Off topic tonight but this article, essay had a profound effect on me today. The passion and sense of dispair it conveys is remarkable. It is written by Cliff Thier, whom I do not know, and is titled “Farewell To Zion. Forever.” Mr. Thier believes that the end of Israel as a Jewish nation is […]
Archive for April 7th, 2009
Posted in 
Tags: 
TARP For Insurance Companies And TALF For CMBS
Posted by Tom Lindmark on April 7th, 2009
You have to figure that some insurance companies are really desperate. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Treasury Department has decided to extend TARP funds to some. From the WSJ: The Treasury is expected to announce within the next several days the inclusion of life insurers that are bank holding companies or own a […]
Why Don’t The Unemployment Numbers Make Sense?
Posted by Tom Lindmark on April 7th, 2009
I’ve been uncomfortable with the government’s unemployment numbers for some time. Conor Clarke’s post at the Atlantic makes me more so. Mr. Clarke pulls some interesting data out of a CBS/NYT poll. Here’s what he found: Are you currently employed, or are you temporarily out of work, or are you not in the market for work […]
The Consumer Stays In Hiding
Posted by Tom Lindmark on April 7th, 2009
The American consumer appears to have religion. Consider these two data points. The second TALF auction closed today with a measly $3 billion of participation by the Fed. It’s not that the program isn’t working — investor demand for the securities is strong — there just isn’t that much consumer credit out there to securitize. […]
Links
Posted by Tom Lindmark on April 7th, 2009
Here are a couple links to posts you might enjoy: Keith Hennessey.com-Hennesey does a superb job of analyzing Obama’s promise to create or save jobs. He points out the manner in which the numbers can be massaged to meet the goal of saving jobs. It’s a wonderful example of how politicians spin the numbers. The […]
