Yeah...It really takes alot of talent to go on line and observe every bad thing that is happening in the world of finance, politics, and economics and come on to this site and tell everyone that each of these events will reach a final conclusion that is exponentially worse than the current situation. I bet the Vegas odds makers would have something to say about your run of predictions.
So Mr. or Ms. Insider, if you are such a marvelous prognosticator what are you doing wasting your time getting people riled up on CP? Why not use your fantastic skills to head to your local race track make some money? Or pick six numbers that will win you the Mega? Or cash on those land deals or gold stocks or oil futures that you are always touting?
The answer is you don't really have these skills, that you're a wanna-be and a loser. I have had enough of your bulls**t. I am officially banning you from Cafe Pharma. Going forward please refrain from posting on this site as I come here for entertainment and knowledge and you provide neither.
That's a shame because the OP is on to what is happening out there. Perhaps specific events may not occur as/when described, but the $8 burrito problem is very real and growing. I am no longer in pharma and I see what is happening and it is dancing around the edges of the upper middle class. It hasn't reached the radar of some executives (pharma and otherwise) yet, because they live in fairly insular circles in places like Princeton. The docs, though, in our area are definitely beginning to feel it. Their patient schedules are wide open and they run every cost by me. As recently as a year ago, you would see middle class families spending money on x, y, z, because it was seen as the cost of living or a $75 expense wasn't seen as a big deal. This year, not so much... I think the pain will go on for awhile as baby boomers move their savings from stocks to more conservative investments and downsize their lives. So, maybe you are right, but my money is on the OP.
Fridays Jobs report: 120,000 new jobs vs expectations of 270,000. Slow down has begun. Stock market down big on Monday.
87 million have now stopped looking for work - which means they are now on govt payroll...LOL
The details of the report were as soft — arguably softer — than the poor headline itself. The employment rate dipped to 58.5% from 58.6%, and the participation rate fell the same amount to 63.8%. The workweek was cut back to 34.5 hours from 34.6, and as such the index of aggregate hours worked — a proxy for output — declined 0.2% in the first contraction on this score in seven months. Moreover, the combination of reduced hours and tepid wage gains led to a 0.1% cut in average weekly earnings and compound the run-up in gasoline prices on top of that and we are talking about a serious squeeze on real household incomes and likely spending as well, so if there ends up being no spring in Spring, don’t be surprised. The retailing community seems to be bracing for such an outcome because the sector cut its workforce by 33.8k in March and this followed a 28.6k downsizing the prior month.
Real Pretty Charts - Student Loans:
1/3 of "ALL" student loans are more than 30 days delinquent:
http://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2012/03/grading-student-loans.html
The U.S. government continues to encourage people to borrow for an education. ... This is exactly what it did with housing, to a disastrous end.
Just as Mr. Greenspan had a conundrum, so too does Mr. Bernanke. And just as Mr. Greenspan completely misunderstood his conundrum and how to address it, so too does Mr. Bernanke.
Mr. Bernanke was very clear that his conundrum is the job market. The reason his brow has become furrowed is due to the eternal question of whether the lack of a strong recovery in jobs is cyclical or structural.
Now since most people live in the real World, this concept of cyclical versus structural falls on deaf ears. However, it’s actually a very important concept for you to understand and it could even save you a few bucks in your portfolio.
Cyclical simply means the regular ebbs and flows of a market. Think of your daily commute to work (if you have a job) – some days are longer, some are shorter but in general they are quite predictable.
Structural refers to the underlying foundation and how it supports the system. For example, what happens if suddenly in the middle of the night the bridge everyone uses collapses. Suddenly your commute has become a lot more complicated and will remain complicated for a long time.
In the real World, 6 million people had their bridge collapse and lost their jobs. Yet, in Mr. Bernanke’s World this cyclical inconvenience could easily be fixed simply by cutting interest rates to 0%, spending billions on “shovel ready” projects, and cutting taxes. Sadly, a funny thing didn’t happen - the usual boomerang (or cyclical) rebound in new jobs has not occurred, and for some strange reason the collapsed bridge hasn’t been replaced either.
The high levels of employment reached during the 2004-2007 period were achieved on the backs of the housing and debt bubbles. During that time, economic growth was boosted by 400% as a result of people taking equity out of their homes (mortgage equity withdrawal). Considering no one has any equity left in their homes to withdraw, economic growth and the jobs that come with it are going to have to find another adrenalin shot. If you know the next big thing – feel free to share it, the World needs it.
Just as Mr. Greenspan had a conundrum, so too does Mr. Bernanke. And just as Mr. Greenspan completely misunderstood his conundrum and how to address it, so too does Mr. Bernanke.
Mr. Bernanke was very clear that his conundrum is the job market. The reason his brow has become furrowed is due to the eternal question of whether the lack of a strong recovery in jobs is cyclical or structural.
Now since most people live in the real World, this concept of cyclical versus structural falls on deaf ears. However, it’s actually a very important concept for you to understand and it could even save you a few bucks in your portfolio.
Cyclical simply means the regular ebbs and flows of a market. Think of your daily commute to work (if you have a job) – some days are longer, some are shorter but in general they are quite predictable.
Structural refers to the underlying foundation and how it supports the system. For example, what happens if suddenly in the middle of the night the bridge everyone uses collapses. Suddenly your commute has become a lot more complicated and will remain complicated for a long time.
In the real World, 6 million people had their bridge collapse and lost their jobs. Yet, in Mr. Bernanke’s World this cyclical inconvenience could easily be fixed simply by cutting interest rates to 0%, spending billions on “shovel ready” projects, and cutting taxes. Sadly, a funny thing didn’t happen - the usual boomerang (or cyclical) rebound in new jobs has not occurred, and for some strange reason the collapsed bridge hasn’t been replaced either.
The high levels of employment reached during the 2004-2007 period were achieved on the backs of the housing and debt bubbles. During that time, economic growth was boosted by 400% as a result of people taking equity out of their homes (mortgage equity withdrawal). Considering no one has any equity left in their homes to withdraw, economic growth and the jobs that come with it are going to have to find another adrenalin shot. If you know the next big thing – feel free to share it, the World needs it.
Dow -200. Down 500 points in the last week.
Anyone check your 401k today? Its soon to be a 201k.
LOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
