Welcome Back!

Welcome to the Fall 2010 semester.

This blog will have postings throughout the semester -- my way of communicating important information to you when we are not meeting as a class. Check in on the days after class meets, especially on weekends.

The past few years have been dominated by a severe financial crisis and a global recession. The recession was so severe (believed to be the worst since the Depression) that it took on a name: "The Great Recession." This semester, growth remains a major concern, as there is considerable debate about whether or not the national economic recovery will falter, moving us to a "double dip recession." Whether or not this occurs, credit market weakness (ongoing credit problems and further after-effects of sub-prime mortgages) continues too be important, as is the behavior of future price change (are we closer to inflation or deflation?). The Fed can no longer lower the fed funds rate, as it is currently at (or near) 0. What do they do if things weaken? We will discuss this.

By semester's end, you will come to understand that all of the factors we will be discussing throughout this semester are interrelated. And, as the semester unfolds, you will observe the collective actions of the world's central banks, and whether their prior assessments prove to be correct.

For now, read all of Stikki Stock Charts for next Thursday and visit the web site: StockCharts.com. On the online syllabus I have added introductory material that will assist you in using that web site (we will be referring to it all semester).

If you have any questions throughout the semester, don't hesitate to e-mail me (llardaro@uri.edu) and/or stop by my office, Chafee 804. DO NOT LEAVE PHONE MESSAGES!!

Finally, if during the semester, you want to research the entire set of blog posts on a specific topic, click on its label beyond a particular post. The result will be a view of all of the posts that include that word as a label.