SAR #11269

A depression is a great investment opportunity, if you see it coming...  

Teeter-Totter: The latest (for July) Case-Shiller report shows m/m prices flat but a 4.1% y/y decline. CoreLogic reported the 'shadow' housing inventory (also as of July) at 1.6 million, down from 1.9 million a year ago.

The Empire Strikes Back: “We are supposed to be proud of the U.S. empire but to reject with high dudgeon any accusation of having an empire while acknowledging that we have troops in 148 countries.”   A large majority of us want the rich and the corporations taxed heavily, but they are not.  We want the wars ended and the troops brought home, but they are not. We want military spending cut and the rich taxed.  None of this happens. None it is going to.

Asked and Answered: Can China Save US? No, and it is becoming obvious that they may not be able to  save themselves.

Fire, Theater: In Wisconsin you can be charged with disorderly conduct if you post a quote from a science fiction show in public. Actually, the charge would be “reckless use of the First Amendment” for the mention of violence and death. And fascism. Especially fascism.

Repeat As Needed: How do Our Betters plan to save the Euro, Eurozone and Europe? By finding a way to turn one euro into five and paying off the old creditors with new debt! The cure for billions in excessive debt is conjuring up trillions of new debt, plus a little smoke and mirror action. Okay, okay then: A lot of smoke and mirrors.

"____flation" Alert: The US treasury recieved $132 billion in offers for $35 billion in two-year treasuries, sold at a yield of 0.249%. Boy, those bondholders are sure worried about inflation. Not.

Sky, Falling: Thumbing its nose at the US, Wall Street and their own investment banks, Europe is planning to institute a financial transaction tax of 0.1% on stock and bond transactions and 0.01 on derivatives. The European Commission hopes to raise $50 billion annually. Think of it as a long overdue sales tax on financial transactions. Or as an outrage, if you're an investment banker.

If It's Broke, Don't Fix It: The cost of company-provided health insurance increased 9% last year. But your salary didn't...

Turn-about:An Iranian admiral has suggested Iran might send some of its military ships to patrol off the US east coast, much like the US Navy does to Iran. Except for the part about the aircraft carriers.

Qualifications: The US has agreed to sell Bahrain $53 million worth of military equipment it can use to put down its unruly citizens. Included are bunker buster and wire-guided missiles for use against... well, let's say it makes their military leaders feel more manly.