Editor's Note: Matthew Beller is a former employee of the Federal Reserve Board and the Securities and Exchange Commission. He currently works for a private investment firm in Los Angeles, California

Editor's note: The following is an edition of The Lavery Insight economic newsletter by former Merrill Lynch chief economist Jack Lavery.  For more information, or to sign up for a free trial, c

The 2009 Financial Reality Show has been nothing short of surreal.We sidestepped cataclysmic dysfunction in the first quarter.A furious chase followed, taking the S&P back towards the flat-line a

This week’s review comes to you in a shortened format as I’m about to leave Cape Town for a visit to the colder environs of Switzerland and Slovenia. Although reduced commentary is provid

I argued the bull case for gold in my posts over the past few months (see Gold Bullion -- Regaining Its Shine?, Gold Bullion Glitters Brightly and Gold Bullion -- Challenging $1,000. With the gold pr

Major sporting events are often sold as win-wins to local taxpayers. Bidding on a game usually comes with the promise of extra local taxable spending and the positive publicity that will help draw vi

Online brokerage firm OptionsXpress (OXPS) is set to report earnings on Tuesday and while the company offers an excellent platform for trading, its stock might not make the best investment. When the

I’ve come up with a new economic barometer to gauge the strength of the economy: the Osborne Rule. Like former Fed official John Taylor of the eponymous Taylor Rule or William Phillips of the P

There are few things better than autumn in the big city. There’s something in the air, winds of change if you will. Central Park is a kaleidoscope of colors; the six-train is packed with pinstr

Remember all the way back to that Dystopian world we inhabiteed last Thursday? Markets tanking, options screaming. Dogs and cats living together. And the VIX, ah the VIX. It got considerably overboug