Michael Ashton

E-PIPHANY

Contributor since: 26 Feb 2010

Contact Contributor

• You Get What You Pay For

  Published 29 September 2010 | viewed 0 times

  I am not sure if it is encouraging that Fed officials are not singing from the same hymnal, or frightening. On the one hand, the…

• Building Blocks Of The Future

  Published 27 September 2010 | viewed 0 times

  Volume is starting to be a real concern. While the bond market rallied (2.52% on the 10y note), inflation markets and stocks fell (-0.6%), and…

• Please Rewind

  Published 24 September 2010 | viewed 0 times

  Blockbuster video declared bankruptcy on Thursday, and today the CEO vowed that he would evaluate "every single store" in the chain. I think we just…

• A House In Every Garage! And Some Will Have Two!

  Published 22 September 2010 | viewed 0 times

  Bonds extended the rally slightly (2.55% on the 10y note), while equities took a small breather (-0.5%). Stocks only retraced back to the top of…

• Why Does Expansion Feel So Much Like Recession?

  Published 20 September 2010 | viewed 0 times

  The technicians will be happy with today's price action in equity markets. The movement of the S&P clearly above the summertime highs will clearly signal…

• Accumulating Incongruities

  Published 16 September 2010 | viewed 0 times

  It seems that every day these days I am befuddled by something new. Today's unusual experience was that professional economists actually did a great job…

• What Is Bad About The Top Of The Hill

  Published 14 September 2010 | viewed 0 times

  Bonds rallied again today, with the 10y note yield down to 2.66%. Stocks were higher for most of the day - again, at the same…

• What Is The Duration Of Gold?

  Published 11 September 2010 | viewed 0 times

  On Friday, the U.S. inflation market rallied further. Inflation-linked bonds were well-bid as zero-coupon inflation swaps rose 5-7bps across the board. Considering that nominal yields…

• One More Week At The Beach Perhaps

  Published 09 September 2010 | viewed 0 times

  When did we decide to extend August into September? Late-summer trends have persisted now well past Labor Day. Bonds are the biggest surprise, with the…

• Hard To Flunk When You Have The Answer Key

  Published 07 September 2010 | viewed 0 times

  As expected, the passage of the long holiday weekend served to sober up financial markets after the exuberant finish to last week. In the sobering-up…

• The Last Blistering Blast

  Published 03 September 2010 | viewed 0 times

  As the last blistering blast of the summer season blows itself out both literally and metaphorically, heading into the long Labor Day weekend, the stock…

• Being Negative Might Be A Positive

  Published 31 August 2010 | viewed 0 times

  Preliminary: My column from yesterday didn't get posted in some of the places it usually does. If you missed it, and if you care, you…

• Digging Holes And Filling Them Back In, Indeed

  Published 30 August 2010 | viewed 0 times

  Ordinarily, when I come back after a week or two of vacation I feel mentally refreshed and I feel as if I have a clearer…

• Cue The Panic

  Published 19 August 2010 | viewed 0 times

  Well, the economists kept their streak going; they have now under-forecasted claims for 18 of the past 21 weeks (including revisions). That is impressive. For…

• The 'Real Feel' Inflation Rate

  Published 17 August 2010 | viewed 0 times

  In today's comment, I would like to talk about inflation as it is measured, inflation as it is perceived, the difference between the two, and…

• Economists And Martians

  Published 14 August 2010 | viewed 0 times

  It was Friday the 13th, but nothing particularly spooky happened. As far as I know. I suppose there was one little spooky thing that happened…

• Oh Rats

  Published 11 August 2010 | viewed 0 times

  Foreword: I need your help! Please read to the bottom of the post and participate in the poll: the bigger the sample, the better! .…

• Anti-Ants

  Published 09 August 2010 | viewed 0 times

  As we look to Tuesday, it is easy to recognize that the FOMC meeting is the signal event of the day. It may also be…

• Thoughts Provoked

  Published 04 August 2010 | viewed 0 times

  Bonds set back (2.95% 10y notes), and stocks rallied (0.6%), on the marginally unimpressive news that the ADP employment indicator was +42K rather than +30K…

• A Lonely Majority

  Published 02 August 2010 | viewed 0 times

  Ah, August. The dog days of summer are here, signaled by the declining probability that anyone you call today will actually be in the office…