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Discussion between Goolsbee who favored lettting Chrysler go out of business and Summers who was concerned about the loss of jobs.
06/08/2009
Efforts by Jim Press and Chrysler to gain credibility with the government about its viability, by pushing slaes allottments to dealers. Jim Press did this even as inventory remained unsold on dealer lots. In the White House the debate between advisors was about a decision on Chrysler's future.
Linked Articles
Dealers Say They Were Led Astray in Chrysler's Final Days
Washington Post 06/16/2009
Obama’s Economic Circle Keeps Tensions SimmeringNew York Times 06/08/2009
As the government sells $5 trillion in new debt by one estimate, the problem of an estimated $ 1 trillion in troubled assets on the banks books is being put off for another day.
06/04/2009
The FDIC's Legacy Loans Program's $1 billion pilot program attracts no interest. The Public Private Partnership Program of Secretary Geithner, like Secretary Paulson's TARP program before Geithner, is also unlikely to attract much interest as banks are not willing to take the prices that would require them to show large losses on their books. But this means that these problems are postponed for another day.
Linked Articles
Plan to Help Banks Clear Their Books Is Halted
New York Times 06/04/2009
Rising Interest on Nations’ Debts May Sap World GrowthNew York Times 06/04/2009
S. Korea's second household debt binge in the 15 years since the 1997 financial crisis
05/18/2009
The first period of rising household debt ocurred with the credit card boom when the government promoted consumer spending as a way to stimulate the economy. By 2003 this became a serous problem and the government rescued a credit card issuer in 2003. Household debt is again a major problem in 2012 with the increasing number of companies in financial lending that are not regulated.
Linked Articles
Notes From Another Credit Card Crisis
New York Times 05/18/2009
S. Korea tries to curb mounting debt and avert a crisis - The Washington PostWashington Post 07/09/2012
Gaps and flaws in the stress tests could cause problems later on
04/26/2009
How the Citigroup stress test conclusion does not match up with large pending losses in aworst case scenario. The ineffectiveness of the regulatory structure, as the FDIC is burdened with a large loss sharing agreement with Citigroup, but has not been able to get a change in the management at Citiigroup so that action is speeded up.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 06/05/2009
The Stress Test ResultsNew York Times 04/26/2009
Laffer says inflation and high interest rates are a sure thing with the $1 trillion increase in the monetary base since Sept 2008.
04/23/2009
This is the largest increase in the monetary base in the last 50 years by afactor of 10, and is unlike anything ever experienced before. He sees inflation and rising interest rates as a result surpassing anything seen in the 1970's. Bernanke he says faces a Hobson's choice between contracting the monetary base and putting the economy back in recession and letting things go the way they are resulting in steep inflation. He sees the Fed having the option of increasing the reserve requirements at banks, to restrain the increase in the monetary base.
Linked Articles
Economist 04/23/2009
Get Ready for Inflation and Higher Interest RatesWall Street Journal 06/11/2009
Paulson-Bernanke's "forced" acquisition of Merrill by Bank of America.
04/21/2009
Questions raised about the efforts by Paulson to prevent Lewis from backing out of the Merrill deal. The creation of even larger institutions through such combinations, and even weaker institutions.
Linked Articles
Economists Seek Breakup of Big Banks
Wall Street Journal 04/21/2009
Busting Bank of AmericaWall Street Journal 04/27/2009
Bank lending still in bad shape in April 2009.
04/16/2009
Not much of the bailout or recovery by banks is showing up in lending practices. Is it ashort lived recovery in bank stocks and one quarter earnings that will fizzle out, and meantime with credit still tight the economy deteriorates.
Linked Articles
Economists Seek Breakup of Big Banks
Wall Street Journal 04/21/2009
Lending By Bailout Recipients Falls AgainWashington Post 04/16/2009
In the two areas that government can make aserious difference, foreclosure prevention and bank lending it is failing.
04/15/2009
The government has only indirect influence over the other important variables in the equation for economic recovery, consumption and employment. Through foreclosure prevention and bank lending it can influence consumption and employment. Obama's program while admirable may simply fall short of what is required. Through asimple takeover of insolvent banks the administrationcan implement its own programs for goreclosure prevention and aggressive bank lending at attractive rates, but this has to be done early before business go into permanent retrenchment mode and consumers simply revert to a frugal lifestyle of an earlier generation.
Linked Articles
Lending By Bailout Recipients Falls Again
Washington Post 04/16/2009
Banks Ramp Up ForeclosuresWall Street Journal 04/15/2009
Interest rate swap contracts sold by banks to the city of Detroit in 2005 and the "kiko" derivative contracts sold by banks to exporters in S. Korea before the 2008 global financial crisis
04/03/2009
The huge losses suffered by Detroit and by exporters in S. Korea and how the issues raised were handled in the two places. What takes precedence fairness or contracts, how much of a contract has to be intelligible to the investor and the broader question of why banks needed to write such contracts or conduct business in this way which could hurt their reputation. An example is given by Floyd Norris of NYT where Bankers Trust reputation suffered badly in 1994 for selling such contracts to P&G.
Linked Articles
New York Times 04/03/2009
'Safe Harbor' in Bankruptcy Upended in Detroit CaseNew York Times 12/23/2013
The crisis in Eastern Europe and other developing countries and the G20 policy mandate to the IMF to support social help and stimulus spending
03/28/2009
The G-20 mandate that the IMF be the conduit for funds to help emerging countries, with the policy direction that an additional $850 billion be used not only to fix finances, but also emphasize social goals, and help people in these countries cope with the crisis. This is of great help to countries in difficulty, and assurance that the social fabric in these countries will not be torn apart as has happened before, and that people will get the necessary assistance.
Linked Articles
Steven Pearlstein - A Rare Triumph of Substance at the Summit
Washington Post 04/03/2009
Eastern Europe and the Financial CrisisWall Street Journal 03/28/2009
Geithner's Plan for Toxic Assets
03/23/2009
Experts are doubtful Geithner's plan of March 23, 2009 for toxic assets will work. Its similiar to plans previously announced by Paulson in the Bush administration. Views of Krugman, Eavis and Reinhart. If lack of confidence and lack of liquidity were the only problems they say, government money as incentives might work, but the problem is more basic and structural. These mortgage securities are from a time of easy money, now investors are shy of risks and would discount them even more as a safety factor, and banks would not want to sell them at that price. Are stress tests and nationalization of failed banks around the corner?
Linked Articles
Why Congress Will Kill the Bank Rescue
Wall Street Journal 03/24/2009
Geithner's Gamble Needs SpeculatorsWall Street Journal 03/23/2009
Amgen founder Rathmann and venture startups in the biotech industry
03/16/2009
Rathmann's focus on EPO when Amgen was near bankruptcy in the mid-1980's saved the company. By 1989 Amgen had secured FDA approval for Epogen, a hormone based drug to stimulate the production of red blood cells. This is a rare success in a biotech industry with many failed startup ventures or ventures strugglig with only 6-12 months of cash remaining.
Linked Articles
Cash Dries Up for Biotech Drug Firms
Wall Street Journal 03/16/2009
Amgen's First CEOWall Street Journal 04/23/2012
Astra Zeneca suppresses information about the link between best selling psychiatric drug Seroquel and diabetes.
02/27/2009
Now disclosed court documents show that AstraZeneca carefully suppressed information about the links between Seroquel and diabetes from a 2000 study from one of its drug safety experts.
Linked Articles
AstraZeneca Papers Raise Seroquel Issues
Wall Street Journal 02/27/2009
AstraZeneca Drug's Effectiveness QuestionedWall Street Journal 02/28/2009
The dangers of high unemployment in the American economy.
06/06/2009
WIth job losses of 467,000 in June 2009, Krugman sees a joblosses hole of 8.5 million jobs since the last recession. The 3 1/2 million jobs the stimulus is supposed to create by 2010 end fade in comparison to the scale of job loss that is emerging. With declining earnings, there is the additional prospect of deflation.
Linked Articles
New York Times 07/03/2009
Stuck at Unemployed: When A Layoff Becomes a LifestyleWashington Post 06/06/2009
Obama's Cairo speech on June 4, 2009 to the Muslim world coincides with Moussavi taking on Ahmadinejad for his extremism in Teheran in an election debate.
06/04/2009
Moussavi debated forcefully with Ahmadinejad on Iranian television calling for good sense in relations with the rest of the world and calling Ahmadinnejad an extremist. He called Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocaust as undermining Iran's dignity, while Obama called it baseless, ignorant and hateful. Something that could only occur in the climate created by Obama's opening of a dialogue with the Muslim world and helping melt old attitudes and perceptions.
Linked Articles
President Obama's Cairo Appeal
Washington Post 06/05/2009
Iran President and Challenger Clash in DebateNew York Times 06/04/2009
Weaknesses in proposed financial regulation for derivatives.
05/14/2009
The oversight by CFTC with arole for SEC gives the same muddled picture of previous oversight. And not treating all derivatives the same leaves room for future trouble.
Linked Articles
Obama Proposes a First Overhaul of Finance Rules
New York Times 05/14/2009
Danger in Wall Street’s ShadowsNew York Times 05/15/2009
The NYT editorial questions the wisdom of letting banks like JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs repay government money.
04/26/2009
The heavy lobbying by the banks may skew government decisionmaking, says the NYT, and lead to poor decisions. Banks still face losses in commercial real estate, and the higher unemployment and its effect on the economy could adversely affect their balance sheets.
Linked Articles
New York Times 04/26/2009
Payback TimeNew York Times 06/11/2009
Views of experts from Raghuram Rajan, Paul Krugman and Simon Johnson are at odds with the Obama administration's recycling of prior Paulson's bank rescue plans
04/21/2009
Rajan and Johnson call for smaller, more transparent financial institutions through the government takeover of insolvent banks and breaking them up into smaller financial institutions that pose less risk to the country's economy and are easier to manage, and less prone to excessive risk taking. And they propose crafting policy and antitrust laws to make this work. Questions raised about the administration having too many people on its economic team who are deferential to Wall Street and not with a mindset that questions key assumptions -some call them sacred cows- that are put forward by Wall Street.
Linked Articles
Economists Seek Breakup of Big Banks
Wall Street Journal 04/21/2009
Time for Bank Creditors to Share the Pain?New York Times 04/29/2009
With bank lending anemic and consumers adopting afrugal lifestyle, two pillars of recovery are missing in the picture.
04/16/2009
Admirable rhetoric and clear ideas, but still falling short in key areas like foreclosure prevention and bank lending, is how the Obama economic recovery sccorecard reads in April 2009.
Linked Articles
When You're Flush, But Acting Flat Broke
Washington Post 04/16/2009
Lending By Bailout Recipients Falls AgainWashington Post 04/16/2009
Edmund Phelps, Nobel winner 2006, on what capitalism really is, and Obama's speech at Georgetown on its current crisis.
04/15/2009
Phelps gives alucid and admirable description of what capitalism is and what it is not, and how best to understand it and employ it.
Linked Articles
Uncertainty bedevils the best system
Unknown 04/15/2009
From President Obama, Economic Clarity but Little CourageWashington Post 04/15/2009
The gap between the admirable comments and clarity of Obama's Georgetown sppech and the growing foreclosures, dramatic drops in business and consumer lending.
04/14/2009
Failure to stem foreclosures and to ramp up business and consumer lending, by taking over insolvent banks and offering loans at attractive rates, is hurting the economy and will lead to further job losses.
Linked Articles
Lending By Bailout Recipients Falls Again
Washington Post 04/16/2009
Text of Obama Economic SpeechBusinessWeek 04/14/2009
The different positions taken by the Europeans and the US and Britain at the G-20 summit.
04/02/2009
The different positions taken by the US and the Europeans and the thinking and culture behind each position.
Linked Articles
Steven Pearlstein - A Rare Triumph of Substance at the Summit
Washington Post 04/03/2009
Obama Hits Resistance at G-20Wall Street Journal 04/02/2009
Reinhart's view that the Geithner Public-Private Investment program won't work
03/24/2009
Reinhart, joins Peter Eavis, Rosenfeld and Krugman, in view that this won't work. He thinks the government is just buying time for a favorable opportunity to take stronger action. It may be engaging in this circuitous roundabout plan as away of saying that we tried aprivate sector solution. Krugman warns though that time is running out with the job loss numbers.
Linked Articles
New York Times 04/06/2009
Why Congress Will Kill the Bank RescueWall Street Journal 03/24/2009
Peter Eavis thinks the Geithner plan isn't based on sound logic.
03/23/2009
If only the confidence and liquidity were an issue then maybe the Geithner Public Private Investment Program plan might work. But says Eavis, the underlying price structure for these mortgage securities is gone with this crisis,so that the recovery in their price for banks to avoid huge losses is going to be elusive. He cites Credit Sights which estimates losses of US banks through 2010 of $250- $450 billion.
Linked Articles
Treasury’s Got Bill Gross on Speed Dial
New York Times 06/21/2009
Geithner's Gamble Needs SpeculatorsWall Street Journal 03/23/2009
Krugman thinks no early action to takeover insolvent banks will prolong this crisis, the President wants to "do no harm" by undermining confidence.
03/06/2009
Krugman thinks that this crisis could go on for adecade if no actions are taken to takeover insolvent banks before the situation worsens. THe President in his speech at Georgetown, on April 13, says he has not acted preemptively, not out of coddling these banks and their management, but becuase he did not want to undermine confidence. It suggests the President has moved quickly on many fronts, and he may be taking a pause to take stock of the situation and how to improve public support, before thaking on this issue and a number of others in the next round.
Linked Articles
BusinessWeek 04/14/2009
The Big DitherNew York Times 03/06/2009
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