History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives. Abba Eban
Archive for March 13th, 2009
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Happy Days Are Here Again
Posted by Tom Lindmark on March 13th, 2009
Quite a week, no? If nothing else it was a testament to the power of happy talk. Think about it, the markets soared and bank stocks led the way. There was some good economic news if you think that flattening rates of decline for various indices is good news. The optimists say look at the […]
Tags: Some Bad Ideas Just Won’t Go Away
Posted by Tom Lindmark on March 13th, 2009
I hope this isn’t TARP money they’re using! Oops I forgot. Money if fungible. The LA Times blog reports that Los Angeles County is offering interest free second mortgages of up to $75,000 for first time homebuyers. The seconds are not only interest free but don’t have to be repaid until the house is sold, […]
A Commentors Thoughts On TALF And The RTC
Posted by Tom Lindmark on March 13th, 2009
Yesterday I wrote a post about TALF and the disturbing lack of transparency that seemed to be developing around the program. The article was picked up by Seeking Alpha and attracted a comment that I feel is worth reprinting. I am quite concerned about TALF’s conspicuous lack of transparency. The public has no idea who […]
CNBC Isn’t That Bad
Posted by Tom Lindmark on March 13th, 2009
Well someone has to stick their neck out and defend CNBC so here goes. I’m sure you all either watched the smackdown Jon Stewart put on Jim Cramer, have read about it, heard some radio talk show discussion on your way to work or in some other manner had the episode forced upon your consciousness. If […]
The World Bank Says Fix The Banks First
Posted by Tom Lindmark on March 13th, 2009
The World Bank threw it’s two cents worth into the debate about what the G-20 needed to focus on. Robert Zoellick, the President, says it’s the banks, stupid. “Stimulus packages alone are not enough,” the World Bank president said. “The International Monetary Fund research of some 122 financial and economic crises shows that turnaround can’t happen unless […]
Roundingup Some News From Here And There
Posted by Tom Lindmark on March 13th, 2009
Consumer confidence improved a bit, the trade deficit narrowed, some striking workers in France released a hostage and China is worried about the safety of their Treasury hoard. Just a few things from around the world. Consumer confidence as measured by the Michigan Survey of Consumers edged up from 56.3 to 56.6. The percentage of […]
