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Retail Investor Nightmare: The Bond Fund Rout
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Retail Investor Nightmare: The Bond Fund Rout
The bond selloff didn’t surprise anyone. Gurus of all stripes had predicted for years that it would happen, that the ridiculously low yields the Fed was imposing weren’t sustainable – only to watch as the Fed opened the spigot even wider. Then the smart money offered a tidbit of immortal wisdom to the euphoric bondholders: “run – do not walk!” And they did.
3D Printing “A gimmick” with no “Real Commercial Value”
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on 3D Printing “A gimmick” with no “Real Commercial Value”
The Smart Money Sells “Everything That’s Not Nailed Down”
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on The Smart Money Sells “Everything That’s Not Nailed Down”
It was the day when Private Equity firms – the smart money, the great beneficiaries of the Fed’s bond-buying binge – announced their intentions to the rest of the world. The heavy hitters were there, and they let fly some pungent words. In short, they were “selling everything that’s not nailed down.” Turns out, they weren’t kidding.
Perfecting The Surveillance Society – One Payment At A Time
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Perfecting The Surveillance Society – One Payment At A Time
Governments, corporations, even that genius app developer in Russia have one thing in common: they want to know everything. Data is power. And money. As the Snowden debacle has shown, they’re getting there. Technologies for gathering information, then hoarding it, mining it, and using it are becoming phenomenally effective and cheap. But it’s not perfect.
The Big Four Central Banks Muddy The Same Sea Of Liquidity, And Then There’s China
by Lee Adler • • Comments Off on The Big Four Central Banks Muddy The Same Sea Of Liquidity, And Then There’s China
Contributed by Lee Adler, of The Wall Street Examiner. The Fed, ECB, BoJ, and BoE all deal with the same banks. Of the Fed’s 21 Primary Dealers, its sole counterparties, only seven are US domiciled. Three are Canadian, eight are European, including three British banks, and three are Japanese. All of them are major players in Europe and Japan.
David Stockman: When The Fed Capitulated To Financial Hoodlums
by David Stockman • • Comments Off on David Stockman: When The Fed Capitulated To Financial Hoodlums
“The market had been taken over by white-collar financial hoodlums who needed a trading fix every day,” writes David Stockman, Director of the OMB under President Reagan. “These punters and speculators were asserting an entitlement to any and all government policy actions which might be needed to keep the casino running at full tilt.”
Former TBTF Bank Chief Receives Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free Card
by Don Quijones • • Comments Off on Former TBTF Bank Chief Receives Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free Card
Contributed by Don Quijones:Two weeks ago, Miguel Blesa, former president of Spanish savings bank Caja Madrid, went to jail for his role in the bank’s demise. Finally, a TBTF bank chief got nailed for his role in the financial crisis. But it was too good to be true! Now a witch hunt against the judge has begun.
Controlling The Implosion Of The Biggest Bond Bubble In History
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Controlling The Implosion Of The Biggest Bond Bubble In History
In theory, the Fed could continue to print money and buy Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities, even pure junk, until the bitter end. But the bitter end would be unpleasant for those that the Fed represents – and now they’re speaking up publicly. They’re worried that their system might break down. It would threaten their empires. It would be the bitter end.
Tech Companies And Their Love Affair With NSA and CIA
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Tech Companies And Their Love Affair With NSA and CIA
Keyhole Inc., a venture-capital funded startup, was acquired by Google in 2004. Its product became Google Earth. Its technology filtered into Google Maps and Google Mobile. One of the venture-capital investors? The CIA. It didn’t ruffle any feathers at the time. But now we have NSA leaker Edward Snowden and his media blitz.