November 2018
The Central Banking Bubble – Bank of Japan Assets Exceed GDP
When central banks first began to engage in quantitative easing (QE) policies during the financial crisis, those policies were harshly criticized by sound economists. The idea that printing money out of thin air to purchase worthless assets could somehow strengthen the economy and bring it back from the brink of destruction was an absurd one. All it could do...
6 Things to Be Thankful About This Thanksgiving
It’s that time of the year again, time to get together with family, eat turkey, watch football, and think of all the things to be thankful for. As Americans, we often don’t realize how fortunate we are to live in such a prosperous country. We often complain about “First World problems” that people in less developed problems would kill...
Is There a Rebellion Within the Fed?
One of the hallmarks of the Federal Reserve System in the modern era is the near unanimity with which it normally makes decisions. With the direction of policy being guided by the Fed’s chairman, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) has rarely had members dissent from its decisions. When dissent does occur, especially when a number of members dissent,...
How Much Do You Need to Save Each Year to Be Able to Retire Comfortably?
While every American dreams of retirement, the big question most people face is how much money they will need to save up in order to retire comfortably. Many financial planners advise at least a million dollars worth of assets which, thanks to the recent stock market boom, is not outside the reach of many Americans anymore. But others recommend...
Why Do Markets Want the Fed to Continue Easing?
Read financial media today and you’ll find instance after instance of business executives and financial industry professionals worried about the Federal Reserve’s tightening of monetary policy. Mind you, this comes at a time when the target federal funds rate remains a hair over two percent, which is historically still very low. The Fed’s balance sheet, too, remains incredibly large,...
What Can Investors Expect From the New Congress?
With a new Democratic majority in the House of Representatives and Republicans maintaining the majority in the Senate, what can investors expect to see from the new Congress and how might new legislation affect them? This is the first time in nearly a decade that Democrats have held power in Congress, and it’s an unusual split that sees the...
Now Is the Time to Protect Your Retirement Assets: Here’s Why
Thanks to the stock market’s performance since 2016 there are now more 401(k) millionaires than ever. It’s pretty heady stuff to think that you’re a millionaire, but many of these newly-minted paper millionaires don’t realize just how fragile their wealth can be. All it takes is a severe stock market crash and all that hard-earned savings and investment can...
Central Banks Buying More Gold Now Than in Years: What Do They Know?
Gold has been almost universally derided by governments in recent decades. Finally freed from the strictures of the gold standard, central banks and governments around the world have done their best to propagandize their people that gold is nothing more than a “barbarous relic.” For a while it seemed to be working, with gold prices trading in a narrow...