Another Crisis Obama Ignored

Monday Business Edition

As much as I would like it to be, the chief problem with Barack Hussein Obama is not Civil Liberties on which he is in fact objectively worse than George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.

Nope.

It’s that he’s a coward economically.

We KNOW! what works and policymakers have willfully choosen to avoid it for the sake of academic reputation and neo-liberal policy purity.

The latest symptom in our economic fever is Title Fraud.  If you’ve financed or re-financed your home in the last 10 years (and who wouldn’t with the interest rates so low?) your title is now in doubt.

Not that this is a problem for you personally or, it shouldn’t be. You’ve maintained your good faith payments to your servicing company which they’ve presumably used in a rational manner to keep that 2nd derivative universe (of which they are MastersElanie‘ O’Donnell) cranking around.

In translation masturbatory fantasies of value created by leverage.

My ancient Economics 101 Perfesser (twisted and wizend from long years surviving an actual Depression) told me- “It’s only paper profits until you sell it.

Your good old mortgage should protect your serfdom to your property, but the people who’ve placed their bets on black are going to be exceedingly disappointed when the wheel stops on double zero.  This market has a long way to crash.

And we’ve done nothing at all about it and the economic team (with the exception of Geither) jumped ship to avoid accepting responsibility for this disaster.

Except of course the buck stops at that Oval Office desk Obama occupies.

Government had been warned for months about troubles in mortgage servicer industry

By Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Staff Writer

Saturday, October 9, 2010; 10:11 PM

Consumer advocates and lawyers warned federal officials in recent years that the U.S. foreclosure system was designed to seize people’s homes as fast as possible, often without regard to the rights of homeowners.

In recent days, amid reports that major lenders have used improper procedures and fraudulent paperwork to seize properties, some Obama administration officials have acknowledged they had been aware of flaws in how the mortgage industry pursues foreclosures.



Housing advocates and government reports gave several reasons why servicers try to foreclose so quickly.

In general, servicers make more money when they foreclose on a loan than when they find a better arrangement for the borrower. That’s because the payments to the servicer decline when a loan is modified. But if instead the borrower is in default, the servicer adds fees on the account and can collect when the house is sold, even at foreclosure.

In addition, servicers are under pressure to continue to transfer the money paid by the borrower to the investor in the loan. When a borrower isn’t paying the loan, the servicer has to cover the difference.

Moreover, servicers can expect to charge more if they receive higher ratings from credit rating agencies. And the faster a servicer forecloses when loans are in default, the higher the rating they stand to receive.

Business News below.

From Yahoo News Business

1 Labour market specialists win Nobel Economics prize

by Rita Devlin Marier, AFP

6 mins ago

STOCKHOLM (AFP) – Peter Diamond and Dale Mortensen of the US and British-Cypriot Christopher Pissarides won the 2010 Nobel Economics Prize on Monday for work on why supply and demand do not always meet in the labour market and elsewhere.

The prize highlights one aspect of a policy-making problem which has bedevilled governments of advanced countries since the oil shocks of the 1970s: high unemployment which has risen even higher because of the global economic crisis

The jury lauded the trio “for their analysis of markets with search frictions,” which helps explain how unemployment, job vacancies, and wages are affected by regulation and economic policy.

2 France strikes again as pension reform enters crunch week

by Rory Mulholland, AFP

32 mins ago

PARIS (AFP) – France faces major disruption Tuesday for the fourth time in a month as workers take to the streets — this time threatening open-ended strikes — to fight plans to raise the retirement age to 62.

Half of flights to and from Paris Orly airport and one in three at Charles de Gaulle will be cancelled because of walk-outs by airport workers in what is seen as a crunch week for pension reform, officials said.

Intercity trains and the Paris metro were also to be badly hit, and teachers, truckers and postal workers planned to join the protests against a plan that is central to President Nicolas Sarkozy’s reform programme.

3 Dollar falls as ‘currency war’ concerns linger

AFP

1 hr 9 mins ago

LONDON (AFP) – The dollar fell against the euro and yen on Monday after the world’s top finance officials failed to reach a consensus on measures to head off what some see as a looming “currency war”, analysts said.

The euro reached 1.40 dollars, while the US unit hit a fresh 15-year low against the yen amid growing expectation that the Federal Reserve will pump more money to bolster the struggling US economy, they added.

“The euro was given a boost after the IMF meeting, which failed to resolve the so-called currency war,” said Kathleen Brooks, an analyst for online trading company Forex.com.

4 IMF, World Bank wrap up three days of talks

by Rob Lever, AFP

Sun Oct 10, 1:11 pm ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The world’s top finance officials closed out three days of talks here Sunday after failing to reach a consensus on measures to head off what some see as a looming currency war.

The International Monetary Fund steering committee, which has been struggling to address friction among key economies including China and the United States, said Saturday the organization should continue its study.

“While the international monetary system has proved resilient, tensions and vulnerabilities remain as a result of widening global imbalances, continued volatile capital flows, exchange rate movements and issues related to the supply and accumulation of official reserves,” the IMF panel said in a statement after its meeting.

5 Asia braces for currency wars but options limited

by Martin Abbugao, AFP

Sun Oct 10, 7:14 pm ET

SINGAPORE (AFP) – Emerging Asia is braced for collateral damage in case of an all-out currency war between the world’s most powerful economies, but regional governments have limited options, economists said.

The subject dominated annual International Monetary Fund talks in Washington at the weekend, but there was no consensus as the United States and China wage an acrimonious dispute over Beijing’s currency policies.

“I strongly hope that this will not escalate into an all-out war,” said Cyn Young Park, a senior economist at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), voicing fears any conflict could derail the world’s fragile recovery from recession.

6 Asia computer market has room for both tablets and laptops

by Peter Harmsen, AFP

Sun Oct 10, 7:10 pm ET

TAIPEI (AFP) – Tablet computers such as Apple’s iPad and Samsung’s Galaxy have had a fanfare of publicity, but they are unlikely to kill off their older cousin the laptop anytime soon, say Asian analysts and vendors.

Sales of smaller-screen and cheaper netbook laptops may appear to be sloping off in a mature market like the United States, but analysts in Asia believe this is not the end of the road for the laptop itself.

“The tablet is a secondary device, meant for people who already have a PC and want a device for portable usage,” said Tracy Tsai, a Taipei-based analyst with technology research company Gartner.

7 Abrupt yuan rise problematic for China: experts

by Allison Jackson, AFP

Sun Oct 10, 3:03 am ET

BEIJING (AFP) – A sharp revaluation in the yuan would trigger mass factory closures and job losses in China, analysts say, backing up the government’s strident defence of its controversial exchange rate policy.

Premier Wen Jiabao told European leaders last week that the 20-40 percent appreciation demanded by critics would destroy Chinese firms and lead to social upheaval by triggering widespread unemployment.

The premier’s claims have merit, experts say, warning that any dramatic shift in the value of the yuan would be harmful not only to export-driven China but also to a global economy struggling to recover from the financial crisis.

8 Fox gets teeth into Chinese movie market

by Romain Raynaldy, AFP

Sat Oct 9, 6:33 pm ET

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Media giant Fox is celebrating after joining fellow majors by producing its first film in Mandarin, as it battles for a slice of an exploding Chinese movie market.

The Fox International division was created in 2008 to “make local films all over the world, and to focus on markets that were growing, or that already have big established local products,” said its head Sanford Panitch.

“And China being the fastest-growing market in the world, and 50 percent of the product in China being local, it was a great opportunity for us to be able to participate in making Chinese film,” he told AFP.

9 Soaring Aussie dollar could hurt budget: Treasurer

by Madeleine Coorey, AFP

Sun Oct 10, 2:31 am ET

SYDNEY (AFP) – The surging Australian dollar, which analysts say is set for a sustained period at or above recent record highs, could cut into national revenues as exports suffer, Treasurer Wayne Swan warned Sunday.

The Aussie is rocketing on the back of an unprecedented mining boom, a strong local economy and exposure to China’s growth, zooming up against the US dollar last week to hit a record of 99.18 US cents on Thursday.

The record — the Australian currency’s highest level since it was floated in December 1983 — prompted suggestions that the local dollar would tip past parity with the greenback by the end of the year.

10 IMF fails to find consensus to ease currency friction

by Rob Lever, AFP

Sun Oct 10, 12:56 am ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – IMF policymakers failed to reach a consensus on measures to head off what some see as a looming currency war but pledged to keep working toward easing global economic imbalances.

The International Monetary Fund steering committee, which has been struggling to address friction among key economies including China and the United States, said the organization should continue its study.

“While the international monetary system has proved resilient, tensions and vulnerabilities remain as a result of widening global imbalances, continued volatile capital flows, exchange rate movements and issues related to the supply and accumulation of official reserves,” the IMF panel said in a statement after its meeting Saturday.

11 Weak US jobs report hangs over November elections

by Veronica Smith, AFP

Fri Oct 8, 4:37 pm ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US economy shed 95,000 jobs in September as the government slashed payrolls, official data showed on Friday in a bleaker than expected report just weeks ahead of key mid-term elections.

The report could have implications on voter sentiment in the run-up to the November 2 polls. High unemployment is a crucial issue as millions of Americans feel the recession that ended more than a year ago has not ended for them.

President Barack Obama and his Democratic Party needed a strong report to crow about the economic recovery ahead of the vote, in which opposition Republicans are expected to make strong gains and possibly recapture a majority in one or both chambers of Congress.

12 CNOOC tests U.S. with $1.1 billion Chesapeake bid

By Sui-Lee Wee and Paritosh Bansal, Reuters

Mon Oct 11, 2:58 am ET

HONG KONG/NEW YORK (Reuters) – China’s top offshore oil producer CNOOC Ltd (0883.HK) agreed to pay $1.1 billion for a stake in a U.S. shale oil and gas field, testing the market for the first time since its 2005 failed bid for Unocal.

CNOOC shares hit a three-year high on news of the deal with Chesapeake Energy Corp (CHK.N), which could be the start of more outbound acquisitions as the Chinese company races to meet its aggressive production growth forecasts to feed the country’s fast-growing economy, analysts and bankers said.

“We expect them to expand their footprint in the Canadian oil-sands and also in Brazil’s deepwater. That’s the last frontier where you can extract big oil volumes,” said Gordon Kwan, head of Asian energy research for Mirae Asset Securities, adding that Nigeria and Angola could also be attractive.

13 Two teams try lining up Potash Corp bids: reports

By Sumeet Chatterjee and Quentin Webb, Reuters

35 mins ago

MUMBAI/LONDON (Reuters) – Reported fresh attempts to outdo BHP Billiton’s $39 billion bid for Canadian group Potash Corp look unwieldy, analysts said, suggesting the world’s biggest miner still has the field to itself.

Bernstein analyst Paul Galloway said getting the financial clout needed to improve on the terms of the biggest takeover bid this year required either aligning a diverse consortium or relying on the politically contentious backing of China.

The latest in weeks of speculation about ways BHP could be stymied saw reports that Canadian and Singaporean funds were talking about a possible deal, that China’s preferred counterbidder was canvassing an Indian partner, and that Potash itself was examining a huge payout.

14 Fast yuan revaluation no panacea: China’s Zhou

By Kristina Cooke and Paul Eckert, Reuters

Sun Oct 10, 6:59 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Demands that China rapidly revalue its yuan currency are akin to seeking a magic cure to a problem that requires a slow-working, herbal remedy, the country’s central bank governor, Zhou Xiaochuan, said on Sunday.

Beijing realizes it must raise the value of its currency, but the strength of the yuan depends on carefully gauging economic fundamentals like inflation, growth and employment, said Zhou, the head of the People’s Bank of China.

“China would like to use more gradual ways to realize a balance between domestic and external demand,” he said, repeating the message he drove home at the weekend’s International Monetary Fund meetings.

15 Bankers hit the Go-Slow alarm on regulatory crackdown

By Kevin Drawbaugh and Dave Clarke, Reuters

Sun Oct 10, 2:16 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A global crackdown on bank oversight could undermine a fragile economic recovery if governments move too fast and fail to cooperate, international bankers warned at a conference on Sunday.

Amid mounting currency tensions and talk of new surcharges on the industry, some of the world’s top bankers appealed for a gradual approach to implementing the Basel III accord on capital and other banking reforms.

The bankers expressed fears that individual governments will go beyond the Basel III deal struck last month between finance ministers from 27 countries that will force tougher capital and liquidity requirements on banks by 2019 so they can better withstand economic downturns and financial shocks.

16 Monetary policy’s diminishing returns

By Emily Kaiser, Reuters

Sun Oct 10, 3:00 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Reserve runs the risk of diminishing returns from its next round of money printing to amplify the subdued economic recovery, but that won’t stop it from trying.

Minutes due on Tuesday from the Fed’s most recent policy-setting meeting may reflect some divisions among officials over whether to launch another round of asset purchases, known as quantitative easing.

Investors, however, assume the Fed will pull the trigger, likely at its next policy-setting meeting in November.

17 Fed to run the show despite big earnings

By Rodrigo Campos, Reuters

Sun Oct 10, 11:35 am ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Not even earnings from big names like Google and GE this week will be able to pull Wall Street’s focus away from the possibility of more cheap cash flowing in from the Federal Reserve.

Normally when the likes of JPMorgan or Intel –also reporting next week — tell investors how much they earned in the previous quarter, the stock market hangs on every word.

But after Friday’s surprisingly anemic payrolls report, the increased likelihood the Fed will buy more assets like Treasury bonds to stimulate the economy has investors ignoring the usual benchmarks.

18 U.S. management in cross-hairs at Wal-Mart meeting

By Brad Dorfman, Reuters

Sun Oct 10, 12:37 pm ET

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Wal-Mart Stores Inc’s (WMT.N) U.S. management will be in the cross-hairs at the company’s investor meeting this week, where Wall Street analysts will press for details on rescuing the retailer’s largest business.

Sales at U.S. Wal-Mart stores open at least a year have fallen in five straight quarters, hurt by competition from lower-priced dollar stores and an economy that has allowed some shoppers to move up to rivals such as Target Corp (TGT.N).

Bill Simon became CEO of the U.S. unit in June and is expected to outline how he and his revamped management team can spur sales.

19 3 win economics Nobel for job market analysis

By LOUISE NORDSTROM and KARL RITTER, Associated Press Writers

13 mins ago

STOCKHOLM – Two Americans and a British-Cypriot economist won the 2010 Nobel economics prize Monday for developing a theory that helps explain why many people can remain unemployed despite a large number of job vacancies.

Federal Reserve board nominee Peter Diamond was honored along with Dale Mortensen and Christopher Pissarides with the 10 million Swedish kronor ($1.5 million) prize for their analysis of the obstacles that prevent buyers and sellers from efficiently pairing up in markets.

Diamond – a former mentor to current Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke – analyzed the foundations of so-called search markets, while Mortensen and Pissarides expanded the theory and applied it to the labor market.

20 No boost for Social Security checks in 2011

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press Writer

Mon Oct 11, 3:22 am ET

WASHINGTON – As if voters don’t have enough to be angry about this election year, the government is expected to announce this week that more than 58 million Social Security recipients will go through another year without an increase in their monthly benefits.

It would mark only the second year without an increase since automatic adjustments for inflation were adopted in 1975. The first year was this year.

“If you’re the ruling party, this is not the sort of thing you want to have happening two weeks before an election,” said Andrew Biggs, a former deputy commissioner at the Social Security Administration and now a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

21 Asian currency tensions simmer as dollar sinks

By ERIKA KINETZ, AP Business Writer

38 mins ago

MUMBAI, India – It’s boom time in Asia, only Premal Udani, who runs an Indian apparel exporting company, says he has little to show for it.

A surging tide of foreign cash has helped drive stocks in Indonesia and the Philippines to record highs, while India’s market has been flirting with a lifetime peak, but as Udani – whose company Kaytee Corp. sells to Wal-Mart and Macy’s – knows there can be danger in plenty.

That rush of money – replicated across emerging Asia as investors seek a haven of high-growth amid miserably low returns in the developed world_ has pushed the Indian rupee up 5.5 percent since Sept. 1 to its highest in more than two years. That, plus surging cotton prices, is wiping out his profit margin, which usually hovers under 5 percent.

22 Unemployed find old jobs now require more skills

By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER, AP Economics Writer

2 hrs 26 mins ago

WASHINGTON – The jobs crisis has brought an unwelcome discovery for many unemployed Americans: Job openings in their old fields exist. Yet they no longer qualify for them.

They’re running into a trend that took root during the recession. Companies became more productive by doing more with fewer workers. Some asked staffers to take on a broader array of duties – duties that used to be spread among multiple jobs. Now, someone who hopes to get those jobs must meet the new requirements.

As a result, some database administrators now have to manage network security.

23 Foreclosure freeze could undermine housing market

By MICHELLE CONLIN, AP Real Estate Writer

2 mins ago

NEW YORK – Karl Case, the co-creator of a widely watched housing market index, was upbeat three weeks ago. Mulling the economy while at a meeting at a resort near the Berkshires, Case thought the makings of a recovery were finally falling into place.

“I’m a 60-40 optimist,” he said at the time.

Today, Case’s mood is far more subdued. In scarcely two weeks, he and other housing analysts have watched as the once-staid world of back-office bank procedures has spawned a scandal that threatens to further unhinge the housing market.

24 Report: College dropouts cost taxpayers billions

By ERIC GORSKI, AP Education Writer

Mon Oct 11, 3:56 am ET

Dropping out of college after a year can mean lost time, burdensome debt and an uncertain future for students.

Now there’s an estimate of what it costs taxpayers. And it runs in the billions.

States appropriated almost $6.2 billion for four-year colleges and universities between 2003 and 2008 to help pay for the education of students who did not return for year two, a report released Monday says.

25 Beverly Hills to make a splash with city scents

By CHRISTINA HOAG, Associated Press Writer

2 hrs 48 mins ago

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Ah, there’s nothing like the sweet smell of success. That’s what this bastion of ostentatious wealth wants you to believe – quite literally.

The City of Beverly Hills is launching its own line of perfumes this week as the first products in a long-term quest to turn the city’s trademarked shield logo into a brand. You could call it, ahem, 9021-Eau.

“This is a center of fashion, sophistication, energy,” said Mayor Jimmy Delshad. “We decided this was the right product for us.”

26 Western vintners hope late harvest makes fine wine

By OLIVIA MUNOZ, For The Associated Press

Mon Oct 11, 3:04 am ET

FRESNO, Calif. – A cool summer along the West Coast has made for a hurried harvest in the nation’s top winemaking regions as growers rush to beat the first frost. Vintners, however, are hopeful the late grapes will make great wine.

It’s a matter of simple science: Grapes become sweeter as they develop but they need sun and heat to do so. When the grapes are crushed and loaded into barrels, the sugar turns into alcohol during fermentation.

With less exposure to sun and heat, the grapes will have less sugar and produce wines with less alcohol. But, vintners say, the wines should be beautifully balanced and full-flavored.

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  1. It is a bunch of cry babies on both sides who are pissed at each other and using “tit for tat” tactics that continue to cripple recovery from an economic morass that was started years ago when corporations were allowed to run the military.

    3 Share Nobel Economics Prize for Labor Analysis

    The 2010 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science was awarded on Monday to Peter A. Diamond, Dale T. Mortensen and Christopher A. Pissarides for their work on markets where buyers and sellers have difficulty finding each other, and in particular on the difficulties of fitting people to the right jobs. . . .

    Professor Diamond, 70, an M.I.T. professor and a nominee to the Federal Reserve Board  who was effectively blocked by the Senate in August, first developed a broad theoretical framework for studying markets with so-called “search costs” in 1971.

    Keen on Stimulus, but Limited in Leeway

    By DANIEL ALTMAN

    Published: December 11, 2002

    Some experts see room for more spending and tax cuts to ensure that the economy returns quickly to strong growth, but others worry that the cost of stimulus now will only add to the economic problems down the road.

    The president’s promise to extend his 10-year schedule of tax cuts well into the future, as the centerpiece of a stimulus package, has been one of the most disputed proposals.

    Given the possibility of huge deficits down the road, making the president’s tax cut permanent strikes me as something that is probably moving in the wrong direction,” said Peter A. Diamond, a professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ”If you wanted to do a stimulation package that didn’t drive you deeper into debt, you would do it with a temporary cut combined with a later boost.” . . .

    Professor Diamond offered a two-sided plan, which coupled a cut now with a tax increase in the future, as an alternative. He predicted that it might actually help today’s economy more, by convincing investors that long-term interest rates would stay low, rather than rise on fears of ever-larger budget deficits.

    He said he also doubted that people would truly perceive more tax cuts to be permanent, given the state of the government’s coffers.

    ”Even if the Republicans stay in charge of the whole ball of wax,” Professor Diamond said, ”given certain deficit scenarios, you’ve got to expect they’re going to revisit the tax law.”

    Prescient

  2. all these crises are at least 2 or maybe even 3 or more days in the past, and by the time you hear of any more new crises they’ll be in the past too.

    In Obamaland we don’t do the past, you know. We’re too busy “movin’ forward”, don’t you know?

    What is wrong with you, anyway? 😉

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