links for 2010-03-15

Pound Bears Bet More Than When George Soros Beat BOE (Update2) – BusinessWeek Futures traders are more bearish than ever on sterling amid concern that the currency’s worst annual start in 13 years will continue as the U.K.’s budget deficit approaches the Greek shortfall that roiled the euro. Wagers on the pound weakening against the … Read more

Is the Swiss National Bank Winding Down Its Currency Intervention?

I continue to read that the Swiss franc has been gaining on the euro because of the euro’s weakness. This observation appears correct when reviewing the euro’s slide against the dollar since early December (EUR/USD) and the parallel appreciation in the franc versus the euro (EUR/CHF). Yet, the euro has essentially stabilized versus the dollar … Read more

links for 2010-03-14

Middle Class Money Angst Still Apparent in Data In all, the latest Fed Flow of Funds data suggest that, to the extent middle class Americans' finances are improving, it's because their liabilities are being reduced by default. The gains in asset values are being concentrated by those so-called households with the ways and means to … Read more

Smash A Toyota, Boost the American Economy?

In her Nightly Business Report blog, Terri Cullen summarizes the potential economic impact of Toyota’s problems in “Toyota Recalls and the Economy.” In this article, Cullens suggests that what is bad for Toyota (TM) might be good for the U.S.: “The Toyota recalls may turn out to have a positive impact on the U.S. auto … Read more