June 2008

As we get ready for another grueling weak in the markets, one can see that market risk is high. Weekends are always a time of great nerves because there are no trades to validate or question one's market view. However, this weekend is…

A friend from the UK visited me at the weekend last week. As we drove by the local Exxon, and he spotted the $4.30 marker for regular unleaded, he commented "Petrol is cheap here." Really?Well, in the UK, he said he was paying £1.40 a…

I am running a small poll on my site on how far home prices will fall. I'd like everyone to take it to get a good sample of opinions out there. Visit my site and you'll see the poll right at the top right on the sidebar.Where are prices…

Last Monday, I warned of the ill effects that flooding would have on our pocketbooks in the post Floods increase the chances of inflation. Unfortunately, we have seen renewed flooding in the Midwest this week as well. The total impact…

Now that it's come to light that Barclays went hat in hand to Japan to recoup some of the losses from its credit writedowns, one begins to understand that the Japanese banks are in a much better position today than their western…

Interesting post on Goldmans in the Guardian today. In the aftermath of another stellar quarter from the investment bank, the Guardian is asking "how does Goldman Sachs do it?" Their conclusion is that its a mix of good risk management…

The Times of London says that holiday tour operators in the UK are sensing a shift in consumer behaviour because of the credit crunch. Just as the holiday season is getting under way, the strains are clear. Operators are preparing for…

The following are the links regarding the global credit crunch that have been recently added to the Credit Crisis Timeline. The full timeline is accessible here2008 06 09 Lehman Brothers to post $3 bln loss; sets $6 bln stock sale2008 06 09…

Banco Santander, to date, has looked very robust as a financial institution in weathering the credit crisis. Despite significant exposure to bubble markets Spain and the UK, the company has not been required to write down a large amount of…

The word on the street is that Lloyd's TSB, one of the major British banks not hit hard by the mortgage crisis, may be considering a bid for Germany's Dresdner Bank, now owned by the insurance company Allianz. If this sale does in fact…