Monday, December 30, 2013

Americans on Wrong Side of Income Gap Run Out of Means to Cope - Bloomberg

Americans on Wrong Side of Income Gap Run Out of Means to Cope - Bloomberg:

The realities-

As the gap between the rich and poor widened over the last three decades, families at the bottom found ways to deal with the squeeze on earnings. Housewives joined the workforce. Husbands took second jobs and labored longer hours. Homeowners tapped into the rising valueof their properties to borrow money to spend.
Those strategies finally may have run their course as women’s participation in thelabor force has peaked and the bursting of the house-price bubble has left many Americans underwater on their mortgages.
The Idiot solution -
In the meantime, record-high stock prices are enriching wealthier Americans, exacerbating polarization and bringing income inequality to the political forefront. Even independent government agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Reserve have been dragged into the debate.
The Idiot Puppets...latest one here -
Janet Yellen, nominated to take over as Fed chairman next year, defended the central bank’s actions at a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Nov. 14.
“The policies we’ve undertaken have been meant to generate a robust recovery,” Yellen told the committee.
The emerging challenge-
Millennials -- adults aged 18 to 32 -- are still slow to set out on their own more than four years after the recession ended, according to an Oct. 18 report by the Pew Research Center in Washington. Just over one in three head their own households, close to a 38-year low set in 2010.
Even those with college degrees are having trouble keeping up, he said. While they earn more than those with less schooling, they’ve seen no real wage growth in recent years. The median income of men 25 years of age and older with a bachelor’s degree was $56,656 last year, 10 percent less than in 2007 after taking account of inflation, according to Census data.
Now if you apply the real almost 11-15% inflation coupled with the decimation of the dollar implemented by "haywire Keynankama" economics...it'll get worse before it gets better.
Now here's the part that'll emerge as the solution after it becomes a problem -
More older workers -- including one over 65 years -- as well as college-educated are joining her team, showing that rough economic times have swelled the ranks beyond the typical teenager at the register, Caldwell said.
“We’re making barely enough to even survive,” Caldwell said. “We’re not even surviving -- we’re dependent on state assistance while our CEO makes $5.8 million and he’s sitting in an office.”

The old are getting trod on, the hardworking are being exploited, the educated are being disappointed by aspirations and dreams that don't materialize; and the artificially fueled stock market is hitting new highs while the Fed and the Govt. is telling you how "good" we are doing and how the economy is improving and jobs are being created. This talking head tactic of manipulated propaganda may actually have worked pre-internet or in an environment where the Kool-Aid is still plentiful and well received because the people still believe and care for their leaders and the media that pours the drinks. Unfortunately, this party is close to over. When enough of this happens there WILL be a problem and how it plays out will be interesting.
The people want accountability and not hand outs and parlor tricks. They are held accountable everyday whether they are flipping burgers or building cars or in corporate america. They are always under the vigilant eye of a data driven profit engine. Most may or will be replaced as automation improves to increase productivity in the lower level jobs.
They want to know why their leaders aren't accountable, why they continue to receive benefits and pay for life even after they are done serving on Capitol Hill, most in a mediocre manner. Why, if idiots like Janet Yellen and Ben Bernanke began an $85 Billion a month experiment in 2010...more than that from 2008-2010, to IMPROVE our quality of life, we are in this place of quasi-destitution with no light showing at the end of the tunnel.
The fix is simple but it'll take an Ocham's razor like method and will not fit the political framework.
Think simply - Responsibility, accountability, fairness and reward.
The upshot is that with kids not leaving the nest until later and the old having to move in with family, America may have a chance at reinforcing the glue that holds them together in the family world. Very good things come from adversity...except that is adversity itself.


'via Blog this'

Friday, December 27, 2013

I wouldn't buy gold with my worst enemy's cash: Strategist

I wouldn't buy gold with my worst enemy's cash: Strategist:

I love it when some one gets this emphatic about his point of view !! Dumb ass !

"Scott Nations, the president and chief investment officer of NationsShares, told CNBC on Monday that the value of gold has been completely distorted by the Fed's quantitative easing program and its true value is

"I wouldn't buy gold with my worst enemy's money. And why is that? It's because gold got further from home (fair value) because of all of the iterations of quantitative easing – than anything else out there," said Nations."

'via Blog this'

Cutoff in federal jobless aid looms Saturday

Cutoff in federal jobless aid looms Saturday:
  "Some 1.3 million Americans are set to lose their unemployment benefits Saturday, escalating a battle between proponents of smaller government and advocates for the jobless who say the move will hurt the overall economy.

Federal emergency benefits will end when funds run out for a program created during the recession to supplement the benefits that states provide. The cutoff will initially affect 1.3 million people, but 1.9 million more will lose benefits by mid-2014 when their 26 weeks of state paychecks run out, according to the National Employment Law Project."

'via Blog this'

Moguls Rent South Dakota Addresses to Dodge Taxes Forever - Bloomberg

Moguls Rent South Dakota Addresses to Dodge Taxes Forever - Bloomberg:

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Thursday, December 26, 2013

Initial Claims Tumble Even As 1.3 Million Americans Are Set To Stop Collecting Benefits | Zero Hedge

Initial Claims Tumble Even As 1.3 Million Americans Are Set To Stop Collecting Benefits | Zero Hedge:

How do they get away with this, or are the public really that stupid ?


the more critical part of the labor department's report is the end of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program which will pay one more claim this week and then 1,333,332 will begin to lose their benefits. EUC benefits cannot be paid for any week of unemployment after Dec 28th (which, of course, is great news for the unemployment rate). 

'via Blog this'

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Ask a Billionaire: Failure Is Better than Success: Video - Bloomberg

Ask a Billionaire: Failure Is Better than Success: Video - Bloomberg:

'via Blog this'

Silver & Gold Surge On POMO; DeMark Tells Santelli "Big Move Coming" | Zero Hedge

Silver & Gold Surge On POMO; DeMark Tells Santelli "Big Move Coming" | Zero Hedge:

'via Blog this'

This is the biggest mistake people are making about QE now

This is the biggest mistake people are making about QE now: "Quantitative easing isn't "printing money." If it were, the supply of money would have soared and the U.S. would have either much more economic growth or much more inflation—or probably some of each. Instead, the Fed's purchases have merely managed to give the banking system a huge increase in unneeded reserves.
The way to increase the amount of money—and get the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to rev up its presses—is for banks to make more loans. Borrowers will put most of the money on deposit, but they will take some of it out to spend. That will increase the amount of money being passed around between buyers and sellers—i.e., in circulation. That process is largely beyond the Fed's control."


This is not occurring because the Banks are being pressured/oppressed by the FDIC and the CFPB to keep lending guidelines so stringent it is hard to lend. They have instilled a culture of fear into big banks with the threat of default and buyback repercussion, this has trickled down into middle management and then into underwriting to the extent that "drone" employees are being given poorly interpreted directives; that then clog pipelines. This comes out of the other end of the pipe as poor service to the customer and fewer loans being made.


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Use this map to track the recovery where you live

Use this map to track the recovery where you live:

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Chinese buying up California housing

Chinese buying up California housing:

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Blackstone Group expands into single-family mortgages for rental investors

Blackstone Group expands into single-family mortgages for rental investors:

'via Blog this'

Thursday, December 5, 2013

It's Payback Time: Foreign UK Homebuyers To Be Subject To Capital Gains Tax | Zero Hedge

It's Payback Time: Foreign UK Homebuyers To Be Subject To Capital Gains Tax | Zero Hedge: "Back in September 2012 when we, correctly, suggested that one of the main drivers of demand (and increasingly becoming the only one) for US housing, especially in the mid and high-end, was foreigners - particularly of the oligarch persuasion - who come to the US to park their embezzled and otherwise ill-gotten funds, courtesy of the NAR's anti-money laundering exemptions, which means that they can buy any house, sight unseen, cash upfront (recall that a record 60% of all home purchases are all cash, which explains why mortgage bankers are being fired by the thousands left and right), no questions asked. One thing we made very clear, though, is that since one never actually buys the real estate, but merely rents it from Uncle Sam (or any other Development Market host nation), there is little preventing the host from cranking up the tax system, or outright changing it, when the need to raise funds strikes. After all what rights do criminal foreigners with multi-million homes in New York (or San Fran, or London, or any other major metropolis that is the target of offshore capital) actually have."


This will play out very badly for Miami, New York and California... at least initially

'via Blog this'

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Schiff’s recommendations for 2014

Schiff’s recommendations for 2014:

"He recommends that investors buy gold and get exposure to foreign markets in the new year."

'via Blog this'

Forget Profit, New Fund Trades on Superstition

Forget Profit, New Fund Trades on Superstition:


 ""The superstitious fund looks at two beliefs, numerology and astrology, so it has a fear of the number 13 for example and full moons and solar eclipses so it starts to short the market when it sees these indicators," Shing Tat Chung, fund manager of The Superstitious Fund project, told CNBC."

'via Blog this'

Are profits written in the stars? These Indian websites think so

Are profits written in the stars? These Indian websites think so:

 ""Millionaires don't use astrology, billionaires do"

The famous quote by JP Morgan on astrology – "Millionaires don't use astrology, billionaires do" -- is reputed to have been said by the founder of the bank that carries his name after he took his astrologer's advice and decided not to board the Titanic on its fateful maiden voyage. While it might be tempting to scoff at astrological superstitions in India, the global industry around so-called "astro-finance" appears to be growing."

Despite the naysayers, several high-profile financial astrologers such as Ray Merriman in the U.S., of Merriman Market Analyst (MMA) or Christeen Skinner in the U.K., who says her services are regularly sought out by entrepreneurs, traders and businesses.
"Back in 2004 I released a book that proved disastrous," Skinner told CNBC. "I, along with other people in the profession, predicted that there would be banking collapse and for a few years we were ridiculed until it actually happened," she told CNBC on Tuesday.

'via Blog this'

Two thousand mice dropped on Guam by parachute — to kill snakes

Two thousand mice dropped on Guam by parachute — to kill snakes:

That's because they were dead. And pumped full of painkillers.

Andersen, like other large industrial complexes on the South Pacific island, is regularly bedeviled by power failures caused when the snakes wriggle their way into electric substations — an average of 80 a year, costing as much as $4 million in annual repair costs and lost productivity, the Interior Department estimated in 2005.


"For some reason, the snakes are almost uniquely sensitive to acetaminophen, the active ingredient in the ubiquitous over-the-counter painkiller. If you can get a tree snake to eat just 80 milligrams, you can kill it. That's only about one-sixth of a standard pill — pigs, dogs and other similarly sized animals would have to eat about 500 of them to get into any trouble."

'via Blog this'

Mohamed El-Erian's 2014 playbook - PIMCO

Mohamed El-Erian's 2014 playbook:

 ""Yes, absolutely, this is a Fed committed to low rates, but let's not overstate how much control they have over the yield curve," he said, adding that the Fed would likely keep current interest rates into 2016."

'via Blog this'

$3 trillion headache on the way for corporations

$3 trillion headache on the way for corporations:

""Once interest rates mean-revert, all of the benefits from low interest rates go away and it's very damaging to corporate balance sheets and the economy as a whole," said Pento, author of The Coming Bond Market Collapse: How to Survive the Demise of the U.S. Debt Market."

The good news is that the danger is not immediate.
The big maturities don't start coming until 2016, when $1.02 trillion is due. In 2017 that number hits $1.04 trillion and in 2018 jumps to $1.1 trillion, according to Dealogic. In 2014, $893.5 billion comes due.

Non-financial business debt, in fact, has surpassed pre-crisis levels, rising from $10.3 trillion in the first quarter of 2008 to $13.1 trillion at the end of the second quarter in 2013, according to Fed flow of funds data. Non-financial corporate cash is also around record levels at $1.8 trillion.

'via Blog this'

Monday, December 2, 2013

Record Numbers Of Homeless Flood Massachusetts Even As State Shelters Overflowing | Zero Hedge

Record Numbers Of Homeless Flood Massachusetts Even As State Shelters Overflowing | Zero Hedge: "The rest of the story is largely well-known. "This jump in homelessness is another example of an uneven recovery. Even as stocks soar to new heights and real estate values rebound, many of the state’s poorest residents remain without jobs and homes four years after the last recession. The problems have been compounded by the dramatic federal spending cuts, known as sequestration, which have cut housing and food subsidies.""

'via Blog this'

Chart Of The Day: The Fed Now Owns One Third Of The Entire US Bond Market | Zero Hedge

Chart Of The Day: The Fed Now Owns One Third Of The Entire US Bond Market | Zero Hedge: "the Fed will own just shy of half the entire bond market on December 31, 2014... and all of it some time in 2018"

'via Blog this'

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Bob Shiller Warns "It's Different Now, We Can't Trust Momentum" | Zero Hedge

Bob Shiller Warns "It's Different Now, We Can't Trust Momentum" | Zero Hedge: "Some uncomfortable truths from the Nobel winner...

"Real homebuyers are not as excited about the housing market as the price increases seem to suggest..."

"It's more of an 'unusual' demand from investors that's driving the market now..."

"...the market is driven more by psychology than affordability""

'via Blog this'

Friday, November 22, 2013

BlackRock Says JPMorgan Deal Undermining U.S. Market: Mortgages - Bloomberg

BlackRock Says JPMorgan Deal Undermining U.S. Market: Mortgages - Bloomberg: "Under the agreement, JPMorgan will receive partial credit for steps it takes on loans serviced for others, according to a settlement document on the Justice Department’s website. For instance, the bank typically will get a 50 cent credit for each dollar of principal reductions for homeowners whose debt it doesn’t own. The bank gets 100 percent for loans it owns."

'via Blog this'

There it is. If Chase forecloses on you the worst they can get hit is $.50/$1.00 and in those cases they will have bought the asset for less than that. They get 100% coverage or 0% liability on their own loans.
Corruption at it's finest

Goldman predicts steep losses for gold in 2014

Goldman predicts steep losses for gold in 2014:

'via Blog this'

Goldman is predicting a pullback to $1057.50, that is not "steep". It in fact may pull to the $1100 area although $1200 is more likely going to hold, the important thing to see here is whether GS is posturing to enter Gold, which is much more the possible reason for the press. A 15% fade entry is nothing for GS who will then ride it to $1900-$2500 making 90%-150% on the trade

Friday, November 15, 2013

What Quinoa Can Teach The Markets | Zero Hedge

What Quinoa Can Teach The Markets | Zero Hedge:

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German business: Europe should copy, not criticize surplus

German business: Europe should copy, not criticize surplus: "Critics argue that this means that Germany should be encouraging its people to spend more on foreign imports and help stimulate growth in the rest of Europe."


This is the beginning of the US Plan to kill the Euro and thereby reduce the potential threat of a future German threat.

'via Blog this'

Tuesday, November 12, 2013












Nuff said !!

Andrew Huszar: Confessions of a Quantitative Easer - WSJ.com - AND THERE IT IS !!

Andrew Huszar: Confessions of a Quantitative Easer - WSJ.com: "In its almost 100-year history, the Fed had never bought one mortgage bond. Now my program was buying so many each day through active, unscripted trading that we constantly risked driving bond prices too high and crashing global confidence in key financial markets. We were working feverishly to preserve the impression that the Fed knew what it was doing.

It wasn't long before my old doubts resurfaced. Despite the Fed's rhetoric, my program wasn't helping to make credit any more accessible for the average American. The banks were only issuing fewer and fewer loans. More insidiously, whatever credit they were extending wasn't getting much cheaper. QE may have been driving down the wholesale cost for banks to make loans, but Wall Street was pocketing most of the extra cash."


This is what has driven the meteoric rise in the stock market, the artificial rise in housing prices, the highest level of unemployment and food stamp usage in history. Look out below; cause here we come !!
It was apparent that sooner or later someone within the ranks would blow the whistle on the cabal because they either didn't get their fair share or because they had a crisis of conscience....not sure which happened to Andrew Huszar but be assured; this is the beginning of the crumble.


'via Blog this'

UK Oct inflation falls more than expected to 13-month low

UK Oct inflation falls more than expected to 13-month low:

And here is exactly why they are complaining in the post below ! 

'via Blog this'

Germany is ripping off the world: Ex-BoE member Adam Posen - Posen is basically crying foul because Germany is executing Capitalism perfectly. Just what the Brits always love to do !

Germany is ripping off the world: Ex-BoE member Adam Posen: ""First it doesn't pay its workers anything in commensurate with the productivity that they have, thereby cheating its own workforce. Second it invests nothing ever in the public sector or in the private sector. Third, those two combined means it's competing as a low wage economy," he said.

(Read more: German business: Europe should copy, not criticize surplus)
"Fourth, it rips off Europe and the rest of the world in that it gets a subsidy to its exports from a weaker euro than the deutschmark would be because of the weakness of other countries. And fifth, it tries to grab market share when there's lots of unemployment in the world thereby exporting deflation.""

Masterful plan and the only way the Euro will survive. If Germany begins to lose the Euro is dead !

'via Blog this'

Thursday, November 7, 2013

EU to fine banks billions of euros over rate rigging

EU to fine banks billions of euros over rate rigging: "The fines will add to the spiraling cost to banks for cleaning up past misdeeds. Globally this is expected to reach about $125 billion if JP Morgan agrees a $13 billion deal with the U.S. authorities over mortgages."

'via Blog this'

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

This is What Happens to Walmart Pork Before It Reaches Your Plate | Zero Hedge

This is What Happens to Walmart Pork Before It Reaches Your Plate | Zero Hedge:


As much as I hate to post this as I feel like a hypocrite because I love my breakfast as much as the next guy, I feel it may be a small move towards thinking about alternatives


'via Blog this'

Trulia Pushes The Panic Button As Young Adults Refuse To Move Out Of Parents' Basements, Get Jobs | Zero Hedge

Trulia Pushes The Panic Button As Young Adults Refuse To Move Out Of Parents' Basements, Get Jobs | Zero Hedge: "Below, courtesy of Bloomberg, is the summary of what Trulia chief economist Jed Kolko wrote in a note.

Census 3Q homeownership, vacancy survey shows household formation “alarmingly slow,” vacancies “remain stubbornly high,” Trulia chief economist Jed Kolko writes in note.
"Slow household formation number is one of the most alarming housing indicators to come out this year"
Share of millennials living with their parents rose to 31.6% vs 31.4% y/y
Household formation 380k in yr leading up to 3Q vs L-T “normal” increase of 1.1m
No increase over past yr in young adults moving out of parents homes or getting jobs is “most worrying”
Vacant homes still pose “problem” for recovery
53% of vacant homes were held off mkt in 3Q, highest share since before bubble
10.2% of all housing units are vacant, unchanged y/y, higher than pre-bubble level of 8.9% in 3Q 2001


And yet:

Oct. Trulia price, rent monitors show asking prices rose 0.6% m/m in Oct., prices up 11.7% y/y, rents up 2.7% y/y"

This is how you pump a market...in this case it's the fudged Govt. data working in concert with realtor organizations, herding the uneducated, TV watching, BS data believing; lemming-like public to the cliff. And when it crumbles they will all wonder why and how it happened.
And the Govt. will step in and create yet another pseudo- regulatory body ( think CFPB) whose apparent job it'll be to punish the evil shepherds ! But whose real agenda it'll be to create revenue via fines and law suits; for a busted Govt; with a constituent group of citizens who have no money to pay in taxes, no jobs and no immediate prospects of getting one.


'via Blog this'

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Earnings boost from buybacks gets scrutiny - Buy your own garbage if no one else is !

Earnings boost from buybacks gets scrutiny: ""Oracle would have lower EPS by 8.9 percent today while Direct TV would be 46.9 percent lower," had it not bought back its stock. Wynn's $3.14 per share earnings would 23 percent lower, and Motorola would be 17 percent lower, if it had not reduced shares outstanding from 323.6 million to 265.3 million."

'via Blog this'

Friday, November 1, 2013


The VIX is an ephemeral beast beloved by talking-heads and options-market-makers alike (and now FX strategists). In a rather alarming note from CitiFX today, they are concerned over the chance of an explosive breakout as one of their favorite technical setups comes to pass - a double bottom within a triangle. If these levels break then the team expects a test of S&P 1000-1015.
In a note titled "Oh Dear...", CitiFX points out:
The set up on the VIX is now looking increasingly like a double bottom within a triangle. This often results in an explosive breakout.

The levels detailed below need to be watched carefully as if they go then there is a danger we get to out 1,000-1,015 target on the S&P a lot faster than we thought.

The pattern above is one of our favourites when completed (A double bottom within a triangle.)

So far we have not managed a daily close above the neckline which stands at 43.18%.

A close above here would complete the double bottom and suggest an impulsive move higher to at least 56%.

That is a problem. Not only does that suggest another sharp selloff in the S&P 500 but it creates an even bigger breakout.

It has not been our base case scenario that the 48.00-48.2% level will be broken on a weekly close basis on this chart. If, however that does happen then there is a real danger that our 1,000 target on the S&P gets hit much quicker than we think.

The pattern on the daily chart above suggests that if we close over 43.18% we will go over 56% which by definition means that a close over 43.18% suggests that the 48.00-48.20% area will give way.

A weekly close above here would almost certainly suggest a move to our 1,000-1,015 target on the S&P 500 extremely rapidly. Such a development would also strongly question our present view in today’s’ weekly highlights that further consolidation was likely in the short-term before the next move lower in “risk”.

The target on such a break for the VIX would be at least 80%+...we are now officially worried.

Economic effect from food stamp cuts may be as high as $10B - HUGE MISTAKE, DON'T UPSET THE MINIONS

Economic effect from food stamp cuts may be as high as $10B: "And while there are some abuses, the need for the program says something about the dichotomy of the stock market's soaring to new heights while income disparity widens to Great Depression-era levels."

"It may not matter to the economic data on which Wall Street hangs its fedora, but it is certainly enough to spark a political response," he said. "How this plays out, I honestly have no idea. We are in uncharted waters here, as the historical record clearly shows."

Another brilliantly idiotic "political play" move to set us on the path to civil unrest. Is the plan to destabilize us so the focus can be shifted away from the total shit show that's really occurring

'via Blog this'

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Text - H.R.3293 - 113th Congress (2013-2014): Debt Limit Reform Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

Text - H.R.3293 - 113th Congress (2013-2014): Debt Limit Reform Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress: " (b) Government-Held Debt Not Taken Into Account for Purposes of the
Public Debt Limit.--Section 3101 of title 31, United States Code, as
amended by subsection (a) is amended by adding at the end the following
new subsection:
``(e) Obligations held by the United States Government (including
any obligation which is classified as an intragovernmental holding by
the Secretary of the Treasury or which is held by any agency or
instrumentality of the United States) shall not be taken into account
for purposes of applying the limitation imposed under subsection "

'via Blog this'

Michael Pettis Cautions China's Hidden Debt Must Still Be Repaid - This is the shadow banking debt/loans given by the Chinese Govt to companies to initially do business

Michael Pettis Cautions China's Hidden Debt Must Still Be Repaid | Zero Hedge: "Five or six years ago, a few skeptics first started pointing out that the credit dynamics underlying Chinese growth was creating an unsustainable increase in debt. This, they warned, would ultimately undermine the banking system and cause growth to collapse if it were not addressed in time."

THIS ADDRESSES CHINA'S VERSION OF OUR NEW BILL - HR 3293 THAT IS TRYING TO GET APPROVAL.
READ POST BELOW AND GOOGLE THE BILL. IT ALLOWS THE GOVT. TO DO JUST WHAT CHINA HAS DONE OVER THIS ENTIRE RUN UP IN THEIR STOCK MARKET.
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THAT THE CHINESE ARE A HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE MANUFACTURING NATION WITH AN ULTRA HIGH SAVINGS RATE. NOT QUITE THE SCENARIO HERE WHERE WE MEASURE ECONOMIC HEALTH THROUGH A CONSUMPTION INDEX WHILE DISREGARDING HOW IT CORRELATES TO SAVINGS BEFORE SPENDING


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Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Summary of H.R. 3293 - Debt Limit Reform Act

 "10/15/2013--Introduced.
Debt Limit Reform Act - Grants the President, or the President's designee, authority to increase the public debt limit. Excludes from the public debt limit amount obligations held by the U.S. government."

This bill is in Congress and it specifically allows congressional authority to eliminate counting debt obligations held by the Fed and other Govt. agencies....EVEN IF THIS DEBT IS OWED TO SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE AND MEDICAID.
What a racket !

'via Blog this'

Fukushima Is Here | Zero Hedge

Fukushima Is Here | Zero Hedge: "Bluefin tuna on the California shore tested positive for radiation from Fukushima, and there are reports of highly radioactive fish in Canada. The CBS show The Doctors warned that we should be moderate with our fish intake, and children and pregnant women should be especially careful:"

'via Blog this'

India hikes rates by 25 basis points to 7.75%

India hikes rates by 25 basis points to 7.75%: ""Monetary and fiscal policy cannot both be accommodative at the same time and have inflation where it is. Hence, the RBI has taken on some of the burden. It's telling you that though growth is so weak, they are still tightening essentially because they see fiscal slippage as a potential risk," said Radhika Rao, Economist at DBS."

A lesson in economics, badly needed by the U.S.A.


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Friday, October 25, 2013

Citigroup, Credit Suisse Said to Face U.S. MBS Probes - Bloomberg

Citigroup, Credit Suisse Said to Face U.S. MBS Probes - Bloomberg: "A task force created by President Barack Obama last year is making use of the law, a relic of the savings-and-loan crisis of the 1980s,"

'via Blog this'

Citigroup, Credit Suisse Said to Face U.S. MBS Probes - Bloomberg

Citigroup, Credit Suisse Said to Face U.S. MBS Probes - Bloomberg: "The Justice Department is examining whether both companies violated the Financial Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act, which targets misconduct affecting federally insured financial firms, according to people briefed on the situation. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) and Bank of America Corp. also are facing FIRREA inquiries, people familiar with those cases have said."

'via Blog this'

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Overbought? No sweat, thanks to 'Bernanke-care'

Overbought? No sweat, thanks to 'Bernanke-care': "The most recent American Association of Individual Investors sentiment poll, released Thursday, showed market optimism at a 21-month high. Bulls outweighed bears by margin of 49.2 percent to 17.6 percent.

Indeed, an overbought market alone is no reason to be sour on stocks."

'via Blog this'

Jobless claims total 350,000 vs. expectations of 340,000

Jobless claims total 350,000 vs. expectations of 340,000: "Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 350,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Claims for the prior week were revised to show 4,000 more applications filed than previously reported.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected first-time applications to fall to 340,000 last week."

'via Blog this'

Bank of America loses fraud trial over mortgages

Bank of America loses fraud trial over mortgages: "A decision on how much to penalize the bank would be left to U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff. The U.S. Department of Justice has said it would ask Rakoff to award up to $848.2 million, the gross loss it said Fannie and Freddie suffered on the loans."

'via Blog this'

Families Blocked by Investors From Buying U.S. Homes - Bloomberg

Families Blocked by Investors From Buying U.S. Homes - Bloomberg: "Institutional purchases accounted for 14 percent of sales, according to a report today from RealtyTrac. That was the highest share since the real estate data firm began in 2011 to track transactions by that group, which it defines as buyers of 10 or more homes a year. All-cash sales rose to 49 percent from 40 percent in August and 30 percent a year earlier, a sign that rising mortgage rates since May have kept some people out of the market and that smaller investors are stepping up purchases."

'via Blog this'

Payrolls in U.S. Rise Less Than Forecast - Bloomberg

Payrolls in U.S. Rise Less Than Forecast - Bloomberg:

'via Blog this'

BofA’s Countrywide Found Liable for Defrauding Fannie Mae - Bloomberg

BofA’s Countrywide Found Liable for Defrauding Fannie Mae - Bloomberg: "U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff, who presided over the trial, told lawyers he’ll determine the amount of any civil penalty at a later date. Assistant U.S. Attorney Pierre Armand asked the judge to impose a penalty of as much as $848 million, representing the gross losses to Fannie Mae (FNMA) and Freddie Mac. Armand said alternatively, Rakoff could fine Countrywide about $131 million, the estimated net losses to the two entities."

'via Blog this'

Buffett Says Dimon Had to Bare Throat in Submission - Bloomberg

Buffett Says Dimon Had to Bare Throat in Submission - Bloomberg: "“If you’re a financial institution and you’re threatened with criminal prosecution, you have no ability to negotiate,” Buffett told Bloomberg Television’s Betty Liu in an interview today. “Basically, you’ve got to be like a wolf that bares its throat, you know, when it gets to the end. You cannot win.”"

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BofA Said to Face Three More Probes of Mortgage-Bond Sales - Bloomberg

BofA Said to Face Three More Probes of Mortgage-Bond Sales - Bloomberg: "“This incessant push for more cases where most thought the book had been closed creates an air of distrust for future dealings with the government,” said Jacob Frenkel, a former Securities and Exchange Commission lawyer who’s now a partner at Shulman Rogers Gandal Pordy & Ecker PA in Potomac, Maryland. “It appears to be a political response to political outrage.”"

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Tuesday, October 22, 2013

How the JPMorgan deal could curtail credit

How the JPMorgan deal could curtail credit: ""This is just going to make banks more conservative," said Jaret Seiberg of Guggenheim Securities. "If they're going to go after you for helping the government out in taking over distressed institutions in time of crisis, then why do you have any confidence that they're not going to go after you for some technical violations of the dozens of new rules coming down?"

New mortgage rules are scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1 that will further restrict lending. These include requirements that a lender show that the borrower has the ability to repay the loan, as well as restrictions on how much mortgage debt a borrower can have in relation to income."

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Monday, October 21, 2013

JPMorgan deal 'preposterous': Former prosecutor

JPMorgan deal 'preposterous': Former prosecutor: ""This number is absolutely preposterous," he said in a "Squawk Box" interview. "It's almost as if what we're getting out of federal regulators … is a roulette wheel or some kind of jackpot, how much can you jack up the fine.""

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Magnetar Goes Long Ohio Town While Shorting Its Tax Base - Bloomberg

Magnetar Goes Long Ohio Town While Shorting Its Tax Base - Bloomberg: "Demand for rental accommodations in the U.S. has grown as almost 8 million homes were repossessed through foreclosure or sold for a loss since 2007, according to RealtyTrac. The homeownership rate dropped to 65 percent in the first half of this year, its lowest since 1998, Census data show, and may keep falling as more owners lose their homes and slow income growth and tight credit limit people’s ability to buy.
Last year, U.S. home prices dropped to a low of 35 percent below their 2006 peak, triggering a wave of acquisitions from investors trying to turn a business that’s been dominated by mom and pop landlords into an institutional asset class resembling the apartment industry.
Blackstone Group LP (BX) has led the stampede, spending more than $7.5 billion on almost 40,000 properties, followed by American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) with more than 20,000. Investors have largely targeted Phoenix; Atlanta; Dallas; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Tampa, Florida, where growth in jobs and population is expected to drive up rents and home values."

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Families With Kids Go Homeless as U.S. Rents Exceed Pay: Economy - Bloomberg

Families With Kids Go Homeless as U.S. Rents Exceed Pay: Economy - Bloomberg: "Nationally, the average hourly wage among renters is $14.32 this year compared with the $18.79 needed to afford an apartment at a fair-market rent, as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, without spending more than 30 percent of income on housing, a National Low Income Housing Coalition report found in March. The $4.47 gap this year is wider than the $4.10 differential in 2012."

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Wells Fargo Sued by New York Over Mortgage-Service Accord - Bloomberg

Wells Fargo Sued by New York Over Mortgage-Service Accord - Bloomberg:

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FHFA Is Said to Seek at Least $6 Billion From BofA for MBS Sales - Bloomberg

FHFA Is Said to Seek at Least $6 Billion From BofA for MBS Sales - Bloomberg:

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Who Really Wins if JPMorgan Pays $13 Billion? - Bloomberg

Who Really Wins if JPMorgan Pays $13 Billion? - Bloomberg:

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Thursday, October 17, 2013

BBC News - Bee-friendly plants put to the test

BBC News - Bee-friendly plants put to the test: ""Gardeners and town planners should think carefully about the mixture of flowers they plant to ensure food is available for a wide range of bees and other important insect pollinators."

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Thursday, August 22, 2013

US existing home sales jump to 3-year high- CNBC Headline

US existing home sales jump to 3-year high: "After being devastated by a financial crisis and the 2007-09 recession, the U.S. home market appeared to turn a corner early last year, helped by steady job creation and extremely low interest rates.

"The current housing market recovery is on a solid footing," said Lawrence Yun, chief economist at the NAR."

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Here’s who’s really living with Mom and Dad

Here’s who’s really living with Mom and Dad: "Here's the stereotype: Across the country, basements are full of 20- and 30-somethings who graduated from college and now live with mom and mad because they can't find a job.

The reality? Millions of the millennials who are stuck in their parents' homes don't have a college degree and can't get a break in this harsh economy, a new analysis of government data shows."

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Global economic uptick boosts stocks, euro

Global economic uptick boosts stocks, euro: "The global economy showed signs of improvement on Thursday with factory output improving in two of the world's largest economies.

Euro zone flash composite purchasing manager's index (PMI) rose to 51.7 in August, from 50.5 last month, beating estimates. It was the best reading since June 2011."

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Is the rupee ‘out of control’?

Is the rupee ‘out of control’?:

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Wells Fargo eliminates 2,300 mortgage jobs

Wells Fargo eliminates 2,300 mortgage jobs: "The latest round of cuts brings the total number of jobs cut by the country's largest mortgage lender to 3,000 since July."

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Report: Household income below end-of-recession

Report: Household income below end-of-recession: "The average American household is earning less than when the Great Recession ended four years ago, according to a report released Wednesday.

U.S. median household income, once adjusted for inflation, has fallen 4.4 percent in that time, according to the report from Sentier Research. The report is based on an analysis of Census Bureau data."

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Uh oh. No one is tracking these trading errors

Uh oh. No one is tracking these trading errors: "It seems odd, to say the least, that this kind of information is unavailable. It means that we can't answer some basic questions about the frequency and fairness of trade cancellation. "

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Monday, August 5, 2013

Pandemic of pension woes is plaguing the nation - THE DEATH KNELL IS HERE

Pandemic of pension woes is plaguing the nation: "Nine states—Hawaii, Alaska, Kansas, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Louisiana, Connecticut, Kentucky and Illinois—have now set aside less than 60 percent of what they need. Illinois has saved just 43 cents to cover every dollar of what it needs to pay 350,000 retirees and 500,000 current plan participants who are counting on a pension check."

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US equity funds see highest-ever inflows in July - HERE COME THE LEMMINGS !

US equity funds see highest-ever inflows in July:

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Breaking down the Wall St.-Main St. disconnect- OR... How we screwed America and got rich by Ben Bernanke and Company

Breaking down the Wall St.-Main St. disconnect: "So the S&P 500 makes a succession of record highs and boosts the wealth of holders of financial assets, and the unemployment rate creeps along at 7.4 percent while job creation was a lackluster 162,000 in July."

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US directs agents to cover up program used to investigate Americans

US directs agents to cover up program used to investigate Americans:

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Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Japan Government To Change Inflation Calculation Ushering In Even More BOJ Liquidity | Zero Hedge

Japan Government To Change Inflation Calculation Ushering In Even More BOJ Liquidity | Zero Hedge: "the Japanese government plans to adopt a different measure of inflation to the central bank's.

The official explanation for this upcoming adoption of core-core-CPI which also excludes energy prices in addition to fresh food costs (as core CPI does everywhere else in the world) is to "raise the bar" on Abe's inflation goal. In reality, it will simply grant the BOJ unlimited ammo to continue injecting liquidity indefinitely because absent exploding energy costs (as we have discussed), inflation in Japan is quite dormant. But what will really happen is that inflation will merely become just one more governmentally-determined and goalseeked economic indicator and policy tool, as it is in the US and China."

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Blackstone Raises $5 Billion Rental Bet With Lending Arm - Bloomberg

Blackstone Raises $5 Billion Rental Bet With Lending Arm - Bloomberg:

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Monday, June 10, 2013

Class of 2013: Your Degree Doesn’t Mean Squat | LinkedIn

Class of 2013: Your Degree Doesn’t Mean Squat | LinkedIn: "4. Companies hire the person who is certain to cause the most positive impact. Before you apply to your next job opening, ask yourself the following: What can you do for the company? How can you turn a profit? If you aren’t able to answer these questions, then don’t apply. Employers--especially small businesses and startups--are only interested in hiring someone who is going to positively impact their company."

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Sunday, May 19, 2013

Global Thermonuclear Devaluation | Zero Hedge

Global Thermonuclear Devaluation | Zero Hedge: "This new plan has been devised by the hedgehogs of Davos. Devalue all of the currencies in the world against goods and services and pay a far smaller price for what is desired and needed. The scheme is not exactly friendly to commodities either. Never in the history of the world have the economies been so connected or the central banks acting in such concert to be able to pull something like this off but the bet has been made. The money is on the table."

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Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Still Buying? - What a joke this is !!! Short this pig but keep powder in the tank

Still Buying? | Zero Hedge:

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Youth Unemployment Could 'Scar' an Entire Generation: ILO

Youth Unemployment Could 'Scar' an Entire Generation: ILO:

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Generation J(obless): A Quarter Of The Planet's Youth Is Neither Working Nor Studying | Zero Hedge

Generation J(obless): A Quarter Of The Planet's Youth Is Neither Working Nor Studying | Zero Hedge:

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11 Reasons Why The Federal Reserve Should Be Abolished | Zero Hedge

11 Reasons Why The Federal Reserve Should Be Abolished | Zero Hedge: "So how can the Federal Reserve get away with claiming that we are in a "low inflation" environment?

Well, what Ben Bernanke never tells you is that the way that the government calculates inflation has changed more than 20 times since 1978.

The truth is that the real rate of inflation is somewhere between five and ten percent right now, but you will never hear about this on the mainstream news."

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Jeremy Grantham: "We Have Been Conned" | Zero Hedge

Jeremy Grantham: "We Have Been Conned" | Zero Hedge: "We’re transferring wealth from the poor to the rich by keeping interest rates low. "

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Friday, May 3, 2013

Apple Avoids $9.2 Billion in Taxes With Debt Deal - Bloomberg

Apple Avoids $9.2 Billion in Taxes With Debt Deal - Bloomberg: "If the funds had come from Apple’s offshore cash pile of about $100 billion, the Cupertino, California-based iPhone maker would have had to pay a 35 percent tax to repatriate the money, Granovsky said. That means Apple avoided about $9.2 billion in taxes. And since interest payments are tax-deductible, that’s another $100 million a year"

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Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Madison Dearborn Returns Record $3.3 Billion to Clients - Bloomberg

Madison Dearborn Returns Record $3.3 Billion to Clients - Bloomberg: "“Experience has shown time and again that the economic benefit of high leverage and cheap debt is rarely retained by the buyer, and is almost always paid over to the seller in the form of higher purchase prices, a pattern which was repeated in 2012,” the firm, which has $12 billion under management, said in the letter."

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