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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
Geithner's Paulsonlike plan for toxic assets and doubts whether it can work.
03/23/2009
Krugman and Eavis have doubts about the new Geithner plan as it looks so much like his predecessor Paulson's failed efforts to do much about toxic assets. Krugman sees things only getting worse as 600,000 jobs are being lost every month, as Geithner, Congress and the public fail to push for the tough solutions including government taking over failed banks to deal with tosic assets without having to sort out pricing in advance.
Linked Articles
Geithner's Gamble Needs Speculators
Wall Street Journal 03/23/2009
Financial Policy DespairNew York Times 03/23/2009
Efforts to revive Germany's Lufthansa airline
03/12/2009
Linked Articles
Lufthansa Results Suggest Overhaul Is Paying Off
New York Times 03/13/2014
Lufthansa, Aer Lingus Feel PinchWall Street Journal 03/12/2009
The efforts of banks in better shape but still weak to wish the crisis away.
03/06/2009
Chase and Goldman's efforts to rewrite history, and act as though they did not benefit from government help is wrong and dangerous says the Economist. Its dangerous because it sends the message that any resoultion of toxic assets on banks books is unnecessary, and these banks should be treated differently when it comes to setting new prudent bank regulations, including setting regulation for incentives that do not support excessive risk taking and leveraging. A change in the economic climate for the worse could make this a dangerous complaceny.
Linked Articles
New York Times 03/06/2009
Thanks, for nothingEconomist 06/11/2009
Details of the Obama Stimulus package that is emerging and the need to create spending that is effective.
01/16/2009
Avoiding wasteful spending and balancing government initiative with efforts to get private investment and initiative through tax cuts and incentives to companies.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 01/16/2009
Government Spending Is No Free LunchWall Street Journal 01/22/2009
Doubts about how much demand will be helped by the Fed's $800 billion mortgage and consumer debt securities market resuscitation.
11/26/2008
The Fed's need to act and the constructive efforts to unclog credit markets of October 2008 in consumer and mortgage credit. At the same time doubts about how much it will help contimuing slide in demand in the economy.
Linked Articles
Fed Aid Sets Off a Rush to Refinance
Wall Street Journal 11/26/2008
U.S. Consumer Loan Aid Will Trickle Only So FarNew York Times 11/27/2008
One of the Big Three may not survive.
10/14/2008
Talk of a possible merger between GM and Chrysler. Efforts by GM motivated by need for about $10 billion from external sources to make it through 2009. Chrysler has $11 billion in cash.
Linked Articles
Howes: One of Big 3 may not survive
Detroit News 10/14/2008
GM could use Chrysler's cashDetroit News 10/14/2008
Petraeus describes his information gathering efforts and Bret Stephens talks with Zardari
10/01/2008
The war in Afghanistan is beginning to take a new turn as Petraeus looks for ways to reverse gains by Taliban and Zardari commits Pakistan to work alongside the US.
Linked Articles
The Most Difficult Job in the World
Wall Street Journal 10/04/2008
Insurgents in Afghanistan Are Gaining, Petraeus SaysNew York Times 10/01/2008
Putin and Sashkavili, two different men and their different backgrounds exacerbate the conflict in Georgia.
08/12/2008
Shows how the bold and impetuous Sashkavili could because of his relative youth and inexperience may have overreached in his efforts to integrate South Ossetia into Georgia.
Linked Articles
Putin Calls Shots to Salve Old Wounds
New York Times 08/12/2008
Rebuke of a President, in the Boom of ArtilleryNew York Times 08/12/2008
Afghanistan opium farming in the south adding another twist to the Afghan war.
07/27/2008
Schweich's and Rory's story and articles on the Afghan war and the new twists and the anitforeign Afghan sentiment. Friedman's points about the dangers of not carefully understanding what is going on in the field and finding the best way to handle it without getting caught up in popular rhetoric and mindless slogans.
Linked Articles
New York Times 07/30/2008
Is Afghanistan a Narco-State?New York Times 07/27/2008
Roche's bid for complete ownership of Genentech.
07/22/2008
Can the long standing independent operation of Genentech's discovery team under Levinson be maintained under the effort to integrate Genetech more into Roche. Will it result in synergies removing "a Chinese wall" as a head of Roche R&D puts it or will it lead to the loss of key members of the team over time especially as they were not brought into the discussion process about this move leaving them in confusion.
Linked Articles
Roche's Big Hurdle with Genentech
BusinessWeek 07/24/2008
Roche Bid Blindsided GenentechWall Street Journal 07/22/2008
Rising wages in China a definite trend as sentiment of workers and the government changes towards low wages and low wage jobs
06/30/2008
The government's efforts to shift China away from low wage sectors to more advanced technologies with higher wages. And the growting sentiment in China among workers with the rise of the internet and mobile phones to organize efforts for higher wages in industries that range from older textile plants to automobile factories of Japanese makers, and factories that make parts for western tech hardware companies such as Apple, Dell and H-P. This includes Honda plants and Foxconn factories. This sentiment is shifting to other emerging markets such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
Linked Articles
China's Export Machine Threatened by Rising Costs
Wall Street Journal 06/30/2008
The Rise of a Chinese Worker's MovementBusinessWeek 06/10/2010
The agreement won by Jerry Brown for 11 states against Countrywide/Bank of America to address foreclosures.
04/30/2008
The agreement won by 11 states from bank of America to devote $8 billion for mortgage relief and help homeowners facing foreclosures was a landmark agreement as little had happened in the way of relief for homeowners except for efforts by Sheila Barr at IndyMac in the way of comprehensive relief proposals for homeowners.
Linked Articles
Bair Proposal Seeks Government Loans To Aid Homeowners
Wall Street Journal 04/30/2008
Countrywide to Set Aside $8.4 Billion in Loan AidNew York Times 10/06/2008
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
Demonstrations across France call for more government efforts to protect jobs as the US add its voice for more Stimulus.
03/13/2009
Estimated 2.5 million people across France call for more government action to protect jobs. At the April 2, 2009 G20 summit the US will forcefully call for more Euopean Stimulus spending.
Linked Articles
New York Times 03/20/2009
Geithner Hires a Seasoned 'Temp'Wall Street Journal 03/13/2009
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
Britain's RBS Bank and the incredulous- huge losses and large bonuses in the "Hard Times" of the 2008 financial crisis and again in 2014
02/09/2009
Linked Articles
In U.K., Getting Tough With Nationalized Banks
Wall Street Journal 02/09/2009
Royal Bank of Scotland to Slash Costs as Losses DeepenWall Street Journal 02/28/2014
New heights in fund raising - president Obama in 2008 and the Koch Brothers plans for 2016
12/06/2008
U.S. congresswoman Sheila Bair once said it was the task of fund raising that deterred her and others like her from pursuing careers of national service at higher levels. Obama outspent McCain and Romney by wide margins in 2008 and 2012, right wing groups such as the Koch brothers are organizing similiar efforts of their own for 2016 so as not to be outspent by their opponents.
Linked Articles
Final Fundraising Tally for Obama Exceeded $750 Million
Washington Post 12/06/2008
Koch Brothers’ Budget of $889 Million for 2016 Is on Par With Both Parties’ SpendingNew York Times 01/26/2015
Struggle for civil rights and financial rights of women in the U.S. Deep South- Linda Boggs and Rutha May Harris
11/05/2008
In Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia and other states of the Deep South women's rights and civil rights for black people were a result of decades of effort by women like Linda Boggs and Rutha May Harris, hard work against entrenched prejudice with many setbacks and resilience towards adversity, compared to the soft work of campaign strategy, image making, polling and fund raising of today.
Linked Articles
A Time to Reap for Foot Soldiers of Civil Rights
New York Times 11/05/2008
Ex-Congresswoman Lindy Boggs Dead at 97Wall Street Journal 07/28/2013
Economist Paul Krugman who just won the Nobel prize says Gordon does good.
10/13/2008
Paul Krugman says Gordon Brown has done much good with his initative and proper direction of the rescue effort giving all countries good leadership in a global crisis.
Linked Articles
New York Times 10/13/2008
British Prime Minister’s Stock Rises as His Bank Plan Lifts Stocks WorldwideNew York Times 10/15/2008
Did Putin overreact in Georgia 2008 and Ukraine 2014? Russia and the dangers to the Russian economy of not maintaining good relations with the West
08/13/2008
Russia tones down its overreaction as 66% of Russians polled in June say Russian forces should not enter Ukrainian terrritory. Putin and Russians in the administration policy making may have underestimated the reaction in the U.S. as reflected in this WSH editorial saying Americans should remember the words of Gen. Lucius Clay during the Berlin Blockade and the subsequent airlift. This could be why analysts in Russia now maintain that good relations with the West must be maintained, and entry of Russian forces into Ukraine would have disastrous consequences for Russia in terms of western sentiment and foreign investor sentiment. In such a situation Germany would be likely to support the stronger U.S. position seeing this in terms of the language used in theBerlin Airlift of 1948. For Germany and Russia this would be reversing the hard won gains of building relations from the time of Brandtand Kohl till today, fifty years of effort to build better relations and economic relationships- just too much for sober heads in Moscow Paris, and Berlin to accept, and closing another chapter in Russia's interactions with the West.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 08/13/2008
Seeing Cost of Saber Rattling in Ukraine, Putin Alters CourseNew York Times 07/11/2014
India and Pakistan negotiations and rising tension in Kashmir.
08/12/2008
The Kashmir issue complicates India-Pakistan peaceful relations, as does the situation in Afghanistan with Taliban opposing Indian reconstruction efforts.
Linked Articles
India Frustrated by a Rudderless Pakistan
New York Times 08/12/2008
Deadly Force Used to Halt March in KashmirNew York Times 08/12/2008
Drug cartels emerging in Afghaistan.
07/27/2008
The UN OFfice of Drugs and Crime ses the growth of drug cartels in Afghaistan as 10,000 tons of drugs from the opium crop have been stockpiled inside Afghistan and are controlled by narco-gangs. This is estimated as 2 years of world demand. This as efforts to curb opium growing have reduced the land devoted to the crop by 22% and reduced the crop by 10%.
Linked Articles
U.N. Sees Afghan Drug Cartels Emerging
New York Times 09/02/2009
Is Afghanistan a Narco-State?New York Times 07/27/2008
China makes a major shift to higher value added and technology products.
06/30/2008
The cheap products made at high costs to labor, the environment are out and the remaining textile products and similar product companies will have to be more sophisticated and make more value added products. Chinese government policy will discourage the older polluting factories in the south and encourage high tech leadership products for world markets.
Linked Articles
China’s Ambition Soars to High-Tech Industry
New York Times 08/01/2008
China's Export Machine Threatened by Rising CostsWall Street Journal 06/30/2008
Karen Elliott House, expert on Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, on the U.S., the EU, and Saudi Arabia- demographics, aspirations and the princes 2007-2014
05/14/2008
Pulitzer prize winning journalist for reporting from the Middle East and expert on Saudi Arabia, Karen Elliott House, describes the changes in Saudi Arabia with the huge young demographic, and what it means for Saudi society, U.S.-Saudi relations, meeting the aspirations of young people.
Linked Articles
As the Middle East Burns, the Saudis Ease Up at Home
Wall Street Journal 06/25/2014
Our Friends in RiyadhWall Street Journal 05/14/2008
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