Global equity markets have sold off sharply to start 2010. The risk trade that worked so well last year is getting creamed. A flight to quality is underway. Investors are concerned over the sustainability of mounting debt and deficits of weaker Euro member states.
There is an emerging real-estate bubble in China. Ultra-loose monetary policy in the U.S. and an over-the-top stimulus plan in China, coupled with a pegged yuan, have created optimal bubble conditions.
Punishing yields of 0.05% on three-month T-bills and .85% on short-term Treasury notes are devastating to the millions of investors who rely on income from their portfolios to fund living expenses.
In 2009, one investor earned more than the combined profits of Exxon Mobil, Microsoft, and Wal-Mart by employing a common Wall Street trading strategy-the carry trade.
While today it appears probable that Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will be defeated in his 2010 bid for reelection, an increasing number of Americans must in fact want to see Senator Reid resign.