THE IRRITATED AMERICAN One photo, however excellent, cannot communicate the radiant sparkle in my eyes--or my dazzling typing speed. (Photo credit: themadisonmisnomer) Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. They call me Preston Clive--I shall be hunkering down here in the WhoTrades Galaxy with my digital typewriter among all of you passionate economists, traders-financiers, and hardcore geeks for politics and social issues. Although I will of course be dealing with the world of economics, I'll be hugely focused on the larger issues that drive that economic world. For, we must admit-- sure, the world of stocks, fluctuating oil prices, long and short term treasury yields, the foreign exchange market, mortgage rate upticks and down-ticks driving Fannie and Freddie, and so on . . . all of these are more are less interesting in and of themselves, but what is far more important is the pulsating world of human action around these vehicles: the people, the politics, the conflicts and the events that nudge the financial world up and down each and every day. A stock would sit there limp and useless if it weren't connected to a company of homo sapiens with belief and opinion, yelling on the phone, firing off searing emails, lurching to and fro, desperately trying to make the company work. That company wouldn't be compelling if it's goods, services and individuals didn't collide--accidentally and on purpose--with other companies and their goods and services. Not to mention all the politics that regulate them. It's a world of intense drama--this naturally follows, since those who make their daily bones in this hi-stakes world of finance have an awful lot lot lot lotta lot at stake. It's this huge depth of personal human and financial investment that blinds individuals to the repercussions of their collective actions on the society in which they live, especially over time in the long term. This, and many more subjects, will constitute the focus of this blog, which (as you can already can see) runs under the byline of The Irritated American. Lastly if you feel I'm wildly off the mark on any subject, don't hesitate to conk me over the head and blast me in the comments. I'm not averse to rolling up the sleeves and batting the tennis ball of opinion to and fro. Pleased to make your acquaintance! Preston Clive 1/8/2015***