
Great Depression Online issues are archived below:
A Crude and Offensive Bamboozle - January
06, 2009 - Suddenly – in what was almost embarrassing to
watch – Bob Dole was appearing in Pepsi commercials gawking at
Britney Spears like a drooling adolescent.
Not All Doom and Gloom in 2009 - January 02, 2009 - It’s 2009. And we have some questions. Will this year be better than last? Will the stock market recover? What about the economy?
In Memoriam: 2008 - December 30, 2008
- Like blowing off the IRS or giving a Hells Angels Biker the
middle finger, if you spend more than you make, you’re not only
asking for trouble…you’re inviting it too.
Special Christmas Edition - December 25,
2008 -
“Running to the window, he opened it, and put out his head. No fog,
no mist; clear, bright, jovial, stirring, cold; cold, piping for the
blood to dance to; Golden sunlight; Heavenly sky; sweet fresh air;
merry bells. Oh, glorious! Glorious!
The Biggest Ponzi Scheme of All - December
23, 2008 - “‘It’s impossible to get in, but we can get you
some if you’re nice,’” reported the New York Times last Friday.
You Can't Have All Three - December 19, 2008 - The school yard loan shark when we were a kid was a brawny fellow named Booker Brown. Booker wasn’t the most creative entrepreneurial.
Fertile Soils of Lunacy - December 16, 2008 - Academic theories are often nothing more than elaborate obfuscations. They serve to convolute and excuse actions that would otherwise be reckless or preposterous.
There Is Hope - December 12, 2008 - No longer will people add a couple extra bucks to the debt side of their ledger so they can stick a pair of plastic light up reindeer antlers in their yard.
The Risks are Inherent - December 09, 2008 - Sometime around 1150 AD Bhaskara II, the 12th Century Indian mathematician, had a novel idea…a wheel that would run forever.
The Chance of a Lifetime? - December 05,
2008 - Two weeks ago, if you remember, the kingpins of
The Same Story, Yet More Delusional -
December 02, 2008 - First they thought they were staring
down a long dark tunnel with no light at the end. But then
they blinked, and screamed, for it was the barrel of a loaded gun.
A Merry Feast - November 28, 2008 - Looking for happiness in the stock market assures a life of dissatisfaction. Still many pursue it somberly to the mausoleum.
Caveat Emptor - Let the Buyer Beware - November 25, 2008 - Today we’ll begin by considering one unpleasant word: Snuff. Smokeless tobacco, that is.
A GDO Discretionary - November 21, 2008 - So here it is…from the heart…practical, discretionary advice on what you can do to make it through the economic crisis.
The Wrath of Jimmy - November 18, 2008 - The pursuit of ignominy is nondiscriminatory. For it’s with equal opportunity that each individual is granted the occasion to act a buffoon.
Overshooting the Mark - November 14, 2008
- The title of the next chapter in the story of the great
economic unraveling could be ‘Retailers Go Bust.’
Stimulus is for the Birds - November 11,
2008 - But what’s now being pushed across the land as the
answer is in the form of the latest lexicon for money to be driveled
out…stimulus.
Election Day Hangover - November 07, 2008
- Following Tuesday’s election we have one word of advice:
Panic!
Alternative Two - November 04, 2008 - To anyone who suits up and shows up to work everyday, near regardless of what industry, it’s been obvious for at least a year that the economy’s receding; not proceeding.
Suspicious of Change - October 31, 2008 - Our beat here at the GDO is money…not politics. In this regard, we try to limit our discussion of politics to that which relates to money…
The Post Dollar Reserve Standard Era -
October 28, 2008 -
The latest acronym to fix the financial system was put to use
yesterday. Specifically, the Federal Reserve began buying
commercial paper through its Commercial Paper Funding Facility
(CPFF).
What's Needed Now - October 24, 2008 - Politicians, academics, Leonardo DiCaprio, and soothsayers have been thrust upon the world in mass…each with a plan, a scheme to fix the economy and make society over in their image.
The Big Bailout of 2008 - October 21, 2008 - There has been a great deal of finger-pointing going on. Who is to blame for this extraordinary crisis?
When Heads Roll - October 17, 2008 - President George W. Bush stood in the White House rose garden Tuesday morning, where he hocked the latest government plan to fix the financial system.
Two Critical Rules of Investing - October 14, 2008 - And thankfully we’re not the guy that had to explain to his wife how he’s lost 40% of their retirement savings in the stock market over the last year.
Once In A Blue Moon - October 10, 2008
- Come Wednesday morning,
Can You Spare $7 Billion? - October 07, 2008 - Like free flowing credit, the world seems to have come up short on leadership and tough decision making. In their place are calls for bailouts, rescues, recapitalization, and assistance…no matter what the cost.
Wooden Arrows, Rum, and Wool - October 03, 2008 - Congress has been extraordinarily busy this week working over and disfiguring the government bailout of Wall Street.
FDR's Raw Deal - September 30, 2008 -
While that FDR – the thirty-second U.S. President – was
responsible for setting up Fannie Mae, today we set our sights on
the FDR that was responsible for running it into the ground…Franklin
Delano Raines.
Bailing Out Your Neighbor - September 26, 2008 - Congress spent the week debating Paulson and Bernanke’s mega bail out proposal to rescue the financial industry from the consequences of their arrogant greed.
Heavy On The Lard - September 23, 2008
- We regret to have missed the halcyon days of the great
American experiment. By the time we came to be Jimmy Carter
was making a mess of things in the White House and Elvis Presley had
just popped his last pill.
A High Stakes Research Experiment -
September 19, 2008 - Another financial bombshell exploded
Tuesday evening in the form of an $85 billion dollar bailout of
insurance giant AIG.
Black Sunday - September 16, 2008 -
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson had to work another weekend
shift. But he wasn’t alone. Several of his banker
buddies had to also punch their time cards for the weekend long
meeting.
A Work of Genius - September 12, 2008
- We often marvel at the side-splitting idiocies of the modern
world. Right now a spectacular hubbubs being made over the
election race. Yet most observers, we believe, are lacking the
proper perspective.
Ancient Yankee Secrets - September 09,
2008 - Of course with government bailouts the taxpayer is
always on the hook. To truly reform the situation would mean
no more government bailouts.
Learning To Fall - September 05, 2008 - With the summer twilight slipping beyond the western Pacific horizon and the early autumn glow budding up from the eastern plain…we’ll pause a moment...
The Magic Reversible Currency -
September 02, 2008 -
The Useful Fool - August 29, 2008 - Sentiment is indifferent to logic or reason. Like the direction the wind blows, it can shift in an instance. Yet sentiment has the power to change the world.
Taking Out The Bazooka - August 26, 2008 - Still we observe with the keen interest of a circus patron…gawking at the knife jugglers, fire breathers, and lion tamers…always on the lookout for a severed finger or worse.
The Ghost of 1981 - August 22, 2008 - It’s no secret. Everything costs more. And the rate at which things cost more is rising at the fastest pace since 1981.
Helping People Ruin Themselves - August
19, 2008 - In what must be the most telltale indication to
date that the credit bubble is leaking gas, we find that bankers are
forbidden membership to
Trend Reversal? - August 15, 2008 -
The trend over the last six years – dollar down, oil up –
appears for the moment to have reversed.
An Innocent Indiscretion - August 12, 2008
- This answer was delivered to us some years back with the
conviction of a Baptist preacher. We’d made the innocent
indiscretion of asking a broker with Edward Jones ‘when is the best
time to buy bonds?’
Some Essential Insights - August 08, 2008 - Of course that’s rhetorical. For we have opinions…and lots of them. But we’d rather not weigh you down with our own claptrap today. We’d rather offer you someone else’s.
Daisy Chain Finance - August 05, 2008 - While this may temporarily keep the financial system from coming completely unglued. All this liquidity – money created out of thin air – is not without consequence.
Confessions of a Cubicle Man - August 01, 2008 - An old friend called us Monday to report that it was the 40th Anniversary of the office cubicle. We got a little chuckle and chortle at this regrettable boon to civilization.
When and When Not to 'Buy and Hold' - July 29, 2008 - As you can see, the once highly touted ‘buy and hold’ investment strategy has been an awful way to build investment wealth over this period.
An Unmitigated Disaster - July 25, 2008
- ‘Too big to fail’ has been the popular mantra for justifying
the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bailouts. Like any bumper
sticker bunkum, if it’s repeated enough times people come to believe
it.
More Zeros To The Rescue - July 22, 2008 - Here at the GDO we’re often critical of the Federal Reserve because they increase the money supply faster than the rate of economic growth.
A Can of Worms - July 18, 2008 - Facts are often unpleasant. In fact, they’re disagreeable most of the time. That is a fact. And it is both unpleasant and disagreeable.
National Autonomy For Sale - July 15, 2008 - Made In The USA was once a symbol of superior quality. It was the deluxe brand name. And the world wanted it.
Midyear Review - July 11, 2008 -
With half the year now behind us we thought it appropriate to take a
moment and look back at where we’ve been so we can better consider
where we’re going.
Mob Psychology Research - July 08, 2008 - For the moment we are still distilling the findings of the research on mob psychology we conducted last Friday night.
The Battle of Puebla - July, 04, 2008
- Coincidentally, today we find ourselves in
Pyramids and Mangos - July 01, 2008 -
It’s likely the ancient residents of the first great city of
the western hemisphere thought that it would be around forever.
At its peak around A.D. 500 – after already flourishing for 500
years – the city was home to more people than
Larger Than Large - June 27, 2008 -
“
The Mexican Miracle - June 24, 2008 -
The Invaluable Trend of Rising Prices - June 20, 2008 - We always seek to identify the silver lining for you. And with regard to rising food and gas prices, here it is.
The Task At Hand - June 17, 2008 -
A great gathering of central bankers, top economists, world
improvers, mountebanks, and social dreamers took place on the posh
terra firma of
The Mercantilist's Burden - June 13, 2008 - This week we discovered that for April 2008, we Americans collectively spent $2 billion more per day than we made on a global basis.
Caught Between A Rock and A Hard Place - June 10, 2008 - Yes, it was a painful day with much gnashing of teeth on Wall Street. Between the spike in oil prices and the unemployment rate, investors were despondent.
Reaping the Salt of Excess - June 06, 2008
- We like receiving checks in the mail. It’s fun.
Usually they’re payment for something we have done in return…like
work.
Taking A Bubble Bath - June 03, 2008 -
Bubbles are fun…especially when you’re 17-months old.
That’s how old our son is. And he loves bubbles.
Smelling The Roses - May 30, 2008 -
We find these sentiments to not be entirely accurate.
First we believe the economy already is receding. And second,
we believe the books are already being cooked.
From Fool To Knave - May 27, 2008 -
Several months ago residence of an affluent
Occurrence On A Wednesday In May - May 23,
2008 - John Hofmeister, president of Shell Oil Co., stood
before congress on Wednesday, May 21st, and told them exactly what
they wanted to hear.
Bush Steps In A Cow Pie - May 20, 2008 - Between 1798 and 1826, English economist, Robert Thomas Malthus, gazed gravely at society and grunted and grimaced. For he perceived an astonishing problem.
Being Donald Trump - May 16, 2008 - Some amazing, extraordinary, and remarkable things were done to some not so amazing, extraordinary, or remarkable houses over the last several years.
Healing The Crippled - May 13, 2008 - We’ll take a moment of your time today to reflect on an important and admired aspect of the modern world. It’s an old shortcoming of humanity.
The Silence of Your Inner Chi - May 09,
2008 - Joe Blow says to John Doe circa 1999: “My broker
just got me into the new IPO for WhizBang.com. They’re a ‘New
Era’ business from
The American Public Knows Better - May 06,
2008 - Plain and simple. Economists are idiots.
How’s that for insight? We know you may not find this new
knowledge to be too impressive…but we feel it’s worth what you paid
for it.
Throwing Darts In A Blizzard - May 02, 2008 - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke stood center stage on Wednesday, April 30th, and showed to the world that he’s a complete and utter buffoon. Only, no one laughed.
The Drapier's First Letter - April 29,
2008 - William Wood was an English retailer of iron goods.
Yet he had friends in high places. For in 1722, he was granted
a patent by the English Parliament to coin copper money for use in
Misery Index Going Up - April 25, 2008
- In what must be an unsettling sign of things to come, rice
hoarding and purchase restrictions have hit
Going South - April 22, 2008 -
We don’t watch financial talk shows. In fact, we don’t even
get cable. But a friend recently told us that Larry Kudlow, of
the popular TV program, Kudlow & Company, has been referring to the
dollar as the U.S. Peso.
Feeling Aggraflated - April 18, 2008 -
So when 60 to 80 percent of your budget goes to purchasing
food, and its price has nearly doubled in just three years, you feel
aggravated. More accurately, you feel aggraflated.
What is Money? - April 15, 2008 - If you were to ask someone 100 years ago: What is money? They would reply: Gold. If you asked the same question 200 hundred years ago the reply would be: Gold.
The Whirlwind Sweeping Across The Planet -
April 11, 2008 - We learned this week that the price tag
for the mortgage windstorm has reached $945 billion. Veronica
Smith, for AFP, reports the destruction...
Still Believing In The Difference - April
08 - 2008 - You can buy a winning lottery ticket.
You can beat the dealer at blackjack. You can buy shares of
Google and watch them go up. You can flip condos in
In Bernanke We Trust - April 04 - 2008 - In 1908 Italian Economist Enrico Barone put down his meatballs and marinara and gazed into the outer frontiers of deep space. Looking around, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
Bumper Sticker Bunkum - April 01, 2008 - Yes. It’s spring. And election season’s in full bloom. Still, we haven’t even gotten through the Democratic Party’s primary. Coincidently, with the housing market meltdown, the presidential hopefuls have a hot topic to fire off some buzzwords at.
A Wrong Against The Human Race - March 28,
2008 - While some individuals made money off their mining
ventures, society as a whole did not. Jevons astutely asked
the question: “Have the Gold Discoveries added to the Wealth of the
World?”
Knowing When To Say When - March 25, 2008
- If you recall last Friday, we left you with a prescient
market prediction. Through inductive reason and the law of the
yo-yo’s reflexive property we conjectured that “…the DOW shall drop
at least 200 points on Monday.”
The Law of The Yo-Yo - March 21, 2008
- We’re grateful it came. Not because we made money off
it. But because without this very event, we never would have
discovered the law of the yo-yo.
Disorderly Disfunctioning - March 18, 2008
- “In the long run we are all dead.” – John Maynard Keynes
Eager to Pay More Taxes - March 14, 2008 - We receive different forms from different agencies all the time. Often we can’t comprehend why they exist. What’s their purpose for being?
A Bone Dry Wishing Well - March 11, 2008 - Ground water is stored naturally below the earth’s surface in the pores and cracks of underground rocks and in the spaces between grains of sand and gravel.
Nothing for Something - March 07, 2008
- You get less out than you put in. You work at a
diminishing return. Your pay stays the same yet prices go up.
You get nothing for something.
Charles Ponzi Day - March 04, 2008 -
Yesterday was Charles Ponzi Day. Bet you didn’t know
that. We’ll admit. We didn’t either…until an attentive
reader – Harry T. from
Making Up For Lost Time - February 29,
2008 - It all seems so systematic, arranged, and orderly.
Sixty seconds make a minute, 60 minutes make an hour, 24 hours make
a day, and one day equals one complete rotation of the planet earth.
The Shakeout - February 26, 2008 -
Driving east along the 10-Freeway toward downtown LA on our
way home, we always notice the old Victorian mansions to the south
that are in need of some fresh paint and some fresh care.
When Kids Don't Want Candy - February 22,
2008 - We remember as kids coming home with a pillowcase
full of candy on Halloween Night. We were in heaven.
International Contagion - February 19,
2008 - Joseph Quinlan, chief market strategist at Bank of
America, did the research. And what he discovered was a $7.7
trillion international credit crisis.
The Greatest Fools of All - February 15,
2008 - Even if you’re not a speculator…you may have
experienced the euphoria that accompanies the “greater fool theory”
when the real estate market was booming just several years ago.
A Matter of Integrity - February 12, 2008
- Six short years ago €1.00-euro could buy you just
$0.88-cents of a dollar. Now €1.00-euro will buy you
$1.45-dollars. In other words, the dollar will only buy you
60-percent of what it use to when measured in euros.
A New Record - February 08, 2008 -
President Bush proposed a Federal Budget of $3.1 trillion on
Monday setting a new record. David Stout and Robert Pear, of
the New York Times, report the minutiae…
A Proclivity For Fraud - February 05, 2008
- It starts innocently enough. A tall tale. Some
slight embellishments of the facts. For who doesn’t like a
captivating story.
Economic Nausea - February 01, 2008 -
Big Ben doubled down Wednesday, following up last weeks
emergency 75-basis point rate cut, with an additional rate cut of
50-basis points.
Global Food Price Inflation - January 29,
2008 - There are some things you can do without. And
there are some things you can’t. There are wants. And
there are needs.
Bernanke Hits The Panic Button - January
25, 2008 - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke hit the
panic button on Tuesday, January 22nd, with an emergency 75-basis
point interest rate cut.
Betting On A Trifecta - January 22, 2008
- And as the economy slows in the early part of 2008 the
American populous is betting on a trifecta. What choice do
they have? The circuses are many, with American Idol and NFL
Football, but the bread has become scarce. How can one be any
fun without the other?
Medieval Mathematics from
Diego's Rebellion - January 15, 2008 -
The Federal Reserve has found themselves in quite a pickle.
For this is the exact opposite of what occurs during the much elated
‘goldilocks’ scenario.
There's a First for Everything - January 11, 2008 - “Kathleen Casey-Kirschling, born on January 1, 1946, is acknowledged as the nation’s first baby boomer and the first to apply for social security benefits, for which she will be eligible in 2008.”
The Great American Nightmare - January 08,
2008 -
It was quite visible that the developers had gone mad. And in
their crazed dash to reap massive profits, they had barfed out a
massive and sterile suburbia of intolerable and repulsive horror.
An Impressive Dilemma - January 04, 2008
- “Twenty billion dollars here, $20bn there, and a lush
half-trillion from the European Central Bank at give-away rates for
Christmas. Buckets of liquidity are being splashed over the
What Will 2008 Bring? - January 01, 2008
-
Will this be the year the DOW rockets past 15,000? Will gold
take out its old nominal high of $850 per ounce set on January 21,
1980? Will it eclipse $1,000?
GDO 2008 Ambitions - December 28, 2007
-
With the New Year on the horizon we thought we’d take a moment to
share with you our goals for the Great Depression Online in 2008.
"It's Christmas Day" - December 25, 2007
-
“Running to the window, he opened it, and put out his head. No fog,
no mist; clear, bright, jovial, stirring, cold; cold, piping for the
blood to dance to; Golden sunlight; Heavenly sky; sweet fresh air;
merry bells. Oh, glorious! Glorious!
Fundamentals Do Matter - December 21, 2007
- Even in a world fraught with central bankers,
honesty…integrity…and trust still do matter. For how well you
sleep at night is contingent upon how well you practice the
fundamentals.
Snookered By Inflation - December 18, 2007
-
It happens so subtly you don’t even notice it at first. You
actually feel wealthier, when, in fact, you’re not.
Bernanke Toes The Line - December 14, 2007
- Ben Bernanke stepped up to center stage on Tuesday, December
11th, and did exactly what everyone knew he was going to do…
He acquiesced.
A Moral Hazard of Epic Proportions -
December 11, 2007 - A “moral hazard” is the idea that a person or party
shielded from risk will behave differently than if they were fully
exposed to the risk.
Beware of Prophets - Part 2 of 2 -
December 07, 2007 - We recounted the little tale of
William Whiston, and his prediction of the end of the world, for
entertainment and perspective. And to raise the question: Do modern
day prophecies still get the best of us?
Beware of Prophets - Part 1 of 2 -
December 04, 2007 - A riddle of human nature is the desire
to control the uncontrollable. The weather…seasonal flu
viruses…the business cycle. We find comfort in the illusion
that these have been tamed – or that they can be predicted with
certainty.
The Housing Bubble Burps - November 30,
2007 - Today we look back to 1691, and to John Locke, for
some perspective on the ongoing housing meltdown. With all the
headlines coming in from all directions, we needed a north star for
guidance.
A GDO Confession - November 27, 2007 - We have a confession to make. We must come clean. So here it is -- the cold hard truth. And we'll be frank: We don't know what we're doing.
The Great Depression Online issues archived below are from the original auto-responder series that ran between August and November 2007.
Goblins of Inflation - On Halloween Day 2007, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke looked the goblins of inflation square in the eyes and cut interest rates 25 basis points…essentially saying ‘bring it on.’
Home Sales Drop, Prices Too - "Sales of existing homes dropped 8 percent to a 5.04 million unit annual pace in September, the lowest on record dating to 1999, the National Association of Realtors said on Wednesday."
Who Is This Clown? - We found this gem on CNN Money in an October 22, 2007 article. It brought a smirk to our face… But we felt slighted. For the article failed to mention the most fundamental of facts. That Fed Governor Randall Kroszner is a quack.
Electricity Prices Jump - "Electricity prices see biggest jump in 25 years", begins an October 22, 2007 story we picked up on CNN Money.
Wisdom From The Ancients - In today’s world, where any fool can be voted president, we must look to the ancients for wisdom.
A Hummer More Ecologically Friendly than a Prius? - "Feeling a bit smug about owning that hybrid?" So began an article in the March 23, 2007 Investors Business Daily…
Reader Comments - "A Great Depression can happen again," begins an email from a Great Depression Online reader.
200 Percent Price Hike for Bread - “
Questions Issue - Here it is, the second week in October 2007. And we sit and we wonder... We are all full of questions.
Dollar Credibility - The dollar has lost its credibility. This fact recently put a hole in our pocket book.
The Useful Fool - Part 2 of 2 - If
there was ever a phenomenon of the mad world of
The Useful Fool - Part 1 of 2 - “Against the old contention … that we must all be useful, be efficient, become officials and have power, the old reply is that there are always enough fools left in the world who are willing to be useful, be busy and enjoy power, and so somehow the business of life can and will be carried on.” –Lin Yutang
'Helicopter' Ben Lives Up To His Name - Making good on his name ‘Helicopter Ben’, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke cut the interest rate a half point to 4.75 percent on September 18, 2007.
Panic at Northern Rock - Simon Jenkins, writing in the September 19, 2007 edition of The Guardian, offers the following… "When a bank says don’t panic, the wise panic. The first person to get his money out is always richer than the last."
Americans Are Failing to Keep Up With
Their Mortgage Payments - Bonus 3 - As reported in the August
12, 2007 edition of the AP “
Look Back to The Future - Bonus 2 - When legendary commodities trader Benjamin Hutchinson cornered the wheat market in 1866 he was the first to recognize an underlying market relationship – the price of wheat was affected by the price of gold.
"Where is All the Money Coming From?" - Bonus 1 - Over the last several years have you ever looked around you and asked the simple question… "Where is all the money coming from?"
Review of the Great Depression Online Seven Day Course - Day 7 of 7 - "History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme." Mark Twain.
'Helicopter Ben ' - Day 6 of 7 - If there was every any doubt what Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben S, Bernanke, would do in a time of financial crisis, look no further than his November 21, 2002 speech, Deflation: Making Sure “It” Doesn’t Happen Here.
Could You Really Become 95 Percent Poorer
Overnight? - Day 5 of 7 - Unequivocally yes. It has
happened many times throughout history. It happened in the
Charles Ponzi and The Ponzi Scheme - Day 4 of 7 - Charles Ponzi gained notoriety in 1920 when he hatched a ploy offering 50 percent return on investment in 45 days, or a 100 percent return in 90 days.
The Impending Wrath of Entitlement Programs
- Day 3 of 7 - On January 18, 2007, Federal Reserve
Chairman, Ben S. Bernanke testified before the U.S. Senate,
Committee on the Budget, on the long-term fiscal challenges facing
the
Today's Drunkenly Distorted Economy - Day 2 of 7 - In
The Cause of the Great Depression - Day 1 of 7 - Many like to blame the stock market crash of October 19, 1929, as the cause of the Great Depression. It wasn't. It was just the triggering event.
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