Bay Area Real Estate Trends

Interesting article in MarketWatch by Brett Arends: Massive default is best way to fix the economy There’s a way to do it. Fast. And relatively simple. But you’re not going to like it. You’re not going to like it at all. Default. A national Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The fastest way to fix this mess is [...]

This brilliant report clearly explains the complex forces at play in our current economy. Topics covered include The Fed, inflation, The Great Depression, The Dollar, deflation, geopolitics, budget deficits, consumer spending, and more.

This is a must-read.

Online retail sales keep climbing, big box retailers keep wondering what to do with all their space, and small stores struggle to survive at all.

“Even with the Q4 bounce, real final sales have managed to eke out a barely more than 2% annual gain since the recession ended, whereas what is normal at this stage of the cycle is a trend much closer to 4%. Welcome to the new normal.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I seem to remember that one of the reasons for QE2 was to lower rates on the longer end of the US yield curve. Clearly, that has not happened? Today we look at come of the unintended consequences of monetary policy, turn our eyes briefly to consumer debt, and wonder about deflating incomes.

Fresh off its return as a publicly traded company, General Motors Co. on Wednesday kicked off what looks to be another strong batch of monthly U.S. car sales with an 11.4% jump.