Friday, February 27, 2009

Ultimate game

In the gaming that is finance, we have several viewpoints to ponder as we look at the decline of dreams. Who is to know where things are going? Ben, of the Fed, talks his game. Dr. Doom touts nationalization. William M. Isaac says no way (WSJ, "Bank Nationalization Isn't the Answer").

One thing that we know is that nationalization would wipe out a class of shareholders. Guess what? The favored class of shareholders would get their money. Wait! Something stinks. Why ought we, the common people, even look at equities?

The finance people have argued for the market and equities. Yes, they want the gaming that such supports, as we see with the CBOE. Essentially, the whole thing is not much more than casino capitalism. It makes a few rich, offers plenty when there is really not much, and then trashes a whole generation.

As well, we get people with their hands in the till, as we've seen with Madoff, Stanford, the WG mess, and others. Plus, hedge funds are a front for what?

Well, it's been said that more of the same will be uncovered.

Near zero means that no-one makes money without taking it from the pockets others. How this is done and is controlled will be (ought to be) very much the essence of a society and its future, as we will continue to see.

The economy and ecology have parallels. You pollute the waters or the air, and it affects your neighbors. And, much more.

Who said that the problems were easily resolved, by the way? It's just that the golden and the best-and-brightest (ah, yes, and the favored), for awhile, reigned as supreme. Hah! It was a wonderful day, in a sense, to have the golden boys/gals come to us, the common taxpayer, with hats in hand (oh, flying, to boot, to DC with their tin cups extended). Yet, many of the hapless suffer from the idiocies of those few and favored.

Remarks:

01/27/2010 -- It's really ca-pital-sino.

10/11/2009 -- Discussion has gone over to FED-aerated. Note the 10/11/2009 Remarks about the Business Week article on India's progress' inhibitors. 'Near zero' recognizes that some always suffer more than others, especially in win-win situations, as the whole notion of characterization minimizes visceral reactions by diminishing the real in favor of the abstracted (ah, the modern world, you say?).

08/27/2009 -- Madoff exemplifies (albeit somewhat indirectly) systemic risk.

08/24/2009 -- Last year, Ben blinked and panicked. He frantically pulled out all stops as if with no thought for tomorrow. Now, he has no use for 'mea culpa' big daddy that he is. Ben, start to unwind now. The Vienna School's view that these things are undecidable (which is a computational issue) is right on.

Modified: 01/27/2010

Friday, February 13, 2009

T Issue

Big 't' truth issues have not found much use in the western way of economics what with the gaming influence and push for greed. Not that greed isn't a human trait found everywhere. However, there might be some benefit from our looking at the Islamic take on economics and being cognizant of the associated worldview.

M Ledeen (WSJ Opinion, 2/9/09) talks about Iran's recent satellite launch in the context of the Mahdi's return which, for Christians, is analogous to Christ's return. Iran can be of central concern to our discussions here.

That Economics has a larger role will be consider here, even if it's from small 't' view. From time to time, we will bring in the larger scopes.

Remarks:

01/22/2013 -- T-issues will migrate to issues of science and religion.

06/20/2009 -- The Economist reports on an attempt to build a "truly global Islamic bank."

04/29/2009 -- For more on the Mahdi and Ahmadinejad, see the New Yorker (Can Iran Change?).

Modified: 01/22/2013

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Keynes and Hayek

The 02/04/09 WSJ had an oped ("Washington Could Use Less Keynes and More Hayek") about these two whose ideas are centrally used in the debates about economics. A couple of prime factors that are new are the mess and the climate change. The mess is causing we US taxpayers grief as folks like big Ben run off experimenting without any real theoretic basis (does it even exist, as phrased by the western mind?).

The current situation is open, what with the stimulus focus, hedge fund scrutiny, and much more. So, Obama tells the CEOs (money addictive people that they are) to restrain themselves. Oh yes, it's after the horse is out of the barn; they've already lined their pockets with taxpayer money.

One hopes that we can learn from cleaning up all this crap (brought on, mostly, by the best-and-brightest -- ah, yes, these who are divinely favored) and that the hapless obtain some relief.

This might be one area to expand definition and discussion of truth engines.

Remarks:


09/28/2010 -- Capitalism is for the good of us, let's bring that forward.

Modified: 11/21/2010