In its report on shadow banking, the New York Fed buried some nuggets: Hedge funds and banks are bailing out of the highest-risk “opaque” but now relatively low-yielding loans – low yielding thanks to the Fed’s repressive monetary policies – by selling them to small investors via harmless-sounding and conservative-appearing mutual funds and ETFs.
Monthly Archives: October 2013
Americans Despise Congress, Their Economic Confidence Plunges, And Now They Slash Spending
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Americans Despise Congress, Their Economic Confidence Plunges, And Now They Slash Spending
It is starting to show up in the numbers: the debt-ceiling and government-shutdown debacles are worming their way into the economy. Americans blame the already single most disparaged institution, Congress, for it and have started to react economically. Clicks of seatbelts being fastened can be heard around the world.
Which Law To Break If The Debt Ceiling Isn’t Raised?
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Which Law To Break If The Debt Ceiling Isn’t Raised?
That’s the question for Treasury Secretary Lew and Fed Chairman Bernanke during the debt-ceiling charade; it seems they’re boxed into a contradictory situation where one of them will have to break one of the laws, whether they want to or not, writes Vincent Reinhart, managing director at Morgan Stanley and former head of the Fed’s monetary division.
Oktoberfest Dips Into Beer Recession
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Oktoberfest Dips Into Beer Recession
The Oktoberfest, one of the biggest beer binge events in the world, is closely watched for economic trends. Alas, this year was the second year in a row when, despite Teutonic organizational ingenuity and marketing muscle, the number of visitors and, most crucially, beer consumption “unexpectedly” dropped (as if we didn’t have enough bad news already).
After Snatching Olympics, Japan Suddenly Admits Fukushima Not “Under Control,” Begs For International Help
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on After Snatching Olympics, Japan Suddenly Admits Fukushima Not “Under Control,” Begs For International Help
As the Fukushima fiasco hobbled from cover-ups to partial revelations, mega-utility TEPCO – famous for its parsimoniousness with the truth and lackadaisical handling of the fiasco – always pretended the situation was under control. But days after Tokyo scored the 2020 Olympics, that pretense fell apart. Now Prime Minister Abe begged for international help.
Deconstructing Spain’s Lazarus-Like Economic Recovery
by Don Quijones • • Comments Off on Deconstructing Spain’s Lazarus-Like Economic Recovery
By Don Quijones: If recent reports from the Spanish government are to be believed, the Spanish economy is now officially out of the woods. Not only is the worst behind it, but it’s now positively humming along at a growth rate of, um, 0.1% per year. It is, as Finance Minister Cristobal Montoro put it, a “lesson to the world.” Oh really?
David Stockman: Extended Stay And The Wall Street Meth Labs
by David Stockman • • Comments Off on David Stockman: Extended Stay And The Wall Street Meth Labs
Wachovia and other banks funded the $7.4 billion debt portion of the Extended Stay LBO, knowing the company was worth only $4.8 billion at the most. The loan was then rolled into structured finance securities – “designed to turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse,” David Stockman writes – and stuffed into the Wall Street meth labs until the very end.
Apple, After 2-Year Fight, Fails to Squash “Apfelkind” Café in Germany
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Apple, After 2-Year Fight, Fails to Squash “Apfelkind” Café in Germany
Apple has become a legal juggernaut. It’s taking on everyone and everything for presumed violations of its patents and trademarks. Billions are at stake. Its bitten-into-apple logo is sacred. The color red is sacred. So are red apples of any kind, apparently. Then it tried to squash a cafe in Germany, owned by a stubborn entrepreneur with a vision.
The End Of Nuclear Energy In Japan?
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on The End Of Nuclear Energy In Japan?
“I’m calling for zero nuclear power,” said Junichiro Koizumi at a lecture in Nagoya. Hugely popular prime minister from 2001 to 2006, he’d groomed Shinzo Abe to become his successor. Abe, now again PM, is trying to restore the scandal-plagued nuclear industry to its former glory. But Koizumi’s words ripped into his policies – and are having an impact.
Wall Street Brushes Off Debt-Ceiling, Republicans Beg To Differ, But Default Would be “Catastrophic,” And Nothing Is Priced In
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Wall Street Brushes Off Debt-Ceiling, Republicans Beg To Differ, But Default Would be “Catastrophic,” And Nothing Is Priced In
Wall Street is convinced the government shutdown won’t hurt unless it drags out too long. It’s even more convinced that Congress would never be crazy enough to refuse to raise the debt ceiling in time and send the mighty and sole superpower, biggest debtor of all times, into default. That risk hasn’t been priced in. But a majority of Republicans begs to differ.