10/04/2021
Today

Stock, Bond, & Housing Prices Uncomfortably High

Robert Shiller, New York Times

An economist says the three major U.S. markets all show signs of severe overpricing.

Americans Are Witless Seals, Fauci and Biden Have the Clubs

Rob Smith, RCM

If I was a seal and some British officer was trying to club me to death, I'd bite the Limey son of a bitch. I'd go straight for his gonads, and I'd get my seal buddies to do the same. If you've heard the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton as told in Alfred Lansing's book Endurance, you may know something about clubbing seals. Shackleton, the famous British explorer, got trapped in the South Atlantic ice pack in 1914. His ship, the Endurance got crushed, and the crew was afloat on the moving ice for 20 months. What saved his 27 man crew from starvation was the docile stupidity of seals. There...

Joe Manchin's Right: You Can Get a Lot for $1.5 Trillion

Jordan Weissmann, Slate

It won't transform the welfare state, but it could give it a serious upgrade.

Even So-Called 'Paid For' Spending Has a Cost

Andrew Wilford, RealClearMarkets

As Democrats seek to downplay the impact of legislation that will likely end up adding as much as $5-6 trillion in new spending, they have resorted to a new rhetorical tactic: claiming the Biden agenda will cost nothing at all. President Biden and Speaker Pelosi each said over the past week that Democrats' agenda will "cost zero dollars." Press Secretary Jen Psaki even doubled down on the claim afterwards. But while the idea that the reconciliation bill will have no cost is transparently false, Democrats' underlying argument is untrue as well.

One Way to Help Solve U.S. Labor Shortage

David Solomon & Kenneth Adams, CNN

One under-tapped talent pool is the nation's community colleges. These educational institutions are anchors of their local communities as well as centers of mobility and innovation. And the students there are hungry for opportunity.

Rising Wealth Inequality Is Only Path to Broad Opportunity

John Tamny, Forbes

Just as commercial activity isn't static, neither is intelligence.

Big Bus Found Critical Race Theory Bad for Bus

Charles Gasparino, New York Post

I've noticed something lately covering the woke culture that's threatening to turn corporate offices into university-style safe spaces: There are apparently limits to how far left big companies are…

Do the U.S. Rich Really Not Pay Their 'Fair Share' of Taxes?

Jerry Haar, The Hill

Democrats' sense of injustice about the American economic system dates back at least to the times of William Jennings Bryan and Woodrow Wilson.

They Don't Get Tech, But Want to Regulate It

Brad Polumbo, Washington Examiner

One of the few issues of increasing bipartisan agreement in U.S. politics is the supposed need for the federal government to "do something" to crack down on Big Tech. While issues with social media giants certainly do exist, Congress just offered us yet another reminder of why it can't be trusted…

Why Halloween Is Much Scarier Than "GMOs"

Gus Van Horn, RealClearMarkets

I know many people avoid genetically modified organisms (GMOs), but I'd never heard of this. Although I am a bioscientist, I was unaware I had to avoid GMOs in the name of health, food security, and proper agriculture. According to its sponsor, the Non-GMO Project, all of October is a chance to "raise awareness about ... choosing non-genetically modified foods."Genetically-modified food has been around for decades, and has been served trillions of times. Ninety percent of our corn was GMO in 2014. Am I missing something?

Did Powell Sabotage Judy Shelton's Fed Nomination?

Editorial, The New York Sun

If President Biden nominates Jerome Powell for a second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve, the question for which we'll be waiting is whether Mr. Powell tried to derail the nomination to the Fed's board of Judy Shelton. President Trump had

Biggest Federal Reserve Scandal Was Pre-C19

Ron Paul, American Consequences

As prices squeeze the middle class, it's time to audit and expose the puppet master of the Fed and their reckless money-printing.

How Major Assets Performed in September 2021

James Picerno, Capital Spectator

Global markets suffered their broadest retreat in a year during September. The bullish exception: commodities, which delivered a solid gain last month. Cash, as usual these days, was flat. Otherwise, red ink dominated performances for the major asset classes last month.

A Look Back at the Quarter That Was In Markets

Brad McMillan, Commonwealth

A perfect storm of concerns hit the markets in September, but Commonwealth CIO Brad McMillan says the outlook for Q4 2021 remains positive.

How to Cut Your Tax Bill w/Tax-Loss Harvesting

Hayden Adams, Charles Schwab

Tax-loss harvesting—offsetting capital gains with capital losses—can lower your tax bill and better position your portfolio going forward.

Can You Save Too Much in a Health Savings Account?

Christine Benz, MStar

Even savers whose assets exceed their healthcare outlays have some escape hatches.

Is The Recent Rise In Rates Noise Or Signal?

James Picerno, Capital Spectator

After a summer of drifting lower and then holding in a range, the benchmark 10-year US Treasury yield is running higher this month. Does the jump mark a regime change after decades of trending lower? Or is this one more bout of noise?

COVID's Biggest Impact On Americans' Spending

Ironman, Political Calculations

If you had to pick one aspect of nearly American life that would be most measurably impacted by 2020's coronavirus pandemic, what would you choose?

Evergrande & Threats to Growth

Thomas Kirchner & Paul Hoffmeister, Camelot Portfolios

by Thomas Kirchner, CFA No Lehman or Minsky moment in sight. China's real estate market to crash. Domestic repression and international conflicts will cover up economic problems. The Evergrande default on $2 billion of Dollar-denominated foreign bonds itself, or the broader collapse of t

China's Housing & Growth Conundrum

Kenneth Rogoff, Project Syndicate

The Chinese government may yet succeed in insulating the broader market from the financial crisis at real estate giant Evergrande. But the larger challenge is to rebalance an economy that has depended for far too long on the bloated housing market for jobs and growth.

Manchin Is Forcing Congress To Think About the Deficit

Eric Boehm, Reason

Among Americans who aren't liberal pundits, the debt and deficit rank as major concerns. It's about time Congress noticed.

How an 11 Foot 3-D Printer Created a Community

Debra Kamin, New York Times

Three-dimensional printing can create nearly any object. A partnership in Mexico is putting that theory to the test, building a village for residents living in poverty.

Climate Change Is the New Dot-Com Bubble

Paul Ford, Wired

The free market has plenty of grandiose ideas about how to fix our broken planet. There's just one problem: We can't afford another bust.

Is The UK The Canary In The Net Zero Coal Mine?

Izabella Kaminska, FT Alphaville

The UK in pursuing net zero carbon emissions has created energy poverty across the country,

Berlin Voters Choose Stagnation over Capitalism

Connor Harris, City Journal

Citizens in Germany's capital approve a radical referendum that won't solve the city's housing crisis.

You Need To Resist These Dangerous Feelings

Morgan Housel, Collaborative Fund

Being right is the enemy of staying right.

ETF Tax Reform Proposal: Good Idea, Bad Execution

John Rekenthaler, MStar

There is another way to reconcile how ETFs and mutual funds are taxed.

China's Bigger Problem Is Not Evergrande

Stephen S. Roach, Project Syndicate

The new dual thrust of Chinese policy – redistribution plus re-regulation – will subdue the entrepreneurial activity that has been so important in powering China's dynamic private sector. Without animal spirits, the case for indigenous innovation is in tatters.

The New Secession Movement

Steve Malanga, City Journal

States increasingly look to ban travel and business with other American locales.

These Markets Make No Sense

Ben Carlson, A Wealth Of Common Sense

A mix of speculative and conservative behavior from investors makes this a difficult market to handicap.

Gradually, Then Suddenly

Barry Ritholtz, The Big Picture

In Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises," a character is asked how he went bankrupt: "Gradually, then suddenly." Name me a better 3-word phrase that can explain nearly everything.

Cash Is Trash

Wade Slome, Investing Caffeine

Even though the major stock market indexes are roaming near all-time record highs, FUD remains rampant (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt).

Renewable Energy Will Keep Getting Cheaper

Doug Johnson, Ars Technica

Early price forecasts underestimated how good we'd get at making green energy

The Digital Death of Collecting

Kyle Chayka, Kyle Chayka Industries

How platforms mess with our tastes.

Why America Has a School Bus Driver Shortage

Zachary Crockett, The Hustle

Across the country, school districts are struggling to fill transportation jobs. The shortage helps explain systemic problems in the labor market.
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