Clipmarks | deb2012's 'economy' clips

Juglar cycle, long wave, and Democrats

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:28:56 GMT

clipped by: deb2012

I have a theory about why markets do so well when Democrats are in
power, besides the obvious influences of Juglar cycles and the long
wave, which work regardless of politics.

Democrats tend to put more money in the hands of more people. They do
this by raising taxes on the wealthy while cutting them for lower wage
earners, as well as raising minimum wages, etc. Let's look at Obama's
proposal - let the Bush tax cuts expire and cut taxes for families
earning $250,000 or less per year. Now you have two groups. Millions
of lower wage earners who have more money and thousands of higher
earners who have less. Which group is likelier to spend the extra
money, thus boosting the economy, and which group would be likelier to
hide extra wealth in some offshore account? My theory is that even
the wealthy who are subject to higher taxation would more than offset
the increase in taxes by investing in the growing economy supported by
those with new found money.

Why are there rich liberals?

Tags: investing, stock market cycles, taxes

A new 'window' on solar energy: Cost effective devices expected on market soon

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:42:53 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: Such unexpected innovations can make a solar energy economy feasible within just a few years.

Clip Source: www.hlrhodes.com

Clip Source: www.physorg.com

Imagine windows that not only provide a clear view and illuminate rooms, but also use sunlight to efficiently help power the building they are part of.

MIT engineers report a new approach to harnessing the sun's energy that could allow just that.

The work, to be reported in the July 11 issue of Science, involves the creation of a novel "solar concentrator.

Light is collected over a large area [like a window] and gathered, or concentrated, at the edges

As a result, rather than covering a roof with expensive solar cells (the semiconductor devices that transform sunlight into electricity), the cells only need to be around the edges of a flat glass panel

In addition, the focused light increases the electrical power obtained from each solar cell "by a factor of over 40

Because the system is simple to manufacture, the team believes that it could be implemented within three years—even added onto existing solar-panel systems to increase their efficiency by 50 percent for minimal additional cost.

Tags: energy, solar energy

Here's where your money is going!

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:03:24 GMT

clipped by: deb2012
clipper's remarks: oil profits

Clip Source: www.globalconstructionwatch.com

Dubai Will Be Home To The World’s Largest Fountain

Tags: economy, oil, construction, dubai

Barr (libertarian nominee) on economy

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:16:06 GMT

clipped by: deb2012
clipper's remarks: http://www.ontheissues.org/Bob_Barr.htm

Clip Source: www.ontheissues.org

Earmarks are an outrageous abuse by Congressmen to buy votes

Remove both earmarks and cut the underlying spending

Allow $3 on 1040 form to pay off National Debt

Supports balanced budget amendment & line item veto

Tags: politics

McCain on Economy

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:11:48 GMT

clipped by: deb2012
clipper's remarks: http://www.ontheissues.org/John_McCain.htm

Clip Source: www.ontheissues.org

Bailing out Bear Stearns necessary to protect economy

Key is to not to bail out homeowners who speculated

Things are tough now, but we're better off than in 2000

Impose some fiscal discipline to revive the economy

Will be able to reduce war costs & have a stable Middle East

Reform insurance to cover violent weather patterns

Republicans have forgotten how to control spending

Veto all pork-barrel bills and announce pork spenders

May have to go further to fix the subprime lending situation

Recession is partly psychological and not inevitable

I'm well-versed in economics; I was at the Reagan Revolution

FactCheck: Said--then denied--he needed economics education

To avoid recession, stop out-of-control spending

Loss of economic strength leads to losing military strength

Congress spends money like a drunken sailor

AdWatch: Outrageous to spend $233M for bridge to nowhere

FactCheck:Bridge-to-Nowhere never built; would serve 200,000

FactCheck: Criticized "Woodstock museum," but skipped vote

Tags: politics

Obama on Economy

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:07:23 GMT

clipped by: deb2012
clipper's remarks: http://www.ontheissues.org/Barack_Obama.htm

Clip Source: www.ontheissues.org

Can't do anything at home with $12 billion a month on Iraq

Protect consumers with Credit Card Bill of Rights

More accountability in subprime mortgages

Bush stimulus plan leaves out seniors & unemployed

Voted against limiting credit to 30%, because 30% too high

Account for every single dollar for new proposed programs

Help the homeowners actually living in their homes

Lack of an energy policy is a financial burden

Bush & GOP dug budget hole; need years to dig out

Save $150 billion in tax cuts for people who don't need them

Take China "to the mat" about currency manipulation

Rejects free market vision of government

Regulate financial instruments to protect home mortgages

Government regulation needed for when markets fail

Return to PayGo: compensate for all new spending

Supports federal programs to protect rural economy

Voted NO on paying down federal debt by rating programs' effectiveness

Require full disclosure about subprime mortgages

Tags: politics

Robert Bryce Addresses America's Oil Addiction

Wed, 21 May 2008 03:04:01 GMT

clipped by: Eaglewings

Clip Source: features.csmonitor.com

Thomas Edison altered the course of civilization by helping to pioneer a reliable, affordable, and mass-produced incandescent bulb. But, as author Robert Bryce points out, there was a breakthrough that escaped Edison’s grasp: How to build a hyperefficient, long-lived, electric battery capable of powering homes, industry, and transportation – smoke free.

In his new book, Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of ‘Energy Independence,’ Bryce, a freelance journalist who specializes in the fossil-fuel industry, tosses out a bold idea: Launch a global competition, called “the Superbattery Prize,” that would award $1 billion to the inventor who successfully produces such a battery.

America’s thirst for oil is so insatiable, and society’s infrastructure so inextricably dependent upon oil, that the prudent course from Capitol Hill should be securing as much from the Persian Gulf as possible and aggressively tapping into all known domestic reserves to keep the economy afloat, he says.

Tags: oil, energy, conservation, alternative energy, anwar, nuclear power

How to get cheap gas

Wed, 07 May 2008 16:42:19 GMT

clipped by: deb2012
clipper's remarks: 3 ideas can make a huge difference

Clip Source: moneyandmarkets.com

The U.S. consumes about 20.6 million barrels of oil per day, or roughly 25% of global demand.

we use A LOT more petroleum than other countries

The good news is that prices for oil and gasoline are made on the margins — if America cuts its oil use by 10% or even 5%, that should send the price lower ... maybe a lot lower.

Lower The Price of Oil

1) Bring Back 55-Mile-Per-Hour Speed Limits

2) Telecommute.

3) Peer Pressure.

If the leaders of the herd (President and Congress) get up and say it's our patriotic duty to do away with fuel economy exemptions for SUVs

it could really help

Simply rolling back the speed limits and doing the other gas-saving tips I talked about cuts our gasoline use by 10%.

And that, my friend, is how you get cheap gas.

Tags: energy, gasoline, conservation

How much are you paying for this war?

Wed, 07 May 2008 15:28:17 GMT

clipped by: deb2012
clipper's remarks: If every family knew they would have to each pay near $50,000 for the Iraq war, Bush's approval rating might be at ZERO right now. At 25% approval rating, those 25% are still clueless how much this war is costing our country. The Outstanding Public Debt as of NOW is: $9,354,811,947,563 making each citizen's share $30,777. I'm not sure if it's worth it or not, but at least we ought to know that there's more fiscal malfeasance than ever.

Clip Source: investorshub.advfn.com

We’ll still be making disability payments to Iraq war veterans 50 years from now.

A Congressional study by the Joint Economic Committee found that the sums spent on the Iraq war each day could enroll an additional 58,000 children in Head Start or give Pell Grants to 153,000 students to attend college. Or if we’re sure we want to invest in security, then a day’s Iraq spending would finance another 11,000 border patrol agents or 9,000 police officers.

if you believe that staying in Iraq does more good than harm, you must answer the next question: Is that presence so valuable that it is worth undermining our economy?

All that would consume less than one month’s spending on the Iraq war.

Professor Stiglitz calculates that the eventual total cost of the war will be about $3 trillion. For a family of five like mine, that amounts to a bill of almost $50,000.

Tags: economy, iraq, debt

Stock Market Bull's best friend

Mon, 05 May 2008 03:59:29 GMT

clipped by: deb2012
clipper's remarks: following the yield curve

Clip Source: www.tradersnarrative.com

According to the editor of the Systems & Forecasts newsletter, Marvin Appel, the S&P 500 performs best when the difference between the 10 year treasury note and the 90 T-Bill is between 1.41% and 2.57% with the following week providing an unheard of 13.3% return.

What today’s yield curve is telegraphing is that the economy is about to kick into gear (again). A steep yield curve is usually observed at the end of a recession and/or just before major economic expansion. Sure, that may sound like crazy talk with all the bad news floating around. But that is how the market works. Everything is priced in. The bond market is, for the first time, holding the 90 day T-Bill rates steady even as the Fed lowers rates to meet it.

Looks like the puppy finally is willing to get caught. The gap between the 90 day T-Bill and the Fed rate is now down to just 54 basis points.

Tags: stocks, economy

Is 44 million too much?

Sun, 04 May 2008 16:19:57 GMT

clipped by: deb2012
clipper's remarks: corporate vs labor on compensation
greed vs. value
I have to wonder if salary increases for laborers would better promote long term corporate value?

Clip Source: www.forbes.com

The chairman and chief executive of Nabors Industries Ltd. received compensation valued at $44.6 million in 2007

For the full year 2007, Nabors' earnings dropped 9 percent to $930.7 million, or $3.25 per share. Nabors attributed the drop in profit to a decline in operating income from the company's North American rig operations, excluding Alaska.

Central Laborers' Pension Fund, which holds 1,616 Nabors shares, proposed that the board revise its executive compensation plan to more closely tie awards to superior corporate performance. The shareholder noted that the CEO's compensation is determined by his employment agreement and there is no upper limit on his annual incentive award.

Nabors recommended that stockholders vote against the proposal, arguing that its executive plan is already designed to promote long-term corporate value.

Tags: economy

State Economic Conditions worsen

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:09:52 GMT

clipped by: deb2012
clipper's remarks: budget deficits affecting my state big time.
Personally felt so far: Funding for advanced (AP, IB) public school courses is being slashed suggesting Florida no longer wants to help fund opportunities for intelligent and motivated children to get a higher level of pre-college education? Let's all just get a crappy public education with our tax dollars. Now that makes perfect sense in a socialist society where we all need to be equally average.

Clip Source: investorshub.advfn.com

The weakening economy is hitting tax revenue in a number of ways: People's discretionary income is being gobbled up by higher food and fuel costs, while the tanking housing market means people are spending less on furniture and appliances associated with buying a house.

The situation is grim in Delaware, with a $69 million gap this year, and bleak in California, with a projected $16 billion budget shortfall over the next two years, the report said. Florida does not expect a rapid turnaround in revenue because of the prolonged real estate slump there.

The NCSL said the news is even worse for the upcoming fiscal year, with 23 states and Puerto Rico already reporting budget shortfalls totaling $26 billion. More than two-thirds of states said they are concerned about next year's budgets.

For energy-producing states, the fiscal situation is strong and the outlook is good," the report said.

cut spending

$1 billion by Florida lawmakers

Tags: economy, education

Business Bankruptcies Rose 43% in 2007

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:47:34 GMT

clipped by: deb2012

Clip Source: blogs.wsj.com

The final figures recently released by the U.S. bankruptcy courts show that 28,322 businesses sought bankruptcy protection in 2007, a 43% increase compared to a total of 19,695 in 2006, according to research from insurer Euler Hermes.

how does the stock market not go down when the monoline insurers are in trouble, businesses are going bankrupt, the consumer is out of cash and credit, the value or houses is dropping 20-30% and inflation is eating our lunch. It doesn’t make rational sense!

rfl, The stock market is not going down because the market is flooded with the fed supplied cheap money.This will not only inflate the stock prices , but also inflate the prices of essential commodities.

Tags: economy, stock market

Stock Market Bottom?

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:06:46 GMT

clipped by: deb2012
clipper's remarks: did we?

Clip Source: www.safehaven.com

The collective message of the bond market is one that is being almost entirely ignored by the financial press. While millions of investors are caught up in the past, cowering under their beds waiting for the next financial bomb to drop, the bond market is screaming to all that will listen, "The worst is over - the economy will improve!"

To show you what the bond market is saying, let's look at some revealing charts. To start with, here is the chart of the LIBOR rate for the first three months of 2008.

Libor rate has been coming down

The public remains afraid, yet the monetary powers are clearly not as worried over the state of U.S. financial affairs as they were earlier this year.

the opportunity to make money is back with the 10-year Treasury [more than] 50% higher than the 90-day T-bill.

lag time between the improving yield curve and economic performance

mid-summer

improvements in the economy

Tags: stock market, economy

Don't leave it to Congress!

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:17:06 GMT

clipped by: deb2012
clipper's remarks: argues that the sheeple MUST speak up and protest now or we will have a depression

Clip Source: market-ticker.denninger.net

ALL of the losses from contraction in home prices will be forced onto the back of the American Taxpayer, certainly extending to the $2 trillion in economic losses and perhaps extending as far as the $10 Trillion in home value contraction that is certain to come over the next few years.

CONGRESS HAS THUS FAR ALLOWED THIS FOOLISHNESS, HOLDING A SHAM HEARING IN WHICH THEY EFFECTIVELY RATIFIED THESE ACTS!

Deflationary credit collapses are how all the real assets are transferred from you, the people - rich, poor or middle-class - to the bankers and their buddies, because YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO MEET YOUR DEBT SERVICE while the value of the currency will actually RISE

we will not tolerate the attempt to place ANY of these losses on the public balance sheet

danger lies in the below graph that illustrates what our national debt will look like if YOU do not IMMEDIATELY act to stop it

Fed sat through the actions of Congress in the 1930s when we had the last Depression and they will sit through this one

Tags: economy