Financial Trend Forecaster Blog

By David Galland, Managing Director, Casey Research

What if the modern version of society is really nothing more than a sleight of hand designed to fool the masses into becoming little more than government mules, allowed their simple pleasures in exchange for providing the muscle and the money needed to feed the beast?

Watching my children grow older, now heading into the treacherous shoals of the teenage years, has been a visceral reminder of how the human mind develops. As young children, we see the world with fresh eyes and wonderment, and then quickly begin testing the physical and societal bounds as part of morphing into our more mature selves.

As we age into our teens and beyond, the testing of boundaries evolves into a series of calculations. If I do “A,” we wonder, will it lead to “B” or maybe “Z”? 

From a young age, most of us are told to advance our education and otherwise better ourselves so that we will be able to find a good job, or a succession of good jobs, that will provide sustenance and security lasting most of a lifetime before retiring to dawdle about in our golden years.

At least that is the modern view of life pursued by the vast majority of the citizenry in the developed world. Read the rest of this entry »

From Americans for Tax Reform:

By Ryan Ellis

In just six months, the largest tax hikes in the history of America will take effect. They will hit families and small businesses in three great waves on January 1, 2011:

First Wave: Expiration of 2001 and 2003 Tax Relief

In 2001 and 2003, the GOP Congress enacted several tax cuts for investors, small business owners, and families. These will all expire on January 1, 2011. Read the rest of this entry »

How the Government Tries to Fleece You and What You Can Do About It

By David Galland, Managing Director, Casey Research

After a relaxing Thanksgiving break, I anticipated to return to work in a lighter frame of mind. However, the following item from FOX News crushed that hope right away:

Lawmakers Propose ‘War Surtax’ to Pay for Troop Increase in Afghanistan

Two top Democrats say they want to impose a new tax on the wealthy to finance any increase in U.S. troops for the Afghanistan war.  Read the rest of this entry »

We have all heard that Social Security is running out of money and that by the time we retire there won’t be any money left. Have you ever wondered what the the government can do about Social Security? Or Have you ever asked, “Why don’t we worry about Annuities and Insurance companies making their payments but we are always worried about the Government equivalent? In the following article by Steve Selengut he will show you the answer.–editor

As an investor, I’ve always wondered why Social Security is such a problem.

What’s so difficult about managing this particular Trust Fund, and why is it so different from other investment accounts that pays out a constant stream of income? Read the rest of this entry »

 An Excerpt from Conquer the Crash by Robert Prechter

Yes, that’s a provocative question. Think of all the people who would squirm if they had to answer it.

For example, you’d see lots of squirming on Wall Street and in the media. They told stock market investors to trust the central bank in early 2001, by endlessly repeating the phrase “Don’t Fight the Fed!” That was the conventional wisdom then, even though you don’t hear it anymore now. The Fed did not stop the stock market from falling. Investors lost money.

The headline asks a question with “No” as the obvious answer. The notion that you “Don’t fight the Fed” has been a costly myth. Read the rest of this entry »

By Ted Peroulakis

This investment news is brought to you by Investor’s Daily Edge a free daily investment newsletter that is delivered by email before the market opens. It’s published by Fourth Avenue Financial, a subsidiary of Early To Rise  (an affiliate company of Agora Publishing). In each weekday issue you’ll receive practical strategies for protecting your portfolio and multiplying your money. You’ll also learn about undiscovered opportunities in emerging sectors and markets, deeply discounted stocks, recommendations for bonds, cash, commodity and real estate investing, and top ETFs. To view archives or subscribe, visit Investor’s Daily Edge.

I know as you read this, you are aware that America and the world are currently experiencing an economic crisis. 

Many economic experts say we could be heading towards a worsening recession or even a depression.

In this article, I have listed a few tools that a government has at its disposal to pull itself out of a recession and even avoid a depression. 

It’s good to be aware of the intervention tools governments use to prop up an economy in order to better protect your wealth and purchasing power. Read the rest of this entry »

By Rusty McDougal

You know they are trying to accomplish this ignominious feat. The goal is to keep Americans in an economic stupor. It is working.

Lies and deceit are pervasive. Newspapers, magazines, TV broadcasts, economic analysis and official prognostications are all based on shady statistics. Junk in… junk out. Read the rest of this entry »

Are Banks Going Bankrupt?  “NO!”, say banks

By Olivier Garret, CEO, Casey Research

On April 21, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the “vast majority” of U.S. banks have more capital than needed.

“Currently, the vast majority of banks have more capital than they need to be considered well capitalized by their regulators,” Geithner said in testimony to a congressional oversight panel on the government’s financial rescue program.

Geithner’s remarks come on the heels of a surge in reported quarterly profits by the big banks.

One of these banks, Bank of America (BAC), the world’s second largest in terms of market capitalization, booked a first-quarter net income of $4.247 billion – 6% more than it made in all of 2008. Read the rest of this entry »

In a recent article in the Wall Street Journal Stuart Varney uncovers an apparently ulterior motive for giving the banks “TARP” money and then refusing to allow repayment!  According to the Wall Street Journal article, the Obama administration is seeking to control the nation’s banks just as it has now near-total control over two of the Big Three auto companies. If true this could be an extreme cause for concern among freedom loving Americans as we turn from capitalism  into a state controlled socialist state. ~ Tim McMahon, editor.

By STUART VARNEY

I must be naive. I really thought the administration would welcome the return of bank bailout money. Some $340 million in TARP cash flowed back this week from four small banks in Louisiana, New York, Indiana and California. This isn’t much when we routinely talk in trillions, but clearly that money has not been wasted or otherwise sunk down Wall Street’s black hole. So why no cheering as the cash comes back? Read the rest of this entry »

Editor’s Note: The old saying is that during a deflation cash is king. This is because as prices fall  money becomes more valuable (i.e. it buys more). So it makes sense to hold onto it as long as possible and wait for it to increase in value. Because people hold onto their money it becomes scarce and harder to come by.

During a deflationary recession people also hold onto their money because they are uncertain about the continued supply of money (will they lose their job due to the recession, etc) so they in addition to holding money for appreciation, they are also “saving for a rainy day”.

Conversely during inflationary times money is becoming less valuable (buys less over time) so people want to get rid of it before it loses too much purchasing power and they even borrow as much as possible so they can pay it back with less valuable dollars.  Keep that in mind as you read Andy Gordon’s excellent article on why bailing out the banks won’t help the economy. ~ Tim McMahon, editor  Read the rest of this entry »