Fed Taper Likely in 'Coming Months' on Better Data … U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke speaks about Fed policy and the outlook for the federal funds rate. Bernanke, who spoke to economists yesterday in Washington, also discussed Fed policy communication. (Source: Bloomberg) Policy makers "generally expected that the data would prove consistent with the Committee'...Read More
Census 'faked' 2012 election jobs report … In the home stretch of the 2012 presidential campaign, from August to September, the unemployment rate fell sharply — raising eyebrows from Wall Street to Washington. The decline – from 8.1 percent in August to 7.8 percent in September – might not have been all it seemed. The numbers, according to a reliable source, were ma...Read More
Fed Taper Likely in 'Coming Months' on Better Data … U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke speaks about Fed policy and the outlook for the federal funds rate. Bernanke, who spoke to economists yesterday in Washington, also discussed Fed policy communication. (Source: Bloomberg) Policy makers "generally expected that the data would prove consistent with the Committee'...Read More
Census 'faked' 2012 election jobs report … In the home stretch of the 2012 presidential campaign, from August to September, the unemployment rate fell sharply — raising eyebrows from Wall Street to Washington. The decline – from 8.1 percent in August to 7.8 percent in September – might not have been all it seemed. The numbers, according to a reliable source, were ma...Read More
Fed Ponders How to Temper Tapering Without Rate Increase … One of Janet Yellen's first challenges as Federal Reserve chairman will be figuring out how to cushion against a lurch in interest rates when she pares the pace of the central bank's bond buying. – BloombergDominant Social Theme: The Fed struggles with problems. Nonetheless, these are wise individuals, indeed.Free-Marke...Read More
David Cameron says evidence is 'growing' for climate change link to storms after Typhoon Haiyan … Evidence was growing that climate change was responsible for extreme weather disasters such as typhoon Haiyan, the Prime Minister said today … The Philippines government has blamed "climate madness" for the devastating super-storm that has killed more than 3,600 people an...Read More
Fed Ponders How to Temper Tapering Without Rate Increase … One of Janet Yellen's first challenges as Federal Reserve chairman will be figuring out how to cushion against a lurch in interest rates when she pares the pace of the central bank's bond buying. – BloombergDominant Social Theme: The Fed struggles with problems. Nonetheless, these are wise individuals, indeed.Free-Marke...Read More
David Cameron says evidence is 'growing' for climate change link to storms after Typhoon Haiyan … Evidence was growing that climate change was responsible for extreme weather disasters such as typhoon Haiyan, the Prime Minister said today … The Philippines government has blamed "climate madness" for the devastating super-storm that has killed more than 3,600 people an...Read More
Mr. Geithner will join the private equity firm Warburg Pincus. Geithner, who played a major role in the federal government's rescue of the financial system, has spent most of his career in the public sector. He'll serve as president and managing director of the company in his new job. "When they approached me, they clearly wanted me to play a substantive role in helping them manage th...Read More
Reding in Washington: EU Sends Tough Commissioner for NSA … EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding says data protection in Europe is 'non-negotiable.' … The EU is remaining firm with Washington over US spying, with officials in Brussels demanding better protection for Europeans. Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding is heading to Washington on Monday with a number of demands. Whe...Read More
Mr. Geithner will join the private equity firm Warburg Pincus. Geithner, who played a major role in the federal government's rescue of the financial system, has spent most of his career in the public sector. He'll serve as president and managing director of the company in his new job. "When they approached me, they clearly wanted me to play a substantive role in helping them manage th...Read More
Reding in Washington: EU Sends Tough Commissioner for NSA … EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding says data protection in Europe is 'non-negotiable.' … The EU is remaining firm with Washington over US spying, with officials in Brussels demanding better protection for Europeans. Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding is heading to Washington on Monday with a number of demands. Whe...Read More
S&P 500 Will Be at 2,000 Sooner Than You Think … Craig Johnson of Piper Jaffray has some bad news for the bears. The S&P 500 (,GSPC) is going to hit his long-time target of 2,000 and it's going to happen sooner than most people think. Johnson is well aware of the fact that a lot of the "smart money" is going to take the other side of his call. Five years into the bull...Read More
Deficit and Debt Are Caused by Baby Boomers, Not Socialism … Yesterday, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a lengthy report proposing 103 ways to cut the federal deficit. The report contains plenty of red meat for partisans – from block-granting low-income assistance programs for savings of $404 billion over the next decade, on the right, to imposing a greenhous...Read More
S&P 500 Will Be at 2,000 Sooner Than You Think … Craig Johnson of Piper Jaffray has some bad news for the bears. The S&P 500 (,GSPC) is going to hit his long-time target of 2,000 and it's going to happen sooner than most people think. Johnson is well aware of the fact that a lot of the "smart money" is going to take the other side of his call. Five years into the bull...Read More
Deficit and Debt Are Caused by Baby Boomers, Not Socialism … Yesterday, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a lengthy report proposing 103 ways to cut the federal deficit. The report contains plenty of red meat for partisans – from block-granting low-income assistance programs for savings of $404 billion over the next decade, on the right, to imposing a greenhous...Read More
Janet Yellen [defends] Federal Reserve System ultra-easy monetary policy … Janet Yellen, President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the US Federal Reserve, offers a stout defense on Thursday of the central bank's aggressive monetary easing before a Senate panel that includes some tough Republican critics. – The Economic TimesDominant Social Theme: The Fed has a job to do. Let'...Read More
A strain of bird flu that scientists thought could not infect people has shown up in a Taiwanese woman, a nasty surprise that shows scientists must do more to spot worrisome flu strains before they ignite a global outbreak, doctors say. On a more hopeful front, two pharmaceuticals separately reported encouraging results from human tests of a possible vaccine against a different type of bird flu th...Read More
Janet Yellen [defends] Federal Reserve System ultra-easy monetary policy … Janet Yellen, President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the US Federal Reserve, offers a stout defense on Thursday of the central bank's aggressive monetary easing before a Senate panel that includes some tough Republican critics. – The Economic TimesDominant Social Theme: The Fed has a job to do. Let'...Read More
A strain of bird flu that scientists thought could not infect people has shown up in a Taiwanese woman, a nasty surprise that shows scientists must do more to spot worrisome flu strains before they ignite a global outbreak, doctors say. On a more hopeful front, two pharmaceuticals separately reported encouraging results from human tests of a possible vaccine against a different type of bird flu th...Read More