Archive for June 30th, 2009

SF Fed President Janet Yellen Ranges Far And Wide On The Economy

Janet Yellen delivered a pretty comprehensive speech on the economy and the Fed actions today. If you aren’t familiar with her, she is the President of the San Francisco Fed and perhaps one of the more influential members of the central bank. She may well become the first female chairwoman of the Fed. It’s a […]

More VAT Trial Balloons

Roger Altman, a former Clinton administration Treasury official, is another in a growing list of Democrats who are helping set the stage for a major tax increase in the next couple of years. It’s not just a nibble around the edges tax cut either, he’s stumping for a VAT tax. In a Wall Street Journal […]

Opening The Bank Vault To Private Equity

This is one that I just don’t get. The FDIC says it’s going to issue new guidelines for the purchase of failed banks by private equity companies while the newly proposed banking regulations take a harsh stance towards commercial enterprises owning insured depositories. First from the WSJ the FDIC approach: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. […]

Visualizing The Sound Barrier

Totally off-subject and totally cool is this picture of an F-22 doing a supersonic flyby of an aircraft carrier. Here is a link to the story which explains, or tries to explain, the phenomenon in the picture.

A First Scary Look At The Consumer Financial Protection Agency

The Treasury has sent its proposal for a Consumer Financial Protection Agency to Capitol Hill. The breadthof this law is staggering to say the least. Here is a summary from the WSJ: According to the draft legislation, Treasury’s plan would: 1) Give the agency broad authority to write rules about services or products including: a. […]

According To Case-Shiller House Prices Fall Slower

The Case-Shiller housing numbers are out and are being spun as showing signs of improvement. That like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Here is Reuters report: Prices of U.S. single-family homes fell in April from March but the pace of the decline moderated, suggesting stability is emerging in some regions, according to […]