Economics And Finance

U.S. Budget Deficit Grew 39%, Stocks, Bond Yields Fall, Negative Interest Rates Spreading..Trumponomics Run Amok (#GotBitcoin?)

Global stocks and bond yields slid Friday as weak manufacturing data deepened investors’ anxiety about the health of the world economy. U.S. Budget Deficit Grew 39%, Stocks, Bond Yields Fall, Negative Interest Rates Spreading..Trumponomics Run Amok Yield on 10-year U.S. Treasury note slid to fresh low for the year. Major…

Jumbo Mortgages Are Slowing Down, Testing Banks’ Postcrisis Playbook (#GotBitcoin?)

High-end home buyers are turning cautious, a blow to banks that refocused their mortgage businesses around wealthy borrowers in the years after the financial crisis. Jumbo Mortgages Are Slowing Down, Testing Banks’ Postcrisis Playbook (#GotBitcoin?) Loans too big for Fannie and Freddie dropped 12% last year by dollar volume Originations…

Central Banks Plan For Negative Interest Rates (#GotBitcoin?)

Abrupt changes in the policies of the world’s largest central banks have rippled through smaller economies, leaving them with the prospect of low and even negative interest rates for years to come despite having mostly healthy economies. Central Banks Plan For Negative Interest Rates Policy U-Turns From The Fed And…

Negative Interest Rates In Europe, Depressing Retail Sales And Plunging U.S. Imports, Q.E. Back On The Table (#GotBitcoin?)

Abrupt decline in inbound container volume at California’s big gateways came after shippers pulled forward purchases from Asia ahead of potential new tariffs. Negative Interest Rates In Europe, Depressing Retail Sales And Plunging U.S. Imports, Q.E. Back On The Table U.S. Seaborne Imports to Los Angeles, Long Beach Plunged in…

Manufacturing Pullback Flashes Signs of Economic Slowdown (Hint: Bad News) (#GotBitcoin?)

Output at U.S. factories decreased 0.4% in February after falling 0.5% in January; industrial production edged up. Manufacturing Pullback Flashes Signs of Economic Slowdown (Hint: Bad News) U.S. manufacturing output declined for the second consecutive month in February, a fresh sign that a long-predicted slowdown is hitting the U.S. economy.…

Weak Economic Data Spurs U.S. Government Bond Rally. Hint: This Is Bad News! (#GotBitcoin?)

A key U.S. government bond yield fell near its lowest levels of the year Friday after a series of reports showed signs of weakness throughout the manufacturing sector, adding to concerns about the U.S. economy. Weak Economic Data Spurs U.S. Government Bond Rally. Hint: This Is Bad News! Indicators help…

Dollar General Warns of Slower Sales Growth (#GotBitcoin?)

Dollar General Corp. on Thursday said same-store sales grew in the most recent quarter, but profit was less than expected as the retailer invests in lower prices and increases the portion of sales that come from less profitable products like food, sending shares lower. Dollar General Warns of Slower Sales…

Purchases With Plastic Get Costlier For Merchants—And Consumers (#GotBitcoin?)

Visa and Mastercard plan to raise fees on credit and debit cards, putting new strain on retail. Purchases With Plastic Get Costlier For Merchants—And Consumers (#GotBitcoin?) Credit-card companies are increasing a range of fees that U.S. merchants will pay to process transactions, a move likely to inflame already fractious relations…

The ‘Cartel’ Is Back: 8 Banks Caught Rigging Government-Bond Markets (#GotBitcoin?)

First it was the Libor-rigging cartel, then the FX exchange-rate manipulation cartel, now, European regulators have moved on to prosecuting "anti-competitive" practices in euro-denominated sovereign bond markets. The 'Cartel' Is Back: 8 Banks Caught Rigging Government-Bond Markets One month after the European antitrust regulators charged Deutsche Bank, Credit Agricole and…

Undercover Surveillance From A Party For The One-Percent Wall Street Secret Society! (#GotBitcoin?)

One-Percent Jokes And Plutocrats In Drag Recently, our nation’s financial chieftains have been feeling a little unloved. Venture capitalists are comparing the persecution of the rich to the plight of Jews at Kristallnacht, Wall Street titans are saying that they’re sick of being beaten up, and this week, a billionaire investor, Wilbur…

Mysterious Magnetic Portals Connect Earth To The Sun. Could There Be Other Portals Between Planets And Stars, Etc? (#GotBitcoin?)

A favorite theme of science fiction is "the portal"--an extraordinary opening in space or time that connects travelers to distant realms. Mysterious Magnetic Portals Connect Earth To The Sun. Could There Be Other Portals Between Planets And Stars, Etc? Our planet has come a long way in scientific breakthroughs and…

A $4 Trillion Problem For Investors: The Fed’s Shrinking Portfolio (#GotBitcoin?)

“It’s changing the psychology of investors,” said Scott Minerd, chief investment officer at money manager Guggenheim Partners LLC. A $4 Trillion Problem For Investors: The Fed’s Shrinking Portfolio The Federal Reserve Building In Washington. The Central Bank Has Been Shrinking The Portfolio Of Bonds It Bought During The Financial Crisis…