Credit Writedowns

The FT reports: Citigroup is close to agreeing a sale of its German retail banking operations to Credit Mutuel for between €3bn and €5bn, after the French bank outbid Deutsche Bank in a close race, according to bankers close to the…

Everyone should recall that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were forced to massively increase their already bloated balance sheet in the aftermath of the Bear Stearns collapse. It seems reasonable to me to assume that the two organizations did…

Spain pulled a potential sale for 15-year bonds as the appetite for the issue just wasn't there. Before the Euro, some in the European debt capital markets, where I worked, pejoratively called Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain, the PIGS.…

Inflation is a concern for everyone, especially for those living on fixed incomes. With the cost of basic necessities like food and oil rising day-to-day, many people with limited incomes wonder how they are going to afford to put food on…

The old adage goes that on a Parents Day, a class of children brought their parents in to school. A few parents got up in front of the class to explain what they did for a living. One woman was a firefighter. One man was a baseball player.…

Chief North American economist David Rosenberg said the following about the Bush Administration's fiscal response to the credit crisis:We are nervous that we have ended up following in Japan's footsteps due to the inept fiscal response to…

The situation with Fannie and Freddie is coming to a head soon. Here are a few links on the chatter in the markets and on the blogosphere:Fannie, Freddie `Insolvent' After Losses, Poole Says - BloombergU.S. Mulls Future of Fannie, Freddie -…

It's the economy, stupid Foreclosures' financial strains take toll on kids - USA Today It's All Over But the Dating for U.S. Recession: Caroline Baum - Bloomberg Los datos parciales hasta mayo apuntan a un crecimiento cero…

According to a Wall Street Journal report, the Treasury is concerned enough about the viability of Fannie and Freddie that they have discussed contingency plans in the case of potential bankruptcy.Given the level of risk these two are…

For those of you who care at all about what's going on in the world outside of your own country, there are a lot of countries in the throes of economic havoc. So, don't feel alone; you have plenty of company - South Africa included.Housing…