Has Gold Jumped the Shark? - Rodney Johnson / HSDent (11/16/11)

For those of us who grew up with the TV sitcom Happy Days, there was an episode of the show that marked the end of the series long before it went off the air.  The episode involved the gang heading to California and while there the Fonz ended up water skiing and jumping over a shark.  The episode was so outlandish and flat that it was immortalized in the world of television.  Whenever a series runs an episode that is an unwitting spoof of itself and shows all the creativity and energy of the show is gone, it is called “jumping the shark.”

It's Not All Gloom and Doom - Howard Voyles / HosuingMatrix.com

Michael Santoli of Barron’s points out the following promising developments:

The U.S. corporate-credit market has remained wide open for business. New issuance has surged in response to heavy demand by cash-heavy, stability-seeking investors, and interest-rate spreads have remained tame. This wouldn't last through a sovereign-debt meltdown, but for now implies some resistance here against debt contagion.

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Austerity - Give Me More of Your Stuff - Rodney Johnson

The Greeks have passed umpteen austerity measures, the Italians are working on another, the Portuguese had to have such measures to get their bailout funds, and the French just passed their second round in a year.  If you’re wondering when we’ll get around to it here in the US don’t worry, you won’t have to wait long, and you won’t like it.