Axel Merk

Merk Funds

Contributor since: 26 Feb 2010

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• The Euro - Are There Any Hard Currencies Left?

  Published 24 February 2009 | viewed 3,927 times

  With gold reaching $1,000 an ounce and posting new highs versus all currencies, are there any hard currencies left? Over the past 100 years, we…

• Confidence More Important Than Gold

  Published 11 February 2009 | viewed 3,408 times

  In a rare interview with Western media, Wen Jiabao, the Chinese premier, told the Financial Times (see http://www.ft.com/wen), 'Confidence is the most important thing, more…

• China and the U.S. Play Chicken: Currency Manipulation

  Published 27 January 2009 | viewed 4,510 times

  "China is manipulating its currency," proclaims incoming Treasury Secretary Geithner. Talking about "manipulation" is helpful only if one's intent is to impress a local and…

• Live Free Or Die: Capitalism At Risk

  Published 13 January 2009 | viewed 4,460 times

  The Federal Reserve (Fed) has gone beyond playing with fire, and may have indeed set the house on fire. It's one thing to push interest…

• Fed Fights to Weaken Dollar

  Published 17 December 2008 | viewed 5,316 times

  Faced with the threat of deflation, the Federal Reserve (Fed) may be trying to drive the dollar lower to spur inflation. As policy makers don't…

• China: Carpe Diem!

  Published 08 December 2008 | viewed 4,424 times

  China has a unique opportunity and responsibility to shape not only its own future, but also that of the global economy. While China is by…

• Monetizing the Debt

  Published 02 December 2008 | viewed 6,434 times

  Deflation won't happen here; at least not if Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman's Ben Bernanke's plan pans out. Deflation is considered a persistent decline in prices…

• The Road to Financial Ruin: We Have to Spend Money Now

  Published 19 November 2008 | viewed 6,705 times

  When just about all economists agree, should we rejoice or be scared? During the Weimar Republic, economists at the Reichsbank argued that printing money to…

• Bretton Woods II - A Roadmap

  Published 11 November 2008 | viewed 4,377 times

      Merk Insights provide the Merk Perspective on currencies, global imbalances, the trade deficit, the socio-economic impact of the U.S. administration's policies and more.…

• Urgent Appeal: Recapitalize Financial Institutions Rather than Bail Out Debt

  Published 25 September 2008 | viewed 3,401 times

      Merk Insights provide the Merk Perspective on currencies, global imbalances, the trade deficit, the socio-economic impact of the U.S. administration's policies and more.…

• The Case For and Against the Dollar

  Published 13 August 2008 | viewed 3,700 times

  We have been cautioning for some time that volatility in the currency markets may increase further, even from the elevated levels of the past year.…

• Europe's Ivory Tower Politics

  Published 17 June 2008 | viewed 2,688 times

  Just because we have been favoring the euro over the U.S. dollar in recent years doesn't mean we believe everything is perfect in Europe. The…

• Federal Reserve May Want Inflation

  Published 30 April 2008 | viewed 3,112 times

  We are now importing inflation. This does not only apply to the cost of commodities, such as oil, but also to consumer goods imported from…

• What's Up with Asian Currencies?

  Published 25 March 2008 | viewed 3,548 times

  With the U.S. dollar reaching new lows versus hard currencies, many are waiting for Asian currencies to catch up. Why hasn't this happened, and will…

• Ambac Bailout May Cause Crisis

  Published 27 February 2008 | viewed 5,287 times

  A consortium of banks is considering injecting $3 billion dollars into Ambac, the mono-line insurer that relies on its AAA rating to insure, amongst others,…

• The Failure of Inflation Targeting

  Published 30 January 2008 | viewed 3,520 times

  Inflation targeting is yet to be formally adopted by the Federal Reserve (Fed), but recent market and Fed actions already prove that it is a…

• Leadership Emerges To Resolve Subprime Crisis

  Published 18 December 2007 | viewed 3,812 times

  True leadership may have finally emerged to resolve the subprime crisis, although it was difficult to spot during a tumultuous week at the Federal Reserve…

• Hard and Asian Currencies in 2008: U.S. dollar bounce may be elusive

  Published 12 December 2007 | viewed 3,156 times

  As pundits on Wall Street want to hop on the next trade, they pronounce the U.S. dollar is due for a bounce. In favor of…

• The Federal Reserve's Interest Rate Cut Does Not Help Americans

  Published 25 September 2007 | viewed 10,961 times

  In our assessment, the Federal Reserve's (Fed's) interest rate cut was wrong. Forget about the "moral hazard" of whether the cut would plant the seeds…

• If You Want a Subprime Bailout, Do It Properly!

  Published 05 September 2007 | viewed 4,456 times

  The administration's plan to bail out homeowners with adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) may make them slaves of their homes. We propose an alternative that we…