Credit Writedowns

Morgan Stanley economist Stephen Jen has said that it is the emerging market central banks, not the G-7 central banks who will be most tested by this bout of inflation that we are experiencing. His view of the implications of global…

I have been meaning to address the issue of State and local governments for some time, because during the boom they were flush with cash from property taxes. The obvious parallel is an expected shortfall during this downturn. One can…

This from the National Post.The note from Blackmont analyst Brad Smith followed news late on Friday that Moody's Investors Service had downgraded XL Capital Assurance. CIBC has exposure to XL Capital since the bond insurer provides it with…

Count me in the crowd of Civil Libertarians who are perplexed by Barack Obama's move to the center and rejection of basic civil liberties. He has come out in favor of a bill on wiretapping proposed by the Bush Administration that gives…

I have been following a story for a few months in the Canadian Press on Transat, a tour operator. I hadn't reported on it until now because they were just bailed out. It seems they have gotten tangled in the ABCP (Asset-Backed Commercial…

Transcript of the interview with CNBC India here. He's bearish on oil short-term. He's bearish on financials and sees bankruptcies in the offng soon. This is a view I share. Bearish on India as well. I'll be looking to update via the…

Mike Morgan is a Florida real estate professional with years of experience. He is often featured on Mike Shedlock's site with his commentary of Florida real estate as ground zero in the housing bubble. He writes about his basic premise…

The Washington Post has a story on regional and healthy banks that I highly recommend. Essentially, we are past the first wave of writedowns and are moving into phase two where it won't be about derivatives and RMBS's as much as underlying…

Handelsblatt is reporting that, for the first time in the company's history, revenues are down at Aldi, the formidable grocery chain that chased Wal-Mart out of Germany. That's pretty amazing.The company that made its founders, Karl and…

Oil prices aren't high because of greedy oil companies or backstabbing middle eastern countries. Oil prices are high because of easy money. That is the message of David Uren in today's Australian. I subscribe to his view but add in peak…