http://www.realclearmarkets.com/ en Copyright 2012 Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:42:03 -0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.33 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:24:28 -0600 Policy, Politics & Culture The quest for a new social model has to start with economics. America could survive without growing prosperity and rising standards of living, but it would not flourish — and it would not be living up to its potential to create a better life not only for Americans but for people all over the world.  Green dreamers and communitarians disagree, often eloquently but always futilely; the drive for economic prosperity is deeply planted in American politics and society.  When the economy isn’t performing well, politicians lose their jobs...]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/america039s_secret_weapon_123264.htmlhttp://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2012/02/05/beyond-blue-part-three-the-power-of-infostructure/ 100123264 PM Update Walter Russell Mead, American Interest Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:59:34 -0600 ]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/we_need_more_millionaires_not_more_taxes_123253.htmlhttp://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2012/02/06/Taxing-the-Shrinking-Class-of-Millionaires.aspx#page1 100123253 PM Update Scott Hodge, Fiscal Times Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:43:49 -0600 Subscribe and save 75% January's increase in hiring is good news, but most of the new jobs being created are in the lower-wage sectors of the economy. The middle class, meanwhile, is becoming poorer and poorer. By Robert Reich, Guest blogger / February 7, 2012 Republican presidential candidate former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney greets supporters at his Nevada caucus night victory celebration in Las Vegas, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012. Reich argues that, despite his purported concern for the middle class, Romney has no idea how quickly the...]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/the_downward_mobility_of_america039s_middle_class_123265.htmlhttp://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Robert-Reich/2012/0207/The-downward-mobility-of-the-American-middle-class?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+feeds%2Fwam+%28Christian+Science+Monitor+%7C+Business%29 100123265 PM Update Robert Reich, CSM Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:11:38 -0600 FORTUNE -- As fourth quarter earnings come pouring in, Wall Street is assembling the full profit picture for 2011 –– and it's truly spectacular. According to S&P Capital IQ, the firm that assembles profit data for the benchmark index, earnings will hit $92.17 a share, a 19% increase over the excellent numbers posted in 2010, and well above the all-time record set in 2006. Despite some negative surprises this month—including disappointing news from Alcoa, Cisco and Exxon—momentum and optimism keep building.According to the bulls, stock...]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/the_bulls_are_wrong_-_stocks_only_look_cheap_123262.htmlhttp://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2012/02/07/stocks-only-look-cheap/?iid=SF_F_Lead 100123262 PM Update Shawn Tully, Fortune Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:57:34 -0600 The information on this website solely reflects the analysis of or opinion about the performance of securities and financial markets by the writers whose articles appear on the site. The views expressed by the writers are not necessarily the views of Minyanville Media, Inc. or members of its management. Nothing contained on the website is intended to constitute a recommendation or advice addressed to an individual investor or category of investors to purchase, sell or hold any security, or to take any action with respect to the prospective movement of the securities markets or to solicit the...]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/has_quantitative_easing_boosted_stocks_123266.htmlhttp://www.minyanville.com/businessmarkets/articles/policymakers-economic-policy-monetary-policy-quantitative/2/7/2012/id/39220 100123266 PM Update Howard Simons, Minyanville Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:09:07 -0600 ]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/forget_the_happy_jobs_report_time_for_qe_3_123261.htmlhttp://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2012/02/qe3_and_unemployment_why_the_federal_reserve_needs_to_keep_boosting_the_economy_.html 100123261 PM Update Matt Yglesias, Slate Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:04:26 -0600 ${Html.ActionLink("My MarketWatch", "index", new { controller = "composite", area = "section", page = "my" })} | !{Html.ActionLink("Sign out", "LogOff", new { area = "User", controller = "Account" }, new { id = "signOutLink" })}Welcome, ${UserDisplayName}Log inBecome a MarketWatch member today Paul B. Farrell Archives | Email alerts Feb. 7, 2012, 12:01 a.m. EST Want...]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/the_doomsday_capitalists039_winning_strategy_123255.htmlhttp://www.marketwatch.com/story/doomsday-capitalists-winning-strategy-2012-02-07?siteid=rss&rss=1 100123255 PM Update Paul Farrell, MarketWatch Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:06:20 -0600 2/6/2012 7:57 PM ETBy Jim JubakNo, we're not running out of oil, as some predicted. But petroleum -- like some other commodities, including copper -- is getting more expensive to find and produce.Now that oil is a long way from the $145 per barrel peak it hit in July 2008 and nobody on Wall Street is predicting -- as Goldman Sachs did in 2008 -- that oil is headed to $250 a barrel, we're not hearing much about peak oil anymore.The peak oil model, initially developed by oil geologist King Hubbert and used to predict a peak in U.S. oil production between 1965 and 1970, says that the...]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/is_the_peak_oil_theory_really_dead_123258.htmlhttp://money.msn.com/investment-advice/the-real-cost-of-peak-oil-jubak.aspx 100123258 PM Update Jim Jubak, MSN Money Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:01:40 -0600 The mad rush to move client money out of MF Global Inc. after its collapse left two firms with the bulk of customer accounts, while other brokerages emerged with only minor gains from the chaos of carving up a multibillion-dollar business.  Full Article By John Wasik Mon Feb 6, 2012 4:37pm EST (Reuters) - In theory, last year should have been a great time to be invested in a hedge fund. With markets gobsmacked by U.S. and euro zone crises, what better way to protect your money than to hedge against the market -- the nominal premise behind a hedge...]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/why_hedge_funds_don039t_live_up_to_their_name_123267.htmlhttp://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/06/us-column-wasik-hedge-idUSTRE81520Q20120206 100123267 PM Update John Wasik, Reuters Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:01:59 -0600 Related articles, background features and opinions about this topic.By Sven Böll A German engineering company: The idea that Germany is only benefiting from the euro crisis is just a myth.There is a widespread belief that Germany is the big winner of the euro crisis, as investors stash their money in the euro zone's last safe haven, driving interest rates on German bonds down to record lows. But the idea is just a myth. Indeed, the crisis could end up costing Berlin dearly.Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti is a thoroughly levelheaded man who feels a close affinity to Germany's...]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/why_germany_isn039t_benefiting_from_euro_woes_123254.htmlhttp://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,813667,00.html 100123254 PM Update Sven Boll, Der Spiegel Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:12:36 -0600 FORTUNE – China's hot property market and its implications on the global economy has been on the minds of many investors, and for good reason.In January, Barclays published its latest Skyscraper Index report, which tracks links between the rise in construction of tall buildings and economic busts over the past 140 years. This could be purely coincidental, but the index suggests that the East Asian giant is the world's "biggest bubble builder," and is on its way to an economic bust. China already has half of the world's existing skyscrapers (or buildings...]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/china039s_housing_market_will_slow_not_collapse_123263.htmlhttp://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2012/02/07/why-chinas-housing-market-will-slow-not-collapse/?iid=SF_F_LN 100123263 PM Update Nin Hai-Tseng, Fortune Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:40:44 -0600 ]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/a_tax_fairness_quiz_for_the_president_123238.htmlhttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204369404577206980068367936.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop 100123238 AM Update Stephen Moore, Wall Street Journal Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:03:14 -0600 ]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/romney039s_poverty_message_is_disturbing_123248.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/on-poverty-romney-should-heed-reagan/2012/02/06/gIQADFqAuQ_story.html 100123248 AM Update Marc Thiessen, Washington Post Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:25:46 -0600 Commentators were right to point out that Mitt Romney committed a flagrant gaffe last week. Unfortunately, they were only half-correct in identifying the offense. Yes, Romney was impressively inartful in announcing that he was “not concerned about the very poor” because “we have a safety net there,” managing to upset both liberals (for his apparent insensitivity) and conservatives (for his apparent satisfaction with a welfare state they believe promotes dependency). But another objectionable part of Romney’s statement went mostly unremarked...]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/stop_feeling_sorry_for_the_middle_class_123250.htmlhttp://www.tnr.com/article/politics/100363/middle-class-mobility-crisis-low-income-poor 100123250 AM Update Scott Winship, The New Republic Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:48:03 -0600 ft.com/frontpage Change edition Remember me on this computer Sign in February 6, 2012 7:36 pm By Jagdish BhagwatiYou have viewed your allowance of free articles. If you wish to view more, click the button below.© The Financial Times Ltd 2012 FT and 'Financial Times' are trademarks of The Financial Times Ltd. Printed from: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/56a045aa-50b3-11e1-8cdb-00144feabdc0,Authorised=false.htmlPrint a single copy of this article for personal use. Contact us if you wish to print more to distribute to others.© The Financial Times Ltd 2012 FT and...]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/shame_on_you_obama_for_pandering_on_trade_123245.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/56a045aa-50b3-11e1-8cdb-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1lZu3yYOE 100123245 AM Update Jagdish Bhagwati, FT Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:00:44 -0600 ]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/right_to_work_laws_won039t_revive_manufacturing_123247.htmlhttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-07/right-to-work-laws-won-t-bring-back-manufacturing-commentary-by-ron-klain.html 100123247 AM Update Ron Klain, Bloomberg Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:36:50 -0600 There have been some recent articles arguing the "housing bottom is nowhere in sight". That isn't my view.First there are two bottoms for housing. The first is for new home sales, housing starts and residential investment. The second bottom is for prices. Sometimes these bottoms can happen years apart.For the economy and jobs, the bottom for housing starts and new home sales is more important than the bottom for prices. However individual homeowners and potential home buyers are naturally more interested in prices. So when we discuss a "bottom" for...]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/the_housing_bottom_is_finally_here_123243.htmlhttp://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2012/02/housing-bottom-is-here.html 100123243 AM Update Bill McBride, Calculated Risk Blog Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:34:08 -0600 ${Html.ActionLink("My MarketWatch", "index", new { controller = "composite", area = "section", page = "my" })} | !{Html.ActionLink("Sign out", "LogOff", new { area = "User", controller = "Account" }, new { id = "signOutLink" })}Welcome, ${UserDisplayName}Log inBecome a MarketWatch member today Irwin Kellner Archives | Email alerts Feb. 7, 2012, 12:05 a.m. EST Want to...]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/is_economic_glass_half_empty_or_half_full_123252.htmlhttp://www.marketwatch.com/story/is-glass-half-empty-or-half-full-2012-02-07?link=home_carousel 100123252 AM Update Irwin Kellner, MarketWatch Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:41:16 -0600 Economic data are subject to error, and employment statistics are no exception. Each month the employment figures are reported and discussed in the media down to the last digit as though blessed with divine perfection. But they're not. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports two monthly employment series: nonfarm payroll jobs collected from employers, and civilian employment collected from household interviews. Both are valuable in assessing the condition of labor markets and guiding policy decisions. But users would be better off, and gain better perspective, if they knew...]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2012/02/07/the_haze_surrounding_the_unemployment_data_99505.htmlhttp://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2012/02/07/the_haze_surrounding_the_unemployment_data_99505.html 200123214 AM Update Alfred Tella, RealClearMarkets Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:21:00 -0600 ]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/the_fed039s_explicit_goal_devalue_the_dollar_33_123232.htmlhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/charleskadlec/2012/02/06/the-federal-reserves-explicit-goal-devalue-the-dollar-33/ 100123232 AM Update Charles Kadlec, Forbes Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:11:49 -0600 Dow Jones Reprints: This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers, use the Order Reprints tool on any article or visit www.djreprints.comBy STEVEN M. SEARS | MORE ARTICLES BY AUTHORFacebook's initial public stock offering will be hot. Its bearish put options probably will be hotter. Facebook announced Wednesday that it expects to sell $5 billion worth of stock on an as yet unidentified exchange. The timing of the IPO isn't yet known, and neither is the ultimate...]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/here039s_how_to_play_the_facebook_ipo_with_puts_123249.htmlhttp://online.barrons.com/article/SB50001424052748703964504577193180256297296.html?mod=BOL_hpp_dc 100123249 AM Update Steven Sears, Barron's Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:42:54 -0600 ]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/facebook_is_not_as_popular_as_we_think_123235.htmlhttp://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/those-millions-on-facebook-some-may-not-actually-visit/ 100123235 AM Update A. Ross Sorkin, New York Times Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:45:05 -0600 The Nasdaq is trading at its highest level since December 2000 ... but tech stocks are still way below their March 2000 dot-com bubble peaks.NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The Nasdaq is at its highest level since the end of 2000. Highly speculative companies like Netflix (NFLX) and Zynga (ZNGA) are soaring, and investors are salivating about possibly paying 100 times earnings for Facebook when it goes public. If you want to declare that tech stocks are once again a bubble ... you'd be dead wrong.Sure, some techs like Netflix, Amazon.com (AMZN, Fortune 500) and Salesforce.com (CRM) (to name a...]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/nasd_100_says_this_is_not_a_tech_bubble_123236.htmlhttp://money.cnn.com/2012/02/06/technology/thebuzz/index.htm?iid=HP_LN 100123236 AM Update Paul La Monica, CNNMoney Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:58:32 -0600 We no longer check to see whether Telegraph.co.uk displays properly in Internet Explorer version 6 or earlier.To see our content at its best we recommend upgrading if you wish to continue using IE or using another browser such as Firefox, Safari or Google Chrome.Accessibility links Tuesday 07 February 2012 |...]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/07/french_socialists039_latin_revolt_against_germany_123246.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/9062509/French-socialists-Latin-revolt-against-Germany.html 100123246 AM Update Pritchard, Telegraph Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:43:18 -0600 Many people, observing the severe problems caused by Greece and other financially weak members of the European Union, wonder why the United States is not similarly afflicted. After all, the structures seem quite similar; the EU is united through a treaty into a single political grouping, while the U.S. is a union of states in a constitutional system.In addition, the U.S. federal government has no control over the budgets, taxing or spending of the various states, just as the European Union's government in Brussels has no control over the similar fiscal decisions of the various sovereign...]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2012/02/07/why_the_us_doesnt_have_the_debt_problems_of_the_eu_99504.htmlhttp://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2012/02/07/why_the_us_doesnt_have_the_debt_problems_of_the_eu_99504.html 200123213 AM Update Peter Wallison, RCM Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:17:58 -0600 On Wall Street, bonus season is a sacred ritual. It is the annual rite where net worth and self-worth get elegantly reduced to a single number. During the 25-year boom that abruptly ended in 2008, the only principle that really mattered come bonus time was how you ranked against the guys to your right and left. The system was governed by a kind of atavistic justice: You eat what you kill. From the outside, the seven- and eight-figure payouts that star bankers earned could seem obscene, immoral even. But on the inside, the outlandish compensation reflected a strict, almost moral logic....]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/06/the_cruel_end_of_wall_street_as_they_knew_it_123195.htmlhttp://nymag.com/news/features/wall-street-2012-2/ 100123195 AM Update Gabriel Sherman, New York Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:09:31 -0600 In a better world — specifically, a world with a better policy elite — a good jobs report would be cause for unalloyed celebration. In the world we actually inhabit, however, every silver lining comes with a cloud. Friday’s report was, in fact, much better than expected, and has made many people, myself included, more optimistic. But there’s a real danger that this optimism will be self-defeating, because it will encourage and empower the purge-and-liquidate crowd. Paul Krugman So, about that jobs report: it was...]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/02/06/good_jobs_report_bad_policy_implications_123193.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/opinion/krugman-things-are-not-ok.html?_r=1&hp 100123193 AM Update Paul Krugman, New York Times Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:02:56 -0600 Was Friday's "Employment Situation" report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) good news? Sure, if you live on Fantasy Island. Back here in America? Not so much. The BLS reported that the closely followed "headline" (U-3) unemployment rate fell to 8.3% in January. This represented a decline of 0.2 percentage points from the previous month's level and the lowest level since February 2009. So, why isn't this good news?The problem isn't just that the employment report wasn't good news, it's that the employment report wasn't even news....]]>http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2012/02/06/another_unemployment_rate_fairy_tale_99502.htmlhttp://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2012/02/06/another_unemployment_rate_fairy_tale_99502.html 200123186 AM Update Louis Woodhill, RealClearMarkets