July 2008

As the downturn gathers steam, lawsuits against financial firms are going to rise. Below is the latest in lawsuits. The associated WSJ article is available only to subscribers.New York state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is preparing to…

While I don't agree with all the opinions expressed in the articles below, they are all still very good reads. Today, there is a lot more on politics. Warning: some articles may be controversial. Politics Why Jesse Jackson…

Oil at $100? That's certainly my call and I'll stick to it. So far my call of oil peaking at $150 is holding.( We'll see for how long). On July 9th, after oil's first pullback to $138 I said:Yesterday, oil fell the most in one day since…

As the economy hits stall speed, it is only to be expected that corporate default rates are set to rise. In fact, they have risen already, doubling since 2007.Through last week, 42 companies, all but one based in the U.S., have defaulted,…

As an unofficial Eurosceptic, I always view EU power grabs through a lens of distrust. Now, the EU is looking to increase its power by further regulating financial markets. But, the heavy-handiness of the regulation surely will be…

Recently, the SEC restricted short selling on a list of 19 stocks because of turmoil following the Fannie-Freddie worries last week. In effect, the SEC was signaling that these institutions are too big to fail because a number of these…

In the aftermath of the Meltdown of the GSEs and the heavy-handed regulatory solution used to stem the tide, regional banks are in focus for investors as they stand to the take the brunt of short-selling. Financial services bears know full…

Below are the latest writedown stories from the web. For the full timeline of news, visit my credit crisis timeline.Also see my list of Bankrupt Global Financial Institutions.2008 07 15 Regional Banks Take It on the Chin As Fallout…

Earnings Wachovia Has Record $8.9 Billion Loss, Cuts Dividend – Bloomberg KeyCorp Posts First Loss Since 2001 After Tax Case – Bloomberg Fifth Third Reports $202 Million Loss on Higher Loan Defaults – Bloomberg…

My last two posts may leave the impression that I believe inflation to be the greatest concern facing the global economy. I certainly believe it is a problem but not the primary one. Deflation is the looming concern and much more…