Category: Recession Watch

Things that can’t go on forever, won’t.

Things that can’t go on forever, won’t.

| August 5, 2013 | Reply

George Mellon over at the New York Sun writes: How does an investor react to the news that a propped-up and thus over-priced asset may lose its props? His natural urge is to sell, of course, and that urge will soon be reflected in a decline in the asset’s price. So it is with Treasury […]

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Euroarmageddon Tour — here comes the flood

Euroarmageddon Tour — here comes the flood

| December 12, 2011 | Reply

There are arguments about who first said Après moi, le déluge (“After me, the Flood.”) and whether is was meant prophetically (“Things are going to get bad once I’m gone”) or dismissively (“I really don’t care if things go to hell once I’m gone.”). I’m not sure it matters. I think both apply to the […]

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Euroarmaggedon Tour — Tour Eiffel Tour

Euroarmaggedon Tour — Tour Eiffel Tour

| December 11, 2011 | Reply

France’s future is cloudy. OK, OK, cheap symbolism, but that’s the best kind, for reasons that I’ll come with eventually. Meanwhile, in case you’re wondering about the strange post name, “Tour Eiffel” is French for “Eiffel Tower”, and yes, we went on a tour of the Eiffel Tower this morning. We had gone last year […]

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Euroarmaggedon Tour — Saturday backstory

Euroarmaggedon Tour — Saturday backstory

| December 10, 2011 | 1 Reply

OK, as mentioned below, I got a grand total of two man-on-the-street interviews today. I was probably lucky to get that, all things considered. Sometime early this morning, while thinking about my goals for this trip, I came to the conclusion that my probability of success was pretty low in doing cold approaches on strangers […]

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Euroarmageddon Tour — first blood

Euroarmageddon Tour — first blood

| December 10, 2011 | 1 Reply

I did get two interviews. In two hours. Plus one bit of pungent walk-by commentary. I’ll chronicle the whole effort later, but here’s the feedback from today. Thomas — in his 30s, and looking like a classic clean-cut-with-stubble French professional — described himself as ‘not a typical Parisian’, though he never quite explained what that […]

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Euroarmageddon Tour — the Eagle has landed

Euroarmageddon Tour — the Eagle has landed

| December 9, 2011 | Reply

Tocqueville, we have arrived! I’m not sure what Tocqueville would have made of the Euromess, but I think it’s pretty easy to guess. On the other hand, I think I may have discovered part of the core financial problem here in France. Sitting in the lobby of our hotel, waiting for a room to become […]

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Euroarmageddon Tour: questions to ask

Euroarmageddon Tour: questions to ask

| December 8, 2011 | Reply

OK, so we’re on the first leg of our flight to Paris, where I’ve found that my two French phrase books (the aptly-titled French Phrase Book as well as Just Enough French) don’t contain such handy questions as “What do you think are the possible sovereign consequences of replacing the European Financial Stability Facility with […]

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Euroarmageddon Tour: prelaunch

Euroarmageddon Tour: prelaunch

| December 8, 2011 | Reply

Important events and circumstances have combined in such a way that in a few short hours I will be boarding an airliner on my way to the Continent, to witness first-hand the turmoil of fiscal and sovereign upheaval caused by the ever-imminent collapse of the Eurozone, and to report on it here to you. OK, […]

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Capitalism red in tooth and claw

Capitalism red in tooth and claw

| December 9, 2009 | Reply

Companies are born, live, thrive, dwindle, and then often die or are absorbed by other firms. Being 56 years old, I’ve seen a lot of that first-hand and have worked for several firms that no longer exist. Over at 24/7 Wall Street, Jon Ogg and Douglas McIntyre have picked ten brands that they think will […]

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How bad is the US job market?

How bad is the US job market?

| October 20, 2009 | Reply

Big Government offers this chart of unemployment trends in post-WW II recessions.  Nice to see that the massive deficit spending on ‘stimulus’ has paid off so well.  ..bruce w..

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