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Hitting the Roof!

Upcoming legislation in the House of Representatives will raise the debt ceiling to more than 12 Trillion Dollars - about three-quarters of the Nation's gross domestic product (GDP).

Healtcare Reaches a Precipice

The U.S. Senate has passed one of the last hurdles in its efforts to cope with the overwhelming issue of health care in America by a 60-40 party line vote at 1AM today.

Failed Banks Exceeds 100

The FDIC's failed bank list has now officially exceeded 100 institutions for 2009.

The Dow at Ten Thousand

This week the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached and slightly exceeded 10,000, closing two straight days above it. What will it really mean?

Irrational Euphoria

They say that stock markets predict economic conditions six months before the conditions impact the overall economy.

The Afghan Conundrum

The mountainous region we know as Afghanistan has been the graveyard of empires since the days of Alexander the Great.

The Politics of Health in America

Our healthcare system is beginning to sound more and more like a vast conspiracy theory, more than medical care.

The Recession is Over? But the Depression Goes On!

Some exuberantly optimistic economists are now saying that the recession is over. What do we think?

What Cost Samples?

Despite new regulations from the Food & Drug Administration, doctors continue to dispense millions of samples every day to patients around the United States. Are those samples truly free, or are there costs to pay?

Bonds You Say?

On March 26th, The Institute's Journal of Economics published an article entitled "Any Bonds Today?" Now the government is promoting Bailout Bonds. We wonder if the Journal had any influence?

Ratings, Ratings, Who's Got the Ratings?

This week, both Moody's Investor Services and S&P have published negative ratings that will have no other effect but to harm any recovery efforts being undertaken by government. Wise move or pure insanity?

Lubricating Bank Credit

When the gears of a machine are out of alignment, mechanics adjust the gears and lubricate them, allowing the gears to flow more freely. So too, the gears of our economy need a mechanical adjustment.

Like a Hell-broth Boil and Bubble

Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble, this witches brew it does o’er take, truth and liberty to forsake. Witches brew and media make, a boiling cauldron at the stake. Doth Geithner go or Geithner stay, this hell-cooked brew may rue the day.

Clearinghouse 101

When companies, whether in the fields of finance, banking or insurance, or for that matter, any other industry, create new types of financial instruments, should they be immediately subject to regulatory review?

The Assessment of Risk

Isn’t it ironic that a firm such as AIG, with so many expert and professional insurance risk analysts would engage in the riskiest form of insurance ever created?

The House of Cards

The wind blows hard on a house made of cards, or so Bernie Madoff and his family are discovering.

The Roadmap to a Cure

In all the talk about bailouts, markets, toxic assets and government intervention heard in the media, none of the pundits or media moghuls have noticed that there isn't a real cure, only band-aid solutions. Let's look at a cure.

To Market... To Market...

The most commonly asked question on Wall Street and Main Street these days is "How low can the market go?"

Dow Flirts with 7,000

The DOW yesterday reached 7,062.93 only a month and a week after the Inauguration of President Barack Obama.

The Threat

As the economies of the world suffer grave consequences of bank crises and global deleveraging, a major threat is rising, not so quietly.

Government Intervention 101

From the perspective of economics history, it is a proven precept that the only true cure for economic depression is massive spending.

Economic Solutions in the Digital Age

While it is perfectly true that arbitrage trading could, theoretically, decline a market in a matter of seconds, are economic solutions comparably fast in the digital age? We don’t think so.

In Hoc Signo Percipio

In this sign, understand. Admittedly, a take off on Emperor Constantine’s “In Hoc Signo Vinces”, but one for the ages, we believe, because it reflects a paradigm difference in the view of economics.

Why Toxic Asset Acquisition Won’t Work

There has been much talk about restoring the original TARP plan to the acquisition of toxic assets from the banks. We don’t think it will work to restore the system. Here’s our thinking.

The Domestication of Banks

Over the past several years, banks have been branching out their lending offshore. As they deleverage, will banks be forced to bring their lending home?

Feeling the Credit Squeeze

The crunch is complicating restaurants' economic difficulties beyond a shortage of diners, experts say.

Whither We Come, Whether We Go

The United States is coming out of Phase I of the present economic crisis just at a point where a new and greatly popular President will take office. Where will the economy take us?

Obama Seems Ready to Lead

After one of the most orderly and least contentious transitions in American history, Barack Obama appears ready to lead the nation as he takes office on January 20th.

How Much Stimulus is Enough to Stimulate?

As House leaders unveiled their legislation for an unprecedented $825 Billion stimulus package that includes $275 Billion in tax breaks over two years and $550 Billion in new spending, we ask whether it’s going to be enough to really stimulate economic recovery?

Smart Moves!

Barney Frank (D-MA) announced yesterday that he plans to introduce legislation to revise and update TARP. Smart move Mr. Frank!

The Way Home: A Keynesian Approach

For those who accept our assessment that the world is in an economic depression, which we dubbed Depression 2.0, there must be a solution that will bring the economy to recovery. Did John Maynard Keynes have the answer?

Madoff Madness Made ‘Em Money Mad

Is it cruel to say that anyone who was foolish enough to put all their money into one money manager’s hands deserves what they get?

Auto Loan Bill Fails Senate, Markets Tumble

The U.S. Senate failed to pass legislation necessary for Ford, General Motors and Chrysler to survive without filing bankruptcy. On the news, Asian and European markets tumbled, with the DOW expected to open lower.

Auto This, Auto That...

Is the American public ready for the disappearance of Ford, General Motors and Chrysler? Certainly they are ready to see the back of the Big Three senior executives.

It's About Time

Monday, the Business Cycle Dating Committee at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) determined that a U.S. recession is underway and that it began following a December 2007 peak. We predicted it in July 2007. What took them so long?

The Exigencies of the Contemporary Economy

The prognosis for a positive and quick recovery of the capital and credit markets heard recently on any variety of news outlets is fundamentally, hearsay. The truth, in the end, will prevail, but it’s scary, at best.

The Citigroup Debacle

With a new weekend pledge of more than $300 Billion in guarantees to Citigroup, the Treasury is sticking its neck out to protect the American economy. Is this the best move?

Angelone "Right On Target"

I guess we ought to evaluate today as to what Robert told us in February and also since he was right on target and that too based on sound evaluation of the economy on a global scale; we should re-open this topic and see how long and how severe this situation is for the globe as a whole.

Britain Catches the Economic Bug

The British government announced recently that they too are officially in recession. The world, it seems, is heading for financial crisis, come what may.

Why They Pulled The TARP Over Congressional Eyes?

Congress is asking Treasury why it changed the TARP program from one of toxic asset acquisition to one of capital injection into banks and financial companies.

The Not So Big Three

American automobile makers GM, Ford and Chrysler are facing collapse. Will the Federal Government help? Why should they?

Financial Worries In The House

Why are these two Congressmen worried? The answer is as complicated as the economic problems they so diligently face.

It's All About Jobs!

Continued jobs loss perpetuates the recession and deepens the global economic depression, putting further downward pressure on markets worldwide. What to do?

The Spending Paradigm

Despite considerable reductions in the price of gasoline, American consumers are spending far less than market analysts predicted.

Underestimating GDP

We are somewhat concerned by the report of the Bureau of Economic Analysis which showed that Real Gross Domestic Product decreased in the 3rd quarter by -0.3%.

A Glamorous Alumnus

Michael Oliver, an alumnus of The Epicurus Group was named in the September issue of Glamour Magazine as 30th in their list of the most influential people in fashion.

The Rarest Event

Dr. Robert Angelone, Chief Economist and Director of The Epicurus Institute attended the rarest of events - a town hall meeting at Central Jersey Bank, hosted by the bank's Chairman and CEO.

HE HAD THE ANSWER

As he watched the credit markets freeze and the economy tank last month, Wall-based economist Robert Angelone and some of his colleagues overseas penned an outline of their ideas and e-mailed it to...

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