Louis's Blog

Russia’s U.S. Treasury HoldingsRussia has historically held T-Bonds, but in small amounts ($153 billion as of March 2013). Russia had publically threatened to dump its T-bonds in retailiation for sanctions imposed on it by the U.S. and it appears to have begun to do so. As of October 2014, Russia...

 Bankruptcy in AmericaWhile bankruptcy filings have decreased consumer credit spending has exploded  The pattern of lower bankruptcy filings and increased consumer credit from 2009-2015 is following a near identical pattern as consumer behavior after the dot com bust from 2001-2008; as consumers ...

The labor force participation rate is falling overall because the rate among those 25-54 is falling while the rate among aging boomers is actually rising.With a smaller percentage of those in their prime working years detached from the labor force, fewer homes will be sold.https://smaulgld.com/wh...

It seem to make no sene that the Fed would be entertaining interest rate hikes when the housing market and economy are not doing that well.China and Japan are lowering rates and a rate increase may crash the economy and stock market – so why would the Fed raise rates?Perhaps to drum up declining ...

What’s Wrong With Higher Home Prices?The Real Estate Industry and Media Tout Rising Home Prices as a Good Thing, But Are They?The Dark SideWhile the Fed and others cheer on the rise in housing (and stock market) prices as good for homeowners and the economy, there is a dark side to rising home pr...

The main reason is there is no jobs recovery. Here are six charts that show the job market is not "robust" or "buoyant" as the media reports.   https://smaulgld.com/why-the-job-recovery-is-a-farce-illustrated-in-six-charts/

Ten Reasons the Housing Market WON'T Go Ballistic This Spring Podcast 41:40 - A Fortune magazine article "Ten Reasons the Housing Market Could Go Ballistic This Spring" is discussed and refuted. You can follow along here. The article could have been titled: "Ten reasons why my gut tells me my gue...

Podcast: The Three Legged Economic Recovery Propaganda Stool https://smaulgld.com/three-legged-economic-recovery-propaganda-stool/ Reuters: New Home Starts At Lofty Levels! 3:00-4:55 Discussion of the media's incessant positive spin on poor economic data including last week's interpretation of po...

Here's the drastic difference in new home sales and new car sales: https://smaulgld.com/new-home-sales-vs-new-car-sales/

Russia has reduced its Treasury Holdings 30% in 2014 and increased its gold holdings 16%. https://smaulgld.com/russias-year-de-dollarization-rebalancing-reserves/