Year: 2009

Last week I began a discussion about how the nearly $2 trillion that the government is injecting into our financial system and economy will produce a short-term recovery in the stock market and our economy as well as reduce unemployment but will also create longer-term challenges. Here’s the rest of the story along with a few […]

Virtually every important economic indicator is headed south with no abatement in sight. In response, President Obama and the Democratic controlled Congress is proposing the largest economic stimulus package in history and my guess is that there will be additional stimulus packages to follow. The stimulus package passed by the house two weeks ago received no Republican […]

The stock market and the economy appear to be vying for first place in the contest for best swan dive in modern history. So far, it appears to be a tie. As a result, shell shocked workers find themselves worried about their jobs as well as paralyzed about what to do with their 401k retirement plan. Seeing your […]

In last week’s column, I discussed all the reasons that 2009 should see a significant economic and stock market recovery. I also noted that there were a number of scenarios that could derail a recovery and push us deeper into recession.   Unfavorable scenarios Perhaps the greatest risk is that the credit crunch worsens as banks […]

The year 2008 was the worst year for the stock market since the Great Depression. In the United States, the stock market plunged nearly 40% while international stocks suffered an even worse fate. The primary catalyst was the subprime debacle which began to show itself in mid-2007, compounded by mismanagement of some of America’s once most revered […]

Whew! 2008 is finally behind us and what a year it was! The stock market fell 40%; millions of people lost their jobs; and some of our top executives became the ‘beggars of Wall Street’. So what is 2009 likely to bring us? While it’s impossible to know, my best guess is that things will get worse during the […]