Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Good Old Days of White Male Corporate Bureaucracies

Bottom Line:   Liberals love the 1950s and 1960s when income inequality was far lower than it is today.  But the economy of that era was dominated by large, complacent, bureaucratic corporations, employing few women, immigrants or blacks. Dynamic entrepreneurial activity … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Joe Nocera Forgets History

Joe Nocera of the New York Times laments that the notorious billionaires on the Forbes 400 list mainly pay capital gains tax rates. He quotes Mitt Romney saying a low capital gains rate is “the right way to encourage economic … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Dividends: Beware Feeble and Fading Aristocrats

I like dividend paying stocks and have been writing about their virtues since early 2009, well before they became the rage on Wall Street.  I like them for a few reasons.   Most large, mature U.S. companies can pay a decent … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

krU-Turn: The Depression Ended in August

A Chronic Depression . . . While you and I were on vacation, Professor Paul Krugman was making the rounds of TV studios, flogging his book End This Depression Now.  He defines the current “depression” as a “chronic condition of … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Muted Expectations Could Set the Stage for a Positive Stock Market Surprise

Wall Street Strategists’ Forecasts . . . As we head into an action-packed final third of 2012, Wall Street strategists are taking a cautious view of the U.S. stock market.   But if the election in November brings more pro-business policies, … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Are Democrats Anti-Black?

It is a dumb question, but not nearly as dumb as the question, widely pondered (and answered in the affirmative) by the mainstream media, of whether Republicans are anti-women.  There is plenty of hard evidence that Obamanomics has not only … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Green Poverty

The absurd spectacle of the U.S. burning 40% of its corn crop as ethanol during a drought that has sent corn prices skyrocketing exemplifies a broader problem.  While professing grave concern about “wage stagnation” and the financial plight of the … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“Not Doing Too Much” – Smart Cash Deployment Enhances Total Return

Twelve years ago stock market investing was all about earnings growth while dividends were BORING.  Now the reverse is true, with investors “reaching for yield” while growth is, arguably, under-priced.  Investors need a framework for evaluating the trade-off between growth … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Why the Marx Brothers Should Support Romney

I have studied inequality way too much.  I once ruined three months of my life sitting in the Boston Public Library in the 1970s, scanning microfilm of the 1875 Massachusetts State Census returns in order to measure wealth inequality.  I … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Another Stock Market Buy Signal from Bill Gross?

Recently Bill Gross, the brilliant “bond king” who  founded Pimco, published a market commentary which The Wall Street Journal summarized with the headline: Bill Gross:  Stocks Are Dead and Operate Like a ‘Ponzi Scheme’ It sounds ominous, but it could … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment