Sun 2010-07-25 16:55 EDT

Carbon trading a front for money-laundering: experts - Hindustan Times

Agence France-Presse

Organised crime gangs are using carbon emissions trading schemes as fronts for money-laundering,experts warned on Friday. The experts who attended a meeting of the Asia Pacific Money Laundering Group (APG) said crime syndicates are resorting to new methods to hide their illegal proceeds. One "issue that we've looked at closely is money laundering associated with carbon emissions trading schemes", APG executive secretary Gordon Hook told a news conference after the five-day meeting. Hook did not elaborate on how crime syndicates were using carbon emissions trading schemes to launder money...

Carbon Trading; experts; front; Hindustan Times; money laundering.

Sun 2010-05-09 09:18 EDT

Why Do Senators Corker And Dodd Really Think We Need Big Banks? >> The Baseline Scenario

Simon Johnson

On Friday, Senator Bob Corker (R, TN) took to the Senate floor to rebut critics of big banks. His language was not entirely senatorial: ``I hope we'll all come to our senses'', while listing the reasons we need big banks. And Senator Chris Dodd (D, CT) rose to agree that (in Corker's words) reducing the size of our largest banks would be ``cutting our nose off to spite our face'' and that by taking on Wall Street, ``we may be taking on the heartland.'' Unfortunately, all of their arguments in favor of our largest banks remaining at or near (or above) their current scale are completely at odds with the facts (e.g., as documented in our book, 13 Bankers). ...As for why exactly Senators Corker and Dodd really support big banks, it seems increasingly likely that this is all about campaign contributions.

Baseline Scenario; Dodd Really Think; Needs Big Banks; Senator Corker.

Bruce Krasting Tue 2010-03-09 17:10 EST

Some Thoughts on Fannie's Horrible Year

Bruce Krasting

Fannie Mae released it's annual and 4th Q numbers after the close on Friday and during one hell of a messy snowstorm. FNM posted a loss of $16.3b for the quarter and $74.4b for the year. An unmitigated disaster. The timing of the release suggests that they were hoping that no one would notice how bad the last twelve months were. There was nothing particularly new in the most recent quarter, just more bad news. What is happening at Fannie is also happening at Freddie Mac and to a different extent at FHA. There are some trends that I think are worth noting...they have moved to restrict lending to better borrowers...all three of the D.C. mortgage lenders are pulling on the credit reins...It will be harder to get a mortgage in one month from today and even harder to get one six moths from today. For me the implications of this are very obvious. Broad RE values will have to go lower, high-end homes will suffer the most in percentage drops...the biggest seller of RE over the past 24 months in America has been the federal government...The vast majority of defaults come because borrowers are underwater. Falling RE prices are the number one contributor to the default cycle...

Bruce Krasting; Fannie's Horrible Year; thought.

Sun 2010-01-31 23:06 EST

The Formula for This Market Rally In Simple Terms

The first, most obvious trend is the Manic Mondays trend...for the 43 weeks ended Friday January 8, 2010, stocks have rallied on 30 out of the 43 Mondays...these Monday ramp jobs have contributed the bulk of the market rally's gains since March 2009...The second trend that has dominated this market since the March 2009 bottom is the Bernanke Options Expiration juicing. In simple terms Ben Bernanke has shown a REAL preference for pumping money into the financial system on the exact week when options are expiring...The final trend that has dominated this market is cousin to the Manic Monday Ramp Job. It is the Night Session Ramp Job...from September 13, 2009 until year-end, ALL of the stock market's gains occurred in the over-night futures session from 4:00 ET to 9:30 AM ET...So there you have it, the three most dominant trends of this market rally. None of them are pretty. None of them involve fundamentals. And ALL of them are directly related to the Fed's liquidity pump.

Formula; markets Rally; simple terms.

Jesse's Café Américain Fri 2010-01-29 16:15 EST

Why Are 86% of the NY Fed's MBS Purchases Occurring During Option Expiration Weeks?

Jesse

My friends at ContraryInvestor have published some remarkable data...This data suggests that the Fed's purchases of Market Backed Securities serves not only to artificially depress mortgage rates and the longer end of the yield curves. The purchases occur, with a remarkably high correlation of 86%, during monthly stock market options expiration weeks in the US...Talk about timing of liquidity injections to get maximum effect in the equities market...option expiration in the US stock indices occurs on the third Friday of every month. We have pointed out in the past that this monthly event is often the occasion of some not so subtle racketeering by the funds and prop trading desks.

86; Jesse's Café Américain; NY Fed's MBS Purchases Occurring; options expirations week.

The Economic Populist - Speak Your Mind 2 Cents at a Time Sat 2009-10-10 13:19 EDT

Friday Movie Night - Michael Lind Presents

New America Foundation, Policy Director of the Economic Growth Program, Michael Lind is on a roll. He's pulling in a host of economists and policy formulators who really are speaking truth, interviewing them an' putting 'em on the Internets. You're going to love these interviews with Thomas Palley, Ralph Gomory, Pat Choate and Peter Morici.

economic populist; Friday Movie Night; Michael Lind Presents; Mind 2 Cents; speaking; Time.

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis Wed 2009-08-26 15:55 EDT

Emails from a Bank Owner regarding FDIC and Under-Capitalized Banks

Michael Shedlock

Here is an interesting Email from a Bank Owner and CEO regarding As of Friday August 14, 2009, FDIC is Bankrupt. ``I have been in banking for over 30 years and from my perspective this is much worse than anything I have seen.'' ABO, who as been in the business 30 years, writes: A comment concerning the FDIC - As of June 30 the rates being charged banks have increased substantially. Risk 1 category went to 12 basis points from 5, risk 2, 17 basis points, risk 3, 35 basis points, and risk 5, 50 basis points. Additionally, a 5 basis point special assessment is being charged on September 30 on total assets less tier 1 capital. It is probable that a second assessment will also be charged in December. The cost of FDIC insurance for a two hundred million dollar, 1 risk rated bank last year would have been around...

bank owner; capitalized banks; Email; FDIC; Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis.