ONE-TWENTY TWO: Trading Financial Markets
Exploring the poetry in financial markets for students of money and economy since the year 2000.
Illinois stuck in a ‘historic, epic’ budget crisis – chicagotribune.com Talk of major tax increases coupled with draconian spending cuts is building in Springfield (tags: Illinois govt_spending debt) Ritholtz on Bailouts, the Fed, and the Crisis | EconTalk | Library of Economics and Liberty Barry Ritholtz, author of Bailout Nation: How Greed and Easy Money … Read more
Pound Has Problems of Its Own – WSJ.com While experts debate the fate of Europe's crisis-racked currency, it appears the British pound may be heading for its own little nightmare. (tags: British_pound currency) More Often Than Not, the Insiders Get It Right – CNBC Corporate insiders are sending fairly positive signals about the market. When … Read more
Ever since I speculated that the market had finally reached a (near-term) top in January, I have been tracking signals confirming this top. Every once in a while, I stumble upon a significant stock that flashes a contrary sign and gives me pause. Cummins, Inc. (CMI) is a company with such a stock. Cummins, Inc. … Read more
How long can the U.S. dollar defy gravity? The only time the U.S. dollar ever took a serious shellacking in the marketplace, the wounds were almost entirely self-inflicted. (tags: U.S._dollar)
Now we know the source of some of this week’s selling pressure in First Solar’s stock. Michael Ahearn, former CEO and current Executive Chairman, dumped $142.1M in company stock between the 22nd and 24th. He sold another $20.7M on the 25th and 26th. However, the good news is that on Friday two First Solar (FSLR) … Read more
Greek PM says worst fears confirmed on economy | Reuters Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou told parliament on Friday, after a visit by EU economic inspectors, that the worst fears about Greece's economy had been confirmed. (tags: Greece govt_spending debt economy) EU Debt Crisis: Banks Bet Greece Defaults on Debt They Helped Hide – CNBC … Read more
The drama with Toyota (TM) has intensified this week with sharp and skeptical Congressional scrutiny. I have been impressed at how (relatively) well Toyota’s stock has held up through the negative news flow. As Toyota’s president Akio Toyoda pleaded for mercy on Wednesday – “My name is on every car…You have my personal commitment that … Read more
The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) released its latest projections for commercial real estate (CRE). The outlook remains grim as the NAR forecasts no recovery in CRE this year. Rents are expected to decline across all segments (although slightly lower than last year’s rent declines) as vacancy rates remain extremely high. CRE is not expected … Read more
Almost 10% of FDIC-insured banks called "troubled" – MarketWatch Driven by expanding problems with commercial real estate loans, the number of distressed banks in the U.S. rose to 702 in the fourth quarter, marking the highest level in 16 years, according to a report released Tuesday by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (tags: banks commercial_real_estate … Read more
China New Village Makes Chanos See Dubai 1,000 Times (Update1) – Bloomberg.com The township of Huaxi in the Yangtze River Delta is a proud symbol of how Chinese communists embraced capitalism to lift 300 million people out of poverty during the past three decades. (tags: China bubbles govt_stimulus) Euro Worst to Come as Greece Hammerlocks … Read more