Alea Iacta Est: Has the Die been Cast on the Eurozone?
Fact 1: In the early 1990s, if it were not for Europeans and the US, Germany would have had a pretty rough and bumpy ride towards its reunification. The direct and indirect funding provided by both sources made the difference for Germany. Fact 2: To keep attracting...
Seisachtheia Meets the Markets: The Fed, the Yuan, and India
First of all, a special note of thanks to a good friend (IKM) who recently reminded me of the concept of Seisachtheia. Thus, a historical reference is needed first (please note that this is not a diatribe on the concept, and I am only using the pertinent clauses of...
The Markets in Purgatory
They did it again. They rolled the dice again in favor of $600 billion in purchases, and when we count the repurchases of other paper-instruments (e.g. mortgages and MBS), the amount becomes larger, and that’s for starters. What puzzles us is that all media refer to...
Negative Yields, Inflationary Expectations, and Portfolio Allocation: In what Directions is Sisyphus Pushing the Rock?
Just a few days ago the auction for TIPS (Treasury Inflation Protection Securities) produced for the first time ever negative yields. When we take into account that TIPS’ correlation with the conventional inflation measure (CPI) barely exceeds twenty percent, then we...
ΙΣΧΟΜΑΧΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΑΣΤΑΘΕΙΑ: CUI BONO?
Πολλά έχουν γραφτεί και ακόμα περισσότερα έχουν ειπωθεί σχετικά με το δίλημμα που έθεσε ο Πρωθυπουργός όσον αφορά το αποτέλεσμα των περιφερειακών εκλογών. Θα ήθελα να ανατρέξουμε κάποιους αιώνες πίσω, μεταξύ 390 και 360 π..Χ. Στον «Οικονομικό» του Ξενοφώντα. Ο...
In the Land of Debt: Foreclosures, Commodities, and Quantitative Easing
The securitization problems seem to be making another comeback in the form of “foreclosuregate”, as the Economist newspaper has labeled its latest phase. Banks seem to be admitting to subpar standards in not just approving loans but also proceeding with foreclosures....
O ΣΙΣΥΦΟΣ, ΟΙ ΑΓΟΡΕΣ, ΚΑΙ ΟΙ ΙΣΟΤΙΜΙΕΣ
Ο μύθος του Σίσυφου πρωτοειπώθηκε από τον Όμηρο. Καταδικάστηκε από τους θεούς να κυλά ένα βράχο στην κορυφή ενός βουνού. Η μοίρα της πέτρας ήταν να κατρακυλά πίσω στη βάση του βουνού, και ο Σίσυφος έπρεπε νε ξαναρχίσει πάλι την προσπάθεια από την αρχή. Όταν διαβάζει...
Brand Name Icarus: Lessons Learned?
Today China decided to raise its lending and deposit rates. How could we interpret such a move? In the near future we will draft a commentary on Icarus, but let us recall quickly his story. His father Daedalus prepared him wings to fly, warning him not to fly too...
A Sishyphonian Symphony: Currencies, Fiat Money, Hard Asssets, and the Puzzle of the Sphinx
Have you seen him lately? He is still rolling that stone up to the hill. He is my good friend, Sisyphus. He was condemned to roll the stone up the hill and as he is approaching the summit, the rock will go down the plain again. So, as I am drafting this, I am...
Here we go again.
The second phase of the global economic crisis (fiscal and consequently sovereign debt) is rearing its ugly head again. News broke on Friday that the government of Ireland would stand behind Anglo Irish Bank with liquidity injections. The bailout of this...
