Wall Street: Tens of Billions Everyone Else: Trillions . . . in Debt If you are just joining The Crash of ’08 “in progress” (as it were), here’s where things stand: Wide swaths of the country are broke. Their houses are underwater, their jobs (if they have them) are under pressure, and their savings (if they have them)...Read More
It’s been said “there are no atheists in foxholes.” Apparently, the economic equivalent is “there are no true Free Marketers during depressions,” either . . . –Barry Ritholtz, The Big Picture Regular readers know I’m a big fan of blogger (and fellow former attorney) Barry Ritholtz (“The Big Picture”). Quotes like the one above are...Read More
The OTHER Problem with Sky-High Gold Prices No, Donald Trump doesn’t have that many ex-wives (yet). What I actually had in mind was the distorting effect high gold prices have on economic activity. That’s in addition to the economic cost associated with skittish, defensive investors shifting a fraction of their liquid assets from “fiat money” (paper) to...Read More
“Agriculture is the New Golf” The sentiment is practically out of Thoreau: Why not line streets with almond and avocado trees, or replace shrubbery with cabbage and currants? Golf courses could plant their roughs with kale and corn. Lawns”where they must exist”could be edged with chives and herbs. –Stephanie Simon, “An Apple Tree Grows in...Read More
No, this probably isn’t what people have in mind when they hear the term, “mobile home.” But what else would you call this Land Rover specially equipped with a roof-mounted tent? Intended for rougher environs, it keeps the mountains lions — and other wildlife — safely at bay. P.S.: Unbeknownst to most people, mobile homes...Read More
Quick, who uses a dictionary more? a) smart people; b) people who . . . aren’t so smart. Notice that that’s a different question than, “who should use a dictionary more . . . ?” Given how ridiculously easy it is to look up a word online, there’s no reason every serious reader today doesn’t bookmark...Read More
