* If an employee sues an employer falsely, the employer has no recourse, because it could be interpreted as retaliation * Ms. Pao lost not only on her discrimination claim, she also lost on claim that she was retaliated against * The big problem is the reaction in the media * The tone in the press is supportive to Ms. Pao, even though she was not telling the truth * She was suing for $16 million - her motive was greed * This is not a "victory for women" - it is a loss * The suit makes employers ...
Mar 31, 2015•25 min
* Pao v. Kleiner Perkins: there should be no damage even if there was discrimination * The law against discrimination is unconstitutional * Employees are free to discriminate - they can work for whomever they want * Why should an employer then lose that right? * Everyone should be free to deal with the consequences of their choices Our Sponsors: * Check out DBJourney and use my code Schiff15 for a great deal: https://dbjourney.com * Check out Fast Growing Trees and use my code GOLD for a great d...
Mar 26, 2015•20 min
* Near 300 point drop in the Dow * NASDAQ down 118 * S&P down 30 points * $1.50 gain in oil and oil stocks up * No significant economic news that would trigger this move * Dollar was not down much lower on day * The 110 level is holding back the euro * Expectations that the euro will roll over on higher U.S. interest rates kept the dollar up * A weak stock market is bad for the dollar and good for gold because the Fed is likely to not raise interest rates or launch QE4 * The only way the Fed...
Mar 26, 2015•11 min
* Bad economic news coming in is more a deluge than a trickle * Dollar continuing to drift lower since "patience" was removed * New Zealand Dollar record high against the euro and the Australian dollar * New Zealand enjoys a strong currency, economic growth, low inflation and low unemployment * Swiss franc had a strong day today * Chicago Fed National Activity Index revised down to -.11 * Three consecutive months of declining numbers * Deteriorating numbers reflect pattern similar to pre-QE3 mon...
Mar 25, 2015•24 min
* The Fed removed the word "patience" from their statement while promising patience * We are likely to see weaker employment numbers, further delaying talk of rate hikes * Pundits who failed to foresee the 2008 crisis are now saying the "problem is solved" because they do not understand the problem * The problem is worse now than ever * The Fed caused the 2008 crisis and they are in the process of creating the next, much larger crisis * I have been critical of QE 1,2 and 3 and low interest rates...
Mar 21, 2015•30 min
* The Fed released long-awaited FOMC official statement * Indicating they will be more patient without the word "patient" than when they were officially patient * Why take the word away in the first place? * The Fed wants to appear to be moving closer to a destination to which it has no intention of arriving * The Fed is clearly more concerned about the economy today; they reduced growth estimates * Janet Yellen said she will not raise rates until she sees improvement in the labor market * The F...
Mar 19, 2015•25 min
* The Foreign exchange markets continue to ignore the darkening U.S. economic picture * Dollar had best two-week gain since the financial crisis of 2008 * Market exuberance based solely on the jobs report which is an outlier among all other negative news * Why aren't the jobs numbers being questioned? * We have had three consecutive months of declining retail sales * Falling prices are reflecting a lack of demand * The stock market has begun to decline, bracing for Fed rate hikes * Gold held ste...
Mar 14, 2015•24 min
* The NASDAQ 5,000 party ended nearly the day it began * NASDAQ down more than 80 points * Dow Jones down 332 points * Outside reversal week a reliable pattern signaling a downturn * The market believes optimistic non-farm payrolls will trigger Fed rate hike * Dollar hitting new highs * Janet Yellen is the victim of too much success, allowing for rate hike assumptions * All data other than jobs numbers are weak * If we continue along this path, we are heading toward recession * Stock market and ...
Mar 11, 2015•17 min
* February Non-Farm Payrolls Number - 295,000 jobs * Unemployment down 5.5% * Analysts were expecting a miss * Dollar at a new high * Productivity dropped 2.2% * Factory orders fell for the 6th consecutive month * Economic data points only seen during recessions * The Dow closed down - NASDAQ down more * Labor force participation rate is down * Average hourly earnings flat * Number of people not in the labor force at an all-time high * Increase in jobs represents people working more than one job...
Mar 07, 2015•45 min
* Poland became the 21st country to lower interest rates this year * New record low to 1.5% * Polish economy is strongest in three years * Growing faster than the U.S. economy * Policy conundrum: what is inflation target? * Low inflation stimulating Polish economy * Yet Central Bankers look to illogical Keynesian textbooks * Where is the evidence that deflation is undermining the economy? * There is no magical point where a good thing becomes a bad thing * If they overcompensate and weaken the e...
Mar 05, 2015•21 min
* First trading day of march - NASDAQ closed above 5000 for the first time in 15 years * Each time the market goes up with crazy valuations, pundits say, "This time it's different." * This time the Fed is under more pressure to create the illusion of prosperity * Today's rally came against the backdrop of weak economic data * The only way this bubble won't burst is if the Fed intervenes with more stimulus * Bubbles force you to make an important decision: * Look like a fool before they pop, or l...
Mar 03, 2015•26 min
* Government released revised estimate for Q4 GDP * Initial estimate was 2.6; revised down to 2.2 * Economic growth dipped from 5% in Q3 to 2.18% in Q4 * PMI was expecting 58.7 but plunged to 45.8, indicating contraction * Alan Greenspan commented that the U.S. economy is weak * Greenspan cites declining U.S. productivity * Points to declining gross domestic savings brought on by entitlement programs * Greenspan refuses to blame Fed policy for productivity and savings declines * He predicts cont...
Feb 28, 2015•24 min
* Janet Yellen's prepared remarks were the most dovish yet * If economy is improving, why do we still need "a high degree of accommodation?" * There is still room for "substantial improvement in the labor market" * Any modification of guidance will not necessarily indicate rate increase * Yellen states lower energy prices is positive for the economy, yet looks for higher inflation * The Fed says outlook is data dependent and the data is getting worse Our Sponsors: * Check out DBJourney and use m...
Feb 26, 2015•30 min
* Patricia Arquette claims that there is a still an unfair gender wage gap in the labor market * If that were true, all employers - male and female - would hire women first, because they are more cost effective employees * But they don't * Women who choose to balance family with career often accept lower-paying positions * Women do not make less money for the same work * They make less money for different work * In Hollywood, youth is an asset for women - for men, not as much. * Male action movi...
Feb 24, 2015•29 min
* Two days of bad economic news this shortened week * The Fed still says the economy is recovering * Recent FOMC minutes maintains pretense they can raise interest rates * FOMC members are worried about raising rates "too soon" * The Fed is worried about how to remove the word "patient" from communications * How confident can the Fed be in the "recovery" if they still fear raising interest rates? * The "recovery" was just a bubble masquerading as a recovery * If we had a real recovery the Fed co...
Feb 19, 2015•21 min
* Friday 13th was not unlucky for Wall Street * S&P 500 traded to an all-time record high * The Dow closed above 18,000 * NASDAQ at almost a 15-year high * Despite overall trend of weak corporate earnings * Weak economic data does not dampen Wall Street's spirits * Central Banks are behind the surge with excess liquidity * Wednesday - Mortgage Applications plunged 9% * Purchases declined 7% following a 2% decline prior week * 10% decline in Mortgage Refinances * Jobless claims up 25,000 from...
Feb 14, 2015•21 min
* China announces a record trade surplus * Media reports surplus as bad news for China * Because of the strength of the Yuan, Chinese can buy more imports for less * Chinese consumers purchasing more * Chinese businesses manufacturing more * Contrary to press reports these factors point to a strong economy in China * U.S. has record deficits along with a strong dollar * The short term effect of a strong currency is that trade deficits should go down because imports are cheaper * The fact that ou...
Feb 10, 2015•27 min
* Monthly non-farm employment number beat expectations * Upward revisions to prior months * Average hourly earnings number jumped by .5 * Immediate reaction in the market was swift * Dollar up; gold down * Unemployment up * Labor force participation down among younger workers * Jobs number inconsistent with other weak economic data * Layoffs are up * Government is way off on "jobs lost" data * Yesterday's trade deficit was the largest increase recorded * If our economy were strong, our workers w...
Feb 07, 2015•20 min
* Volatile day in the markets * Largest decline in Personal Spending since September 2009 * Wages and Salaries gain slowest in 7 months * December ISM Manufacturing Index down to 53.5 * December Employment growth at 7-month low * 2.6% GDP number will likely be revised downward * U.S. Factory Orders declined 3.6% in December * Oil prices triggering momentum against the dollar * The FOREX markets are beginning to acknowledge U.S. economic weakness * QE4 will accompany a budget-busting economic sti...
Feb 04, 2015•30 min
* Fed's official statement released yesterday * Received by the market as hawkish, Fed is still reiterates "patience" * The statement noted unguarded optimism about the U.S. Economy * Fed ignored unstable markets, Europe, oil prices and strength of the dollar * Response: the market sold off and the dollar rallied * Gold declined on Fed's expectations * The Fed's underlying goal may be to talk the dollar up and talk the markets down * Strong dollar buys time * Continued "patience" indicates Fed's...
Jan 29, 2015•17 min
* Wall Street spared blizzard only to be buried in bad earnings and bad economic news * December durable goods down 3.4%; expected to come in at +.7 * Consumer confidence up to 102.9; contrarian indicator * Last time consumers were this confident was in the middle of 2007 * Number will collapse when reality has a violent confrontation with perception * P&G earnings down 31% * Caterpillar warned * Microsoft stock down 10% today * UPS announced they overestimated holiday sales * Businesses gea...
Jan 28, 2015•35 min
* The President is taking credit for an economic recovery that is a bubble created by the Fed * Obama voters' salaries are much lower now than when he was elected * We have fewer full-time jobs during Obama presidency * Obama is offering freebies to the middle class, promising to tax the "wealthy" * Getting money that you didn't earn is "fair" * Higher taxes on earned money is "fair" * Capitalism built the middle class * The Government has destroyed the middle class * Obama actually claimed that...
Jan 23, 2015•11 min
* Big action from the Central Banks this week * Bank of Canada lowered rates from 1% to .75% * The ECB announced the launch of first QE program * The Euro plunged against gold * Central Banks' goal is to raise the level of inflation to guard against falling prices * Falling prices accelerate economic activity * Regulations and taxes slow down economies * QE in Europe lets the politicians escape the consequences of regulations and taxes * QE will send European money abroad * Inflation is an obsta...
Jan 23, 2015•23 min
* Biggest 7-day surge in Gold prices since 2011 * U.S. GDP will be lower than in Canada this year * Canadian gold production will rise in 2015 * Gold is rising against most currencies except the Swiss Franc * The IMF still believes the U.S. economy is recovering * Outlook for gold in Australia is also positive * The Yuan will probably be the next peg to go, allowing it to rise against the dollar * The American workforce is being rewarded for incurring large debt to engage in unproductive careers...
Jan 21, 2015•23 min
* Thursday, January 15, will be remembered as the day Switzerland abandoned its peg to the Euro * The Swiss defended their policy to peg to the Euro, but suddenly reversed, limiting their losses * They admitted they were wrong * Although the Swiss stock market went down in their currency, it was up in every other currency * Gold is up against everything except the Swiss franc * The news in the Swiss market will be a tremor compared to the earthquake if the Chinese abandon their peg both to the H...
Jan 17, 2015•24 min
* The Swiss people have given up the inflation ghost to win the currency war * Media reports negative on the news: "silly decision" * Oil down against the Swiss Franc * Swiss stocks up in U.S. dollars * Wall Street expects Eurozone QE, but without Swiss, QE might be less likely * Gold up against other currencies * Franc surging in value against the dollar * This move may signal economic reform * Unfortunately Janet Yellen is not going to get this memo * Volatility from Swiss move is nothing comp...
Jan 15, 2015•17 min
* Dow down 600 points in between Tuesday high and Wednesday low * Stock market and real estate are pillars of the phony recovery * Loose government lending standards encouraging mortgage defaults * Dollar down and gold up on low retail sales numbers * Fed not likely to sit out a U.S. recession, trading support for Wall Street over the dollar * The next QE could be bearish for bonds and the dollar * Demise of the recovery illusion will also hurt stocks * Bitcoins down on more bad news * Price doe...
Jan 15, 2015•33 min
* December jobs report up; unemployment down * Average hourly earnings dropped * Labor force participation hits new low, except for older Americans * Fewer young workers supporting the Social Security system * Most credit comprised of student loans and auto loans * Auto delinquencies highest since 2008, indicating a bubble * Obama's plan to make community college free will further inflate costs * Charles Evans calls for more inflation before raising interest rates * Denies relationship between c...
Jan 11, 2015•22 min
* World markets left the gates weak on first full trading week of the year * Catalysts: Declining oil prices and Greece's potential Eurozone exit * The Euro has gone sideways against the dollar for 9 years * The U.S. stock market will decline until the market believes rate hikes are off the table * U.S. will not experience accelerating growth in 2015 * Evidence shows the home market is not strengthening * Young entrepreneurship at a 20-year low * Falling oil prices are a symptom economy is not e...
Jan 06, 2015•22 min
* Falling unemployment trends seem to be over * PMI "unexpectedly" drops to 53.9% * Construction spending "unexpectedly" fell .3% * December ISM fell to 55.5 * Draghi's comments at ECB sparked U.S. Dollar rally despite weak data * Eurozone QE not likely * 2014 was a flat year for gold, despite bad press * Dollar price based on higher interest rate expectations * Price of gold has tripled since 2005 * Gold mining costs rise with inflation * The real bubble is the confidence in central bankers Our...
Jan 04, 2015•35 min
