Tag Archive 'credit crisis'
Lance on Jun 19 2009 | Filed under: Currency, Dollar, Economic Indicators, Economics, Employment, Federal Reserve, Government policy, Housing Market, Inflation, economy
We conducted our first webcast last week, an update on the housing market, unemployment and the economy. We had a couple of technical issues which were a bit distracting, and we need a new microphone, but all in all a fair overview of the economy which was well received by those who attended. The webcast [...]
Lance on Nov 25 2008 | Filed under: Housing Market, economy
We keep hearing about positive signs month after month, but the latest data on the housing markets shows the pace of declines has been accelerating and widening, not slowing down.
In my opinion this is good. The decline in prices of overvalued assets is a good thing, whether houses, stocks or debt. The problem has been [...]
Lance on Nov 24 2008 | Filed under: Asset Allocation, Emerging Markets, Global Equity, Global Fixed Income, Great Investors, Housing Market, Risk, Valuation, economy
As far as I know Jeremy Grantham has never appeared for the general public on TV or video. We get a real treat from Consuelo Mack of Wealthtrack with Jeremy dispensing advice about where the market is now. Like myself he sees the market as reasonably cheap, but not spectacularly so. He gives sound advice [...]
Lance on Nov 17 2008 | Filed under: Asset Allocation, Risk, economy
The insufferable Peter Schiff has a video going around, which frankly, is just brilliant. He may be unpleasant at times, but he nailed this thing, and took mounds of abuse while doing so. More importantly, I KNOW HOW HE FEELS!
The resentment, irritation, condescension and, at times, outright hostility to my Cassandra act makes me wish [...]
Lance on Oct 14 2008 | Filed under: Risk, Valuation, today's links
Yesterday was one fo the best days ever for the stock markets:
What does it mean? I think it ultimately depends on factors unrelated to the move itself. Econompic provides us with some context:
Obviously large one day moves in and of themselves tell us little about what is to come. So, let us at least look [...]
Lance on Oct 12 2008 | Filed under: Economics, Federal Reserve, economy
Yves Smith hits a theme I have been harping on, the Federal Reserve, and central banks in general, are making things worse in may ways by destroying the incentive for banks to lend or borrow from one another. She quotes James Bianco of Arbor Research:
The Fed’s massive and numerous liquidity facilities are making things worse. [...]
Lance on Oct 05 2008 | Filed under: Federal Reserve, Government policy, economy
I am often asked about individual bank stocks, especially JP Morgan. Generally my answer is that Bank of America, JP Morgan and a few others look to be likely survivors, but how profitable they will be I am really unsure.
JP Morgan is a special discussion, because I point out a rather astonishing fact, they have [...]
Lance on Oct 01 2008 | Filed under: economy
Let us look at one of the ways that we are being panicked unnecessarily, and why incidentally we can help many of these financial institutions in the fashion I discussed in my post on a potential alternative plan. In my next post we will discuss ways in which we are not being misled, and why [...]
Lance on Oct 01 2008 | Filed under: economy
I do believe we should be doing something as a nation, through our government, to avoid the not insignificant chance of a total financial meltdown. I have seen several things proposed that I find interesting, and I will get into them and other longer term issues in coming days. I had hoped to address this [...]
Lance on Sep 30 2008 | Filed under: International Affairs, economy
Yves Smith has picked up on a pet peeve of mine. In the midst of our crisis we have heard all kinds of cat calls about the failure of the “American Model” of financial capitalism, especially from Europeans. I find this fascinating given the far more leveraged and under supervised practices of their banks.
Well Yves, [...]
Lance on Aug 14 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Equities
Back in February of 2007 we began to scrub our portfolio’s of all exposure to financials, which wasn’t very high at that point anyway. Needless to say, instant alpha.
Of course, the follow on question I get repeatedly, especially those who have been investing with Bill Miller and Legg Mason Capital all the way down, is [...]
Lance on Jul 09 2008 | Filed under: Housing Market, Politics, economy, real estate
You may remember the website we discussed back in January. Dale Franks just discovered their program, because they now are on Television. He asks the obvious question:
So, should the mortgage companies get off scott-free from facing the results of their poor business decisions when it comes to the loans—loans they shouldn’t have made in the [...]
Lance on Feb 24 2008 | Filed under: Housing Market, Latest data, Politics, Risk, economy, indexes, real estate, today's links
We should start out with some humor:
A robber in a ski mask blamed the bank for what he was about to do, The Associated Press reported Feb. 22.
“You took my house, now I’m going to take your money!” the assailant hollered. Talk about a reverse mortgage!
The FBI plans to review the bank’s foreclosure records for [...]
