Morning Journal-the new authoritarianism

Economics
This Week’s Data

November consumer credit rose $20.4 billion versus expectations of a $7.6 billion increase.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/consumer-credit-jumps-most-10-years-surge-car-loans

Other

Some perspective on employment (charts):
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2012/01/nonfarm-payrolls/

Global PMI improving (medium):
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2012/01/global-pmi-scorecard-a-turn-for-the-better-led-by-the-u-s-and-china/

Why Bernanke has failed (medium and another must read):
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/guest-post-why-bernanke-has-failed-and-will-continue-fail


Politics

Domestic

The new authoritarianism (medium and today’s must read):
http://www.city-journal.org/2012/eon0106fsjk.html

International War Against Radical Islam

More thoughts Iran and the possibility of a shooting war (medium):
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2012/01/tensions-between-u-s-israeli-british-and-iranian-warships/
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/iaea-confirms-iran-has-started-20-uranium-enrichment

Steve Cook received his education in investments from Harvard, where he earned an MBA, New York University, where he did post graduate work in economics and financial analysis and the CFA Institute, where he earned the Chartered Financial Analysts designation in 1973. His 40 years of investment experience includes institutional portfolio management at Scudder, Stevens and Clark and Bear Stearns. Steve's goal at Strategic Stock Investments is to help other investors build wealth and benefit from the investing lessons he learned the hard way.