Blogging about bulls and bears

	Chris Bush '11 launched his blog entitled Economic Equities: Identifying Market Trends this past June.

While interning at Citi Financial Institutions Group this past summer, Chris Bush ’11, an economics major, wanted to find a way to express his interest in the financial world. The Bronxville, N.Y. native, having been inspired by a former Lehigh professor’s online blog, decided to create a Web page of his own.
His blog, Economic Equities: Identifying Market Trends, was officially launched in June and addresses a broad scope of financial matters on a weekly basis. One of Bush’s main reasons for starting the blog was to facilitate his thinking and sharpen his own theories surrounding economics. He says that because his opinions are publicized, he makes sure to spend time contemplating and fine-tuning his arguments.
The blog is intended to be an open forum for discussion and readers are given the opportunity to share their own questions, comments and opinions.
Blogging has given Bush a different perspective on the media’s coverage of the economy and he wants his page to be a place where visitors can find credible information.
“So much of what we see in the media is selected, biased or just not accurate, and my blog lets people discuss and explore ideas that might not be the most popular in all of the newspapers,” he says.
Bush has found that the blog enhances his overall academic experience and further strengthens his understanding of economics. He is constantly integrating his education into his posts and notices many parallels in the subject material. He believes that the blog contributes not only to his major but to his minor in psychology as well.
“Blogging has helped me realize the connection between economics and psychology. I think that behavioral economics is going to be a big field in the future. The more understanding we have of human behavior and emotions, the more effectively we could approach financial issues,” Bush says.
Bush does a great deal of research when composing his blog entries, and as a result, he feels more prepared to discuss the current financial crisis and offer his own analysis of the U.S. economy.
“My blog has definitely helped me a lot when trying to make sense of the fluctuations and patterns of our economy. Because I write about these issues, I am constantly exposed to the market and these concepts have become like a second language to me,” he says.
Economic Equities, which includes references to other blogs, news sites and recommended readings, also details Bush’s own seven-point investment strategy as well as a list of stocks in which he is interested. With all of these suggestions, Bush feels confident that his blog is a valuable resource for students and those wanting to learn more about economics.
James Dearden, chair of the economics department at Lehigh’s College of Business and Economics, agrees.
“Not only is Chris’s personal analysis interesting, but using hyperlinks, he points readers to important perspectives of well-informed experts,” Dearden says.
Bush, who would consider working for the Federal Reserve if given the chance after graduation, recently did a post about the proposed tax plans of John McCain and President-Elect Barack Obama, and says that some of his future posts will be about the recent presidential election.
“Going forward, it will be very interesting to see what happens with our economy in the next few years as political momentum shifts,” he says.
--Ilana Rachel Bornstein