Archive - Apr 1, 2009 - Story

As we have noted before, we are big fans of the the clearinghouse idea for derivatives - particularly CDSs.  Overall, Geithner's plan is going to have a tremendous influence on the financial markets going forward and Zero Hedge is closely following any details that emerge.

In a letter released by Barney Frank, the Chairman of the Committee of House Financial Services is requesting information from Geithner and Bernanke as to how AIG may have treated its U.S. bank counterparties differently from foreign banks.

Frank is referencing a letter by Spencer Bachus in which the latter raises yet another aspect of the AIG debacle, namely that disproportionate treatment by AIG may have benefited foreign banks by up to 70%.

Reader Michael points out an interesting observation on the lagging versus coincident nature of unemployment as an indicator of economic health. His thoughts below:

I am skeptical of a lot of the "good news", and note that a recent mini-bounce in the Conference Board Leading Indicator was only due to the expansion in the money supply; all other variables were negative. I also think Rosenberg is on the right track in terms of higher than expected savings rates, and the over-extrapolation of recent housing and production data.

Reader Michael points out an interesting observation on the lagging versus coincident nature of unemployment as an indicator of economic health. His thoughts below:

I am skeptical of a lot of the "good news", and note that a recent mini-bounce in the Conference Board Leading Indicator was only due to the expansion in the money supply; all other variables were negative. I also think Rosenberg is on the right track in terms of higher than expected savings rates, and the over-extrapolation of recent housing and production data.

Creditresearch.com notes: Spreads were mixed to mostly wider in the US today with IG worse, HVOL wider, ExHVOL weaker, XO wider, and HY rallying. Indices generally outperformed intrinsics with skews widening in general as IG's skew decompressed as the index beat intrinsics, HVOL outperformed but widened the skew, ExHVOL outperformed pushing the skew wider, XO's skew increased as the index outperformed, and HY outperformed but narrowed the skew.

TrimTabs is out with their most recent employment data, which compares to the earlier ADP report, that the market forgot about after the first 30 minutes of trading. According to TrimTabs "the U.S. economy lost 700,000 to 750,000 jobs in March as wages and salaries plunged 4.5% year-over-year. TrimTabs estimated that the economy shed 4.3 million jobs in the past 12 months, the largest annual job loss since 1970."

TrimTabs is out with their most recent employment data, which compares to the earlier ADP report, that the market forgot about after the first 30 minutes of trading. According to TrimTabs "the U.S. economy lost 700,000 to 750,000 jobs in March as wages and salaries plunged 4.5% year-over-year. TrimTabs estimated that the economy shed 4.3 million jobs in the past 12 months, the largest annual job loss since 1970."

TrimTabs is out with their most recent employment data, which compares to the earlier ADP report, that the market forgot about after the first 30 minutes of trading. According to TrimTabs "the U.S. economy lost 700,000 to 750,000 jobs in March as wages and salaries plunged 4.5% year-over-year. TrimTabs estimated that the economy shed 4.3 million jobs in the past 12 months, the largest annual job loss since 1970."

Soon coming to a certain Greenwich marina corporate campus near you.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0b_9bIpES0&hl=en&fs=1]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX5opZ68BM8&rel=0&color1=0x6699&color2=0x...]

Moody's is back to its wicked stop-the-stupid-rally ways by junking Macy's. Moody's cut the retailer's unsecured debt rating from Baa3 to Ba2.

Or so the Fast Money master claims.

Bloomberg just out, quoting a "person familiar" saying that the U.S. won't repay the $1 billion converts maturing June 1.

And the bottom is in.

Sigh

At this point nobody doubts what the final outcome for GM will be, the only question is how the company will get there, or specifically whether it will occur in court via a prepackaged bankruptcy, or out of court, through a debt-for-equity exchange, and as Obama's flip flopping on the matter over the past 3 days has demonstrated, there is a lot of political capital resting on either outcome. Another question is why did Obama limit the new extension to 60 days.

From David Rosenberg "Turning Bullish"

Some of the point he does not joke about

Savings rate could head back to the 10-12% range