Michael Ashton

E-PIPHANY

Contributor since: 26 Feb 2010

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• Austerity We Can Believe In?

  Published 29 June 2011 | viewed 0 times

  The Greeks have now spoken, or at least some of them have. This morning, in the cradle of democracy the representatives of the People defied…

• Nobody Better Blink

  Published 28 June 2011 | viewed 0 times

  The Greek debate is ending tomorrow, and at 7am the vote will be taken on the new package of austerity measures. The market's behavior -…

• Heads I Lose, Tails I Flip Again

  Published 27 June 2011 | viewed 0 times

  Another week of Greekwatch begins with everyone seemingly convinced that the inevitable is simply too awful to contemplate and therefore will not happen. It is…

• 'Boing' Or 'Splat'?

  Published 23 June 2011 | viewed 0 times

  Well, from an investment perspective it really all comes down to this. With the stock market dropping, oil plunging, and the economy softening, are we…

• What Were You Expecting?

  Published 22 June 2011 | viewed 0 times

  The Federal Reserve today did almost exactly what its members have been telegraphing they would do for a long time: nothing. As QE2 winds down…

• Greece Is Not Lehman

  Published 21 June 2011 | viewed 0 times

  Stock market bulls bellowed today as bourses around the globe rocketed higher. Several major European markets were up more than 2%, and the S&P vaulted…

• 'Change' Is the Status Quo

  Published 20 June 2011 | viewed 0 times

  Going into the weekend, markets were recovering somewhat on optimism as German Chancellor Merkel had signaled in a meeting with French President Sarkozy a "compromise"…

• The Arrow Of Fate Is Alof

  Published 17 June 2011 | viewed 0 times

  Thursday's markets weren't as thrilling, enthralling, or scary as Wednesday's action, but make no mistake: history is moving forward. There are some bad parts of…

• The Bloom Is Off All Roses

  Published 15 June 2011 | viewed 0 times

  It is always so gratifying when the most-exciting day of the month is CPI day. It makes me feel like I picked the right niche.…

• Don't Count Bill Gross Out Yet

  Published 14 June 2011 | viewed 0 times

  This is why I am hesitant to fade Bill Gross (aside from the statistical likelihood of doing so successfully). Days like today, in which bonds…

• Bucks For Beignets

  Published 13 June 2011 | viewed 0 times

  After my last post, two readers asked me what I thought about this article at Zerohedge, and about some of its claims. The answer was…

• Trichet At War

  Published 12 June 2011 | viewed 0 times

  NOTE - I don't know how this failed to go out Thursday night...I guess this will be my Friday comment, even though there is more…

• Conflict Abounds

  Published 08 June 2011 | viewed 0 times

  Energy prices jumped today on news that OPEC was unable to reach consensus on an increase in the output ceiling. This would be much more…

• Buzzkill

  Published 07 June 2011 | viewed 0 times

  Another quiet day, this one started out optimistically as equities rose on reports that OPEC will raise its official output targets in order to make…

• The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves

  Published 06 June 2011 | viewed 0 times

  There was no new growth-related news today, but the markets continued to adjust to last week's news. After getting smacked twice last week on the…

• The Monetary Tsunami Is Dragging Us Back Out To Sea

  Published 05 June 2011 | viewed 0 times

  It is not an impressive accomplishment to be surprised twice by the same news. Such a thing happens to three-year-olds, but grown-ups are supposed to…

• U-G-L-Y, It Ain't Got No Alibi

  Published 01 June 2011 | viewed 0 times

  Well, it's the first day of the new month and suddenly, all of those investors who really loved stocks between 3:55 and 4:00 yesterday decided…

• The Sound Of Something Bad Not Happening...Yet

  Published 31 May 2011 | viewed 0 times

  Last week, I discussed the fact that markets were behaving as if they were waiting for something bad to not happen. I suggested that having…

• What Are We Waiting For?

  Published 26 May 2011 | viewed 0 times

  What, has everything gotten to fair value, so there isn't any volatility any longer? The VIX index, despite everything that is going on in Europe,…

• Parallel Lines Do Not Intersect

  Published 24 May 2011 | viewed 0 times

  The battle lines are being drawn in the Greek drama, and in increasingly-strident tones that will make retreat very difficult. This is one negotiating strategy:…