But we’re not…yet.

Classic economic theory says that money supply can be used to stimulate the economy and our central bankers seem to agree. That’s why they’ve pumped more than $1 trillion dollars into the economy, engineered countless bailout bonanzas for zombie institutions, put Detroit on life support, and delivered a bunch of financial Band-Aids to the trauma ward — all in a desperate bid to make Americans feel better about the global financial crisis.

To their way of thinking, the trillions of dollars have been a success. That’s why any meeting of the Group of Eight (G8) nations looks more like a mutual affection society with central bankers anxious to claim credit and backslap each other in congratulations for having avoided the “Great Depression II.”

But by taking the Federal balance sheet to more than $2 trillion from $928 billion 2008, they’ve created a situation that should have resulted in an epic inflationary spike to accompany the 137% increase in liabilities.

Yet that hasn’t quite happened.

Core inflation — which denotes consumer prices without food and energy costs — has actually decreased from 2.5% in 2008 to 1.5% presently. And that has many investors who have heard the siren call of the doom, gloom and boom crowd wondering if they’re worried about nothing.

So what gives?

Well, there are four reasons we haven’t yet seen hyperinflation:

Click here to continue reading Mr. Fitzgerald’s article.

(Taipan Publishing Group) – Gold, small caps and the U.S. dollar have had a stable three-way relationship for the better part of the 2009 rally. Now the three could be parting ways.

Dr. Marc Faber is one of the few market wise men whose thoughts are worth pondering. His monthly “Gloom, Boom & Doom Report” is always a good read. He is an active, Asia-based investor with decades of experience, hundreds of millions under management, and many prescient calls under his belt.

Faber has stated firmly and clearly what he thinks of the U.S. dollar. As you might expect, his opinion is not too flattering.

In the long run, Faber assigns the buck a value of “zero.” In the manner of all fiat currencies, America’s scrip is slowly being turned into toilet paper. The present cast of clowns in Washington seems bound and determined to accelerate this process as Wall Street cheers them on.

But that’s the long term, mind you. In the shorter term – i.e. for at least the next quarter or so – Faber is bullish on the buck. So bullish, in fact, that he is now on record as a buyer of $USD.

“As of today, I will be long in dollars,” Faber told Bloomberg last week. (Perhaps he is buying from my colleague Adam Lass, who professed on Thursday his intent to remain short.)

Continue reading Justice Litle on Taipan Daily.

Wachovia, one of the largest banks in the US, reported a $.20 per share loss in the first quarter, versus forecasted gains of $.40 share… Quite a reverse of fortunes…

Andrew Snyder says, “You do not think the credit crisis is over just like that? A few weeks of ups and downs, some presses releases, and some rule changes and the economy is fixed. Get real. This mess is just getting started.

For proof, just take a look at one of the nation’s strongest bellwethers, General Electric. To say its earnings announcement this morning was disappointing is an understatement. It is a disaster. When a company with as much economic breadth as GE takes such a surprising hit, it becomes obvious this crisis is impacting more than a handful of banks with shoddy loan practices… The worst is yet to come.”