Welcome to the site!

As the site is new, please feel free to comment on the layout, content, etc.  Does the background make the site hard to read?  Do the "gadgets" make the site load too slowly - are they a waste of space?  Should we ditch Blogger and look for a better home?

With time we'll hopefully have some topical posts deserving of comments.  Here are some recent "big" issues I've tried to come to terms with (they should give some ideas for contributions):

1. The Euro vs USD debate.  The value of the Euro tells us that it's not important that Greece defaults, and that the ECB prints its way out of trouble - how can this be?

2. The Japanese Yen and Swiss Franc are viewed as safe havens, but aren't both economies fundamentally unsound?  Japan is supposed to be an export economy, but how can this happen/continue with such a strong Yen (and there's surely a government debt time bomb ticking away as well)?  Isn't the entire "safe-haven" economy of Switzerland undermined by a combination of EU/USA anti tax evasion initiatives, while its export/research sector crumbles due to the high CHF?

3. Corzine bankrupted MF Global with a bet on Portugal.  Back when Long Term Capital flopped they made a series of badly timed bets which ultimately paid off, and now it looks like some Lehman creditors are being made whole by cashing in their collateral.  This last week, US long term government bonds have fallen about 3%, is this the beginning of a narrowing of spreads in the government bond markets?

4. With earnings season well under way... why are the stock markets rallying, when all that is happening is that companies are, on balance, meeting their previously lowered earnings estimates while providing even lower guidance for the future?

These are big topics, and I'll probably mostly post on individual stocks, currency pairs, bonds, commodities, and trading strategies, but any and all efforts to tackle the big issues would be welcome.  Examining the macro environment and highlighting the next round of "probable" headlines will give us the edge and profitably lead us to safer shores.