Salient to Investors: Cass R. Sunstein at Harvard writes: Comparative research on intergenerational mobility raises legitimate questions about the claim that the US stands out as a land of opportunity. A 2006 study found that in intergenerational mobility, the US lagged behind Nordic nations as well as the UK. For example, Danish men born
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: William Pesek writes: China is very susceptible to Japanization, and only bold and creative action can avoid it. However, for every pledge to cut excess production capacity, audit government borrowings and tolerate sub-8 percent growth, two others assure markets that growth won’t be allowed to slow too much. Japan
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Jeremy Grantham said: The biggest issue we face is deterioration of the environment, particularly climate damage. In the US, the biggest problem is coal and tar sands. If we burn half or more of the coal and tar sands in two areas in North America, there is
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Caroline Baum writes: Obama is great when it comes to platitudes but less adept at outlining the policies needed to achieve those goals. Robert Litan at Bloomberg Government said Obama would like all employers to pay efficiency wages, but does not have an executive order to do that. It is individuals
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: DataQuick said home sales priced at over $1 million rose an average of 37 percent in half1, 2013 from a year earlier to the highest level since 2007, and versus 11 percent for houses priced under $1 million. Susan Wachter at Wharton said wealthy purchasers are diving into real estate a
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: William Pesek writes: Asians Indonesians, Malaysians, South Koreans and Thais have not gotten over Larry Summers’ role in forcing austerity measures on governments in the late 1990s. Asians were puzzled by the 1999 Time magazine cover heralding Summers, Greenspan and Rubin as “The Committee to Save the World” for their free-market solutions to
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: 50% of surveyed economists say non-performing local-government and corporate debt will significantly impact China’s credit and economic growth, and expect China to deal with bad loans at local governments in the next 18 months by expanding the muni-bond market and letting localities refinance with direct bond sales. JPMorgan
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Author Mark Leibovich writes: Washington works extremely well for its most important citizens, the lobbyists. Money has trumped power as the ultimate currency. Atlantic magazine reported in 1974 that only 3 percent of retiring members of Congress became lobbyists. Today, that number is 42 percent for members of the
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: James A. Kostohryz writes: Stock valuations are currently within or even slightly above a broad range that could be considered “normal” and not at bubble levels, but unprecedented levels of excess liquidity, declining liquidity preference, and a number of fundamental, technical and psychological indicators strongly indicate a bubble is forming. Probabilities favor
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Matthew C. Klein writes: The FRB of Chicago said it would take another 5 years to return to full employment at the June jobs pace, even with aggressive assumptions about aging, immigration and the birthrate that make the “employment gap” smaller than many believe. same day no fax
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