A World Recession Until 2018? Just Ask Japan

| December 12, 2010

Looks like we’re in a real pickle, if we try to borrow our way out of this mess, then the dollar will plunge, and if we go the austerity route-we have another World recession.  Who would know better then Japan!  They say “The world is set for a long-term structural slump reminiscent of the 1870s”…..The reason for the slowdown? […]

The U.S. Fed’s Worst Nightmare!

| December 9, 2010

The Federal Reserves’s worst nightmare has just come true. Representative Ron Paul, Texas Republican and author of “End the Fed,” will take control of the House subcommittee that oversees the Federal Reserve. House Financial Services chairman-elect Spencer Bachus, an Alabama Republican, selected Paul, 75, to lead the panel’s domestic monetary policy subcommittee when their party […]

Fed Releases Z1 Statement…..Wealth Report

| December 9, 2010

From the looks of this, it understates the actual wealth loss by about 2-4% This from todays Federal Reserve Z1 report……”business debt increased to an all time record high of $7,351 billion, an $82 billion increase in the quarter”…..so yes I know corporate cash is very high, but so is corporate debt…….they’re borrowing to put cash on […]

Interest Rates Rising…Uh Hmm!

| December 9, 2010

Unintended Consequences Chris Verrone over at Strategas points out that the recent sell off in treasuries was “the second largest 2 day sell off in 50 years.”  A move by the 10 year to 3.50% could have serious consequences.  We’re getting dangerously close.

Wonder Why There Is No Inflation?

| December 7, 2010

Here is the real reason that the old folks get no cost of living increase for Social Security……Inflation data relies heavily on housing prices and removes food and energy costs.  No kidding!  Ah, but Congress gave themselves a raise this year, I guess they looked at it the other way around. U.S. government inflation data is “a […]

Excerpts Of The Ben Bernanke CBS “60 Minutes” Interview

| December 5, 2010

Here are a couple of zinggers…..Ben Bernanke: Economic recovery is very close to not being self-sustaining…..Anyone surprised on this one? …….and……We’re looking at ten, 15, 20 years from now, a situation where almost the entire federal budget will be spent on Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and interest on the debt. There won’t be any money left for the military […]

Is China Our Friend Or A Foe?

| December 5, 2010

Sounds like the United States had better re-assess its relationship with China……The situation becomes even more interesting with China owning so much of the United States debt (bonds).  Oh, that’s right, we can’t…..nobody else will buy our debt. “Patriotic hackers” backed by Chinese authorities conducted extensive computer hacking on U.S. government agencies and companies, including computer networks of […]

Government Debt Hot Spot Chart

| December 4, 2010

www.zerohedge.com

Thinking the Unthinkable

| December 3, 2010

Thinking the Unthinkable By Bill Bonner   This week, like the last one, was dominated by euro babel. Speaking in their various tongues, all at once, Europeans were talking nonsense. Especially Jose-Ignacio Torreblanca. The senior fellow at the European Council of Foreign Relations begins: “in an ideal world,” he says it is “fair and rational” for […]

The 12 American States With Highest Borrowing Risk

| December 2, 2010

A holder of a bond may “buy protection” to hedge its risk of default.  In its simplest form, a credit default swap is a bilateral contract between the buyer and seller of protection. The CDS will refer to a “reference entity” or “reference obligor”, usually a corporation or government. The reference entity is not a […]

S&P Says ‘Wave Of Defaults’ Expected In 2012 As Interest Rates Rise

| December 2, 2010

That’s why they call these types of high yield high risk bonds ,” Junk Bonds”……  High-yield, or junk, debt is rated below BBB- by S&P and an equivalent Baa3 by Moody’s Investors Service. So the governments of the world take interest rates down to current ultra low levels and leave them there for a prolonged period, forcing […]

Fed Released Details Of Its Emergency Lending (To Save The World) In 2007

| December 1, 2010

Under orders from Congress pursuant to the Dodd-Frank financial legislation, the Fed has finally released details of its emergency lending starting in 2007. Huffington Post is providing an excellent live-blogging round up as new discoveries are made from the Fed’s data release. Here are some of the more interesting insights: Mutual funds, hedge funds and […]

Pension Shortfall Widens Even With The S&P Rising

| November 25, 2010

Inquiring minds want to know….how do we ever close this gap! Corporate pensions in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index with about $1 trillion in assets are now 77 percent funded this year, down from 82 percent at the end of 2009.  The $380 billion pension shortfall is the biggest since at least 1994, according to […]

European Bailout…..Digging A Deep Hole With More Debt!

| November 24, 2010

It seems that the European bailout buck will stop with Portugal unless more money is added (it will be).  When Europe created the EFSF it did not think it would need to serially bail out everyone.  But now the EFSF needs more money to cover a bailout of Spain, and then what about Italy?  Inquiring minds want to know! […]

Mortgage Rates Are On The Rise

| November 18, 2010

Home-mortgage rates surged to their highest level in three months, showing implications of the recent spike in Treasury yields and causing another headache for the Fed. The rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.39% last week, according to Freddie Mac, up from a record-low 4.17% the week before. Rates on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages were 3.76%, up […]

Former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin’s Bold Warning To The U.S. Fed

| November 18, 2010

If this happens, there will be no winners.  Interest rates would rise rapidly, real estate would see a new leg down (bigger then anyone thought possible) and stock and commodity markets across the globe would implode!    Robert Rubin: “U.S. In Terribly Dangerous Territory,” Bond Market May Be Headed For “Implosion”   Aaron Task  Warning of the risk […]

Prime U.S. Mortgage Foreclosures Rise to Record

| November 18, 2010

Prime means the top qualified and most credit worthy people, the highest rated and least likely to default. Foreclosures on prime fixed-rate mortgages in the U.S. jumped to a record in the third quarter as unemployment strained household budgets of the most credit worthy borrowers. Homeowners are falling behind on their mortgage payments as job cuts […]

John Mauldin’s Latest “Outside The Box” E-Letter

| November 16, 2010

John Mauldin Reviews Gary Shilling’s Brand New Book,   The Age of Deleveraging: Investment Strategies For A Decade Of Slow Growth And Deflation.  Some of his opinions are covered below. Roadblocks on the deleveraging highway may include a crisis in U.S. commercial real estate (Chart 5) that could exceed the earlier one in housing. Then there’s a possible […]

State Attorney Generals And Banks Prepare Settlement

| November 16, 2010

CNBC’s Diana Olick reports that the investigation into the biggest financial fraud in recent history is about to be closed.  State AGs are nearing a settlement with banks, which will slap a few wrists, see banks put some money in a settlement fund, and will result in some principal reductions.  Then everything will be well again.  Oh, and banker […]

The Day Of Reckoning For State Governments

| November 16, 2010

It looks like the day of reckoning is close at hand for state governments. Illinois faces a deficit for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2011, that could reach $15 billion—more than half the state’s general-fund budget.  California faces a deficit next year of $25.4 billion, twice the size of previous forecasts and California Gov. […]

Troubled California Begins $14 Billion Bond Sale….For Some, Hope Springs Eternal!

| November 15, 2010

The rate will tell the story. If the rate is reasonable then it is illogical. If it is illogical then QE  (Quantitative Easing) has started to bail out states.             Jim Sinclair This two-part sale of so-called revenue anticipation notes (Rans) allows California to bridge the gap to its tax season in the spring…… Hopefully!   Notice […]

European Central Bank Heading Down A Dark Road

| November 15, 2010

Europe Stumbles Blindly Towards Its 1931 Moment By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard  Nov 15, 2010 Unless the ECB takes fast and dramatic action, it risks destroying the currency it is paid to manage, and allowing a political catastrophe to unfold in Europe. If mishandled, Ireland could all too easily become a sovereign version of Credit Anstalt – […]

Swaps Backfire, Here Is The Front Runner To Another Gigantic OTC Derivative Credit Default Swaps Wipe Out, The Only Question Is How Long Before It Gets Out Of Hand

| November 13, 2010

This is peanuts compared to what the OTC derivative credit default swaps are going to cost. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, U.S. cities saw their general fund revenue fall the most since at least 1986 in the budget year that ended June 30, according to the National League of Cities.   States now face […]

California’s Schwarzenegger Declares Fiscal Emergency

| November 13, 2010

It’s the rainy season in California…..Schwarzenegger Declares Emergency, Calls Special Budget Session November 12, 2010 By Michael B. Marois Nov. 12 (Bloomberg) — California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, citing a $25.4 billion budget gap over the next 19 months, declared a fiscal emergency and called lawmakers to a special session next month to begin dealing with […]

FDIC Approves Temporary Unlimited Deposit Insurance Coverage For Noninterest-Bearing Transaction Accounts

| November 9, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  November 9, 2010 The Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) today approved a final rule to implement section 343 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act). Section 343 provides temporary unlimited coverage for noninterest-bearing transaction accounts. This separate coverage will become effective on […]

El-Erian Of PIMCO (Worlds Largest Bond Fund Manager) Warns QE2 May Backfire, Sees QE3 Coming Soon

| November 3, 2010

Given the high market expectations, the US Federal Reserve had no choice but to announce a second tranche of quantitative easing, nicknamed QE2. But the measure is an inevitably blunt instrument for the difficult task of restoring growth and generating jobs. The benefits accruing to America come with burdens for other countries, and both could […]

WSJ Says 107 Months to Clear Banks’ Housing Backlog.

| October 30, 2010

This article from the Wall Street Journal:    No matter how you slice it, the housing market faces almost nine years of foreclosure hangover.  That means materially lower prices are likely from here with a chance we fall off a cliff when (not if) the next economic dislocation shows up.  October 30, 2010   By Mark Whitehouse 107:  Is […]

Credit Scores: 720 Becomes The New 680

| October 19, 2010

Card Sharp by AnnaMaria Andriotis Until recently, a credit score of 680 was meaningfull. It meant you paid most of your bills on time, got dinged a little when you went shopping for a refi, but in general you were solid enough to get a loan at the best rates. Not anymore. That 680 is firmly […]

Cumberland Associates Commentary…Treasury Dept. And Small Business

| October 14, 2010

By Bill Dunkelberg October 14, 2011 Dr. William Dunkelberg is the Chief Economist of the National Federation of Independent Business. The Treasury Department has just announced a new program to encourage lending to small businesses, the State Small Business Credit Initiative.  Selected states can access the $1.5 billion fund if they can demonstrate that each […]

Pimco’s El-Erian Ecries ‘Privatization Of Massive Gains And Socialization Of Enormous Losses’

| October 12, 2010

Words of a wise man,  pay attention everyone!   By Bloomberg News October 12, 2010 Advanced economies risk a lost decade unless policy makers recognize the severity of the wounds left by the financial crisis, said Mohamed El-Erian, chief executive officer of Pacific Investment Management Co. El-Erian, who popularized the phrase new normal to describe how […]

No Social Security Increase In 2011 For 58 Million Americans

| October 11, 2010

Retired folks are now getting liitle or no interest on their savings (if they have anything left) and now this happens to them!  For many older people, every little bit matters.  It really looks to this observer as if our government is out of touch with reality and favoring the rich. WASHINGTON      As if voters don’t have enough to be […]

Greenspan Says U.S. Fiscal Deficit Is `Scary’

| October 7, 2010

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said the fiscal deficit in the U.S. is “scary” and the government needs to reduce entitlement programs. “We’re involved in a dangerous game,” Greenspan said today at a foreign-exchange conference in New York sponsored by Bloomberg LP, the parent of Bloomberg News. “We’re increasing the debt held by the […]

Home On The Range…..The Mortgage Mess Gets Bigger By The Day

| October 4, 2010

The Mortgage Mess as it affectionately is called seems to be getting new names with each passing day – the latest one is, quite appropriately RoboSigning Scandal  During today’s CNBC Kudlow segment Diana Ollick  confirms various so far unfounded rumors that the government is planning to institute a 90 day foreclosure moratorium as it deals with the […]

Credit Scores…How Important Are They?

| September 29, 2010

People with a credit score below 620 who want a loan were unlikely to receive even one quote, according to real-estate web site Zillow.com, even if they offered a down payment of 15%-25% for a home.  Zillow notes that 29% of Americans have a credit score this low, according to data provided by myFICO.com. “Today’s […]

Harrisburg Hires Lawyers….Considers Bankruptcy Idea

| September 28, 2010

The City Council of Harrisburg, capital of Pennsylvania has voted to hire lawyers to explore bankruptcy protection. The City Council voted 5-2 tonight to seek professional advice on bankruptcy or state oversight. Harrisburg needed state aid to avoid default on $3.3 million of bond payments this month. The city, which has 47,000 residents, and has missed […]

Paul Krugman’s New York Times Op-Ed

| September 27, 2010

It looks like we could have saved the U.S. tax payers a few trillion dollars if the government would have realized the basics of the problems a year and a half ago!  New World Thinking: The government can save everything.  Reality: The government can’t save anything but will try, in the process it will usually make things worse!   Paul Krugman […]

Pushing On A String By John Mauldin

| September 26, 2010

Thoughts from the Frontline Weekly Newsletter  Pushing on a String    by John Mauldin September 24, 2010 In this issue: Pushing on a String Let’s Shift the Focus An Invitation to an Inflation Party Ten Years and Counting This week the Fed altered their end-of-meeting statement by just a few words, but those words have […]

U.S. Saves Major Credit Unions

| September 24, 2010

Two years after the financial crisis, the federal government has stepped in to stabilize a crucial part of the credit-union sector knocked down by losses on subprime mortgages. A summary of an article from the Wall Street Journal is reviewed below. Regulators announced Friday a rescue of the nation’s wholesale credit unions, underpinned by a federal guarantee valued at $30 billion […]

Worldwide Slow Down Is Starting (Again)

| September 23, 2010

This May Be Just The Begining As The Entire World Slows!  It’s A Process…..And It Will Likely Take Time To Totally Unfold.   U.S. Jobless Claims Jump The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits unexpectedly rose by 12,000 to 465,000 last week, as labor weakness persists. Ireland  GDP Drops Unexpectedly Ireland had a surprise decline in its second-quarter […]

The Worst Of All Worlds….Spending On The Rise, And Assets In Demise

| September 22, 2010

Next up….Currency evolved hyper inflation caused by the Fed’s actions to save the world, as the dollar becomes worth much less and commodities without debt attached go vertical (such as food, gold, silver, farm land etc.).   The only real question seems to be when, not if.  In the U.S. we are trying to work through the legacy of accumulating lots […]

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