Saturday, February 20, 2010

Core Consumer Prices Show First Drop in 28 Years

http://www.cnbc.com/id/35476268

Stripping out volatile energy and food prices, the closely watched core measure of inflation fell 0.1 percent, the first decline since December 1982. Financial markets had expected a 0.1 percent gain.

Niger junta names platoon commander as its leader

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100219/ap_on_re_af/af_niger

Former colonial ruler France and the African Union both condemned Thursday's coup, when armed soldiers stormed the presidential palace in a hail of gunfire during broad daylight and kidnapped the country's strongman leader. The whereabouts of President Mamadou Tandja remained unknown Friday.

Friday, February 19, 2010

World's Second-Largest Retailer's Profit Falls 74%

http://www.cnbc.com/id/35474889

Tax-Exempt Bond Sales Led By Illinois Reach Highest in 5 Weeks

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aELlxk0wGiZw&pos=6

Greece May Have to Pay More Than 7% to Sell Bonds (Update1)

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601110&sid=a0y00QbKxfpg

Greek 10-year notes currently yield about 330 basis points more than the benchmark. The nation can expect to offer a premium of about 30 basis points to that, based on its sale of five-year notes, plus another 40 or 50 basis points to compensate for the risk of another plunge in price, Gisdakis estimated. Adding 80 basis points to current 10-year yields of about 6.55 percent, is equivalent to more than 7.3 percent.

Niger’s Junta Closes Borders, Declares Night Curfew (Update1)

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ajpRHhP0SJkg&pos=8

Niger Military Suspends Constitution After Overthrowing Tandja

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aq5ny21GF7UU&pos=8

The African Union said earlier that it would condemn any military takeover.

“There is not a good or a bad coup, all of them are bad,” the AU’s peace and security commissioner, Ramtane Lamamra, told reporters in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. “Once they happen you have to condemn them with the same energy and same strength.”

China Still Set for Asset Bubble After Reserve Rise, CLSA Says

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-18/china-still-set-for-asset-bubble-after-reserve-rise-clsa-says.html

Copper Rises as Demand From China Appears Strong

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=9878840

Two Chinese Schools Linked to Google Attacks

http://www.cnbc.com/id/35471822

Jiaotong has one of China’s top computer science programs. Just a few weeks ago its students won an international computer programming competition organized by I.B.M. — the “Battle of the Brains” — beating out Stanford and other top-flight universities.

Australia Has Less Room for Growth Without Inflation (Update2)

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aPIcfSsgxMxQ&pos=3

Jobless Claims, Inflation Jump as Economy Wobbles

http://www.cnbc.com/id/35457298

"When you have PPI moving up and still no progress in the jobs situation, that doesn't bode well for continued improvement in equity prices," said Alan Lancz, president at Alan B. Lancz & Associates in Toledo, Ohio.

Dr Doom: China Will Drag Down US Stocks By 20%

http://www.cnbc.com/id/35444726

Faber expects to see the Dow and S&P “fall 20% from the January highs” in the near-term and perhaps more than that as developments unfold.

Fed Raises Discount Rate to 0.75% From 0.50%

http://www.cnbc.com/id/35465481

“I'm shocked. Completely shocked,” Todd Schoenberger, managing director of LandColt Trading said of the Fed’s move to raise the discount rate. “It makes me wonder if the CPI number coming out tomorrow is going to be just absolutely horrible—maybe they got wind of something,” he said.

The Fed also said that as of March 18 the maximum maturity for primary credit loans will be shortened to overnight. It also said it was raising the minimum bid rate for its term auction facility program from 0.25 percent to 0.50 percent and that the final TAF auction will be on March 8.