Consider this the first and last time we plan on bringing up the Oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. We don’t agree that 2018 futures should be trading at a $20 premium to near term WTI spots, and we think the trend of Crude Oil will ultimately continue lower, so we haven’t given this story much attention. That said, the ramifications on unemployment and the general economy of the U.S. Gulf Coast are becoming tangible and necessary for all to understand. Take 3 1/2 minutes of your day and listen to those affected by the disaster in their “own words”, in this Bloomberg Video Report…

Even after the TARP fund liquidity injections in the U.S. financial sector in 2008, the E.U. has decided to bail out one of it’s member states, Greece, from insolvency. How can this even be considered? Yes, the EU constitution is a whopping 7 years young and therefore demands a minuscule thread of adherence by member states,
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“That will never happen to this country.” – Timothy Geitner in response to suggestions that the U.S. Treasury may one day lose its Aaa credit rating. Perhaps inspired by Niall Ferguson’s dramatic Financial Times piece, “A Greek Crisis Coming To America“, we see today as a prime opportunity to recap our short U.S. Long Term
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With the autumn comes the brisk northern air that reminds us of the fragility of life and the strict laws of nature; lessons which most years occupy a few thousand microns of brain tissue as such trivial metaphysical notions pass under the radar of consciousness. Yet it seems that we humans subscribe to a separate reality
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The world has followed Obama's recent visit to Asia, especially his visit to China, with hopes that Asian currencies would be allowed to appreciate over the short term. China's Renminbi has been re-pegged to the U.S. dollar since mid 2009 and should be allowed to appreciate vs. the dollar, as every major currency has over
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Kicking of the June 15-19 trading week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 both sold off well over 2% and erased previous gains for the month. Should history repeat itself, U.S. equity trading this week will show marginally increased volatility and volume due to the "quadruple witching" day occurring on Friday. The significance
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No one seemed to questioning the vicious buying of Bank of America (BAC) and Citi Group (C) on a Wednesday where stress test leaks suggested the two banks will need an additional $35 billion and $50 billion of common equity. Does the transparency of major U.S. banks' financial needs warrant the KBW Banking Index's gain
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U.S. equity markets ended only slightly lower on Tuesday as early morning economic data started off the day with a spurt of confidence. The ISM Non-Manufacturing report gauged Chicago area service related industries deteriorating at a lower rate than previous months in April. The report clocked in at 43.7, above the markets estimate of 42.2
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Taking note of the information at hand Monday yields little new information for the economy on a day that had been scheduled as the release of TARP stress test results by regulators. Instead the S&P 500 and equity markets are trading higher on lower than average volume due to an unexpected jolt in pending home
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Economic indicators released Friday morning cited less rapid deterioration in the manufacturing sector, more optimistic consumer sentiment, and lower factory orders. The first released Reuter's/University of Michigan Sentiment report inspired U.S. equity futures higher before diving into the red after the manufacturing numbers and news from the government was released. The lack of confidence in
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