<Click on chart for larger image> The Financial Times – Investors snap up corporate debt Banks and companies have borrowed record amounts in the US bonds markets in the first two weeks of the year, with investor appetite for debt showing no signs of waning. Some $67bn (£42bn) of new bonds have been sold, the… Continue reading Corporate Debt
Bloomberg.com – Matthew Lynn: Portuguese Bailout Will Make Euro Crisis Worse New year, new crisis. No sooner had Europe’s bond traders, politicians and central bankers gotten back to their desks than it was time to begin tussling over the fate of a small economy on the periphery of Europe. This time around, it’s Portugal. And… Continue reading Europe
Comment Billy Walters is believed to be the largest sports bettor in the world worth several hundred million and regularly bets millions each week. This was his first ever public interview. Walters has a great disdain for Wall Street. It reminds us of the old joke that in Vegas when you lose you get free… Continue reading Who Is Billy Walters?
Newser – UBS to Workers: OK, Wear Whatever Skivvies You Want UBS is pulling back from its much-maligned and hilariously over-specific dress code—which recommended employees opt for “personality enhancing” makeup and “easily washable” underwear—the Wall Street Journal reports. The bank strips the previous 44-page style guide down to a few key elements, but now mandates… Continue reading UBS Is On The Cutting Edge Of Wall Street Couture
The Wall Street Journal – Dow’s Doubters Say Market Is on Borrowed Time As U.S. stocks notched their seventh winning week in a row on Friday, unease was growing among some investors and analysts who study the market’s patterns to predict where it is going next. The Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index hasn’t seen such… Continue reading This Stock Rally Is One Of A Kind
The Wall Street Journal – The Latest American Export: Inflation In 2010, prices rose by more than 5% in major emerging markets such as China, Brazil and Indonesia What do the years 1971, 2003 and 2010 have in common? In each year, low U.S. interest rates and the expectation of dollar depreciation led to massive… Continue reading Inflation Across The Globe
CNBC.com – Ex Tunisia President’s Wife Left with 1.5 Tons of Gold: Report The French government suspects that former Tunisian president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and his family may have fled the country with 1.5 tons of gold, French daily Le Monde reported Monday. According to the French secret service, Leila Trabelsi, the wife of… Continue reading An Old Fashioned Gold Rush
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Comment From this list below, which only includes stories we found since Saturday morning, let there be no doubt that the financial press is hyperventilating about the state of municipal finances. The Wall Street Journal – Municipal Bonds Lose Ground Again Continued flows out of municipal-bond mutual funds and efforts to sell by fund firms… Continue reading Fear And Loathing Of Muni Bonds Ratchets Higher
Comment Jim Bianco was on the CBS Evening News this past Friday discussing the recent tax hike in Illinois. To view the interview click on the picture above. To view any of our recent interviews click here. CBS News – Illinois Income Tax Plan Draws Ire As States Face Huge Budget Gaps, Many Would Rather… Continue reading Illinois Taxes
The Irish Times – Spain plans syndicated bond Spain’s Treasury, facing a volatile market as it looks for ways to keep its debt costs under control, cancelled a bond auction planned for Thursday and said it would issue a syndicated bond over 10 years. Belgium is also seeking an opportunity to place debt with a… Continue reading European Debt
The Wall Street Journal – Banks Loosen Purse Strings U.S. banks are expanding their loans to consumers for the first time since the credit crisis erupted, as lending standards begin to loosen and demand for new loans edges higher. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., which Friday posted a 47% profit jump for its fourth quarter,… Continue reading Bank Lending