Financial News Links: 2010-12-23

Particularly noteworthy

• BBC News – Allied Irish Banks’ shares fall 20% on fresh bail-out
• Federal Reserve Blocks New Foreclosure Regulations

Credit Writedowns

• Euro Stabilizes, But Remains Vulnerable Ahead of Raft of US Data: The euro has stabilized, but continues to feel heavy as EUR/CHF holds marginally above the record low around 1.2440 from Wednesday.
• Taiwanese Animation: Julian Assange Sex Charges : As usual, NMA World Editions does a first-class animation mock-up here. (Hat tip John Carney).
• Brazil Inflation Report Signals Rate Hike In January: Brazil central bank’s quarterly inflation report was quite hawkish, and caught the market off-guard after the decidedly more dovish policy meeting minutes.
• Some Thoughts On Possible China Purchases Of Portugal Bonds: Portugal has already approached Brazil to buy its bonds, and so it’s only natural that it also seeks funding from China and perhaps other EM credits.

The Usual Fare

• U.S. challenges China wind power aid at WTO| Reuters
• Cinque anni di CHF (franco svizzero) vs USD | IntermarketAndMore
• Lessons from Iceland: Coming in from the cold | The Economist
• Internet start-ups: Another bubble? | The Economist
• Long-term unemployment: In the bleak midwinter | The Economist
• Default and bankruptcy in the municipal bond market (part two) « self-evident
• Overcoming Bias : Beware Consistency
• American finance: Borrowed time | The Economist
• Former Argentine dictator sentenced to life – CNN.com
• Paul Fisher interview: Bank of England markets chief on interest rates, more QE, and threats from abroad – Telegraph
• Schumpeter: Why do firms exist? | The Economist
• Stop panicking over muni defaults! – Fortune Finance
• Buy vs. Rent: An Update – NYTimes.com