[palmer]

Things ain’t never been the same.

They are the same. We papered over the paper. The big banks were propped up and the economy stagnated by the credit crunch. Low rates and a large balance sheet also leads to stagnation because nobody trusts the dollar over the long run so nobody wants to make a long term investment (e.g. manufacturing) Instead all the investment goes from one momentum stock into another. Junky speculation like Bitcoin and Pot. Doesn't help the economy.

[RoosterRedux]

Currently the big banks (BAC, WFE, MS, STI) are forecasting full year growth in earnings (FYF) of around 9% on average. And the S&P Financial Broad Market Index forecasts earnings growth for next year of 13.29% (per Schwab.com).

Think about that...13.29% growth in earnings.

The fact that the financial BMI is higher than that of the big banks indicates regional banks are growing faster than the big ones.

And the economy is growing nicely and corporate expansion (particularly in manufacturing) is creating new jobs that are hard to fill. To fill them, companies are hiring and training high school kids and ex-cons in programs that are promising.

Chin up.

[SaveFerris]

[We papered over the paper.]

Oh, I agree. But I was better off before we papered over paper.