Little History session for those who think the US is screwed!

Do you think the US glory days are over or, at a minimum, that we're on the verge of a new downturn?



In his weekly note, Raymond James' Jeff Saut offers up a great batch of history for those who think the US is facing some crisis of historic proportions.

The clock is ticking on China's Cinderella Story!

Everyone knows that when the clock strikes midnight for Cinderella, the carriage turns back into a pumpkin, the horse into mice and the jeweled gown into rags. The spell is broken and reality returns. I keep thinking of China in this context.



One of the big questions of the year is whether China blows up or not. Hard landing or soft? When will the clock strike midnight on the Chinese? Things are slowing down, and it feels like it’s getting late.

10 signs that China is in a bubble

In a recent research note Edward Chancellor of GMO gives us 10 ways to know if you’re in a bubble. He says China just so happens to fit the mold:



1. A growth story that is uncritically accepted.

Here's what your paying for in a gallon of fuel

Five Things You Should Stop Doing in 2012

I recently got back from a month's vacation — the longest I've ever taken, and a shocking indulgence for an American. (Earlier this summer, I was still fretting about how to pull off two weeks unplugged.) The distance, though, helped me hone in on what's actually important to my professional career — and which make-work activities merely provide the illusion of progress. Inspired by HBR blogger Peter Bregman's idea of creating a "to ignore" list , here are the activities I'm going to stop cold turkey in 2012 — and perhaps you should, too.