Politics

QE3: 11 Winners and Losers

September 16, 2012

Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve are ready to stimulate the economy at any cost. The Fed will inject $40 billion per month in mortgage-backed securities purchases. This policy is good for some, bad for many. Let’s keep track of the score. 11 Winners and Losers from QE3 1. Winner: Banks – Banks are inflation […]

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Real Unemployment Rate Explained

July 11, 2012

You’ll often hear about a horrible jobs number and then get an update that the jobless rate hasn’t budged, or in some cases, actually improved.  How can this be?  Well, because the “official” government reported figure grossly underestimates those out of the workforce because it simply stops counting people in the denominator who have given […]

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Dividend Recaps – Smart Policy, or Just More Politics?

June 10, 2012

Tax reform is ugly business in Washington. Few bills stir up either side of the aisle as much as discussion on tax policy – especially when the federal deficit is in the trillions annually. New corporate tax reform bills circulating through Washington are targeting dividend recapitalization and debt financing strategies often used by private equity […]

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The Welfare States of America – Data That Even Blew My Mind

February 8, 2012

I’ve known we’ve been turning into a welfare state ever since I started digesting, well, anything other than the mainstream media outlets.  But the latest report out of the Heritage Foundation shows just how staggering the situation has become.  It’s not just the current state that is alarming – but where we’re headed.  They released […]

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Your President Is Lying About a “Strong Dollar Policy” – Why Dollar Weakness Matters

January 31, 2012

I couldn’t help but notice today that Pfizer started the trend we’ll see from every multinational today blaming lower 2012 forecasts on a stronger dollar (CNBC).  Pfizer has lowered their revenue projections by a full $200 Million.  Two Hundred Million Dollars!  … due to a stronger dollar.  And that’s just one company.  A strengthening dollar […]

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Romney’s Corporate Raider Job Gives Him a 13.9% Tax Rate

January 29, 2012

In any other year, Mitt Romney’s financial experience might be a selling point for his political campaign. Anyone in finance knows the private equity business, and many more know the firm Romney led – Bain Capital. But now Wall Street has a marketing problem. Given America’s love-hate relationship with the wealthy, his experience in private […]

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