Bruce Krasting http://brucekrasting.com My Take on Financial Events Tue, 21 May 2013 17:28:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5 Bernanke KIKs the Can http://brucekrasting.com/bernanke-kiks-the-can/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bernanke-kiks-the-can http://brucekrasting.com/bernanke-kiks-the-can/#comments Tue, 21 May 2013 17:28:08 +0000 Bruce Krasting http://brucekrasting.com/?p=6841   In February, when  Ben Bernanke gave his report to Congress, he spoke of his concern about “Excessive risk taking”. On May 10 he repeated his warning:   very low interest rates, if maintained for a considerable time, could impair financial stability. For example, portfolio managers dissatisfied with low returns may “reach for yield” by [...]

The post Bernanke KIKs the Can appeared first on Bruce Krasting.

]]> http://brucekrasting.com/bernanke-kiks-the-can/feed/ 10 CBO – US Economy Set to Soar On Obamacare? http://brucekrasting.com/cbo-us-economy-set-to-soar-on-obamacare/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cbo-us-economy-set-to-soar-on-obamacare http://brucekrasting.com/cbo-us-economy-set-to-soar-on-obamacare/#comments Sun, 19 May 2013 09:50:23 +0000 Bruce Krasting http://brucekrasting.com/?p=6822   The Congressional Budget Office put conservative economic thinkers on their ass this week. In this Report (pdf), the CBO concluded that the US budget deficit is about to collapse to insignificance. The improvement in the deficit outlook is so large that it has lead liberal thinkers to start calling for more stimulus spending. If [...]

The post CBO – US Economy Set to Soar On Obamacare? appeared first on Bruce Krasting.

]]> http://brucekrasting.com/cbo-us-economy-set-to-soar-on-obamacare/feed/ 19 Bernanke Takes a “Leak” http://brucekrasting.com/bernanke-takes-a-leak/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bernanke-takes-a-leak http://brucekrasting.com/bernanke-takes-a-leak/#comments Sat, 11 May 2013 23:29:13 +0000 Bruce Krasting http://brucekrasting.com/?p=6811   How about Bernanke’s communication policy? The most important development for monetary policy in the last four years comes from a planted story in the Wall Street Journal on a Friday night. While I’m not surprised, I’m still disgusted. Press leaks to favorite journalists are no way to run this show.     The WSJ/Hilsenrath [...]

The post Bernanke Takes a “Leak” appeared first on Bruce Krasting.

]]> http://brucekrasting.com/bernanke-takes-a-leak/feed/ 17 This and That http://brucekrasting.com/this-and-that-3/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=this-and-that-3 http://brucekrasting.com/this-and-that-3/#comments Thu, 09 May 2013 02:00:41 +0000 Bruce Krasting http://brucekrasting.com/?p=6789   Question for Bernanke   Two charts from the CBO, then a question.     No surprise in this chart.  11m people are in the US illegally. 8.5m are from Mexico or Central America. This one was a surprise:     Looking at this chart I concluded that the unemployment rate at the end of [...]

The post This and That appeared first on Bruce Krasting.

]]> http://brucekrasting.com/this-and-that-3/feed/ 7 SS Report Due Out This Week http://brucekrasting.com/ss-report-due-out-this-week/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ss-report-due-out-this-week http://brucekrasting.com/ss-report-due-out-this-week/#comments Mon, 06 May 2013 11:33:30 +0000 Bruce Krasting http://brucekrasting.com/?p=6777   The Social Security Trust Fund annual report to Congress is due out this week. It will be discussed in the Press for a few days. Some of the things that will come up:   - The NPV of the unfunded liability will go up by approximately $2 trillion, to $23 trillion. Every year this [...]

The post SS Report Due Out This Week appeared first on Bruce Krasting.

]]> http://brucekrasting.com/ss-report-due-out-this-week/feed/ 15 D.C. Chuckle http://brucekrasting.com/d-c-chuckle/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=d-c-chuckle http://brucekrasting.com/d-c-chuckle/#comments Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:24:00 +0000 Bruce Krasting http://brucekrasting.com/?p=6759   I got a laugh reading this one from the CBO (Link).       The cost of the review of ethanol is a measly $1m. Why has it taken so many years to have this study? More importantly, what happens if this study shows that ethanol is proven to be a dud? Answer:   [...]

The post D.C. Chuckle appeared first on Bruce Krasting.

]]> http://brucekrasting.com/d-c-chuckle/feed/ 29 “Econogate” and Japan http://brucekrasting.com/econogate-and-japan/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=econogate-and-japan http://brucekrasting.com/econogate-and-japan/#comments Sun, 21 Apr 2013 21:54:01 +0000 Bruce Krasting http://brucekrasting.com/?p=6746   How about Reinhart-Rogoff? A couple of Bozos. These two Harvard economists have set back the debate on debt/deficits and the relationship to economic performance by years.   In 2009 there was “Climategate”, where scientists who wanted to see action on reducing greenhouse gases fudged data to “prove” their point. That blew up in a [...]

The post “Econogate” and Japan appeared first on Bruce Krasting.

]]> http://brucekrasting.com/econogate-and-japan/feed/ 24 The Scariest 50 Hours http://brucekrasting.com/the-scariest-hours/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-scariest-hours http://brucekrasting.com/the-scariest-hours/#comments Sat, 13 Apr 2013 18:53:36 +0000 Bruce Krasting http://brucekrasting.com/?p=6705   There was a four year stretch where I was responsible for big currency spec positions. I was regularly over a billion dollars long short in either USDJPY or USDDM (this was before the Euro). This happened many years ago. I don’t things are any different today, there are plenty of folks making mega-billion dollar [...]

The post The Scariest 50 Hours appeared first on Bruce Krasting.

]]> http://brucekrasting.com/the-scariest-hours/feed/ 34 America Fast Forward – In Reverse http://brucekrasting.com/america-fast-forward-in-reverse/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=america-fast-forward-in-reverse http://brucekrasting.com/america-fast-forward-in-reverse/#comments Sat, 13 Apr 2013 00:11:21 +0000 Bruce Krasting http://brucekrasting.com/?p=6688   The following is a wonkish discussion of one aspect of the White House budget. The President’s budget will never see the light of day, but I think it is instructive to look at this component of the plan, and expose it for what it is – A fraud. One element of the White House [...]

The post America Fast Forward – In Reverse appeared first on Bruce Krasting.

]]> http://brucekrasting.com/america-fast-forward-in-reverse/feed/ 22 Japan at War http://brucekrasting.com/japan-at-war/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=japan-at-war http://brucekrasting.com/japan-at-war/#comments Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:40:00 +0000 Bruce Krasting http://brucekrasting.com/?p=6673   My daughter called last night, she’s made her reservations for a honeymoon in Japan. Six months ago she was leaning on going to Thailand, but the cost of a trip to Japan has fallen so sharply, that she was able to afford the cost of a visit to beautiful Tokyo. She’s delighted. The dollar [...]

The post Japan at War appeared first on Bruce Krasting.

]]> http://brucekrasting.com/japan-at-war/feed/ 17