Axel Merk

Merk Funds

Contributor since: 26 Feb 2010

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• Banks Fight to Postpone Day of Reckoning

  Published 25 June 2007 | viewed 6,000 times

  The U.S. trade deficit with the rest of the world leapfrogged in recent days: aside from goods and services, we are now importing "consensus based…

• Strong Dollar in U.S. Interest

  Published 17 May 2007 | viewed 4,707 times

  It seems that in order to qualify for the job, U.S. Treasury Secretaries must be able to recite 'A strong dollar is in the interest…

• Ron Paul Not a Myth

  Published 27 April 2007 | viewed 3,803 times

  We published an analysis on "Dollar Myths" in which we criticized spending habits in Washington: "Interestingly, nobody seemed to focus on the fact that there…

• Dollar Myths

  Published 26 April 2007 | viewed 5,377 times

  Without shying away from controversy, we do away with a number of myths of why the dollar ought to move up or down. Myth I:…

• Fed Jeopardizes Dollar as it Neglects its Mandate

  Published 27 March 2007 | viewed 4,163 times

  The U.S. dollar collapsed to two-year lows against the euro as the Federal Reserve (Fed) takes its focus away from fighting inflation. The Fed has…

• Bernanke the Dove

  Published 21 February 2007 | viewed 3,442 times

  In his recent testimony to Congress, Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Ben Bernanke painted a rosy picture of the U.S. economy. If the Fed were satisfied…

• How the Fed Lost Control of Money Supply

  Published 06 February 2007 | viewed 5,734 times

  The world is awash in money. This money has flown into all asset classes, from stocks to bonds, from real estate to commodities. In a…

• A Lower Trade Deficit Unlikely to Save the Dollar

  Published 14 November 2006 | viewed 3,748 times

  America's massive trade deficit exerts pressure on the US dollar as currency is shoveled abroad in return for goods and services. As the economy is…

• The Dollar May Fall After the Election

  Published 06 November 2006 | viewed 5,956 times

  Making short-term predictions about the dollar is notoriously difficult. So why do we say the dollar may fall after the election? Once we know what…

• Bernanke Passes The Buck

  Published 05 October 2006 | viewed 5,843 times

  In a speech at the Economics Club in Washington, Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Ben Bernanke warned America to save more and spend less to preserve…

• The Economy In Denial: Fallout from the Bursting Housing Bubble

  Published 21 September 2006 | viewed 9,972 times

  Every day, another economist claims that the impact of the slowdown in housing on the economy is overrated; a few months ago, many still disputed…

• Bernanke's Transient Hopes

  Published 20 July 2006 | viewed 3,780 times

  When Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Ben Bernanke was President Bush's Chief Economic Advisor, he described high oil prices as transitory. Transient they were: they headed…

• Will Bernanke Save the Dollar?

  Published 15 June 2006 | viewed 4,023 times

  Recent hawkish comments by Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Ben Bernanke caused jitters in US and global equity markets; as is the typical first reaction when…

• Will Paulson Save the Dollar?

  Published 08 June 2006 | viewed 4,873 times

  On May 30, 2006, Henry "Hank" Paulson was nominated to succeed John Snow as Treasury Secretary. During John Snow's reign the dollar lost 18% versus…

• The Current Account Deficit Matters

  Published 23 May 2006 | viewed 5,728 times

  Is the dollar at risk because of America's enormous current account deficit? Many "experts" are spreading information that is confusing, outdated or simply not applicable.…

• China: Embrace the Competition

  Published 26 April 2006 | viewed 3,900 times

  Competition from China is going to intensify: we better stop whining and embrace it. We contrast how the US and Europe address China's rise differently;…

• Protectionism May Hurt Dollar

  Published 16 March 2006 | viewed 4,364 times

  Protectionism is on the rise in the U.S. - can we afford it? If we tell our trading partners that their money is not welcome,…

• Bernanke Fallacy

  Published 18 February 2006 | viewed 4,966 times

  The new Federal Reserve ("Fed") Chairman Ben Bernanke believes that the current yield curve inversion does not signal an economic slowdown. He argues that in…

• Psychology of a Falling Dollar

  Published 08 February 2006 | viewed 6,660 times

  Given a current account deficit in excess of 6% of gross domestic product (GDP), many fear the US dollar must decline. At the World Economic…

• Retiring with Bernanke -- Are You Prepared?

  Published 14 January 2006 | viewed 6,889 times

  When you plan for retirement, do you take the long-term economic outlook into account? The world is changing, and if we are to be prepared,…