The Great Unwinding of Mainstream Incoherence
Fixing the Economists Article of the Week
by Philip Pilkington
A recent post by Lord Keynes inspired me to write up some very general thoughts on the state of mainstream economics. Today, I believe, mainstream economics is completely incoherent. What do I mean by that? Well, basically if you are in the mainstream you can pretty much believe in whatever you want these days.
Weekend Market Commentary: Special Edition
Weekend Market Commentary: Part II: Getting Closer To A Correction!
UPDATED: 1130 EST 2014-08-31
Yesterday we discussed how the European Union was eventually going to be the recessionary downfall of the U.S. Financial markets. Today we elaborate on Europe's edge of deflation caused by the EU's broken bank sector and how they will eventually erode the U.S. financial markets walls of stability.
You may be covered in animal fat and not even know it
Dryer sheets contain chemicals you may not want all over your clothing and here is why.
A Word from This Newsletter's Sponsor
How I Made $1,900,336.82 Trading Commodities eBook
Author and Pro Standard and Poors pit trader Larry Levin is giving away the electronic edition of his award-winning book. Learn Larrys proprietary tactics that were keys to his wildly successful trading run, including his actual trade statements!
What We Read Today 31 August 2014
Econintersect: Every day our editors collect the most interesting things they find from around the internet and present a summary "reading list" which will include very brief summaries (and sometimes longer ones) of why each item has gotten our attention. Suggestions from readers for "reading list" items are gratefully reviewed, although sometimes space limits the number included.
- US Oil Boom 2014: US Railroads Are Moving Greater Volumes Of Crude Oil This Year Amid Bakken Drilling Boom (Maria Gallucci,International Business Times) Crude oil transportation by rail has nearly tripled in four years.
What Can Defuse the Student Loan Time Bomb?
by Steven Jones, The Conversation
According to a new pamphlet issued by the Social Market Foundation:
'The Tories' student loan system that finances our universities, voted through by the Lib Dems, is a timebomb waiting to go off'.
Social Media Silences NSA Debate
from Felix Richter, Statista.com
by Mathias Brandt
Whether spending time with their families or at work, Americans generally have no problem discussing the topic of government surveillance, at least in the real world.
The Wall Street Journal Claims that only the 'Left' is Willing to Prosecute Banksters
by William K. Black, New Economic Perspectives
This is my third installment in my series of columns discussing the WSJ's rant against even feeble actions by Attorney General Holder to hold the banks and (a pittance of banksters) even slightly accountable for leading the three epidemics of mortgage fraud that caused the financial crisis and the Great Recession. The WSJ is enraged not at how feeble Holder's efforts have been, but that Holder dared to take any action against the elite frauds. The WSJ explicitly frames the question of accountability for the banks and banksters as a left v. right divide. Only the "populist left" is in favor of not granting the banks and banksters immunity from the criminal and civil laws for leading the most destructive fraud epidemics in history.
The Real Force Behind US Economic 'Growth,' Such As It Is, Is Not The Fed
by Lee Adler, Wall Street Examiner
As the stock market has scooted off into Fed driven bubble territory over the past year, industrial production, on the surface at least, appears to be expanding quite nicely. After briefly going negative in mid 2013, the annual growth rate turned upward and has been accelerating, reaching 4.3% in July. This measure is by units of production, therefore no inflation adjustment is required. It's a pretty impressive performance for the nation's factories, mines, and utilities. Can the Fed take credit for that growth, or was there something else that drove it?
Read more >>
Why is Cisco Cutting Jobs?
Written by Michael Moon, GEI Associate
Cisco Systems, Inc. has announced that it will cut up to 6,000 jobs, which is 8% of its worldwide work force, at a conference call on Wednesday 13 August 2014. The occassion was discussion of the company's fourth quarter fiscal 2014 earnings and revenue.
I Went to a Hockey Game and the Gold Standard Broke Out
Chart of the Week 28 August 2014
Written by John O'Donnell, Online Trading Academy
The 70-year history of inflation reminds me of a hockey stick, with the blade close to the "ice" until about 1970 and the stick handle rising sharply since then. Before 1970 the quantity of money was constrained most of the time by a metallic standard and, in general, prices remained relatively flat or went lower as productivity improved. Since 1970 the quantity of money has not been so constrained and the purchasing power of each unit (dollar) has been rapidly decreased.
History and cause of inflation is discussed in the video following the Read more >> jump.
The Fear of Wages Is Dead
by Lakshman Achuthan, Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer of ECRI
A keystone of current market complacency is the growing conviction that, with wage growth flagging, the Fed will not hike rates sooner or faster than expected. Yet, so much depends on just how far behind the inflation curve the Fed will find itself.
The Highest-Paid DJs Worldwide
from Felix Richter, Statista.com
by Niall McCarthy
According to Forbes, electronic dance music has never been more popular and the world's leading DJ's are earning tens of millions of dollars.
Why Do Landslides Happen and Why are They So Devastating?
by Mark Hounslow, The Conversation
Landslides don't attract the same media attention as more familiar geological hazards such as earthquakes and volcanoes. And yet they can be just as disastrous and, in fact, 2014 has been a particularly bad year.
In Hiroshima, Japan, a series of landslides has left 39 people confirmed dead and a further 52 missing. In March a hillside collapsed in Washington state, US, leaving 43 dead, and in May massive mudslides in Afghanistan caused several thousand deaths. In early August, landslides in Nepal left almost 200 dead or missing.
Trefis: Highlights Week Ending 29 August 2014
Written by Trefis
Below is a summary of the activity at Trefis during the past week that Trefis thought Econintersectreaders would find interesting.
Trefis is a financial community structured around trends, forecasts and insights related to some of the most popular stocks in the US. It provides the unique feature of allowing the user to model future valuation based upon projected changes in components of each business. It also provides communication capabilities among members, including consensus of member analysis compared to Trefis staff analysis and blogging opportunities for members.
Click on graphic for larger image and go to
Trefis interactive page.
Click "Read more..." to see our clickable table of contents with the most covered companies (more than 1 article) of the week identified. This week no company had more than one article.
Don't Assume What Is 'Unseen' Doesn't Exist
The Ceteris Paribus Trap
The use of the ceteris paribus, or "other things equal" assumption is an essential aspect of economic education. It is an important caveat that helps make sense of a complicated world by clarifying the incentive stories that comprise the core of economics.
Infographic of the Day: Can Aspirin Help Prevent Cancer?
If 100 men and 100 women at average risk for cancer take aspirin daily for 10 years starting at the age of 55, this is what might happen over the next 20 years, according to researchers who reviewed available evidence.
