“We believe that the credit rating agencies, in exchange for fees, departed from their objective, neutral role as arbiters. At minimum, they were aiding and abetting misconduct by issuers.&rdqu

This week’s review comes to you in a shortened format as I don’t have access to my normal research resources while on the road in Europe. Although very little commentary is provided, a fu

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

Gold broke out to a new high yesterday of $1084, and the yellow metal is glittering again today.More impressively, strategists note, gold prices moved higher on Tuesday even as the S&P 500 ticked

My favorite Peanuts cartoon was Charlie Brown and Lucy with the football. I’m sure you all remember them: Lucy convinces Charlie Brown she’ll hold the ball while he kicks it. But every ti

Rewind the movie to before the stock market lows of March 9: stocks down, corporate bonds down, commodities and gold down, emerging-market currencies down, safe havens in fashion, including the US do

Welcome to Minyanville’s quotes of the week, served up with some quotable historical context for your Friday enjoyment. “Anybody making $100 million a year is engaged in excessive risk.&r

Risky assets remained in favor during the past week, generally helped along by fairly robust economic data and better-than-expected corporate earnings reports. A number of bourses, crude oil, inflati

I first wrote about the Muddle-Through Economy in 2002, and the term has more or less become a theme I've returned to from time to time. In 2007 I wrote that we would indeed get back to a Muddle-Thro

Goldman Upgrades Large Banks This morning Goldman Sachs upgraded the US banking sector. In a story by MarketWatch, the world’s largest securities firm said it raised its view to “attracti