Insana Insights What You Lookin' At September 5, 2010 With the incredulity of a Brooklyn-born native, it feels comfortable for me to raise that question with certain members of the Federal Reserve. As I've discussed in recent weeks, there is a faction within the Fed that thinks the Fed should be embarking on a so-called "exit strategy" that would drain its considerable resources spent on economic recovery in an effort to normalize monetary policy. "What Are You Lookin' At?" August 30, 2010 With the incredulity of a Brooklyn-born native, it feels comfortable for me to raise that question with certain members of the Federal Reserve. As I've discussed in recent weeks, there is a faction within the Fed that thinks the Fed should be embarking on a so-called "exit strategy" that would drain its considerable resources spent on economic recovery in an effort to normalize monetary policy. Loosen the Bonds August 25, 2010 Despite my belief that interest rates will go lower and remain low for some unusually long period of time -- an "extended period," to borrow an expression from another sacrosanct institution, the Federal Reserve -- I also believe that individual investors who have taken on the yoke of financing U.S. deficits, and re-filling corporate coffers, by purchasing nearly $600 billion of bond funds in the last 30 months, ought to let loose some of those bonds, lest they be judged harshly by the trading and investing gods. Related:  bonds Disinvestment vs. August 23, 2010 The trend among individual investors is to sell stock mutual funds and buy bond funds at a rather astonishing, but understandable, clip. The Wall Street Journal said today that individual investors sold $33 billion in stock mutual funds through last month, in the wake of a market rebound that trimmed the May/June correction almost by half. It's the largest bout of capital flight since 2008, at the depths of the financial crisis. Before that, there hasn't been a flight to quality like this since the 1980s. Can't Anybody Play This Here Game August 19, 2010 If only the late, great Casey Stengel were managing the economy, we might chalk up some wins. With this morning's disappointing jump in weekly jobless claims to a nine-month high of 500,000 and signs of weakness in manufacturing, Wall Street is back on its heels, worried that Main Street will never get back on its feet. What am I Missing? August 16, 2010 I have been besieged by numerous e-mails suggesting that, unlike my patriotic CNBC colleague, Rick Santelli, I am a shill for the oligarchic elite -- a subject which I addressed on The Insana Quotient, earlier today. My defense of the Federal Reserve and its policies has become a hot topic of debate as the "Jekyll Island conspiracy theorists" have emerged, literally from nowhere, to challenge the constitutional legitimacy of the Fed. The Printing Press is On! August 10, 2010 The Federal Reserve did the right thing and said it would continue to keep credit, and the costs of credit, quite low for an extended period. Though the Fed admitted that the pace of economic growth is slowing down unexpectedly, it also said it will keep a lid on rates until the economy recovers, if one reads between the lines. Related:  Fed I'm a Fed-Watcher ... I'm a Fed-Watcher August 9, 2010 This is what my life has come to. As the song said, I used to be a girl-watcher. But as one gets older and settles down, one's obsession is replaced by another. So, now I'm a Fed-Watcher and there is no better week to be one than this week. The Federal Reserve meets tomorrow and will render a verdict on the economy at about 2:15 p.m., EDT. It is widely expected that the Fed will officially downgrade its assessment of future economic growth prospects and possibly hint at new measures aimed at stimulating the economy. Related:  Fed Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics August 4, 2010 Mark Twain popularized the phrase, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics." The phrase has been attributed to others, but Twain is credited with popularizing its use when using numbers to justify an unjustifiable argument. Deficit hawks frequently have been using statistics to place the blame for our ballooning budget deficits and national debt at the feet of President Obama. Mixed Messages of the Market: I am Vexed August 3, 2010 I know that I am harping relentlessly on this issue, but it vexes me. Despite signs of recovery in stocks and commodities, short-term interest rates in the U.S. continue to decline. And that's also despite near-record budget deficits, a recent and renewed decline in the value of the dollar and mounting evidence that Europe is recovering more quickly from its sovereign debt crisis that many had projected. << Back12Next >>