’re dead sure that those 53 economists interviewed by Bloomberg…and those at the Fed too…don’t know either. Few of them seem to have any idea what is really going on.
August 17th, 2009 | Bill Bonner | 2 comments | Continued
California and its Ailing Economy
And what about California? This week’s Economist magazine gives us a new measure for California’ budget deficit — $26 billion, up from the $24 billion last reported in this space. A widely published photo shows Arnold Schwarzenegger smoking a cigar…
July 14th, 2009 | Bill Bonner | 0 comments | Continued
Saving Money, Not Spending it, is the Key to Getting Wealthier
Saving money gives you capital. And it’s capital accumulation – in the form of factories, roads, ships, buildings, machines…and raw savings – that gives people the ability to produce more. It may take a man with a shovel a whole day to dig a decent grave.
July 13th, 2009 | Bill Bonner | 0 comments | Continued
Hyper-Deflation on the Streets of Paris
Scarcely a block from our office in Paris is a monetary phenomenon that has escaped the financial press. In one of the highest-cost economies in the world, you can buy a woman’s shirt for 2 euros. A dress? Four euros. A man’s jacket can be had for the price of a cup of coffee.
June 29th, 2009 | Bill Bonner | 20 comments | Continued
Alan Greenspan Says “the Seeds of a Bottoming” Becoming Visible
Speaking to a National Association of Realtors summit, Greenspan said there were reasons to believe that bulging inventories of unsold homes were dwindling and that should bring some stability to prices.
May 15th, 2009 | Bill Bonner | 2 comments | Continued
Capitalism Always Takes an Economy Where it Ought to Be
Whoever was responsible for the mistakes, capitalism went about correcting them with its customary élan. It hit imprudent investors with trillions in losses. It knocked down mismanaged corporations. It whacked homeowners…
May 12th, 2009 | Bill Bonner | 1 comment | Continued
Now in Post-bubble Era as Financial Industry Bombs Out
Yesterday, both the Bank of England and the European Central Bank announced moves to boost the economy. They’re both falling in line behind Mr. Bernanke, who is “pulling out all the stops” in order to avoid a deep depression.
May 11th, 2009 | Bill Bonner | 1 comment | Continued
