In light of today’s ~$120 Oil, this is all too true:
Fuel Gauge
April 22, 2008 7:30pm by Barry Ritholtz
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NYU Lecture: Business, Media, and Blogging
Barry,
This does not explain the “things will improve in the second half-Dow 15,000 theory.”
Next time you are on Kudlow and you hear someone mention this “things will be better in the second half thing….” Ask, how will things be better for the Consumer in the second half? Nobody ever explains that.
I like that little consumer figure, maybe Kudlow should have him skipping accross his screen from time to time to remind everyone that the consumer is 70% of this economy.
Gas at $3.45 this evening. Was $3.34 this morning. At least we’re not Zimbabwe … yet.
Good cartoon, but it needs another image with Congress picking the consumer’s pocket and giving the money to dumb lenders. Help stop the bailout!
Just think it could be much worse – France Germany UK are all paying over $8 per US gallon – and the Netherlands at $9+.
Maybe its not that it could be worse rather it is going to get worse…
What is the safe haven?
Ever since the SA post, you have slowed down on churning ‘good’ posts.
I’m not sure if it’s the equity markets but I’ve noticed a general slowdown in good business/finance posts (even in SA).
Is it that everyone is now on the sidelines or has the market confounded everyone?
Farm subsidies, ethanol subsidies and restrictions on exploration and drilling in the US and around the world are killing world economies. Add to that low interest rates which are fueling the commodity bubble and we are screwed.
One question though. Why has gold’s ascent ground to a halt?
I found this on DSL stock how Cramer got it so wrong .. What a Cheerleader http://www.thestreet.com/_tscnav/video/marketupdates/index.html?clipId=1373_10368891&channel=Cramer+On+Demand&cm_ven=&cm_cat=&cm_ite=&puc=&ts=1184875288687&bt=NS&bp=WIN&bst=FF&biec=true&format=flash&bitrate=300#10368891
The empty pockets of consumers help explain this next bit of data from Russ Winter:
“Standard & Poor’s said delinquencies on home-equity lines of credit issued in 2005 and 2006 shot up in March, underscoring continued trouble in the U.S. economy. S&P said that 9.19% of lines issued in 2005 and 11.45% of loans issued in 2006 are delinquent, up 6.49% and 6.51% from February.”
Maybe Bernanke should just get it over with and issue the FEDLOC and cut out the middlemen in the nationalization of losses.
Ben will have to print more $ to fuel up his helicopter.
Barry, your threads are becoming too depressing.
A more positive thread
“the great gasoline bull market” would be nice. And people would share ideas on how to
invest in the refiners of gasoline.
As Cramer stated… there is always a bull market somewhere.
> France Germany UK are all paying over $8 per US gallon – and
> the Netherlands at $9+.
Maybe they just want to get rid of their dollars, and keep their Euros for later? (seriously though — why did you price their cost in dollars…they have their own currency)
I can tell you from owning a pawnshop loans and gold buys are way up this year . We do more and more gas loans every week.The thing is the used dealer markets are drying up so no one is buying used diamonds and Rolex.We started making are own goods just to reused the diamonds .Its all made in CAD so we can reuse the diamond @ any size .I believe from the pawn counter things look much worse then the cheerleaders on TV .As far as I know I was the first pawnshop who is doing this and you will see others follow .There a cool 2min video I made and sent it to discovery channel trying to get free advertising on how it’s made . I made a 1000 DVDs started mailing the CEO everyday till they called. Here the website greenbrierpawn.net it on there. With gold prices up when your selling from a wax and digital inventory it’s really not the much more money to do custom work with recycle diamonds . It’s funny even in the pawn business you learn to try and adapt to the crazy unreported credit crisis .
Bigger problem(s) on the home front…Time for a (US) version of a Marshall plan.
Shiller: Housing slump may exceed Depression
Bailouts will be needed so millions don’t lose homes, top economist says…(cont)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24257182/
Let’s all hope the FOMC raises rates 1/4% next week and issues a strong statement about inflation. This will not only burst the commodity bubble and lower prices for just about everything almost immediately, it will make parasites and idiots who see easy money think twice before starting the next sure thing. It may also encourage real investment that promises job growth. It’s time for the adults in the room to take control.
If the FOMC lowers rates and emulates Greenspan, then the speculators will see this as permission to inflate at will and a recession of significant magnitude will be a certainty. It will be followed by a continuing malaise.
World recession is happening just in time. China caught us in CO2 output already. And today, NY TIMES reporting Europe adding a grip of new coal power plants!
Gas needs to be $10 a gallon! It’s the only way we’ll be forced to think about what we’re doing!
Go to this link if you still think solar cycles are causing global warming and we are not becoming venus:
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL101501320070710
Don,
“Just think it could be much worse – France Germany UK are all paying over $8 per US gallon – and the Netherlands at $9+.”
Apples and alligators.
They have a different mix of taxation. Some EU countries don’t have a property tax, some have an income tax but it’s uncollectable, most have federal and local taxation, but nothing equivalent to our state taxation.
There is no direct comparison of fuel prices.
.