Archive - Jan 9, 2013 - Story

• A Bold Dissenter at the Fed, Hoping His Doubts Are Wrong (NYT)
• China and Japan step up drone race as tension builds over disputed islands (Guardian)
• How Mario Draghi is reshaping Europe's central bank (Reuters)
• Merkel Economy Shows Neglect as Sick Man Concern Returns (BBG)
• US oil imports to fall to 25-year low (FT)
• China Loan Share at Record Low Shows Financing Risks (BBG)
• Dimon Says Some JPMorgan Execs ‘Acted Like Children’ on Loss (BBG) - children that reveleased who 'excess reserves' are truly used
• Fed injects new sell-off risk into Treasuries (FT) - really? So the Fed will stop monetizing the US deficit some time soon?
• Obama aide presses Republicans to accept more tax revenues (Reuters)
• Ex-SAC analyst named 20 alleged insider traders (FT)
• BOJ easing bets help dollar regain ground vs yen (Reuters)
• Goldman Sachs Said to Be Part of Fed-Led Foreclosure Settlement (BBG)
• Venezuela postpones inauguration for cancer-stricken Chavez (Reuters)

With Alcoa kicking off the earnings season with numbers there were in line and slightly better on the outlook (as usual), attention will largely shift to micro data and disappointing cash flows over the next two weeks, even as the countdown clock to the debt ceiling "drop dead" D-Day begins ticking with as little as 35 days left until debt ceiling extension measures are exhausted and creeping government shutdowns commence. There was little in terms of macro data from the US, even as a major datapoint out of Germany, November Industrial Production, missed expectations of a 1% rise, pushing higher by just 0.2% M/M (up from a -2.0% revised October print), once again proving that "hopes" (as shown by various confidence readings yesterday) of a boost to the European economy are wildly premature. This disappointing print comes a day ahead of the ECB conference tomorrow, when the governing council may or may not cut rates, although it is very much unlikely it will proceed with the former at a time when at least the narrative is one of improvement - pursuing even more easing will promptly dash "hopes" of a self-sustaining trough (forget improvement) for yet another quarter. Putting the German number in context, Greek Industrial Output slid 2.9% in November, down from a revised 5% rise, refuting in turn that this particular economy is anywhere near a trough.