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Span's Cajas Savings bank, problems with managment and culture, lack of financial controls, and the large losses from the real estate bubble
05/24/2012
Bankia was the new name for seven troubled cajas savings banks that were merged. The failure of the government's handling of the bad real estate debt, the collapse of the IPO price for bankia's IPO, and the insovency followed by takeover of Bankia by the government, is what led to the $125 recapitalization request by Spain to the EU. The cajas in Galicia give an insight into the operation of these savings banks, in many cases run by leaders who became influential in the political system and expanded healvily int real estate during the bubble years. Management remained in place for decades with authoritarian leaders and there were no financial controls.
Linked Articles
Clash of Cultures Upends Spain's Cajas
New York Times 08/20/2012
Spain to Recapitalize Bankia in Latest BailoutWall Street Journal 05/24/2012
Spain's BFA-Bankia Bank estimated capital shortfall of 25 billion euros in 2012
05/21/2012
Before the capital injection of 9 billion euros by the Spanish government in May 2012, estimates of the capital shortfall at Bankia Bank and parent BFA of 25 billion euros.
Linked Articles
Limbo on Bankia Undermines Confidence in Spain's Handling of Crisis
Wall Street Journal 05/21/2012
Spain to Recapitalize Bankia in Latest BailoutWall Street Journal 05/24/2012
Hype, deep pocketed investors and soaring valuations in Silicon Valley- 2012-2015
05/17/2012
The makings of a new bubble in Silicon Valley.
Linked Articles
The $1 Billion Club Gets Crowded
Wall Street Journal 05/17/2012
Search for the 'Next Big Thing' leads to Soaring ValuationsNew York Times 01/21/2014
Spain's recapitalization of Bankia Bank with 9 billion euros in May 2012
05/07/2012
Linked Articles
Spain to Recapitalize Bankia in Latest Bailout
Wall Street Journal 05/24/2012
Rodrigo Rato Resigns as Executive Chairman of BankiaNew York Times 05/07/2012
Greece, Europe and the Austerity measures- "a swimmer underwater who needs to be able to take a breath" (1)
05/03/2012
Austerity measures alone cannot address the financial problems in the eurozone countries of Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy. The need to create opportunities for economic growth.
Linked Articles
Election Heralds Power Shift in Alliance With Germany
Wall Street Journal 05/03/2012
France Reassures Greece on Euro Zone MembershipNew York Times 08/25/2012
Spain's effort to fix regional finances, austerity measures and risks of high unemployment
04/27/2012
Efforts to fix regional finances with spending cuts have pushed unemployment to about 27% in one of Spain's largest regions, Castilla-La Mancha. As banks consolidate and reduce lending this depresses small and medium sized businesses, the public sector layoff increase unemployment, part time unemployment and the growing underground economy depress tax revenues, creating risks of a downward spiral.
Linked Articles
A Spanish Leader Emerges as a Crusader for Austerity
Wall Street Journal 06/25/2012
Spain, Pursuing Austerity, Still Waits for the PayoffNew York Times 04/27/2012
Huawei's investment in penetrating the smartphone market is hurting Nokia's profit margins
04/19/2012
Nokia hit by Huawei at the lowend and Samsung in all price segments in the smartphone market leading to an unraveling of the company's market position.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 04/23/2012
China at Heart of Nokia's TroublesWall Street Journal 04/19/2012
The IMF's signal of caution for austerity measures in Spain in April 2012, saying a gradual approach to deficits is best considering the risks
04/18/2012
The IMF's words of caution also apply to austerity measures being undertaken in Great Britain.
Linked Articles
IMF Says Recovery Remains Fragile
Wall Street Journal 04/18/2012
Spain Dips Back Into Recession, Banker CautionsWall Street Journal 04/18/2012
Krugman and Feldstein provide different views on the Fiscal Compact agreement for the Eurozone
04/05/2012
Krugman calls the austerity measures in the Fiscal Compact a form of suicide at a time of high unemployment in coutnries like Spain. Feldstein says the Fiscal Compact does not provide strict spending limits to fix Eurozone finances, with language that allows for exceptions.
Linked Articles
New York Times 04/15/2012
Europe Needs the Bond VigilantesWall Street Journal 04/05/2012
Greece's long delayed bond swap with European banks of March 9, 2012
03/09/2012
The bond swap of new bonds with long maturities reflecting a writedown of 53.5% for the old bonds with short maturities was finally achieved on March 9, 2012. By this time Greece's economy was shrinking badly and the new bonds were trading at levels that reflected the need for further writedowns only days after the deal. Prof. Cochrane at the University of Chicago and Prof. John Taylor at Stanford say French and German banks exaggerated the effects of contagion from the beginning to delay writedowns for as long as possible. The effects on the eurozone of the delays in tackling the problem early and decisively are negative or slowing growth and is likely to hurt the banks operating in that environment, raising questions about the wisdom of that strategy.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 03/09/2012
Greece Passes Key Debt TestWall Street Journal 03/09/2012
The risks facing Spain in 2012 with austerity measures when unemployment is at 23%
03/06/2012
Finance Minister Luis de Guindos sees Spain loosing either way with spending cuts that worsen high unemployment and lower economic growth leading to a worsening debt to GDP ratio in 2012, and this situation in turn raising its borrowing costs on $86 billion in debt issuance for 2012. He estimates the debt to GDP ratio will increase under the 2012 budget of 27 billion euros in cuts and an economy shrinking by 1.7% in 2012, by 10% from 2011 to 78%. Markets are focussing on debt in Portugal and Spain in 2012, after focussing on Greece and Italy in 2011.
Linked Articles
Spain Faces Risks in Budget Refit
Wall Street Journal 04/03/2012
Spain Struggles to Unite Regional Leaders on CutsNew York Times 03/06/2012
Exit from the Eurozone and return to the drachma as the most likely and best outcome for Greece after April 2012 elections
02/22/2012
John Taylor and the Ifo Institue's Sinn say the recapitalization of Greece's banks and the lower interest rates negotiated after the March 2012 bailout make exiting the euro and achieving economic growth doable. The Papdemos government's need for time till 2015 to complete the program of changes, and the elections in April 2012 in which opposition parties outpolled Pasok and New Democrachy lays the political groundwork for the exit.
Linked Articles
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/08/2012
A Better Grecian BailoutWall Street Journal 02/22/2012
Greece and EU in 2015- (4) How are the structural issues such as tax evasion in Greece being tackled, after Monti's effort to tackle this in Italy in 2012?
02/18/2012
Surprisingly the Syriza government in 6 months in office did not come up with a plan to implement for tax evasion. This was a major issue for the IMF and in Greece's interest, even though it was going contrary to long standing practice in Greece as it was in Italy. Estimates of lost revenue are about $11 billion each year for tax evasion. By comparison the IMF payment due was less than $2 billion on June 30, 2015. Sustainable long term finances make this a major issue in Greece's own interest. Greece has an aging population and the number of retirees are growing in relation to young working people making this an important issue for stable finances under any administration, and regardless of the euro.
Linked Articles
How Greek tax evasion sunk the global economy
Washington Post 07/10/2012
A Hollow Target for Greek DebtWall Street Journal 02/18/2012
Spain to inject 9 billion euros into Bankia- analysts estimate the capital hole at Bankia at 25 billion euros
05/21/2012
Analysts estimate the capital requirements at Bankia to cope with 12% nonperforming real estate loans on a 190 billon loan portfolio for BFA-Bankia, and to meet other capital requirements, is 25 billion euros. The Spanish government said it would inject 9 billion euros to recapitalize Bankia in May 2012.
Linked Articles
Limbo on Bankia Undermines Confidence in Spain's Handling of Crisis
Wall Street Journal 05/21/2012
Spain to Recapitalize Bankia in Latest BailoutWall Street Journal 05/24/2012
How JP Morgan Chase let its London trading desk operate without risk management controls leading to large losses
05/18/2012
CEO Dimon is described as distracted by other issues. Ina Drew, the seasoned head of the Chief Investment that manages a $300 billionplus portfolio after the merger of other failed banks into JP Morgan Chase in 2008-2009, contracts Lyme disease in 2010 and is no longer the hands on person when she returns in 2011. Ms. Duersten, in charge of the North American trading desk at the New York office leaves in 2011 after 16 years at Chase. The controls over the London trading desk from New York are slipping away and Mr. Iksil and Mr. Macris of the London trading desk take massive trading positions to expose Chase to large losses. CEO Dimon learns about the Chase trading positions and the London Whale (Mr Iksil) from the Wall Street Journal on April 6, 2012, for the first time, astounding the business community and the financial world.
Linked Articles
Discord at JPMorgan Investment Office Blamed in Huge Loss
New York Times 05/19/2012
Inside J.P. Morgan's BlunderWall Street Journal 05/18/2012
Spain's Telefonica's plans to cope with the banking and economic crisis in Spain
05/12/2012
Linked Articles
Telefónica's Pain Now Spreads Beyond Spain
Wall Street Journal 06/01/2012
Telefónica Profit FallsWall Street Journal 05/12/2012
Iran's young people under 35 who make up about 70% of the population of 74 million, and the future of Iran in 2015
05/07/2012
Linked Articles
Iran’s Legions of Weary Young People Push Against the Old Ways
Wall Street Journal 07/08/2015
Young Iranians Confront a Constricted FutureNew York Times 05/07/2012
The rapidly deteriorating unemployment situation in Spain with over 5 million unemployed in April 2012
04/27/2012
A sense that austerity policies are not working because of the speed with which unemployment is rising. Improving competitiveness and structural changes needed but work gradually over time, and this is stacked up against an unemployment situation that is accelerating downward with over 5 million unemployed in April 2012.
Linked Articles
Austerity Adds to Spain's Jobless Woes
Wall Street Journal 04/29/2012
Spain, Pursuing Austerity, Still Waits for the PayoffNew York Times 04/27/2012
The sharp rebound at Toyota with planned sales of 9.76 million for fiscal 2012
04/22/2012
Japanese carmakers have rapidly recovered from the earhtquake and tsunami in Japan and floods in Thailand that disrupted supply chains. Toyota has also recovered from the damage to its image after recalls in the U.S. market with U.S. market share at over 15% by the second quarter of 2012.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 08/04/2012
Japan Auto Makers on a RollWall Street Journal 04/22/2012
Problems India faces in increasing power growth as its national power grid fails in 2012
04/19/2012
Problems include shortage of funds to finance imports of coal and energy and the failure to increase production at Coal India.
Linked Articles
India Mulls $10 Billion for Fund on Energy
Wall Street Journal 04/25/2012
India Struggles to Dig Up Enough Fuel to Power GrowthNew York Times 04/19/2012
India's surging crude oil imports with a depreciating rupee reducing the impact of cuts in fuel subsidies- 2011-2015
04/11/2012
Cuts in fuel subsidies to reduce the current account deficit has less impact with a depreciating rupee. The emerging markets crisis in 2014 focusses attention on the current account deficits of emerging market countries. A decline in foreign investment adds to India's difficulties.
Linked Articles
India Grapples With Soaring Energy Costs
Wall Street Journal 04/11/2012
Rupee Throws Oil on India's Subsidy ProblemWall Street Journal 08/21/2013
The case for increasing the minimum wage (3) Apple stores and "Why Nations Fail"
03/31/2012
Linked Articles
Apple Stores Army, Long on Loyalty but Short on Pay
New York Times 06/23/2012
Why Nations FailNew York Times 03/31/2012
The Apple iPad's pricing strategy and the phenomenal sales achieved in 2011-2012
03/06/2012
Sales volumes high enough to make tablets surpass PC's by 2015, according to some estimates.
Linked Articles
Apple’s iPad price hits a sweet spot between popularity and profits - The Washington Post
Washington Post 03/06/2012
Apple Updates iPad With Some RefinementsNew York Times 03/07/2012
China's Stimulus plan in 2012-2013 and the problem of "uncoordinated, unbalanced and unsustainable development"
03/06/2012
China's premier Wen Biao told the National People's Congress, China's parliament, in March 2012, that it was urgent to tackel the "problem of uncoordinated, unbalanced, and unsustainable development." He called for "an acceleration of the transformation" of the economic model towards consumption and away from exports and infrastructure spending. The accelerated approval of 254 investment projects in May 2012 puts off this task of rebalancing development for China and the world economy. With slowing growth in China and the last Stimulus of 2008 having propelled the housing bubble, the options were limited. A decrease in the reserve requirement by 0.5% in 2012 for China's banks was not expected to spur growth because lending was not expected to increase, as the demand for loans is low. A sharp falloff in growth below 7% was feared leading to the acceleration in investment.
Linked Articles
China’s stimulus policy means trouble down the road - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/31/2012
China Speeds Economic 'Transformation'Wall Street Journal 03/06/2012
Greece and EU in 2015- (6) What went wrong? What errors were made by the IMF and Germany 2010-2012?
02/22/2012
Linked Articles
Policy âTroikaâ for Europe Financial Woes at Odds
New York Times 06/07/2013
The Tragic Greek SideshowWall Street Journal 02/22/2012
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