Seeking Alpha

Economic Analyst

Economic Analyst
Send Message
View as an RSS Feed
View Economic Analyst's Comments BY TICKER:
AA, AAMRQ.PK, AAON, AAPL, AAUKY.PK, ABC, ABCS, ABT, ACIW, ACWI, ADBE, ADM, AEP, AGG, AGOL, AIG, AKAM, ALBCF.PK, ALK, ALL, ALTR, ALU, AMAT, AMD, AMJ, AMLN, AMP, AMX, AMZN, ANGI, ANN, AOL, AOR, APC, APKT, APO, ARCC, ARMH, ATVI, AUD, AVL, AVP, AZN, BA, BAC, BANR, BATS, BAYRY.PK, BBVA, BBY, BCS, BDRBF.PK, BFR, BG, BHI, BHP, BID, BJ, BJI, BK, BKS, BLK, BMY, BND, BNNY, BNPQY.PK, BP, BRCD, BRK.A, BRK.B, BSJC, BSX, BSYBY.PK, BT, BTU, BUD, BX, C, CAC, CAG, CAH, CAM, CBS, CEG, CG, CHA, CHK, CHL, CHT, CICHY.PK, CIU, CLDT, CLPHY.PK, CLWR, CMC, CMCSA, CME, CMI, CNVGF.PK, CNY, COF, COH, COP, CORN, COST, CPX, CRARY.PK, CRM, CRUD, CS, CSCO, CTEL, CTL, CVC, CVI, CVS, CVX, CXO, CYB, DAL, DB, DBA, DBC, DBO, DBOEY.PK, DBP, DBSDF.PK, DBV, DCS, DD, DE, DELL, DEO, DFJ, DGL, DGLD, DGP, DGZ, DIA, DIS, DISH, DLPH, DLTR, DMND, DNKN, DNO, DOW, DRR, DTEGY.PK, DTO, DTV, DTYL, DTYS, DUK, DVA, DVY, DXBGF.PK, DXBGY.PK, DXJ, DYN, DZZ, E, EA, EADSF.PK, EADSY.PK, EBAY, EBR, ECPG, EDPFY.PK, EEM, EKDKQ.PK, EMKR, ENB, EONGY.PK, EP, EPD, ERIC, ERJ, ERO, ESB, ESRX, EU, EUFN, EUO, EUSA, EWD, EWG, EWJ, EWO, EWV, EWZ, EXC, EXT, EZJ, F, FB, FBRWY.PK, FCS, FCX, FDP, FDX, FEU, FEZ, FFC, FFCH, FIATY.PK, FIG, FIVZ, FJP, FMCC.OB, FMLCF.PK, FMS, FN, FNMA.OB, FNSR, FOSL, FRX, FSL, FSLR, FTE, FXA, FXB, FXC, FXE, FXF, FXI, FXY, GAIN, GBB, GBF, GDX, GDXJ, GE, GLCNF.PK, GLD, GLJ, GLL, GLW, GM, GMCR, GOLD, GOOG, GPN, GR, GREK, GRPN, GS, GSC, GSK, HAL, HBC, HD, HFC, HGSI, HIMX, HMC, HNZ, HON, HPQ, HRS, HTCXF.PK, HUWHY.PK, HWD, HYG, IAPLY.PK, IAU, IBM, ICE, IDCBF.PK, IEF, IEI, IEV, IGOV, ILF, ILMN, ING, INHX, INTC, IPE, IR, ISI, IT, ITB, ITF, ITT, IVV, IWB, IWM, IWV, IXC, IYF, IYR, IYY, JBLU, JDSU, JJC, JNJ, JNPR, JOE, JPM, JPP, JSC, K, KBE, KEYN, KFT, KKPNY.PK, KKR, KMI, KMP, KO, KORS, KOSS, KR, KRE, LCC, LDNXF.PK, LEHMQ.PK, LGEGF.PK, LII, LINC, LIZ, LMT, LNKD, LOW, LPHI, LRCX, LSTZA, LTPZ, LUV, LYG, MACDF.PK, MCD, MCK, MCO, MCP, MDRX, MET, MFG, MFGLQ.PK, MHP, MHS, MMI, MON, MOS, MPC, MQBKY.PK, MRO, MS, MSFG, MSFT, MT, MU, MWW, NAV, NDAQ, NEMFF.PK, NFLX, NKE, NKY, NLY, NOK, NOV, NSM, NSRGY.PK, NTAP, NVLS, NVS, NWS, NWSA, NYX, OCLR, OCPNY.PK, OIL, OLO, OPXT, ORCL, OSK, P, PALL, PBR, PC, PCY, PEP, PEUGY.PK, PFE, PG, PGJ, PGN, PHG, PHYS, PLW, PNC, PNCL, PNR, POT, PPLT, PSEC, PTM, PTR, QCOM, QLD, QQQ, QUBSF.PK, RAH, RBS, RDS.A, REE, REM, REMX, RENN, REPYF.PK, REPYY.PK, REZ, RHHBY.PK, RHT, RIG, RIMM, RIO, RNOW, RSH, RSUN, RY, RYAAY, S, SAP, SBCF, SBMRF.PK, SBMRY.PK, SBND, SBUX, SCGLY.PK, SCHB, SCHP, SCJ, SCO, SDRL, SFD, SFLY, SFSF, SGOL, SH, SHCAY.PK, SHLD, SHY, SHZ, SI, SIG, SINA, SJM, SLB, SLE, SLV, SMFG, SNE, SNOFF.PK, SNY, SO, SONE, SPLV, SPN, SPXU, SPY, SSL, SSNLF.PK, SSO, SSP, STD, STI, STIP, STM, STO, STPZ, STT, SVU, SWHC, SWY, SYMC, SYT, SYY, SZO, T, TAP, TBF, TBT, TEF, TENZ, TEO, TGT, TIF, TIP, TIPZ, TIVO, TJX, TKECF.PK, TLB, TLH, TLT, TM, TMF, TMV, TMW, TNTTY.PK, TOT, TPS, TRBCQ.PK, TRP, TRSY, TSO, TUDO, TWC, TWQ, TWX, TXN, TYC, UAL, UBG, UBS, UCO, UDN, UGA, UGL, UGLD, UNCFF.PK, UNH, UPS, USB, USL, USO, UTX, UUP, UWC, V, VGK, VIVHY.PK, VLO, VOD, VOO, VTHR, VTI, VTRAF.PK, VXF, VXX, VYM, VZ, WDC, WFC, WFT, WFVK, WIBC, WIFI, WMB, WMT, WPI, WPZ, WSFS, WXSP, WYNN, XHB, XLB, XLF, XLI, XLK, XLU, XOM, XSRAF.PK, XSRAY.PK, YELP, YHOO, YOKU, YPF, YZC, Z, ZLC, ZNGA, ZOLL, ZQK, ZSL
Latest  |  Highest rated
  • Europe's Pain Is America's Gain, Not Bane [View article]
    I'd be OK if we were all OK with it.
    May 24 09:46 AM | Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News [View article]
    That's why commodities are not so much good as a store of value.
    A higher purpose perhaps. Use it or lose it.
    May 24 08:56 AM | Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • A Return To The Gold Standard Could Destroy The Modern Economy [View article]
    Some folks really miss the "good old days."
    May 24 08:48 AM | Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • The Soft Bigotry Of Low Expectations [View article]
    "The strategy for eliminating the zero bound, therefore, is to make money pay a negative nominal interest rate, by imposing some type of ‘carry tax’ on currency and deposits."

    "It’s easy to envision such a system with regard to deposits at the Federal Reserve or transactions deposits at banks; for the most part, the technology to implement such a system is already in place. A tax or fee on Reserve deposits of 1% per month, for example, would mean that those deposits, in effect, pay a nominal interest rate of roughly minus 12%."

    This a quote from a paper written for the Fed back in "03.

    More detailed studies exist, though they don't show up on my limited google search this AM.

    http://bit.ly/JFBr01
    May 24 07:48 AM | Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • The Achilles' Heel Of The U.S. Economy [View article]
    "Without significant reform, U.S. entitlement programs are likely to pose a growing economic strain on the economy. For example, without a change to current laws, federal spending on Medicare and Medicaid combined will grow to almost 10% of gross domestic product by 2035, up from roughly 5% today. If left unchecked, Social Security and Medicare will eventually help crowd out all other government spending."

    This unsubstantiated hypothesis fails to with stand the do the math test when subjected to one on the fundamental laws of economic, that of Economy of Scale.

    Economics is more than money, its resources, manpower, materials and more.

    A pure cash flow analysis fails to provide any realistic insight into the realities of demand driven distribution of goods.

    If as the author and others propose, budgets are cut to mitigate the "cost" of supporting all the old people, the result will be reduced demand for the basics such as food, for which the American economic engine has managed to fine tune to the point that the marginal costs are exceedingly low, so low in fact that many traditional food resources such as corn are converted to ethanol.

    This proposed reduction of "expenditures" would reduce demand, increase the marginal cost of production, and result in less employment and more pressure on prices as the cost structure has been disturbed in a way that reduces consumption and increased prices at the same time.

    Keeping promises made to retirees will keep production up, marginal costs down, and reduce pressure to reduce the number of people forced to leave productive roles in what is a very effective if not purely efficient system.


    May 23 04:56 PM | 1 Like Like |Link to Comment
  • The Soft Bigotry Of Low Expectations [View article]
    "In any case, how can the Fed go beyond zero % rates?"

    It's called Stamp Tax. Don't assume rates can't go below zero just because they haven't yet. It's been in their toolbox talked about by the Fed for years, they just haven't decided to do it yet. Just wait until pushing on the string waiting for Fiscal response fails.
    May 23 04:28 PM | Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News [View article]
    We used to store it underground in where it is cool in case of emergency and distribute the surplus via commodities program to ensure a stable supply chain.

    Now we have folks that are upset because folks just aren't hungry enough.
    May 23 10:56 AM | Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News [View article]
    Don't worry I'm a fair weather flyer
    May 23 10:48 AM | 1 Like Like |Link to Comment
  • Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News [View article]
    Not joking. We're not Europe.
    May 23 08:25 AM | Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News [View article]
    Most folks are likely not aware of the therapeutic value of Helium & Oxygen

    http://bit.ly/KJBLfx
    May 22 04:01 PM | Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News [View article]
    My limited research on the subject tells me that helium is a by natural product of natural gas production which is ramping up.

    Absent measures to capture it, it simply dissipates into the atmosphere.
    May 22 01:46 PM | Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News [View article]
    Producing more milk than can be consumed causes deflation.

    I have no experience with Germany.

    Are you familiar with what the US did back in the 1920s?
    May 22 10:02 AM | Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News [View article]
    Modern Chinese- American expression :

    Why buy it when you can rent it for cheap? Let them store it for you.
    May 22 09:55 AM | Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News [View article]
    Go long on Helium Power

    http://bit.ly/JaC6Hd
    May 22 09:49 AM | Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Gold: The Fate That Awaits Once Fed Stimulus Ends [View article]
    Interesting backdrop, now fast forward to 2012 for an update.


    http://wapo.st/KwawWl
    May 22 09:44 AM | Likes Like |Link to Comment
COMMENTS STATS
1,102 Comments
563 Likes