John Browne

Contributor since: 26 Feb 2010

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• Shifting Sands

  Published 12 August 2009 | viewed 3,251 times

  The monstrous typhoon that pounded away at coastal areas of the Pacific last weekend certainly qualified as a disaster for anyone who happened to be…

• The Thrill of a Lifetime?

  Published 05 August 2009 | viewed 4,265 times

  Anyone looking for thrills these days should forget roller coasters and skydiving. Instead, simply buy a few shares of U.S. stock. The past year has…

• Dead Banks Walking

  Published 29 July 2009 | viewed 4,337 times

  In recent weeks, the financial world has been dazzled by strikingly high earnings reported by our leading investment banks... or at least what we used…

• Skating on Thin Ice

  Published 22 July 2009 | viewed 4,941 times

  As 2009 moves past its midpoint, many market participants are briskly trying to forget the carnage of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009. But,…

• Bad for the Goose, Worse for the Gander

  Published 15 July 2009 | viewed 3,464 times

  Last week, major banks announced they would no longer offer cash for the IOU's written by the state of California. At the same time, China…

• Dead Cat Bounce

  Published 08 July 2009 | viewed 4,153 times

  In economics, as in many other "soft sciences," facts are often overshadowed by theories. The dominant economic theory currently in vogue is that the massive…

• Buying On Spec

  Published 01 July 2009 | viewed 2,622 times

  Through its rhetoric and actions, the Obama Administration has made it clear that no matter the current or future costs, the federal government will not…

• Not Green Shoots Just Falling Leaves

  Published 24 June 2009 | viewed 3,475 times

  While corporate earnings fell by some 38 percent in the first quarter, a dismal performance by just about anyone's reckoning, Wall Street took heart that…

• Flying Kites

  Published 17 June 2009 | viewed 2,859 times

  This week, the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) conspicuously gathered in Moscow for their first-ever economic summit. Although these countries are divided by…

• There Goes The Country

  Published 03 June 2009 | viewed 3,754 times

  Yesterday, after a painfully long death spiral, General Motors finally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Oftentimes, bankruptcy portends rebirth. Unfortunately, the politically-inspired GM plan…

• False Confidence

  Published 27 May 2009 | viewed 3,496 times

  "Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy," said Winston Churchill. Although it inevitably lowers living standards, socialism…

• The Sleepwalkers Rally

  Published 20 May 2009 | viewed 3,338 times

  Although well off their all-time highs, American stocks are now marginally up for the current year. In the past two months, the markets have recovered…

• Socialism Coming back to Haunt U.S.

  Published 12 May 2009 | viewed 6,220 times

  America is more than a country; it is the ideal of liberty. In economic terms, liberty translates into the entrepreneurial spirit of hard work, risk…

• China Stirs a Pot of Gold

  Published 07 May 2009 | viewed 3,581 times

  This week, based on indicators of improving Chinese manufacturing activity, commodity and stock markets surged in the Pacific Rim. It appears that China's recession-fighting policies…

• Stress Tests are Not Stressful Enough

  Published 29 April 2009 | viewed 4,844 times

  Last week, when the U.S. Treasury unveiled the basics of their lender "stress tests", the Fed concluded that "most U.S. banking organizations currently have capital…

• Too Big to Survive

  Published 22 April 2009 | viewed 5,064 times

  On April 20th, Bank of America announced a first quarter surge in earnings to $4.2 billion. At first blush, it looked like the kind of…

• Partners in Crime

  Published 15 April 2009 | viewed 3,553 times

  Rightly, the students of Austrian Economics have laid the blame for the current economic crisis squarely on the doorstep of the Keynesian policies of governments…

• What Really Happened in London

  Published 08 April 2009 | viewed 4,321 times

  Last week's gathering in London of the leaders of the 20 foremost economic countries in the world had been billed as the most important global…

• Decoupling Set to Increase

  Published 01 April 2009 | viewed 3,434 times

  This week, the leaders and finance ministers of the 20 most economically important nations, or G-20, will convene in London to develop coordinated policies that…

• Building on a Weak Foundation

  Published 25 March 2009 | viewed 3,534 times

  With a series of coordinated pronouncements and media events, the Obama Administration has recently been trying to send a signal to investors. But the message…