Analysis Topic: Economic Trends Analysis
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Sunday, January 04, 2015
The "Dog-Eat-Dog" Economic Delusion / Economics / Economic Theory
By: MISES
Gary Galles writes: When people want to add extra “oomph” to negative depictions of self-owners acting without coercion — that is, market competition under capitalism — they turn to name-calling. One of the most effective forms is describing such competition as dog-eat-dog. When that characterization is accepted, the mountain of evidence in favor of voluntary social coordination can be dismissed on the grounds that it involves a vicious and ugly process so harmful to people that it outweighs any benefits.
Friday, January 02, 2015
How Reducing GDP Increases Economic Growth / Economics / Economic Theory
By: Joseph_T_Salerno
Recently, the Financial Times published an article containing charts displaying the correlation between government spending and real GDP growth.1 Based on these correlations, the author of the article, Matthew Klein, comments: “It’s no secret that spending cuts (and tax hikes) have retarded America’s growth for the past four years.” He goes on to argue that from mid-2010 to mid-2011, the reduction in government spending in the US shaved 0.76 percent off of the economic growth rate. Klein conjectures that this slowdown in the growth rate caused a level of real GDP today that is 1.2 percent less than it would have been in the absence of this exercise in “austerity.” He also points out that since 2012 almost all of the depressive effect on real GDP growth of government austerity was the result of the reduction in military spending. While some of the reduction was beneficial, Klein opines, “some of it represents a self-inflicted wound.” Indeed it may represent a self-inflicted wound on the Federal government, but in that case it benefits the private economy.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Government Spending Does Not Help the Economy / Economics / Government Spending
By: Frank_Shostak
Some economists such as Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman hold that during an economic slump it is the duty of the government to run large budget deficits in order to keep the economy going. On this score — given that from 2011 to 2014 the rate of growth of real gross domestic product (GDP) hovered at around 2 percent — many experts are of the view that the budget deficit, which stood at $483 billion in 2014, wasn’t large enough.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Japan Is Writing History As A Prime Boom And Bust Economic Case / Economics / Japan Economy
By: GoldSilverWorlds
Recently, we wrote a paper about the dynamics behind the boom and bust cycles, based on the view of the Austrian School (the Austrian Business Cycle Theory, or ABCT). The key takeaway was that central banks don’t help in smoothing the amplitude of the cycles, but rather are the cause of cycles.
Business cycles are a direct result of excessive credit flow into the market, facilitated by an intentionally low interest rate set by the government.
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Tuesday, December 30, 2014
The Truth Behind U.S. 5% GDP Economic Growth / Economics / US Economy
By: Money_Morning
Shah Gilani writes: Sit down before you read this.
It's going to make your head spin and, worse, change the way you think about what's real in America.
Christmas came early this year, for the market that is, by way of a gift from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
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Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Will Cheap Crude Oil Bail Out the Consumer? / Economics / US Economy
By: Michael_Pento
Analysts on every financial news network are screaming about how the lower oil and gas prices will spur on the U.S. consumer and lead to a stronger economy. It is true that total retail sales rose 0.7 percent in November, beating analysts' expectations of 0.4 percent. And the Thomson-Reuters University of Michigan survey of consumers saw its December 2014 "preliminary index of consumer sentiment" soaring to 93.8--well above last month's 88.8 reading. Yet, despite this, global markets are throwing off many deflationary signals that should not be ignored.
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Saturday, December 27, 2014
What’s Really Going on Inside the Latest GDP Number / Economics / US Economy
By: Money_Morning
Shah Gilani writes: Sit down before you read this.
It’s going to make your head spin and, worse, change the way you think about what’s real in America.
Christmas came early this year, for the market that is, by way of a gift from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
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Thursday, December 25, 2014
A Capitalist Christmas / Economics / Economic Theory
By: MISES
Dale Steinreich writes: Halloween has a socialist tenor. Menacing figures arrive at your door uninvited, demand your property, and threaten to perform an unspecified "trick" if you don't fork over. That's the way the government works in a nutshell.
Thanksgiving has been reinterpreted as the white man, after burning, raping, and pillaging the noble Indian, trying to make amends with a cheap turkey dinner. New Year's can be ruined as the beginning of a new tax year, and the knowledge that the next five or six months will be spent working for the government.
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Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Correcting Scrooge’s Economics / Economics / Economic Theory
By: MISES
Ryan McMaken writes: As Charles Dickens himself admits, Ebenezer Scrooge is a thoroughly peaceful man, guilty of no true crime, who has robbed no one. Therefore, we must conclude that his wealth is a sign of his ability to please at least some people, and as Michael Levin notes: “Dickens doesn't mention Scrooge's satisfied customers, but there must have been plenty of them for Scrooge to have gotten so rich.”
But as he is a person with bad manners and a disagreeable personality, many have conflated Scrooge’s personality traits with his business practices, although the two are unrelated phenomena. As a miser and businessman, Scrooge provides numerous valuable services to the community including, as Walter Block has shown, driving down prices and making liquidity available to those who, unlike the wrongly maligned misers, have been either unwilling or unable to save in comparable amounts.
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Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Crude Oil, US GDP - You Thought The Saudis Were Kidding? / Economics / US Economy
By: Raul_I_Meijer
There are many things I don’t understand these days, and some are undoubtedly due to the limits of my brain power. But at the same time some are not. I’m the kind of person who can no longer believe that anyone would get excited over a 5% American GDP growth number. Not even with any other details thrown in, just simply a print like that. It’s so completely out of left field and out of proportion that you would think by now at least a few more people understand what’s really going on.
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Bank Capital Punishment and Other Nostrums / Economics / Credit Crisis 2014
By: Steve_H_Hanke
Bankers — facing a barrage of new capital requirements, regulations and investigations — must feel as if they are targets of a witch hunt. Well, if the truth be told, they are. Indeed, it’s gotten so bad that the Dutch authorities, who were clueless before the crisis, have put the sinners (read: bankers) on public display and forced them to repeat the following: “I swear that I will endeavor to maintain and promote confidence in the financial sector…. so help me God.” So, there you have it, so help me God.
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
U.S. Economic GDP Growth Revised Higher to 5% / Economics / US Economy
By: CMI
In their third estimate of the US GDP for the third quarter of 2014, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reported that the economy was growing at an astounding +4.96% annualized rate, up an additional +1.07% from their prior estimate for the 3rd quarter and now up +0.37% from the already very healthy 4.59% annualized growth rate registered during the second quarter.
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Jaguar Inflation - A Layman's Explanation of Government Intervention / Economics / Inflation
By: EWI
I am tired of hearing people insist that the Fed can expand credit all it wants. Sometimes an analogy clarifies a subject, so let's try one.
It may sound crazy, but suppose the government were to decide that the health of the nation depends upon producing Jaguar automobiles and providing them to as many people as possible. To facilitate that goal, it begins operating Jaguar plants all over the country, subsidizing production with tax money. To everyone's delight, it offers these luxury cars for sale at 50 percent off the old price. People flock to the showrooms and buy. Later, sales slow down, so the government cuts the price in half again. More people rush in and buy.
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Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Will the Malaysian Economy Risk another Financial Crisis in 2015? / Economics / Asian Economies
By: Sam_Chee_Kong
If any of you can remember for the past few months our government has been engaging on a propaganda spree claiming that our economy is doing excellent and our budget deficit is on track hitting the 3% target. In addition it is also reported that our household sector is supported by sustained income growth and hence consumption. Our high level of international reserves, current account surplus, resilient domestic financial system and low level of external debt helps reinforce the strength of our economy. Bank Negara even forecast a GDP growth between 5.0 to 5.5% for fiscal 2015? Is our economy really that resilient and solid? This article aims to dissect the reported facts above and also at the same time gauge the performance of the Malaysian economy.
Monday, December 22, 2014
The Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing / Economics / Global Debt Crisis 2014
By: Dr_Jeff_Lewis
― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray“There is a current set of delusions that is powerful and dangerous: that monetary debasement can be infinitely pursued without consequences; that the financial system is now solid and sound; that the low volatility and high prices of stocks, high-end real estate and bonds are real; that bonds are a safe haven; and that large financial institutions which get into trouble in the future can be unwound in a much safer way than they could be in 2008."
-Paul Singer
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Sunday, December 21, 2014
Really, Greece Debt Crisis Again? / Economics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: John_Rubino
The Greek financial/political crisis is becoming an annual event. For a sense of just how long this unfortunate little country has been struggling to survive under the relative sound money regime of the eurozone, here’s a Greek Crisis Timeline that CNN published in 2011. Even back then the pattern of near-collapse followed by temporary respite had been repeating for seven years.
Sunday, December 21, 2014
The Social Function of Economic Inequality / Economics / Economic Theory
By: MISES
Mark Tovey writes: The unhampered market creates economic inequality. Free marketeers tend to concede this fact as an unfortunate defect in an otherwise laudable system. F.A. Hayek, however, in a chapter from The Constitution of Liberty, argued that inequality is fundamental to a society's progress. Hayek explained how, by purchasing luxuries unimaginable to the average man, the rich unwittingly perform a vital public service. Indeed so fundamental is inequality to economic progress that egalitarian societies, Hayek concluded, would be faced with no choice but to deliberately re-inflict upon themselves the very class systems they had sought to escape, should they wish to achieve well-directed economic advancement.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
An Unorthodox Solution to the World’s Economic Problems / Economics / Economic Theory
By: Frank_Hollenbeck
We currently face a monumental dilemma. How do we extract ourselves from all this excessive debt without crashing the world economy? There is a solution which is totally counterintuitive: print even more money. In other words, to get out of the deep, deep hole we are in, dig even deeper.
It is called the Chicago plan. With a stroke of a pen, money would be substituted for debt, without the negative consequences of printing money. Banking would be restructured so that it never again leads to boom and bust cycles, and most debt, public and private, could be cancelled. It’s basically a “one time” get out of jail card for the world economy.
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Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Crude Oil Price Crash, U.S. Employment and Economic Growth / Economics / US Economy
By: John_Mauldin
Last week we started a series of letters on the topics I think we need to research in depth as we try to peer into the future and think about how 2015 will unfold. In forecasting US growth, I wrote that we really need to understand the relationships between the boom in energy production on the one hand and employment and overall growth in the US on the other. The old saw that falling oil prices are like a tax cut and are thus a net benefit to the US economy and consumers is not altogether clear to me. I certainly hope the net effect will be positive, but hope is not a realistic basis for a forecast. Let’s go back to two paragraphs I wrote last week:
Monday, December 15, 2014
Deflation or Inflation? / Economics / Deflation
By: Gary_Tanashian
At the prodding of an NFTRH subscriber who was combing through old issues, I went back and read NFTRH 7, from November of 2008 and was struck by how things have really not changed in the last 6 years of non-stop inflationary policy; they have intensified and gone global, but the mechanics have not changed.
The current inflation operation is failing world-wide, with the US holding out for now. As pertains to the gold and gold mining case mentioned in the article below (as we got hyper bullish in Q4 2008), things are moving much more slowly now. The current backdrop is a different animal than the 2008 deflationary impulse, but its potential is to much more wide-ranging and ultimately destructive.
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