Syzygy in Budgets The reality of budgets often pits the practical in opposition to the aspirational objectives. The federal government continues to present this dilemma but now New York City and the new mayor are grappling with the facts comprising a large gap. First,...

Mamdani’s Housing Outlook The mayor has expressed a goal of adding to the affordable housing stock. He targets selling an additional $70 billion municipal bonds to add to the $30 billion already in the financial plan. It has not been specified what the security pledge...

What January Effect I am not certain there is a pronounced January effect this year. Having cited the phrase, most markets are relatively strong at the start of this year with some exceptions. The Tech sector was a bit wobbly towards the end of last year. Tech appears...

Foreshadowing January In the waning days of the current year we turn our focus to the next year. This coming year there will be a lot of activity in January and it is not just due to the “January Effect”. The forward calendar is not that large at around $11 billion....

Post Shutdown Blues It is not a fait accompli at this point in every way, but, the shutdown has now arrived at its inevitable end. The shutdown kept me thinking of a blues song. In cut time I was singing: We’ve got the old shutdown, those old shutdown blues. This is...

School Yard Politics This article is about economics and the markets and I studiously avoid outright politics. However, current developments are just laced with politics. Putting together a budget should be a matter of routine. What we have is a situation that amounts...

Don’t Cry for Me Bailing out Argentina has for some in the financial markets become a long term engagement. Many of us recall the so-called Brady Bonds of the 1990’s that were named after the Treasury Secretary at the time. Existing bonds of Argentina were exchanged...

Coffee Up Productivity Flat You may have taken notice in the coffee aisle at the supermarket that the essential has spiked in price recently. The cup of Joe on the go will be increasing commensurately. The conflicting news is that Starbucks stock is not climbing along...

Most reasonable people are ardent supporters of reducing and eliminating crime and lawlessness. That is why on its face it may make good sense to send in the National Guard to assist the police in the District of Columbia in their effort to reduce crime. According to...