Business

When last we checked in on Norway, we outlined what we called the country’s “currency conundrum.”

In recent weeks, status-quo maintainers have pointed to The Atlanta Fed's GDPNow forecast's resurgence as evidence that the market is just being irrational and that everything is awesome after all. Since we first brought the world's attention to this real-time forecast of US economic growth it has become closely-watched by all...

At 1600bps, the extra yield investors are demanding to take on US energy credit risk has never been higher. However, if a new report from Deloitte proves true, this is far from enough as they forecast roughly a third of oil producers are at high risk of slipping into bankruptcy this year as low commodity prices crimp their access to cash and ability to cut debt.

Record high US Energy credit risk...

Submitted by Lance Roberts via RealInvestmentAdvice.com,

Individuals are consistently promised that investing in the financial markets is the only way to financial success. After all, it’s so easy. Financial pundits across the country state the one simply buys a basket of mutual funds and they will make 8, 10 or 12% a year.

On a nominal basis, it is true that if one bought an index and held it for 20-years, they would have made money. Unfortunately, for most, it has not worked out that way.

Well another day, another horrible piece of economic data out of Brazil.

Core retail sales in South America’s most important economy slid 2.7% M/M in December, erasing a meager gain the country eked out in November when the numbers got a boost from promotions.

Broad retail sales, meanwhile, declined 0.9% marking the eleventh decline in thirteen months. They’re now off more than 16% since peaking in August of 2012.