Rational Capitalist Speculator

U.S. stocks lose most in 5 months on China - Market Snapshot - MarketWatch

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 19:21:35 -0400

U.S. stocks lose most in 5 months on China - Market Snapshot - MarketWatch:

Ugly day in risk markets with Dow S&P500 and Nasdaq finishing at the lows. Lets see how the next few days unfold. Will the bulls be able to circle the wagons at the 50-day moving average (S&P 500: 1,540)?

Two dead after Boston Marathon blasts: police - NewsWatch - MarketWatch

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 19:16:10 -0400

Two dead after Boston Marathon blasts: police - NewsWatch - MarketWatch:

My prayers go out to the injured and deceased. God bless them.

American Dream Eludes With Student Debt Burden: Mortgages - Bloomberg

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:38:36 -0400

American Dream Eludes With Student Debt Burden: Mortgages - Bloomberg:

Nichter, 35, who’s paying $1,500 a month on loans for degrees from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, is part of the most debt-laden generation to emerge from college. Two- thirds of student loans are held by people under the age of 40, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, blocking millions of them from taking advantage of the most affordablehousing market on record. The number of people in that age group who own homes fell by 4.6 percent in the fourth quarter from the third, the biggest drop in records dating to 1982.

“Student debt has a dramatic impact on the ability to buy a house, and to buy the dishwashers and the lawnmowers and all the other purchases that stem from that,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist of Mesirow Financial. “It has a ripple effect throughout the economy.” — Bloomberg

deduction019: Well. If you’re not afraid of the ocean by now...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 22:08:31 -0400

deduction019:

Well. If you’re not afraid of the ocean by now you’re wrong.

Japan shocks China on Senkakus | The Australian

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 22:05:59 -0400

Japan shocks China on Senkakus | The Australian:

University of Sydney associate professor John Lee said it was a smart move from Taiwan and Japan that would increase pressure on China to set aside some of its territorial disputes and reach commercial resolutions to them.

“The fact that Taiwan has come to a commercial compromise without settling the sovereignty issue is precisely what the rest of the region and the US has been urging China to do,” he told The Australian. — The Australian

N Korea May Be Able to Make Nuclear Missiles, U.S. Says - Bloomberg

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 22:03:04 -0400

N Korea May Be Able to Make Nuclear Missiles, U.S. Says - Bloomberg:

The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency has reported that North Korea now has some nuclear weapons small enough to be delivered by its ballistic missiles.

The DIA cautioned in a classified report last month that it has only “moderate confidence” in that finding, which also said that the reliability of North Korea’s missiles “will be low.” — Bloomberg

Singapore Keeps Currency Gain as Inflation Outweighs Growth Sag - Bloomberg

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:58:00 -0400

Singapore Keeps Currency Gain as Inflation Outweighs Growth Sag - Bloomberg:

[Singapore] Gross domestic product shrank an annualized 1.4 percent in the three months ended March 31 from the previous quarter, when it climbed 3.3 percent, the Trade Ministry said today. The median of 10 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey was for 1.7 percent expansion.

Inflation Quickening

A report last month showed prices climbed 4.9 percent in February from a year earlier, the fastest pace since June and more than double the 1.9 percent average in the past 20 years. Singapore’s inflation rate compares with a 2.1 percent pace for China and 2 percent for the U.S. — Bloomberg

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More cases of stagflation are popping, thanks to reckless central bank printing. Brazilian economic data is cause for concern as well…this country too is being affected.

Brazil’s CPI this week was on the hot side, industrial production in the country has been downright ugly for almost two years, and retail sales disappointed today.

China Rebound at Risk as Xi Curbs Officials’ Spending - Bloomberg

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:50:39 -0400

China Rebound at Risk as Xi Curbs Officials’ Spending - Bloomberg:

“The anti-corruption action by Xi is creating unprecedented phenomena, including an absolute fall in high-end restaurant sales,” said Shen Jianguang, chief Asia economist at Mizuho Securities Asia Ltd. in Hong Kong, who previously worked for the European Central Bank. “It’s certainly a big factor dragging down short-term growth.” — Bloomberg

(via Ecclestone Runs Into F-1 Apathy in China as Ferrari Lures...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:49:30 -0400

(via Ecclestone Runs Into F-1 Apathy in China as Ferrari Lures Elite - Bloomberg)

Stock rally pushes S&P intraday record higher - Market Snapshot - MarketWatch

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:34:41 -0400

Stock rally pushes S&P intraday record higher - Market Snapshot - MarketWatch:

Markets keep racing higher despite global macro headwinds. Given a new high, it’s not a bears market….more wait and see (few shorts) and invest a little capital to the upside.

Fed minutes show clear divisions over QE duration - MarketWatch

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:14:14 -0400

Fed minutes show clear divisions over QE duration - MarketWatch

China Exports Miss Forecasts as ‘Absurd’ Data Probed: Economy - Bloomberg

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:13:08 -0400

China Exports Miss Forecasts as ‘Absurd’ Data Probed: Economy - Bloomberg

Slovenia, Spain Warned of Excessive Economy Imbalances by EU - Bloomberg

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:11:07 -0400

Slovenia, Spain Warned of Excessive Economy Imbalances by EU - Bloomberg

Obama Proposes $3.77 Trillion Budget to Revive Debt Talks - Bloomberg

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:07:10 -0400

Obama Proposes $3.77 Trillion Budget to Revive Debt Talks - Bloomberg

California’s Fracking Bonanza May Fall Short of Promise - Bloomberg

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:03:07 -0400

California’s Fracking Bonanza May Fall Short of Promise - Bloomberg

Goldman Sachs sees cyclical turnaround by year end - The Tell - MarketWatch

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:42:58 -0400

Goldman Sachs sees cyclical turnaround by year end - The Tell - MarketWatch:

Goldman expects a “relatively flat equity market” in the second quarter followed by a rise in the S&P 500 to a 1,625 by year-end led by cyclicals. — Marketwatch

Does Obama want to push granny off a cliff? - Irwin Kellner - MarketWatch

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:41:19 -0400

Does Obama want to push granny off a cliff? - Irwin Kellner - MarketWatch:

The current CPI measures the cost of a fixed market basket of goods and services purchased regularly by a typical working household. By contrast, the chained CPI alters the weights of the items in the index to reflect changes in consumers’ buying patterns as relative prices change.

For example, if the price of meat goes up one month and the price of fish goes down, people will buy less meat and more fish. This means that their cost of living will go up more slowly, and thus their cost of living adjustment (COLA) will go up by less than it otherwise would.

But as far as seniors are concerned, the current COLA does not begin to cover the rise in their cost of living. This is because once someone retires, their expenses as a percentage of household income change.

Retirees buy fewer cars, houses and electronics — the prices of which are steady to falling — than do their younger, employed counterparts. On the other hand, they spend more on health care, food, energy and local taxes, for which prices, guess what, are actually rising faster than the current CPI. — Marketwatch

(via Portugal austerity plan frays, US loses patience with...

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:32:00 -0400

(via Portugal austerity plan frays, US loses patience with Europe - Telegraph)

China Tightening Pressure Eases With March Inflation: Economy - Bloomberg

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:01:19 -0400

China Tightening Pressure Eases With March Inflation: Economy - Bloomberg

Colombia Cites Weak Consumer Demand in March Rate Cut Decision - Bloomberg

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 04:08:38 -0400

Colombia Cites Weak Consumer Demand in March Rate Cut Decision - Bloomberg:

Colombia has cut interest rates seven times since June to the lowest among major Latin American economies, as growth cooled and the inflation rate fell to a six-decade low. The minutes leave the door open to further cuts if the central bank judge them to be necessary, said Alejandro Reyes, head analyst at Ultrabursatiles SA brokerage. — Bloomberg