Links

Often the best research is done independently of the banks and financial companies, which ultimately have their own agenda to follow. How many research department at the Investment Banks predicted the Credit Crunch? How many researchers would be brave enough to mention it even if they did think that Credit Crunch was coming? Not many, let us explain why.

The unofficial rules of the researcher at the bank are the following:

- follow the mainstream view, as its better to be wrong with everyone, than right alone

- avoid extreme views, they always attract too much attention, and risk

- put a buy recommendation on what is going up

- put a sell recommendation on what is going down

It is hence the reason why you will find most of the economic research to be coordinated, and hence often missing the big picture.

Take the current quantitative easing programmes, or the money printing excercises. Everyone knows that it will end with major inflation, just as well as everyone is willing to keep this game playing as there is no other way to solve the current financial difficulties. US will not restructure its national economy, and even when it does it will not be in position to maintain its ever growing debt intererest obligations. Yet very few economists at the major financial institutions will write about this outright, having very little to gain from being right, and a lot to lose from contributing to the financial panic.

In many ways only people from the outside of the industry, and often from the academia are willing to present the views in which they really believe in. Below you will find some of the best research you can get.

Credit Ratings

http://www.tradingeconomics.com/country-list/rating

Outstanding free source of thought and information

http://www.project-syndicate.org/

Paul Krugman

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/

Roubini Global Economics

http://www.roubini.com/

The Golden Truth - Interesting Independent Blog

http://truthingold.blogspot.com/

Damodaran Financial Models

http://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~%20adamodar/