Credit Writedowns

Yesterday, Latvia was downgraded to junk. Despite its diminutive size, this is a big deal. Fist, it is a harbinger of what is to come for the rest of Eastern Europe. But, more importantly it is a signal that Western European banks…

The S&P Real Estate Index is down 60%. This segment gives a good overview of how commercial real estate is doing and what to expect going forward.

After 10 years of 7% growth, the Russian economy is set for a serious setback. The video below lays out some of the details.

This comes from Austrian Daily Kurier: A plan to stabilise the economies of Eastern Europe exists. What is missing is a united EU. During and after the Eastern Europe tour by Austrian Vice-Chancellor and Finance Minister Josef Pröll, the…

This comes from S&P's website (pdf): Data through December 2008, released today by Standard & Poor’s for its S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, show that the prices of existing single…

Tangible Common Equity… - Option ARMageddon Argentina’s Industrial Output Fell Most Since 2001 - Bloomberg.com Lonmin to cut 5 500 jobs - Fin24 South Africa Hairy Lips Sink Ships - Bill Gross, PIMCO Now What for the Big Banks?:…

Chris Whalen, a well-regarded bank analyst, ran an interview piece with Nouriel Roubini on Barry Ritholtz's site. The conversation was very illuminating and I highly recommend reading the whole post linked below. However, I wanted to point…

Denmark's 11th largest bank, Fionia Bank, has collapsed after massive writedowns of 1.2 billion Danish kroner. However, the company will not face liquidation. According to Politiken, Instead of bankruptcy, Fionia's assets will be…

Fellow econblogger Michael Panzner of Financial Armageddon was on Bloomberg TV and radio today telling folks what all of this credit crisis, bear market, nationalization stuff really means for globalization, the U.S. and stocks.  He…

The Dow Jones and the S&P 500 both closed at levels not seen in nearly twelve years. Despite a 'bailout rally' for the financials in the morning, the day was marked by heavy selling with the Dow down to 714 and the S&P ending the…