‘Very Muted Growth’ Coming for Next 10 Years: Faber … “Both the U.S. and Europe are facing a decade of slow growth brought on primarily by the blunders of central banks, noted doomsayer Marc Faber said. Investors should protect themselves by buying plenty of physical gold and putting it in a secure location, preferably outside the U.S., the author of the Gloom, Boom and Doom newsletter told CNBC. “‘If I look at the politicians both in Europe and the U.S., I don’t think that prospect (for growth) is very good,’ he said. – CNBC
Head of S&P Rating Agency Steps Down … The president of Standard & Poor’s is stepping down, an announcement coming only weeks after the rating agency’s unprecedented move to strip the United States of its AAA credit rating. The McGraw-Hill Cos., the parent of S&P, said late Monday that Deven Sharma will be replaced by Douglas Peterson, now the chief operating officer of Citibank N.A., Citigroup Inc.’s chief banking arm. – AP
New Home Sales Fall, 2011 Could Be the Worst Year Yet … …Housing remains the weakest part of the economy. Last year was the worst for new-home sales on records that go back nearly 50 years. … While new homes represent less than one-fifth of the housing market, they have an outsize impact on the economy. Each home built creates an average of three jobs and $90,000 in taxes, according to the National Association of Home Builders. – AP
Obama in Close Race Against Romney, Perry, Bachmann, Paul … President Barack Obama is closely matched against each of four possible Republican opponents when registered voters are asked whom they would support if the 2012 presidential election were held today. Mitt Romney leads Obama by two percentage points, 48% to 46%, Rick Perry and Obama are tied at 47%. – Gallup
‘Very Muted Growth’ Coming for Next 10 Years: Faber
“Both the U.S. and Europe are facing a decade of slow growth brought on primarily by the blunders of central banks, noted doomsayer Marc Faber said. Investors should protect themselves by buying plenty of physical gold and putting it in a secure location, preferably outside the U.S., the author of the Gloom, Boom and Doom newsletter told CNBC. “‘If I look at the politicians both in Europe and the U.S., I don’t think that prospect (for growth) is very good,’ he said. ‘If I also look at the entitlement system and the government expenditures and the fiscal deficits and the debt overhang, I think for the next 10 years we’ll have very muted growth in the Western world and standards of living for the average household will continue to decline.” – CNBC
Dominant Social Theme: Doom and gloomer Marc Faber is wrong about the economy by suggesting 10 years of depression. He is also fear mongering by even suggesting Americans should store gold outside the United States. We need regulations to end extreme rhetoric designed to spook investors out of US investments as well as “hate crime” language blaming our economic problems on the Federal Reserve.
Free-Market Analysis: We believe Marc Faber is 100% correct in his economic projections. Maybe Wall Street and the financial news establishment should carry more editorials and forecasts by alternative advisors following the Austrian School of Economics instead of the occasional missive like today.
Head of S&P Rating Agency Steps Down
The president of Standard & Poor’s is stepping down, an announcement coming only weeks after the rating agency’s unprecedented move to strip the United States of its AAA credit rating. The McGraw-Hill Cos., the parent of S&P, said late Monday that Deven Sharma will be replaced by Douglas Peterson, now the chief operating officer of Citibank N.A., Citigroup Inc.’s chief banking arm. Sharma, 55, “was ready for new challenges” after helping S&P separate its data, pricing and analytics business from its ratings business, McGraw-Hill said in a statement. The company unveiled that restructuring at S&P late last year. – AP
Dominant Social Theme: The S&P downgrade of US debt was irrational and the people who erred must go. Citibank has an independent voice that can lead S&P rationally.
Free-Market Analysis: Revenge by the monetary elites for justified and responsible actions which could threaten the dollar-debt Ponzi scheme or the profits of the central banking cartel are usually swift and deadly. This quick elite reaction will surely postpone future downgrades by agencies that can be quickly threatened inside the Anglosphere. A Chinese rating agency downgraded US debt a few weeks earlier without retribution.
A similar response also happens to nations and leaders who decide to price their oil in currencies other than the dollar. Iran, Iraq and Libya come to mind and it appears as though Hugo Chavez has similar plans, too.
Between his oil plans and the recent request for the Anglosphere banks to return his nation’s gold, he could find himself facing AYM-inspired protests that would naturally open the UN-led sanction door, which would quickly usher in a NATO/US led military invasion. Sound unlikely? Just look at Libya for the playbook. Anyway, we wonder if there are enough tungsten bars covered in gold to cover what must be shipped and we wouldn’t want to be the firm asked to assay the supposed gold bars either.
New Home Sales Fall, 2011 Could Be the Worst Year Yet
…Housing remains the weakest part of the economy. Last year was the worst for new-home sales on records that go back nearly 50 years. … While new homes represent less than one-fifth of the housing market, they have an outsize impact on the economy. Each home built creates an average of three jobs and $90,000 in taxes, according to the National Association of Home Builders. … Analysts said the report was further proof that the housing market is stuck in the doldrums. “How much longer can we flat-line on housing?’ said M. Cary Leahey, senior economist at Decision Economics. – AP
Dominant Social Theme: Trust us and don’t worry about the housing market as the rebound is just around the corner.
Free-Market Analysis: The collapse in the real estate market is a result of earlier easy money policies by the Federal Reserve. We believe the biggest housing bubble in US history will likely be followed by the worst housing bust in US history.
Housing prices have fallen more than during the Great Depression and after the depression prices did not recover to pre-depression levels until after a world war and 19 years had elapsed. America, Spain, England and other nations caught up in the housing bubble have a long way to go.
There are other nations and regions outside the US where real estate might be a good investment for geo-political diversification and as a currency play against the dollar.
Obama in Close Race Against Romney, Perry, Bachmann, Paul
President Barack Obama is closely matched against each of four possible Republican opponents when registered voters are asked whom they would support if the 2012 presidential election were held today. Mitt Romney leads Obama by two percentage points, 48% to 46%, Rick Perry and Obama are tied at 47%. – Gallup
Dominant Social Theme: Yes, this Gallop poll shows the race is close and Romney, Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann have a real chance if nominated by the GOP to defeat President Barack Obama in 2012. This is why voters should not waste their votes on extreme candidates that have no chance to win the 2012 election.
Free-Market Analysis: Who Is Ron Paul and why is he seldom mentioned by the establishment press and when he is, only as the candidate who can’t win a general election? Several real polls, not e-mail and Internet polls, which can be overrun with Ron Paul supporters, have shown he could run very well against Obama in the 2012 but this is usually ignored or blacked out of mainstream reports or commentary.
Ron Paul does not receive fair and equitable coverage like the other candidates because he is the only person in the race that threatens the Anglosphere and their neocon control over foreign policy as well as their disastrous monetary policy.
He and his campaign must be stopped at any cost because they will not sell out to the interests that control America. Some of the other candidates might sound like Ron Paul and have a similar limited government philosophy, but our readers know they are not like Ron Pall at all. They’ve all already sold out or else they wouldn’t be given the regular amount of news coverage.
