BEST COMPLIMENT EVER!!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, the Captain has just received what he deems to be LITERALLY the best compliment he has ever received;

"You're like an evil Cary Grant."

Yes, yes I am.

Yeah, Right, "Poor"

I love these charts! Thanks to Dr. Bob for forwarding the info.

Remember these charts when it comes to tax season and the next time some one says the rich doesn't pay their fair share.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

I would have thought Latin America would be poorly ranked.

Would be curious to see how tropical temperatures and climes affect this.

Never Has So Much Poverty Been Eradicated by the Production of So Much Wealth Made By So Many

You just got got to be amazed with China. Europe gets all giggity giggity when they have positive economic growth, we stroke our beards here in the US when he exceed 3%. China feels bad if it falls below 8%.

The Museum of Communism

This was sent to me a while ago, never got around to posting it.

But I love it. The Museum of Communism, right next to the McDonald's and casino.

It again points out something I've always said;

Capitalism isn't an option. It's reality. It's whether a people or a country wants to live in reality or try to ignore it to their economic demise.

http://www.muzeumkomunismu.cz/eng_find_us.html

How the Brits Will Stop the Housing Crash

Normally if somebody came up to me and said, "hey I want to build some condos in Florida, what do you think?"

I'd say, "Go to the credit unions. They're wanna-be banks, and stupid enough to loan the money to you."

However, I have to hat tip it to some savvy developers who realized while demand in America for American property is all but satiated, demand for American property by FOREIGNERS is not.

Particularly the British.

Brits, generally like America. They speak the same language. We're from the same stock and they do vacation here. And well-to-do Brits who make the jump to the US are starting to demand a "cabin" in the colonies.

But there are two things playing to their advantage;

1. The Pound has increased 20% against the Dollar in the past 5 years making US property more affordable

2. (And although I don't have this confirm) the British are allowed to withdraw, tax and penalty free, a certain percent of their pension for other investments. Property in the US presumably qualifies.

This, no doubt, would be viewed by most overleveraged Americans as a good thing as this additional demand would increase the value of their homes.

My question is how many of those same Americans ignorantly blather on about the horrible evils of globalization.

The Baby Boomers' Worst Nightmare

There are examples throughout stock market history of the stock market experiencing 20 year dry spells where after 20 years the market didn't do much but break even.

The "Nifty Fifty" is a perfect example where back in the 50's and 60's if you invested in the (I think) top 50 companies in the US then "nothing could go wrong." Of course, if you invested in 1965, then you would have had to wait until Reagan started turning the economy and market around in 1983 to break even.

Such a fear, a prolonged spell of 0 or perhaps negative returns haunts the baby boomers as they're approaching and some entering retirement. Used to the roughly 12% annual returns stocks provided over the past 20 years (driven primarily by them flooding the market with their retirement dollars), if such a spell were to hit now, their entire retirement plan would fly out the window.

Thus, it was an honorable chart says I when I happened upon this little ditty a couple days ago.

Have you switched to fixed income yet?

Soon, there will be No Private Sector

Mike Hodges over at the Grandfather Report is kind of one of the original inspirations of Captain Capitalism because during my research previous to the blogging days I would happen across his site A LOT whenst looking for particular data. He is the Yoda if you will of charting. So when I happened upon this chart it was no surprise to me that it was authored by Mr. Hodges and warrants posting.

Sadly this is a trend all of the western world is in and soon there will be no private sector.

Another Horrible Stock Tip from Captain Capitalism

As you all know instead of going on with lengthy legal disclaimers about investing if I wish to talk about investing, I opt instead to pick the WORST STOCKS POSSIBLE and then beg and plead with you not to invest in them because;

1. They are highly speculative.
2. They are highly risky.
3. You are pretty much guaranteed to lose any money you throw into them.
4. Only single people with no children and a rich uncle can afford to invest in these stocks.
5. You will contract ebola if you do.
6. You will have obese children should you procreate.
7. Hilary Clinton will become president.

But no, you idiots and morons out there are not going to heed my warning and still insist on losing all your money just like I'm about to with this stock.

The stock?

GOVX.

Shouldn't be too big a surprise, it was on Drudge a couple days back. They claim they are attempting to make a vaccine for the HIV virus. I say "claim" because no doubt they're probably taking all their capital and spending it all on styrafoam shrubs. And hey, ain't that just like me? I always pick the loser stocks.

So please, whatever you do,

DO NOT INVEST IN GOVX!

PLAGUE, FAMINE AND CARROT TOP WILL ENSUE!

A POX UPON YOUR FAMILY AND GENERATIONS TO COME!

THE MACARENA WILL RETURN!

AND THE IRISH WILL DANCE TO IT!

AND THE BRITS WILL COOK

AND THE FRENCH WILL FIGHT!!!

DOGS AND CATS LIVING TOGETHER! MASS HYSTERIA!!!

All because you were foolish enough to invest in this never-to-be-profitable venture.

What's Wrong with this Picture?

So I saw this on Fox News and I highlighted something I found odd.

So aspiring and/or junior deputy economists, anybody want to tell me what the REAL problem here is?

Hint - It's not the fact some child who should be too young to know what crack is brought it to school for show and tell.

Thank the Chinese and the Arabs for Your High House Prices

What I find interesting is that, presumably, people that are much higher ranked than me, with much higher offices and fancier cars are paid the big time bookoo bucks to know more than I do.

Which I find interesting because usually I'm explaining to them that one cannot just look at the US and expect to find the reason why we had this housing bubble form. Sure they say, "well, interest rates are at historic lows." I even remember somebody saying, "we don't have to worry about interest rates because the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates to keep the economy going" because he didn't know that the Federal Reserve only controls the Federal Funds Rate, not the 30 year conventional mortgage rate. None of them know there's an international component to the housing bubble formula. None of them know the relationship China (and to a lesser extent) Arab nations have with our housing prices.

The short of it is that China and various Arab nations have effectively muted the "crowding out effect." Meaning, traditionally if the government ran large deficits (which it has under Bush Jr.) this meant the US government would have to borrow money from the markets to finance its expenditures, leaving less money to be loaned out to the private sector. This drove up interest rates as the supply of loanable dollars shrank. Normally this would then put a dampening effect on housing prices as people would not be able to borrow as much money at such high interest rates and therefore demand for housing would go down.

However, this assumes the US operates completely on its own, innoculated from the rest of the world....which it doesn't.

China, flush with cash from selling all of its wares to us, and Middle Eastern nations flush with cash from selling all of their oil to us (at very high prices) have been taking their proceeds and buying a larger and larger share of US government debt. This means the government doesn't have to come to US citizens to borrow the money and ensures the debt markets are flush with loanable dollars keeping interest rates at historic lows despite large government deficits.

Of course, the problem is what if China and the Arab nations get their fill of US government bonds and decide to stop loaning the US trillions of dollars? This would drive up interest rates and then put further downward pressure on our already deflating housing market.

Good thing they haven't started doing that!...Or have they?

They Took 'Ur Jobs! - The Best of Captain Capitalism

Thought this might be a funny one to repost. Sad though.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/09/25/nivf25.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/09/25/ixportaltop.html

To quote one of the commenters on this post "THEY TOOK 'UR JOBS!"

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

To the best Economists in the world!

THE IRISH!

Didn't Get to This

Wanted to talk about this on The Dave Thompson Show last week, but we didn't have time. Won't be back on the air for a while, but wanted to mention it because it is pretty freaking sweet.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,21363226-2,00.html?from=public_rss

Also here;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_Wolves

Reminds me Windtalkers. Unfortunately it was all about Nicolas Cage's "magical Thompson Machine Gun" that managed to hit every enemy and had limitless bullets and less about the Code Talkers calling in coordinates.

Libertarian Economics 101

Every libertarian knows this.

Sadly we seem to be the only people that know this. Wish the chart was more up to date.

The Ultimate Economic Slap in France's Face

All their talented wealth producers are leaving.

But What Do I Know? I'm Just a Caveman

"Caveman Lawyer" was one of my favorite SNL skits. It consisted of Phil Hartmann dressed up as a lawyer who was a caveman. The punch line was that he was a very articulated and intelligent lawyer and would always end his arguments to the jury with, "but then again, what do I know? I'm just a caveman."

Sometimes I feel like Caveman Economist, trying to convince the powers that be that the housing market has got a ways to go. Then my supplier of real estate data hits me up with this;

But then again, what do I know? I'm just a caveman.

10% Tithing?

The chart deals more with the financial troubles the catholic church is running into, but I found one of the charts in the amalgamation particularly interesting (highlighted)

I thought it said in the bible that you should give 10%? I guess religious folk pick and choose which rules to follow.

You're Already Dead Blythe

Ronald Speirs. Shoots one of his own to save the company. Winters backs him up. Nobody thinks about it twice. We need more badasses like him.

The only thing I didn't see in the Wiki entry was his crossing the enemy lines twice whilst breaking out of Bastogne.

Anybody know if that's true?

The Real Slim Shady

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8NRCQE80&show_article=1