Jobs Stimulus

The economy's new focus is Jobs
(That's Steve - not you poor working slobs),
Who's enthralled every geek
With a tablet so sleek
Without keys, buttons, trackballs or knobs.

Ben's Close Call

It's confirmed, though many were doubting:
The Fed Chair gets one more four-year outing -
Though the thought of Bernanke
Makes many so cranky,
Both socialists and Birchers are pouting.

No Change from the Fed

To the Fed Open Market Committee,
The economy still isn't pretty;
When the job market's strong, 
They'll sing a new song, 
But for now, it's the same low-rate ditty.

State of the Union

Said the President, wagging a finger,
"Unemployment no longer may linger.
So, to send a jobs bill
To my desk from the Hill
Is the task of each left- and right-winger."

Henrique Keeps It Real

"Look upon me and be jealous,"
Says Brazil's central banker, Meirelles;
"Down here in the South,
We don't live hand to mouth -
We're net dollar creditors, fellas."

No Sure Footing on the Summit

At the annual forum in Davos,
US policymakers are nervous;
In the crisis at hand,
There's no pent-up demand
To be pressed into crash-ending service.

The Volcker Rule

Paul Volcker, grimacing glumly,
Says, "You banks should behave yourselves humbly.
While taking TARP funding,
Please put aside plund'ring,
And paying your people so plumly."

What Can Be Done

An earthquake that bruises and batters
Left Haiti in ruins and tatters,
So this is the time,
In prose and in rhyme,
For the economics that really matters.

A Barren Economy

A chap of the financial punditry
Noticed Latvia's falling fecundity;
Seems the nation's net worth
Correlates with live births,
Wherein lie the seeds of profundity.

A Phoenix?

Post-disaster, development flashes
Where the vision, desire and cash is;
Now, what will it take
When they've cleaned up the quake,
So that Haiti can rise from the ashes?

Fed Chairman's Term Up Jan. 31

If his Senate confirmation's postponed,
Then Bernanke is out on his own;
So who'll run the joint?
That's really the point:
The Head of the Fed will be Kohn.

The Wisdom of Inmate 61727054

Bernie Madoff, ensconced in the can,
With many a rapturous new fan,
When asked to explain
His felonious reign,
Said, "I count on the ignorance of man."

Thanks to Ms. Ann Gianchandani of Frigate Bay, St. Kitts, for today's keyword: "the ignorance of man."

A Drop in the Bucket

Said Bernanke to Geithner, "I'm phonin' in
To say profits from TARP keep on rollin' in;
Here's 46 billion."
Said Tim, "Thanks a million!
So tell me: is Uncle Sam whole agin?"

Keyword: Bloviate

Jim Cramer, in mid-bloviation,
Once touted Bear Stearns' valuation;
That bet soon went bad,
Which made many so mad
That they threatened Jim's defenestration.

Thanks to Lora Hinson Fredericksen of Charlotte NC for today's keyword!

A Congressional Inquiry

A Wall Street CEO delegation
Faced a government investigation;
The committee averred,
"If we take your own word,
You sold faulty pre-owned transportation."

The New Number One

In Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu,
There's a ride for each Tang, Deng and Hu;
No more the old order -
The world's top exporter
Is the world's biggest car market, too.

Job Growth

"To grow jobs," Larry Summers explains,
"One must tolerate some fiscal strains;
Those tender green seedlings
Need less Milton Friedman,
And a little more John Maynard Keynes."

The Four Seasons

Larry Summers admits: "I recall,
We were still losing jobs in the Fall;
Mid the Wintery snows,
Job hemorrhaging slows -
We'll have growth in the Spring (if at all)."

A Risk Concentration You Can Live In

"Your house," says the Fed's Karen Pence,
"As an investment, makes little sense;
With your eggs in one basket,
You can't really ask it
To play a bear market defense."

WSJ: Economists are Cheapskates

Said the skinflint economist, Betts,
"To the conference we'll send our regrets."
Said her mate, "What's the reason?
The rates are off-season."
Said Betts: "If they'll pay for it, let's."

Will Insurance Solve the Problem?

Not to traffic with health reform cynics,
But the US needs more than just gimmicks;
We must also address
Why our health's in distress -
What we lack's not just access to clinics.

(Tip of the hat to Brett Hellerman of Norfolk Markets for his monthly commentary)

Ben Lays the Blame

Said Bernanke, "It's not of my station
To answer for asset inflation;
Though I may let rates double
To burst the next bubble,
The real cause is lax regulation."

Conspiracy Theory

In the "Lost Decade" of the Aughts,
Some detected the dark hand of plots;
How else to explain
Our division in twain,
To a nation of haves and have-nots?

Another Market Gone Flat

French consumers are now rather fond
Of the laws of supply and demande;
With wealth so deflating,
There's less celebrating,
Thus lowering the price of Champagne.

The Lost Decade

The Aughts, one can say with veracity,
Were a decade of financial laxity,
Which is what you will get
If you go into debt
Without building productive capacity.