Credit Writedowns

There is an effort underway to install the Federal Reserve as super-regulator for all banks and financial institutions, concentrating power in one institution. I find these efforts one of the most disturbing outgrowths of the financial…

Light posting this morning.  But I may be back later this afternoon. Let’s see what markets do today. Right now, it’s not looking good as Europe and Asia sold off and U.S. futures point to a selloff stateside. So, if you need a…

Since I have a ton of links, I am making an extra night time reading version today.  Expect more tomorrow, but posting may be light as I will be away. American Casino, The Most Dangerous Man in America review : The New Yorker…

So we started September in an ugly way. With the markets down 2% across the board, and oil and bond yields also falling.  Forgive me for thinking this is a bad sign, but selling on good news doesn’t sound very bullish.   And the…

Bill Gross has a piece out now on Pimco’s website suggesting we are about to witness a sea change in saving and spending habits, government intervention, and a host of other issues. This is not a buy-the-dips kind of atmosphere and it will…

Evidence is now surfacing that Timothy Geithner and Gordon Brown were among policymakers warned in April 2007 of an impending financial crisis. Famed fund manager and shortseller Jim Chanos met with the policy makers at the time, along with…

  Here, Eisenhower was talking about the military industrial complex in 1961. Today, one could make similar statements about other powerful lobby groups like the finance industry (or the healthcare and oil industries).

The August 2009 Manufacturing ISM Report On Business was released and the widely followed PMI Index came in ahead of expectations at 52.9. Expectations were for 50.5. As 50 marks the divide between contraction and expansion, this survey…

Nouriel Roubini is the most prominent economist to warn that a double-dip recession would be a distinct possibility if economic policy-makers return to policy normalization too quickly.  Now, Stephen Roach, head of Morgan Stanley Asia,…

Beijing's derivative default stance rattles banks | Reuters Hat tip aitrader. A report that Chinese state-owned companies will be allowed to walk away from loss-making commodity derivative trades provoked anger and dismay among…