<Click on chart for larger image> The Wall Street Journal – Economists See China Slowdown as Biggest Threat to U.S. Recovery Forget the Crimea annexation or a U.S.-Russia standoff. The biggest international threat to U.S. economic growth is the slowdown in China, say economists polled by The Wall Street Journal. When asked what overseas force… Continue reading China’s Slumping Economic Growth
The Wall Street Journal – David Malpass: The Fed’s Taper Is Already Paying Off Bank lending rose sharply in January and February. At this rate we may see real growth. The Federal Reserve started tapering its bond purchases at the beginning of the year and is on track to end them by October. That’s good… Continue reading Discussing The Taper
The New York Times – Fed Board Nominees Endorse Its Current Path Three nominees to the Federal Reserve’s board sailed through a brief confirmation hearing on Thursday, assuring senators of their commitment to strengthen financial regulation and stimulate the economy. Stanley Fischer, nominated as vice chairman, Lael Brainard and Jerome H. Powell, a current Fed… Continue reading Fed Governor Nominees Testify
Bloomberg.com – 70% of Most Anticipated Economic Releases From U.S. (no link) Following are the top 30 most highly anticipated economic indicators in the world, as determined by data compiled by Bloomberg. Of the top 100 indicators, 70 are for U.S. data, including the top 30. Japan supplied 14 of the top 100. Rankings determined… Continue reading What Are The Most Important Economic Statistics?
None Today
<Click on chart for larger image> The Financial Times – Robin Harding: Overshooting and the Fed But that is totally different from saying it should overshoot on inflation, in an uncontrolled and unanticipated way, as the economy returns to full employment. That has real costs – interest rates will have to rise faster to get… Continue reading Is Inflation About To Be A Problem, Led By Wages?
Scott Skyrm – Repo Roundup March (Funding Pressure, Fixed-Rate RP) Tri-Party Reform – The Changing Role of The Fed Fed is now a large part of the tri-party market, when I looked last week, the FRRP program represented 17% of the tri-party market. That’s a part of life in the market right now, but has… Continue reading Is The Fed Becoming The Prime Broker For The Banking Industry?
<Click on chart for larger image> Bloomberg.com – Treasury Auction Demand Highest in a Year Amid Refuge Appeal The U.S. Treasury’s $21 billion 10-year note auction attracted the highest demand in a year as investors sought a refuge amid concern that slowing growth in China will weigh on the global economy. U.S. debt extended gains… Continue reading Primary Dealers Continue To Lose
CBS Chicago – Taxi Publication Threatens To Expose ‘Secretly Gay’ Aldermen If City Doesn’t Ban Ride-Sharing A trade newspaper for the city’s taxi industry has threatened to out five aldermen who it claims are “secretly gay,” unless the City Council bans ride-sharing services like Uber, Lyft, and SideCar. In an editorial in The Chicago Dispatcher, publisher… Continue reading Panicking Over Disruptive Technology Taking Away Your Livelihood
<Click on chart for larger image> The Financial Times – Adam Posen: Abe has good medicine but Japan needs a stronger dose The effort is showing signs of success but requires renewed vigour, writes Adam Posen Japan’s recovery programme is showing promising early results. Last autumn the economy enjoyed its fourth successive quarter of growth,… Continue reading Defending Abenomics
<Click on chart for larger image> Bloomberg.com – How to Fix the Mortgage Market With housing prices and the broader economy gradually recovering, now would be a good time to start weaning the mortgage market from taxpayer support. Problem is, the status quo benefits a lot of powerful interests. The Treasury stands to reap about… Continue reading Betting On Fannie & Freddie
Zero Hedge (blog ) – Soros On Putin’s “Blind Spot” And Why “Europe May Not Survive” “Europe faces 25 years of Japan-style stagnation,” warns George Soros in this brief Bloomberg TV interview, adding that without deeper integration, “it’s an incomplete association of nations and it may not survive.” While claiming that the financial crisis may… Continue reading Soros Speaks