Currencies rebound VS the dollar…Aussie and kiwi lead the currencies higher…Data and Central Bank speeches today…Gold rebounds back to $1,000! And Now… Today’s Pfennig!

The inflation/deflation debate is hot… It crackles and pops like a pine fire. But it gives off little helpful light. Abe Lincoln may have read by the light of an open fire. But when we tried it, we singed our eyebrows. It made us suspicious of Old Abe; maybe he wasn’t quite as truthful as he pretended to be. Later, we realized he was a mountebank. But that’s another story…

Even as investors get more and more bullish about the outlook for the U.S. economy, the economy’s underlying foundation continues to erode.

What comes after a trillion? Inflation…and lots of it. Just about one year ago, in the May 8, 2008 edition of the Rude Awakening, your editors asked, “What comes after a trillion?” Today we know the answer: two trillion…and then three…and then four.

I heard comedian Drew Hastings on the radio the other morning.  Actually, I should say I heard Drew’s alter ego Jack Freeman on the radio the other morning.  Drew does a parody of success gurus with the character of Jack Freeman. 

We are in the early stages of a long and deep recession, says Adam Lass. But that doesn’t mean savvy investors can’t make a profit. Rising unemployment and underfunded local governments is a recipe for crime in urban areas. And that means big business for companies in the self-protection industry. Adam says TASER International (Nasdaq:TASR) stock could triple in the next 18-24 months.

Following an historic election, we take a moment to examine just what an Obama presidency will mean to the United States – what we have to look forward to, and how he will deal with our current financial crisis. And according Jim Davidson, some of the numbers just don’t add up.