Credit Writedowns

Markets Rand down 10% in five days - Fin24 (It's not just major currencies) Party crashers: China's stock markets dive as Games begin - LA Times Auction-Rate Buybacks: The Bottom Line - Deal Book Politics…

Now that Russia has finally gotten belligerent after many a provocation, one has to ask whether the U.S. NATO expansion plans have been wise. Basically, the U.S. has tried to offer every Eastern Bloc country it could safe harbor under NATO…

National City is one of the regionals under the greatest pressure and scrutiny. This Friday afternoon announcement has to make deposit- and shareholders alike very nervous.National City Corp., Ohio's largest bank, said the U.S. Securities…

This is one of those things that make you go hmm.... But, hey, this is what people really think.The housing downturn has been under way for a while now, so it's hard to believe that many homeowners could still think their homes are…

The Escalade Hybrid is here and I want one. It's almost as good as the Prius. It's like conservation without the sacrifice. (Do you sense the sarcasm?)

I am sufficiently concerned about John McCain and his foreign policy creds to write a blurb about his anti-Russia rhetoric and its likely effect now that Russia is on a rampage in Georgia.My colleague Lisa Lerer, traveling with McCain,…

Haven't we been told time and again that much of the oil price rise was due to to external event risk like political instability and war? Well we've got this is spades and oil is still falling. Today, Russia has launched a war against its…

In an environment where the U.S. Dollar is rising and everything is falling, one needs to pay attention to the fine details. For me, its in the UK and its 5% base interest rate. Oil is now below $117 a barrel, so it stands to reason that…

About five years ago, Daniel Kahnemann won the Nobel Prize in Economics for his work on Behavioral Economics. This was a breakthrough because the financial markets and the economics profession had been dominated by the "efficient market,"…

Top BillingSolutions may make credit crunch worse - BBC News (a good read for understanding why tinkering makes it worse)EarningsFannie Mae Posts Fourth Straight Loss, Cuts Dividend - Bloomberg (Following FreddieMac, wasn't it obvious…