http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/market/ en-us Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:03:59 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413829/posts WASHINGTON – Sales of new homes plunged unexpectedly last month to the lowest level since April, a sign the housing market recovery will be rocky. The 11 percent slump from October's pace shows that consumers are taking their time following an extension of a deadline for first-time buyers to qualify for a tax credit. The incentive was set to expire at the end of November, but Congress pushed back the date to April 30 and expanded the program to include current homeowners who relocate. "They don't have to act today," said David Crowe, chief economist at the National Association of... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413829/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:03:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410380/posts MONTREAL - If the Chinese stock market is still an indicator of global investor appetite for risk, as analysts viewed it a few months ago, then that appetite has lately diminished. Perhaps they are finally absorbing some of the revelations about statistical manipulations. They may also be reacting to more recent revelations warning of bank fraud in China. In one case, the Royal Bank of Scotland is reportedly investigating suspected fraud in its China unit. Client losses could be worth up to US$3 million, the Financial Times has reported, citing local media. Whatever the reason, neither Chinese nor global stock... Asia Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410380/posts#comment Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:51:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410054/posts NAWA, Afghanistan, Dec. 17, 2009 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff visited Patrol Base Jaker here today to tour the base and the Nawa district center and spend time with Marines and sailors assigned here. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks to Marines and sailors with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, during a visit to Patrol Base Jaker in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, Dec. 17, 2009. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Brian Tuthill  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen accompanied Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Lawrence D.... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410054/posts#comment Fri, 18 Dec 2009 01:40:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409058/posts By Stocks Finish Mixed (Down) As Fed Stands Pat 12/16/09 - 04:49 PM ESTSung Moss NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Stocks pulled back Wednesday after the Federal Open Market Committee announced that it will be keeping its key interest rate near zero. In its statement, the Fed reiterated that it will keep its fed funds rate at 0% to 0.25% and that conditions are likely to keep the rate low for "an extended period." But in a slight turn of phrase, the central bankers' statement also noted that deterioration in the labor market is "abating," though the typically cautious statement also... The Street http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409058/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:58:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403593/posts Winter of discontent looms for N Korea By Christian Oliver and Kang Buseong in Seoul Published: December 9 2009 07:41 | Last updated: December 9 2009 07:41 The North Korean grapevine is delivering stories of increasing hunger and shortages sparking rare public dissent in the wake of last week’s redenomination of the currency just as the country’s bitter winter closes in. The change to the new won, which carry a face value of 1 per cent of that of old won, was supposed to be completed over the weekend, but reports suggest the situation is still unsettled and confused though... FT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403593/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 12:32:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2403114/posts NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks tumbled Tuesday afternoon across the board, as investors eyed weak global markets, a rising dollar, falling oil and gold prices and some disappointing profit news from 3M, McDonald's and Kroger. The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) tumbled 100 points, or 1%, with more than two hours left in the session. The S&P 500 index (SPX) lost 10 points, or 0.9%. The Nasdaq composite (COMP) shed 11 points, or 0.5%. Stocks slipped right out of the gate as investors took a cue from falling global markets and a rising dollar. The weak dollar has added to... CNNMoney http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2403114/posts#comment Tue, 8 Dec 2009 20:18:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2396480/posts [posted on his blog, typos corrected]. There is no need for a government in a highly developed free market society to appoint itself as "provider of healthcare coverage." None, whatsoever. The proposition would be identical to the government taking control of the restaurant and grocery businesses because there are some people who, regrettably, cannot afford to eat. To do so would undermine the market mechanism of distribution, which is quite an effective mechanism. I believe the discussion of "subsidiarity" speaks to this. Furthermore, New York City once was a shining example of what Catholicism, when practiced, can do to generously... My Favorite Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2396480/posts#comment Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:56:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391457/posts Germany’s new finance minister has echoed Chinese warnings about the growing threat of fresh global asset price bubbles, fuelled by low US interest rates and a weak dollar. Wolfgang Schäuble’s comments highlight official concern in Europe that the risk of further financial market turbulence has been exacerbated by the exceptional steps taken by central banks and governments to combat the crisis. Financial Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391457/posts#comment Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:11:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390167/posts Glum trader who missed most of the upside is now convinced the market will only go down for the rest of the year. The Dow is down over a hundred points today and it's making professional traders nervous. We spoke to a friend this morning at a large prop trading desk inside an investment bank and we’ve never heard him so bleak. He says that all the equity traders on his desk think the market will do nothing but go down for the rest of the year. “We’re all waiting for the market to crack. And it looks today like... The Business Insider http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390167/posts#comment Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:22:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382952/posts Why is the Stock Market Rising When The Economic Recovery is Weak? Stock-Markets / US Interest Rates Nov 10, 2009 - 04:35 AM By: John_Mauldin "Why" many ask, "is the stock market going up when the bond market is telling us the recovery will be tepid? Isn't there a disconnect?" And the answer is that there is, and this week good friend and fishing buddy Paul McCulley of PIMCO fame discusses that very topic with his usual insight and wit. He poses the conundrum that those expecting a "V" shaped recovery have pushed risk assets up quite high, and that... The Market Oracle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382952/posts#comment Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:34:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382424/posts Stocks Rocket To Biggest Gains Of 2009 Vince VenezianiNov. 9, 2009, 4:03 PM Today was one for the record books. The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit its 2009 year high today, going as high 10,228 in late afternoon trading and finishing at 10,227. The NASDAQ didn't do too bad either, ending up 41 points at 2154. The S&P 500 was able to gain 23 points to close at 1093. The Federal Reserve today also released a survey that shows banks are still limiting the amount of credit offered to both businesses and consumers. The market couldn't have cared less. Gold... The Business Insider http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382424/posts#comment Mon, 9 Nov 2009 21:34:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382411/posts Stock Market Investors Needn’t Fear A Double-Dip Economic Recession Nov 09, 2009 - 05:56 AM By: Money_Morning Jon D. Markman writes: A new report contains some very good news for investors: Double-dip recessions are very rare. That means that a drop back into recessionary conditions looks less and less likely even as unemployment creeps higher and has crossed the 10% threshold for the first time in a quarter century. After reviewing U.S. economic history all the way back to the 1850s, Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE: DB) economists found that double-dip recessions are exceedingly rare: There have only been three episodes... The Market Oracle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382411/posts#comment Mon, 9 Nov 2009 21:19:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380062/posts Wall Street: Dumb as It Ever Was November 06, 2009 | about: DIA / QQQQ / SPY Todd Kenyon I had to take a few moments away from shouting at the circus-of-the-inane on CNBC to vent. All the focus on this jobs number this morning should confirm to any rational person that the great majority of what goes on in Wall Street is a complete waste of time at best and a criminal destruction of value at worst. Being trained as a scientist in a former life just makes it harder to watch this garbage. Yesterday afternoon some random NYSE... Seeking Alpha http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380062/posts#comment Fri, 6 Nov 2009 16:58:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2379309/posts The perception of American voters and other nations around the world toward the United States Government is the United States is currently operating under a weak and indecisive leader. With every day that passes the Congress,...Read full article http://wwwstateofamerica.blogspot.com/2009/11/leader-position-open-united-states.html http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2379309/posts#comment Thu, 5 Nov 2009 18:23:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2377144/posts Economic Recovery, The Great Hoax of 2009-2010 Economics / Economic Recovery Nov 02, 2009 - 07:40 AM By: Martin_D_Weiss Before he died, Dad warned me of false profits … and fake promises. “Beware,” he said, “of shaky gains hyped up by Wall Street. “Watch out,” he insisted, “for unsustainable economic recoveries trumpeted by Washington. “And no matter when or where you may be, don’t be fooled by illusions of wealth and prosperity. “If they’re built on a foundation of shaky debt, they’re suspect. If they’re driven by unbridled speculation, they’re pure fluff. And if they’re bought and paid for by... The Market IOracle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2377144/posts#comment Tue, 3 Nov 2009 04:18:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2376602/posts Bob (Janjuah) Is Back... And He Is Pissed Submitted by Tyler Durden on 11/02/2009 10:53 -0500 Asset Bubbles banking banks Ben Bernanke bernanke Bob Janjuah British Pound Bunds C China CPI Credit Debt Deflation Demographics earnings ECB economy Equities Euro European Central Bank Fail Failures Fiat FX GDP Gilts Gold greed Gross Domestic Product History IG Inflation ISM Japan Key money pay policy prices RBS Recession risk stocks Turkey Unemployment United Kingdom US USD USTs Volatility Bob's World: Happy Christmas, Cold Turkey Time There are 5 things that really matter now: There are 3 'players' - the Private Sector ('PS')... Zero Hedge http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2376602/posts#comment Mon, 2 Nov 2009 16:33:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2376356/posts Week Ahead: Volatility, the Fed and Plenty of Economic Data Published: Sunday, 1 Nov 2009 | 10:25 AM ET Text Size By: Patti Domm Executive Editor Brace for more volatility in the week ahead as investors wrestle with dual concerns that stocks have gotten too pricey and that the economic recovery is just too uncertain. Stocks start November on wobbly footing, after the past week's selling helped erase October's gains and pushed the S&P 500 to its first monthly loss since March. The Dow fell 2.6 percent for the week, finishing at 9712 but it was a half percent higher... CNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2376356/posts#comment Mon, 2 Nov 2009 10:34:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2375555/posts The US Recession Is Not Over, But The Stock Market Party Is Economics / Recession 2008 - 2010 Oct 31, 2009 - 08:17 AM By: Andrew_Butter “Technically” it’s over, perhaps, but that 3.5% annualized was entirely due to the government borrowing money and giving it to people to spend on things that will not generate long-term economic value: Cash for Clunkers (1%) + $8,000 New Homebuyers (1%) + Government Spending (0.5%) + This and That (1%) = 3.5%. To achieve that superb magic trick the government took on how much debt? I’m not going to bother with trying to unpick... The Market Oracle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2375555/posts#comment Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:54:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2375508/posts Stocks Get Spooked By Elizabeth Trotta 10/31/09 - 02:56 PM EDTNEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Volatility spiked, and a strengthening dollar, compounded with a soft consumer spending report and sustainability fears, made for a dreary close to the month and what one observer called "a precarious position." October held true to its reputation as a bad month for stocks: The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up less than one half of a point; the S&P 500 lost just less than 2%; and the Nasdaq fell 3.6%. Much of those losses materialized Friday. The Dow lost 249.85 points, or 2.5%, to 9709,... The Street http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2375508/posts#comment Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:16:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2375405/posts Islam is on its march of death on many fronts. A very dangerous front has been recently re-opened at the United Nations (UN) by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the largest group of nations within the UN, by introducing a new resolution. The resolution under consideration—Defamation of Religions—aims to enlist the power and prestige of the UN in defense of religion by declaring religions to be immune from the general discourse practiced in non-religious domains. The aim of the resolution is to impose a gag order on people against breathing a word that religionists may find defaming or... The New Media Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2375405/posts#comment Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:06:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2375053/posts Wall Street fear gauge jumps to July levels By Laura Mandaro, MarketWatch SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- An options index known as Wall Street's fear gauge surged Friday to a nearly four-month high, as a fresh round of worries about the sustainability of recent months' rally surfaced. The CBOE's Volatility Index (INDEX:VIX) gained 24% to 30.69 by the exchange's close, its highest closing level since July 8. For the index, which uses options contracts based on the S&P 500 Index (INDEX:SPX) to measure market expectations of near-term volatility, it was the biggest percentage gain since late 2008, near the peak of... Market Watch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2375053/posts#comment Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:52:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374794/posts NYSE Open Disrupted By Flood Of Orders On 2:44 pm EDT, Friday October 30, 2009 NEW YORK (Reuters) - A huge influx of orders prevented the New York Stock Exchange from disseminating quotes shortly after the start of trading on Friday. (NYSE:NYX - News; Paris:NYX.PA - News), the parent of the exchange, said the delays followed "an inordinate influx" of orders received as Friday's session got under way. Later in the session, the company had to temporarily transfer quote processing to a backup system. The exchange's quote delays caused some tickers to be locked, but an NYSE spokesman said "trades... Yahoo - Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374794/posts#comment Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:12:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374642/posts U.S. stock investors should curb expectations, adviser says Technology, materials and industrials should perform as economy recovers By Kate Gibson, MarketWatch NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - As stock investors hunt for higher returns in light of what some are calling a "new normal" of reduced expectations, analysts point to early- cycle stocks as among those that stand to gain as Asian demand for goods picks up. Equities investors accustomed to an average rate of return in any rolling 20-year period at around 11% would be wise to adjust their expectations downward, says Doug Lockwood, chief investment officer at Cornerstone Wealth Management.... Market Watch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374642/posts#comment Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:26:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374261/posts Roubini Sees Market Crash All Over the World By Rocky Vega 10/29/09 Stockholm, Sweden – New York University Professor Nouriel Roubini, who recently saw the recovery as “U-shaped,” is now concerned a dollar rebound will cause global markets to crash. His main concern is the carry trade in the US dollar. The dollar is being borrowed at near-zero interest rates to then be invested into a wide array of now-popular assets including gold, commodities, equities, credit, and emerging markets. There are simply more dollars available in the system that are chasing the same types of things. The risk is that... The Daily Reckoning http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374261/posts#comment Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:34:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2372646/posts At least five people have been killed and 35 wounded by a large blast in a market in Peshawar, Pakistani, local media say. Huge plumes of black smoke were seen drifting over the city. Pakistan has seen an increase in such attacks in recent weeks as the military carries out an operation against Taliban militants in South Waziristan. The blast comes as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton begins a visit to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Pakistani television showed footage of burning shops in Peshawar, in the northwest of the country, and ambulances rushing to the scene BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2372646/posts#comment Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:58:00 GMT