The House version of a Health Care overhaul bill will not stand up well in the August heat. It makes for scary reading and if the powers that be could have muscled it through it wouldn't be hanging in the wind for all of us to take shots at it. But there it is and it makes for head scratching moments. My friend, Sydney Williams, who writes one of the best investment letters I get to read, passed along some highlights that were extracted by a buddy of his, Peter Fleckenstein.    Read More

"But I've said nothing so far. And I can keep it up for as long as it takes And it don't matter who you are If I'm doing my job then its your resolve that breaks Because the hook brings you back" (Blues Traveler; "Hook").    Read More

When I first heard the $1 Billion set aside by the Federal government for the "Cash for Clunkers" program was about to run out, I chuckled and thought, "well that didn't take long." It also has brought up a question as to whether or not the quick evaporation of money means the public is ready to buy cars and trucks again, or if this is a one time "flash point" of demand sparked by Federal money. My gut says it's the latter.    Read More

In an exclusive interview, we obtained new details from the renown economist that started the chatter about a second stimulus.   Read More

Well, of one thing I am certain—fiscal drag will offset monetary stimulus, and the result will be a torpid economy—with high unemployment and anemic growth. Hopefully, the Senate will be able to muscle enough change in the pending legislation to marginalize the economic drain, but I am not optimistic about that.    Read More

When you throw in a short-armed consumer and the massive deleveraging of both households and businesses, an ugly fiscal picture begins to take shape with deficits exploding beyond the already huge projections put forth by the White House.   Read More

The recovery in general is spotty. I believe it is underway, but "less-bad" news is losing its ability to inspire stock-buyers. The recession is over, in my mind, but the nature of the recovery is still to be determined.   Read More

There is a sentence in the new financial regulatory proposal that has me out of my seat. It says, "We also propose that the Federal Reserve Board receive prior written approval from the Secretary of the Treasury for emergency lending under its 'unusual and exigent circumstances' authority."    Read More

New U.S. jobless claims fell for a third straight week last week; productivity rose 1.6 percent. What does this herald for the stock markets? Art Cashin, UBS Financial Services director of floor operations, offered his insights to CNBC.   Read More