Trend-Signals

Population Control

2012-01-27T23:08:00.001-05:00

The Number One Priority of USA, the UN, nations, and Economic Forum needs to be "Population Control" to provide "Peace" and "Happy Life". "Peace" without a sound and logical immediate population control is a big failure and hopeless. This world can't feed and provide "happy life" as we can see that the world is turning into living hell. It is unthinkable to ignore so many people is suffering with misguided promises and false hope. May God open hearts of those who gathered all wealth and prosperity to help others and to reduce the global pain and suffering. May God show his love through effective population control and plans for global peace and prosperity. May God lead and enlighten all. ~ Amen * Matthew 18

January 27, 2012 Market Summary

2012-01-27T15:55:00.000-05:00

No hope
Computer programmed market hype is astonishing. With multi-trillions of US debt, markets are still pumped up.

$COMPX 2816.55 11.27 0.40% 1,709,299
$INDU 12661.29 -73.34 -0.58% 875,092
$INX 1316.41 -2.02 -0.15% 2,789,656

The global recession officially ended in 2010. Since then many countries have begun experiencing economic growth again. However, North American and Western European nations are recovering at a much slower pace than the rest of the world. 24/7 Wall St. has examined a recent Brookings report to identify the ten cities crushed by the global recession.

The most important financial news affecting the markets today ( Apple No. 1 smartphone seller, Starbucks recovery, Spain’s unemployment, Greek economy deteriorates). And here is the Morning Wire — US Stock-Index Futures Slightly Higher.

As always, here are the top major media headline summaries from WSJ, FT, Bloomberg, and more. Today's top analyst upgrades and downgrades were in shares of ALL, T, BBY, CELG, CLF, EQY, HIG, JCP, JNPR, KIM, PGR, SD, SYNA, UA, VPRT and ZOLL. Here are the top rumors of the day.
The dividend may have doubled at Potash Corp. (POT) but that might not be the reason to buy.
Super-premium buyouts in biotech are continuing at a blistering pace.

Great earnings and projections for Starbucks... Unfortunately, it has reached close to full value.
All of the smartphone manufacturers other than Apple and Samsung may as well close up their tents. The two companies are too far ahead.
Spain's unemployment rates is now above 22%, and there are absolutely no short or mid-term solutions.
Many Americans want the government to help solve the housing crisis, but the options to do so are remarkably limited.

As Tensions Rise, Egypt Bars Exit of Six Americans

By STEVEN LEE MYERS and DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK

The Obama administration threatened to withhold aid as Egypt confirmed it had kept at least a half-dozen Americans from leaving.

Israel Senses Bluffing in Iran's Threats of Retaliation

By ETHAN BRONNER

As Israel's political and military leaders weigh options to stop Iran's nuclear program, many are guided by an assessment that an attack is unlikely to set off widespread conflict.

Romney Stays On the Offense With Gingrich

By JIM RUTENBERG and JEFF ZELENY

The competition between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich dominated the last debate before the Florida primary, as the two angrily traded charges on Thursday over their immigration policies and financial holdings.

• NYTimes.com Home Page »

At Davos, Debating Capitalism's Future

By ED MILIBAND

Some still believe that all governments can do is get out of the way. Others know there is a real role for governments in setting the right rules for future success.

WORLD

Bill Gates Donates $750 Million to Shore Up Disease-Fighting Fund

By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.

The donation to the struggling Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was made as a promissory note intended to tide it over regular cash shortages.

Organizations Say Torture Is Widespread in Libya Jails

By LIAM STACK

International humanitarian groups said they had documented the extensive use of torture in Libyan detention centers, a troubling indication that some Qaddafi-era abuses continue.

For Many in Pakistan, a Television Show Goes Too Far

By DECLAN WALSH

Nongovernmental organizations are suing a station over a show featuring a group of women on the hunt for "immoral" behavior.

• More World News »

U.S.

The Long Run

Gingrich Stuck to Caustic Path in Ethics Battles

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

Newt Gingrich used ethics issues to make political gains from the beginning of his career, but in the end ethics issues helped topple him from power in the House.

Defense Budget Cuts Would Limit Raises and Close Bases

By ELISABETH BUMILLER and THOM SHANKER

The Pentagon took the first major step toward shrinking after a decade of war, announcing a proposal for budget cuts that is fraught with political risk.

Obama College Aid Proposal Puts a Focus on Affordability

By TAMAR LEWIN

President Obama is proposing a financial aid overhaul that would tie colleges' eligibility for campus-based aid programs to the institutions' success in improving affordability and value for students.

• More U.S. News »

POLITICS

A Call Resounds Across Florida for an Overscheduled Candidate: 'Is He Here Yet?'

By TRIP GABRIEL

Because Newt Gingrich is perpetually late, local Republican officials and former colleagues must furiously tread verbal water as they try to keep a hold on crowds.

The Caucus

Gingrich Insurgency Tests Party's Old Guard

By RICHARD W. STEVENSON

In an era when party leaders are ceding power to grass-roots conservatives who are defined by populism and often anger at institutions, it is not clear that there is a meaningful Republican establishment any longer.

The 6th Floor Blog

Could Marco Rubio Solve Mitt Romney's Hispanic Problem?

By ANDREW GOLDMAN

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida seems to be cementing a special friendship with Mitt Romney, who will undoubtedly encounter some issues with Hispanic voters that Mr. Rubio could help sort out.

• More Political News »

BUSINESS

For $2 a Star, an Online Retailer Gets 5-Star Product Reviews

By DAVID STREITFELD

Agencies like the Federal Trade Commission have been trying to crack down on online product reviews that do not disclose the connection between a merchant and the person doling out the praise.

For Greece, the Outlook Is Still Grim

By LANDON THOMAS Jr.

A new analysis suggests the nation's economic condition is worsening, throwing a wrench into talks meant to pave the way for more financial support.

At Euro Talks, a Calm Arm-Twister From the U.S.

By ANNIE LOWREY

Lael Brainard, a Treasury under secretary who is America's top financial diplomat, is trying to coax European leaders to contribute to a financial firewall.

• More Business News »

TECHNOLOGY

Big Victory on Internet Buoys Lobby

By SOMINI SENGUPTA

With their success against antipiracy legislation in Congress, the Internet industry and its allies are weighing their future as a political force.

AT&T in $6.7 Billion Loss on Failure of T-Mobile Deal

By JENNA WORTHAM

AT&T posted a substantial $6.68 billion loss for the fourth quarter, primarily from the breakup fees incurred after the company's failed bid to buy T-Mobile USA.

One-Billion-Euro Loss and a Silver Lining for Nokia

By KEVIN J. O'BRIEN

Nokia said it lost almost 1.1 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in the fourth quarter, compared with a profit of 745 million euros a year earlier.

• More Technology News »

SPORTS

Mara Rides Whirlwind Clear Into Super Bowl

By SAM BORDEN

John Mara, the Giants' co-owner, weathered the N.F.L. lockout along with his team's ups and downs, including calls to fire his coach, and was rewarded with a trip to the Super Bowl.

Giants Take Time Out to Focus on Families

By BEN SHPIGEL

When the Giants assembled Tuesday, they divvied up their allotment of tickets and dealt with all the logistics that demanded attention before they could concentrate on the Patriots.

Patriots' Gronkowski Does Not Practice

All but Over, Except for the Shouting

By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY

It will be power and competitive fire against power and competitive fire Saturday when Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka meet in the women's final.

Nadal Defeats Federer, Again, to Move to Australian Open Final

• More Sports News »

ARTS

Manic Peter Pan Rules Dance Clubs

By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.

Skrillex, the D.J., is bringing his mix of electro-dance music to New York next week.

Exhibition Review

Life, Liberty and the Fact of Slavery

By EDWARD ROTHSTEIN

Two exhibitions, one at the National Museum of American History and the other at Monticello, explore Thomas Jefferson's relationship with slavery.

Art Review

History Unfolding on a Hand Scroll

By ROBERTA SMITH

This exhibition of brush-and-ink works by Fu Baoshi is the first full-dress retrospective of a 20th-century Chinese artist to be seen at the Met.

• More Arts News »

NEW YORK / REGION

City Room

Mayor Says Police Need To Reassure City Muslims

By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg defended Raymond W. Kelly, the police commissioner, but said the showing of an anti-Islam film hurt Mr. Kelly's credibility among New York City's Muslims.

About New York

When the Police Say One Thing, the Facts Another

By JIM DWYER

The Police Department's explanation of its involvement with an agitprop video shown to officers seems another case where no straight, plausible official story has been offered.

More About New York Columns

With Rape Inquiry, District Attorney Again Finds Himself in a Tough Spot

By RUSS BUETTNER

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., criticized over two high-profile cases involving sexual assault claims, now must investigate an accusation against Greg Kelly, the police commissioner's son.

Woman Accuses New York Police Commissioner's Son of Rape

• More New York / Region News »

MOVIES

Movie Review | 'The Grey'

In Man vs. Wolf Pack, Survival of the Flintiest

By A. O. SCOTT

Liam Neeson leads a group of men stranded in Alaska after a plane crash in Joe Carnahan's film "The Grey," a lean, stripped-down tale of survival in brutal circumstances.

Movie Review | 'Declaration of War'

Parents Waging a Battle Against the Ultimate Foe

By STEPHEN HOLDEN

In "Declaration of War," which carries echoes of the French New Wave, a child's illness spurs a family to action.

Movie Review | 'Man on a Ledge'

Cops and Robbers, and Vertigo

By STEPHEN HOLDEN

In "Man on a Ledge," an ex-police officer who has been wrongly imprisoned escapes and stalls for time by climbing onto the 21st-floor ledge of a hotel.

• More Movies News »

EDITORIALS

Editorial

So Who's a Lobbyist?

Newt Gingrich is one of thousands of people in Washington's influence industry who skirt the definition of lobbying by taking advantage of legal loopholes.

Editorial

Voting and Racial History

An Alabama case shows why federal enforcement of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is still needed today.

Editorial

An Outrage in East Haven

The arrest of four police officers charged with terrorizing the town's Hispanic neighborhoods showcases institutional brutality and racial profiling.

• More Opinion »

OP-ED

Op-Ed Columnist

Hope, but Not Much Change

By DAVID BROOKS

President Obama seems sure of himself, but where's the big agenda? It wasn't in the State of the Union address.

Columnist Page | Blog

Op-Ed Columnist

Jobs, Jobs and Cars

By PAUL KRUGMAN

Gov. Mitch Daniels got so much wrong in his reply to the president's State of the Union address. To really create jobs, it takes a cluster, not just heroes.

Columnist Page | Blog

Op-Ed Contributor

In Honduras, a Mess Made in the U.S.

By DANA FRANK

Honduras is descending into a human rights abyss with support from the State Department.

• More Opinion »

ON THIS DAY

On Jan. 27, 1967, Astronauts Virgil I. ''Gus'' Grissom, Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee died in a flash fire during a test aboard their Apollo I spacecraft at Cape Kennedy, Fla.

• See This Front Page

• Buy This Front Page

SP500 daily heat map S&P 500 | World | Full | Market 3D | Market Archive | Exchange Traded Funds
Sector Charts Sector Performances

Fed Reserve Bernanke - Obama debt bubble market pump nightmare

2012-01-26T02:17:00.000-05:00

1/26/2012
$COMPX    2805.28    -13.03    -0.46%    1,984,038
$INDU    12734.63    -22.33    -0.18%    926,534
$INX    1318.43    -7.62    -0.57%    3,435,614

Absolutely psychopathic and fraudulent market manipulation using insane debt bubble: Fed Reserve Bernanke Madoff - Obama debt bubble market pump nightmare.
Obama is nothing but debt bubble spending and market pump scam with the same deceptive rhetoric -- he is the disaster of Americans and America -- as well as for the world as we have seen it.

1/25/2012
$COMPX    2818.31    31.67    1.14%    1,875,935
$INDU    12756.96    81.16    0.64%    889,056
$INX    1326.05    11.40    0.87%    3,346,928

SP500 daily heat map S&P 500 | World | Full | Market 3D | Market Archive |Exchange Traded Funds
Sector Charts Sector Performances

NObama-Fed Reserve Debt Genesis 3:1 Satan

2012-01-25T12:48:00.001-05:00

DRONE = Dr One It is quite psychopathic how they have destroyed the world using Satan Genesis 3:1 -- especially America after Europe with massive debt and living misery corruption.

Fed Reserve Fraud & Market Hype

2012-01-24T16:00:00.001-05:00

Is there anything to hear in his speech:
HOW MANY TIMES ARE YOU GOING TO BE MISLED BY INSANITY of DEBT BUBBLE & MARKET HYPE.

~*~

Obama will challenge Congress in ambitious State of the Union

By Dan Lothian, CNN White House Correspondent

updated 2:20 PM EST, Tue January 24, 2012
http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/24/politics/sotu-obama/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Financial Market Monsters

2012-01-24T15:06:00.002-05:00

Financial Market Monsters - allegorically

This is like the Financial Market gobbling up whatever in sight by the few who has complete control over market directions whether it is up or down -- in reality, upside is the problem creating bubbles of all kinds an hype as it is made of nothing (i.e. printing).

Tokyo sees high quake probability, scientists warn

By Elizabeth Yuan, CNN

updated 7:17 AM EST, Tue January 24, 2012

Japan's highest mountain, Mount Fuji, rises behind Tokyo's skyscraper skyline, as the sun sets in this photo last year.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Forty-two million people live in Tokyo metropolitan area
University researchers cited findings on increase in small tremors
Government put 70% probability of magnitude-7 quake in region within 30 years
March 11 quake and tsunami left more than 15,700 dead, government says

(CNN) -- Tokyo faces the possibility of being hit by a massive earthquake within the next four years, according to Japanese researchers.
The University of Tokyo's Earthquake Research Institute predicts there is a 70% probability that the capital's metropolitan area will experience a magnitude-7 quake within four years and a 98% probability within the next 30 years.
Nearly one year ago, a magnitude 9.0 quake struck off Japan's central Pacific coast, triggering a devastating tsunami and aftershocks that left more than 15,700 dead, according to a government report in December on Japan's recovery from the catastrophe. About 4,500 were listed as missing.
Nearly 700 aftershocks registering magnitude 5 or greater followed last year's quake, the government report said.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/24/world/asia/tokyo-quake-forecast/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Wall Street Horror e.g. USD & ETF manipulation crush from 10,000 to 30

2012-01-24T13:22:00.001-05:00

SP500 daily heat map S&P 500 | World | Full | Market 3D | Market Archive |Exchange Traded Funds
Sector Charts Sector Performances

Astonishing USD value deterioraton

2012-01-23T16:41:00.000-05:00

Planes expected to reroute following massive solar eruption

A powerful solar eruption is expected to blast a stream of charged particles toward Earth Tuesday, Jan. 24, as the strongest radiation storm since 2005 rages on the sun.

Early this morning (0359 GMT Jan. 23, which corresponds to late Sunday, Jan. 22 at 10:59 p.m. EST), NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory caught an extreme ultraviolet flash from a huge eruption on the sun, according to the skywatching website Spaceweather.com.

The solar flare spewed from sunspot 1402, a region of the sun that has become increasingly active lately. Several NASA satellites, including the Solar Dynamics Observatory, the Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), and the Stereo spacecraft observed the massive sun storm.

A barrage of charged particles triggered by this morning's solar flare is expected to hit Earth tomorrow at around 9 a.m. EST (1400 GMT), according to experts at the Space Weather Prediction Center, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. [Video & photos of the huge solar flare]

According to NOAA, this is the strongest solar radiation storm since May 2005, and as a precaution, polar flights on Earth are expected to be re-routed within the next few hours, Kathy Sullivan, deputy administrator of NOAA, said today at the 92nd annual American Meteorological Society meeting in New Orleans, La.

Scientists call these electromagnetic bursts "coronal mass ejections" (CMEs), and they are closely studied because they can produce potentially harmful geomagnetic storms when the charged particles rain down Earth's magnetic field lines.

$COMPX    2784.17    -2.53    -0.09%    1,648,277
$INDU    12708.82    -11.66    -0.09%    785,540
$INX    1316.00    0.62    0.05%    2,884,656

More Tech CEOs on Hot Seat After Ousters at RIM, Yahoo

Changes at the top at some big tech companies over the past few months—including RIM on Sunday—have some traders thinking about other firms that might benefit from a shakeup at the top.

Analysts Doubt CEO Can Change RIM Direction

Stocks Are Cheaper Than They've Been in Two Decades
Implementing Greek Rescue Plan the Hard Part: El-Erian
Wall Street Goes to Davos: What It Wants
New Gilded Age Raises Global Tensions: Analysts
Ten Money Saving Strategies
Is Mitt Romney's Florida Support Collapsing?
Romney Launches Multipronged Attack Against Gingrich
GOP Race 'Beyond Anything Ever Seen:' Trump
High Court Rules GPS Tracker on Car Violated Privacy
First Jobs of Porn's Biggest Stars
Where Will Oil Go If Iran Sanctions Imposed?
Food Crisis Talk at Davos Stokes Climate Change Debate
The Porn Convention: Complete Coverage
O’Neill Sees Investors Adopting His Bullish US Stance
How Thieves Break Into Online Bank Accounts
More Lockouts as Companies Battle Unions
UPS, FedEx Growing by Tapping 'Adjacent Business'
Tough Year Ahead for P&G? Stifel Thinks So

SP500 daily heat map S&P 500 | World | Full | Market 3D | Market Archive | Exchange Traded Funds
Sector Charts Sector Performances

Revelation 22

2012-01-22T14:13:00.001-05:00

Psalm 48:14 For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death.

Isaiah 25:1 O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.

Psalm 16:5 The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot.

Psalm 23:3,4 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. • Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 73:23-26 Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. • With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory. • Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. • My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 33:21 For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name.

Psalm 138:8 The LORD will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. O you who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name! Psalms 97:9-12

Revelation 22

1And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

2In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

3And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

4And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

5And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

6And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

7Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

8And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

9Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

10And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

11He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

12And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

13I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

14Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

15For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

16I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

17And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

18For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

19And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

20He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

21The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Fed Reserve, Central Bank, Wall Street Debt Bubble Market hype

2012-01-21T13:57:00.000-05:00

How the U.S. Lost Apple iPhone Jobs to China

Apple once bragged that its products were made in America. But it has since moved most its massive manufacturing operation overseas, raising questions about what corporate America owes Americans.

Apple Introduces iBooks 2

Newt Gingrich Wins South Carolina Primary
Gingrich, Romney Take Election Battle to Florida
Romney to Release His Tax Returns This Week
10 Richest Presidential Candidates
IIF Says Greek Debt Talks Have Not Broken Down
The Real Driver for the Stock Market This Week
Earnings Will Slow by Mid-2012: Strategist
Fired Penn State Coach Joe Paterno Dies; He Was 85
Islamists Secure Top Spot in Egypt Parliament
The NFL's Best Cheerleading Squads 2012
The NFL's 10 Most Underpaid Players
Game Day Moves: 'Tebowing'? Naw. Now, It's 'Gronking'
In Pictures: 10 Timeless Football Video Games
Cruise Ship May Have Had Unregistered Passengers
Amateur Video: Confusion on Sinking Cruise Ship
Scenes From the Porn Convention
Four Ways For Retirees To Create Income
Appeals Court Dismisses Suit Over New Trading Rules

~*~

The Federal Reserve is likely to step in with $1 trillion worth of easing that could be announced as soon as this month, according to a growing consensus of economists who see the recent uptick in economic growth as unsustainable.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/46058897

3 possibilities of the Costa Concordia Disaster

2012-01-19T18:41:00.000-05:00

3 questions, or rather possibilities, regarding the Cruise Ship Disaster:

1. was it really as the news media reporting?
2. was the captain ordered to wreck the ship?
3. was the captain intentionally wrecking the ship to record himself in the world history as he was nobody became somebody in the global human history as he outdid the sinking Titanic.

Carelessness can cause a great disasters. It is a good think that it didn't cause greater casualties than it did.

For example, most of Americans never thought that the Fed Reserve is a private corporation, and its shareholders are mixed ownership other than Americans.

Americans On Board Doomed Cruise

Three bodies are recovered and 69 passengers remain missing after cruise with several Americans on board runs aground off Tuscany, sending water pouring through the hull as one passenger compares scene to Titanic.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/01/13/cruise-ship-reportedly-runs-aground-off-coast-italy-at-least-3-dead/?test=latestnews

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/14/europe/gallery/italy-ship/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Rome (CNN) -- Italian authorities were questioning Saturday the captain of a cruise ship that ran aground, knocking the vessel on its side and killing at least three people, with dozens more missing, officials said.
The Italian captain, Francesco Schettino, was being interviewed by investigators in Porto Santo Stefano on what happened when the 4,200-passenger Costa Concordia, owned by Genoa-based Costa Cruises, struck shallow water off Italy's western coast, said officer Emilio Del Santo of the Coastal Authorities of Livorno.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

NEW: The three dead are two French tourists and a crew member from Peru
Authorities are questioning the ship's captain
Scores of people are unaccounted for but may be at hospitals and shelters, officials say
The ship was carrying about 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew members

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/14/world/europe/italy-cruise-deaths/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Inflation Insantiy ~ Fed Fraud

2012-01-18T09:29:00.001-05:00

Most of Americans can not afford Fruits and Vegetable
The greed has deceived and defraud to rob healthy, living lives away from mass.
It is harder to live healthy life when people can not afford to live healthy.
For example, most of Americans can't afford fresh fruit and vegetable.
We know that it is more expensive than USDA average cost of $2.50 per day at most of groceries. Even so going with the average price, it would cost $10 for 4 people in a family which will cost $300 per month just for fruit and vegetable!

Are fruits and vegetables too expensive?
March 14, 2011

What did USDA find?
An average adult on a 2,000 calorie diet could satisfy the fruit and vegetable consumption recommendations of the 2010 DGAs at an average cost of $2 to $2.50 per day.
http://www.gmaonline.org/blog/?p=1098

Producer Prices Ease on Drop in Oil, Food; Core Up

U.S. producer prices fell in December as companies paid less for gasoline and vegetables, although higher prices for light motor trucks pushed a measure of underlying inflation higher.

Manufacturing Sees Surge

Goldman Sachs Earnings Fall But Beat Street; Shares Up
IMF Wants $600 Billion to Fight Euro Crisis: Source
FBI Making New Arrests in Insider Trading Probe
Private Sector Debt Deal Can't Help Greece: Analysts
Industrial Production Rose in December, Below Forecast
Mortgage Applications Surge on Refi Demand
Mixed Bag of Bank Earnings as Credit Quality Improves
The NFL’s 10 Best Cheerleading Squads 2012
Optimism Short-Lived, Markets Still Under Pressure
Greek Debt Talks Resume With All Terms on the Table
Wikipedia Editors Question Site's Planned Blackout
Portugal Yields Fall in Auction of Short-Term Debt
Top Apps for Business Travelers
What Is Driving Oil Prices Today?
Yahoo Co-Founder Jerry Yang Resigns; Shares Rise
- Yang’s Departure Could Drive Yahoo! to $20: Adami
Target Suspends Sale of Credit Card Debt Portfolio
Fitch Could Downgrade Italy by Two Notches: Director

Wall Street: Root of Evil & Corruption Fed Reserve

2012-01-16T16:29:00.000-05:00

Romney has no idea about what Americans are faced with.

~*~

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney claimed concerns about Wall Street, financial institutions and income inequality were the result of "envy."

Romney -- who won the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night -- attacked President Barack Obama for promulgating the "politics of envy" during a Wednesday interview with Matt Lauer on NBC's "The Today Show." Though his attack was mainly directed at the president, Romney's "envy" remark came after Lauer asked about the concerns of "anyone who has questions about the distribution of wealth and power in this country."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/11/mitt-romney-envy-south-carolina-primary_n_1200454.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/14/opinion/blow-bitter-politics-of-envy.html

~*~

GINGRICH AND PERRY is right on Romney being Vulture

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/15/10162682-gingrich-goes-to-the-dogs-with-romney-reference

http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2012/01/15/gingrich-challenges-romney-tax-records-release

~*~

Palin Attacks Romney On Bain Capital Record, C-SPAN's Prank Calls, And More

Palin Attacks Romney: Former Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin is the latest in a string of Republicans to attack GOP presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney's record as head of Bain Capital. "This isn't about a politician making huge profits in the private sector," she told Fox News. "I think what Governor Perry is getting at is that Governor Romney has claimed to have created 100,000 jobs at Bain and people are wanting to know is there proof of that claim?" Palin also called on Romney to release his tax returns.
http://www.neontommy.com/news/2012/01/politics-today-palin-attacks-romney-bain-capital-record-c-spans-prank-calls-and-more

Was sinking the Costa ship, possibly intentional as decoy?
~*~

Mafia Is Italy's Largest Business, Biggest Banker

By PHOEBE NATANSON

ROME Jan. 10, 2012

While Italy's new prime minister sweats to fix Italy's dire economic situation and Italians are hit with increased taxes, there are some in Italy who are doing just fine in the country.
A report released today by an Italian employers association states that organized crime is the biggest business in Italy generating an annual turnover of 140 billion Euros (over $204 billion.)
The report by Confesercenti described the various different mafia clans with roots in different regions of the country as the "biggest bank" in the country with 65 billion euros ($83 billion) in liquidity. The association said the situation was a "national emergency" affecting businesses throughout Italy and is no longer to be considered as having a more powerful hold on the south of the country.
"During this economic crisis, mafia organizations are the only businessmen able to invest," said Marco Venturi, president of Conferscenti.
"We should never forget that the economic crisis is useful for organized crime which influences the legitimate economy and floods the illegal economy with both the production and sale of illegal goods," Venturi said.
He went on to say, "small and medium-size businesses are the main victims of rackets, loan sharking, and robberies by organized crime that generate 140 billion euros a year of which 100 billion are extracted from companies."
Study Finds Organized Crime Is Italy's Largest Business

In Italy, mafia is normally used to refer to the Sicilian clans, also known as Cosa Nostra. But there are four powerful branches of organized crime in Italy which have regional roots. Beside the Cosa Nostra, there is the Camorra in the Neapolitan region, the Ndragheta in Calabria, and the Sacra Corona Unita in Pugliese. They all operate and control illegal activities and funds worldwide, and do not normally work together.
Police in Italy have said there has been a marked increase in loan sharking due to the present economic climate. "According to our estimates, loan sharking has caused the closure of 1,800 businesses and destroyed thousands of jobs. Merchants are the most exposed to the phenomenon and around 200,000 are victims of usury."
Confesercenti, which represents around 270,000 Italian businesses, estimates firms are subjected to 1,300 crimes a day or 50 every hour, nearly one every minute.
Over 20 years ago now, Libero Grassi, an Italian clothing manufacturer from Palermo, Sicily with 100 employees and a business volume of US$45 million in 1990, was the first businessman in Palermo Sicily to denounce Cosa Nostra, Sicily's brand of organized crime.
Without the support from any business associations, he decided to take a lone stand against extortion demands and refused to pay the "pizzo" payments to the local clan. Considered a form of protection racket by the local clan, refusing to pay the "pizzo" can lead to attacks on property, family and even murder.
Swayed by his example some businessmen and company owners came forward to denounce the clan. Grass roots organizations like "Addiopizzo" appeared aiming to create a group of consumers in Sicily ready to support businesses who stand up against the racket and denounce their extorters.
Grassi was gunned down by the clan on Aug. 29 and is still seen as a national hero by many in Italy for his brave stance.
While the report was being released today, anti mafia kept up their fight against organized crime clans in the country by seizing more than 50 million Euros ($63.8 million) worth of Mafia assets in the Sicilian southern city of Catania and other parts of Sicily, seizing properties, companies, land and stopping a number of bank accounts.
Italy's anti mafia department announced Monday it has seized three billion Euros ($3.8 billion) in assets from the Camorra, the powerful Neapolitan mafia, since the department started operations in 1991.
Last December, police were jubilant when they captured one of Italy's most wanted fugitive mob bosses, Michele Zagaria, who had been on the run since 1995 and considered to be the last major boss of one of Italy bloodiest mafia clans. Zagaria was wanted for murder, extortion, kidnapping, mafia association and other violent crimes.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/mafia-italy-biggest-business-biggest-banker/story?id=15329463&page=2#.TxQxeYHYUsY

Global & Bankrupted European Financial Systems

2012-01-14T10:07:00.001-05:00

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/06/business/eu-sp-eurozone-explainer/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

Ratings agencies take center stage in euro crisis

By Kevin Voigt, CNN

January 14, 2012 -- Updated 1156 GMT (1956 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Ratings agency S&P warned in December that 15 eurozone nations may face possible downgrade
The "Big Three" credit ratings agencies catalyzed market reaction during the financial crisis
Critics complain the agencies wield too much unchecked power in world markets

(CNN) -- The mere rumor of a downgrade by the major ratings agencies is enough to send world markets into a tailspin, wiping billions off the values of global stocks.
So what do ratings agencies do, and why are they so important?
Who are the credit ratings agencies?
The "Big Three" are Standard's & Poor's, Moody's Investor Services and Fitch Ratings. All originated in the United States, although Fitch has dual headquarters in New York and London.
What do they do?
Before you can get a credit card, banks run a credit check on you. Similarly, the ratings agencies run credit checks on companies, countries and financial products.

Bond market pressures in Europe

Euro crisis: How we got here

Countdown to save the euro

EU leaders talk possible treaty changes

Countries are rated on a sliding scale: Germany for example, has a top rating (AAA) which allows it to borrow cash at cheap interest rates. The lower the rating grade, however, the higher interest payments a nation must pay to attract investors to buy its bonds. Anything that slips to junk status -- as Ireland, Portugal and Greek government bonds are rated -- is considered a "highly speculative" investment. Furthermore, the pool of eligible investors is reduced -- many institutional investors, such as government pension funds, are forbidden to invest in junk-rated bonds.
Why do they wield such power?
Investors across the world look to credit rating agencies to judge where to place their bets in the market. For governments, the ratings agencies have a lot of power over the popularity of bonds: cash given to governments by investors that, over time, will pay a return on the original investment -- unless the government defaults.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/06/business/eu-sp-eurozone-explainer/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

Merkel Vows Faster Eurozone Reforms After Downgrades

"We are now challenged to implement the fiscal compact even quicker ... and to do it resolutely, not to try to soften it," said Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday.

Downgrade Underscores Europe’s Woes

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Wall Street Greed: Root of evil & misery

2012-01-13T21:08:00.000-05:00

Excellent: Why the Chinese found two-thirds of their favorite TV shows gone for good.

2012-01-08T16:36:00.000-05:00

America became worse than Asians with massive poverty except less than 1% who are doing well either because they are lucky, got connections. The rest of Americans are living in deceptive propaganda of living in luxury. Millions of Americans are living worse than their homeland before came over misled by false American Dream!

Absolutely a good decision as it is nothing but a waste of brain, corruption, non-productive waste of time.
http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t2#/video/world/2012/01/08/where-did-chinas-tv-shows-go.cnn

Financial Market has remote correlation with Real Economy

2011-12-08T12:23:00.001-05:00

Financial Markets became "ART OF CON" bankrupting entire world using deception and hype.

Entire world is brainwashed with illogical and false economic theories and many myth. For example, financial market performances have remote correlation with real economic condition. Since entire major media and educational systems are owned by the same few who were misleading and defrauding Americans and entire world, almost all, the people, are brainwashed by the mass propaganda and educational systems which have misled entire world.

Financial market performance has very little correlation to economic condition especially during the recent years as "global free markets" for the corporate greed is ravaging the nations around the globe. Free market system is wrongly defined in textbooks for the system is to benefit the few, not to benefit general public in a long run. This is a common sense when you think out of the brainwashing thinking cap with normal intelligence for corporations are looking to maximize their profit against the people -- consumers (note how you are brainwashed by the word, "Consumer").

Many textbook economic theories and definitions are misleading and false in real life as many are now finding out how the real financial world by Central Banks are operating!!!

The old financial market investments until 1900s are genuine "investments" even though we had massive financial market manipulations as histories noted, but nowadays, "Investments" are only become as a tool for the few fraudulent rich to operate against the people in reality -- as we are now finding out how markets and Central Banks are operating!

Real market values should be crashed and burnt against the insane fraudulent debt bubble and any sane financial professionals would know the truth!

Financial markets have done more harm and destruction to the world and living than good except sane medical developments and basic transportation and tools.

Countries With The Widest Gap Between Rich And Poor Read more: Countries With The Widest Gap Between Rich And Poor - 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/2011/12/06/countries-with-biggest-spread-between-rich-and-poor/#ixzz1foYO3xuN

2011-12-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

The widening gap between the rich and poor is not just an American problem. According to a new study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, income inequality in most economically developed countries is the worst it has been in nearly 25 years. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the OECD’s report and identified the 10 countries with the worst income inequality.
“In OECD countries today, the average income of the richest 10% of the population is about nine times that of the poorest 10%,” the study reports. And in many of these countries, income inequality is increasing as more and more wealth is concentrated in the hands of the rich.
Read: The Countries With Biggest Spread Between Rich and Poor
In some countries the gap is even more pronounced. The income of the bottom 10% of earners has actually declined while the income of the top 10% has increased. In Israel, Turkey and the United States, the average income of the top 10% is 14 to one compared to the bottom 10%. InMexico and Chile, it is an astounding 27 to one.
In many of the countries with the greatest levels of income inequality, there is also very limited public social expenditure. Seven of the 10 countries on this list spend below the OECD average — as a percentage of GDP — on social benefits. For example, theshare of unemployed who receive benefits in both Chile and Turkey are less than half the OECD average. Mexico has no unemployment insurance at all.
The 10 countries on this list are ranked by their levels of income inequality using the Gini coefficient, where zero represents perfectly equal distribution and one represents maximum inequality. Also included are the change in income inequality from the mid-1980s, employment rates and the change in income for the rich and poor. While inequality has worsened in most countries, the situation has improved in some. Even in these countries, however, inequality remains at historically high levels.

10. New Zealand
> Gini coefficient: 0.330
> Change in income inequality: +21.8%
> Employment rate: 72.3% (6th highest)
> Change in income of the rich: +2.5% per year
> Change in income of the poor: +1.1% per year
New Zealandperforms well by a number of economic indicators, including employment, where it ranks sixth highest out of the 27 OECD countries in the study. Income in New Zealand has increased across the board since the 1980s, but the percentage annual increase among the top decile was more than twice as great as among the bottom decile. Among OECD nations, capital income in New Zealand as a percentage of total household income grew the most for the richest group and decreased substantially for the poorest group.
Also Read: HTC: A Front-Runner Falls Apart
9. Australia
> Gini coefficient: 0.336
> Change in income inequality: +8.7%
> Employment rate: 72.4% (5th highest)
> Change in income of the rich: +4.5% per year
> Change in income of the poor: +3% per year
The difference in the annual increase in income between the richest and the poorest in Australia from the mid-1980s to 2008 is one of the largest among all countries in the study. The average annual change in income for the bottom decile was 3%, compared with the top decile’s 4.5%. This caused the Gini coefficient to increase 8.7% over those years. Australia has one of the highest minimum wages, as a percentage of average wages, of all the G-20 countries. The country also has a fairly high employment rate.
8. Italy
> Gini coefficient: 0.337
> Change in income inequality: +9.0%
> Employment rate: 56.9% (3rd lowest)
> Change in income of the rich: +1.1% per year
> Change in income of the poor: +0.2% per year
In Italy, income inequality increased 9% between 1985 and 2008. According to the OECD,earnings for the wealthiest 10% increased an average of 1.1% each year, while earnings for the poorest 10% grew just 0.2% annually. Italy has the third-lowest employment rate among the 27 nations in the study, with just 56.9% of working-age adults holding jobs in 2008. Since 1985, unemployment benefits declined by more than 50% to one of the lowest recipient rates in the OECD.
7. United Kingdom
> Gini coefficient: 0.345
> Change in income inequality: +7.9%
> Employment rate: 70.3% (10th highest)
> Change in income of the rich: +2.5% per year
> Change in income of the poor: +0.9% per year
The UK had one of the biggest increases in the income gap between the wealthy and the poor over the past two and a half decades. On average, the income of the bottom 10% increased 0.9%, while income for the top 10% grew 2.5% per year. After Israel and Australia, the UK had the third-largest difference between the top decile’s annual income increase and the bottom decile’s increase. The income ratio of the wealthiest citizens to the poorest citizens is 10 to one.
Also Read: Taxing The Rich, One State at a Time
6. Portugal
> Gini coefficient: 0.353
> Change in income inequality: n/a
> Employment rate: 65.6% (14th highest)
> Change in income of the rich: +1.1% per year
> Change in income of the poor: +3.6% per year
Despite its high Gini coefficient, Portugal’s income inequality has been improving. From the mid-1980s to the late 2000s, the incomes of the country’s poorest increased an average 3.6% each year. The incomes of the richest grew only 1.1% annually. The country has increased its efforts to redistribute income since the mid-1980s, such as through benefits for the unemployed.

5. Israel
> Gini coefficient: 0.371
> Change in income inequality: +13.8%
> Employment rate: 60.2% (7th lowest)
> Change in income of the rich: +2.4% per year
> Change in income of the poor: -1.1% per year
In Israel, the average income of the bottom 10% actually decreased between 1985 and 2008. On average, income of the top 10% increased 2.4% per year. During the same period, income of the poorest 10% declined 1.1% each year — the worst rate of decline among the 27 nations studied. Only one other country, Japan, saw its bottom decile’s income fall as well. According to the OECD, the top 10% of Israel’s residents make 14 times more than the poorest 10%.
4. United States
> Gini coefficient: 0.378
> Change in income inequality: +12.1%
> Employment rate: 66.7% (13th highest)
> Change in income of the rich: +1.9% per year
> Change in income of the poor: +0.5% per year
Inequality in the United States increased significantly from 1985 to 2008,putting it in the fourth-worst spot in the study. As with many other countries in which income inequality has increased, average income has gone up across all income groups since the mid-1980s, but not equally. The income of the wealthiest 10% has greatly outpaced the poorest 10%. The share enjoyed by the top 0.1% in total pretax income quadrupled in the 30 years to 2008.
3. Turkey
> Gini coefficient: 0.409
> Change in income inequality: -5.8%
> Employment rate: 46.3% (the lowest)
> Change in income of the rich: +0.1% per year
> Change in income of the poor: +0.8% per year
Turkey was one of the few OECD countries to experience a narrowing of the gap between rich and poor, with income inequality improving 5.8% between 1985 and 2008. However, it still has the third-highest income inequality among the countries in this study. Part of Turkey’s problem is a relatively low number of government programs to aid the poorest citizens. The average government social expenditure among OECD nations is close to 20% of GDP, while it spends just above 10% — the third-lowest percentage. The wealthiest 10% of Turkey’s residents make 14 times more, on average, than the poorest 10%.
Also Read: Nations That May Lose AAA Ratings – And Those That Won’t
2.Mexico
> Gini coefficient: 0.476
> Change in income inequality: +5.1%
> Employment rate: 60.4% (8th lowest)
> Change in income of the rich: +1.7% per year
> Change in income of the poor: +0.8% per year
Mexico has one of the highestrates of income inequality. Among all OECD countries, Mexico has the lowest amount of public social expenditure as a percentage of GDP. It also has the lowest unemployment benefit recipient rates. Finally, the country has the lowest minimum wages as a percentage of average wages.
1. Chile
> Gini coefficient: 0.494
> Change in income inequality: n/a
> Employment rate: 59.3% (4th lowest)
> Change in income of the rich: +1.2% per year
> Change in income of the poor: +2.4% per year
Chile is one of the few countries where the income of the poor increased at a higher annual rate than the income of the wealthy, 2.4% to 1.2%. Nevertheless, the South American nation has the worst income inequality among the 27 OECD nations examined. Chile has a particularly high rate of self-employed individuals, primarily because of its large farming class. The income ratio of the top 10% to the bottom 10% is 27 to one.
Michael B. Sauter, Charles B. Stockdale

SP500 daily heat map S&P 500 | World | Full | Market 3D | Market Archive | Exchange Traded Funds
Sector Charts Sector Performances

Financial condition of US States - ranked

2011-11-28T11:28:00.001-05:00

How well run are America’s 50 states? The answer depends a lot on where you live. For the second year, 24/7 Wall St. has reviewed data on financial health, standard of living and government services by state to determine how well each state is managed. Based on this data, 24/7 Wall St. ranked the 50 states from the best to worst run.

2011-11-27T23:48:00.001-05:00

SP500 daily heat map S&P 500 | World | Full | Market 3D | Market Archive | Exchange Traded Funds
Sector Charts Sector Performances

NYC Demonstration

2011-11-17T15:09:00.000-05:00

Cities face Occupy movement's 'mass day'

By the CNN Wire Staffupdated 2:43 PM EST, Thu November 17, 2011

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/17/us/new-york-occupy/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Millionaires ask Congress to raise their taxes

2011-11-17T09:55:00.001-05:00

http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/16/news/economy/tax_millionaires/index.htm?hpt=hp_c1

WASHINGTON (CNNMoney) -- A group of two dozen millionaires stormed Capitol Hill on Wednesday, demanding lawmakers raise their taxes.

"We want to pay more taxes," said California millionaire Doug Edwards, a former marketing director for Google (GOOG, Fortune 500). "If you're fortunate, and you make more than a million dollars a year, you ought to pay more taxes."

The millionaires want Congress to allow the tax cuts passed during the George W. Bush administration to expire. Some want higher taxes generally.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/16/news/economy/tax_millionaires/index.htm?hpt=hp_t2

New York (CNN) -- Cities facing angry protests from the Occupy movement braced Thursday for what could be the largest demonstrations yet.
From New York to Los Angeles, organizers were calling for a "mass day of action" to mark two months since the movement began.
In New York, where the movement began as Occupy Wall Street, the planned events included "shut down Wall Street;" "occupy the subways," a plan to gather at 16 hubs, and "take the square," a reference to Foley Square, across from City Hall.
"Enough of this economy that exploits and divides us. It's time we put an end to Wall Street's reign of terror and begin building an economy that works for all," the organizing website occupywallst.org said, adding, "before the Stock Exchange, we will exchange stories rather than stocks."
Organizers also plan a march across the Brooklyn Bridge.
A heavy police presence was in place Thursday morning as protesters gathered for the early morning demonstration against Wall Street.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/17/us/new-york-occupy/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Never Say Never

2011-11-17T09:53:00.001-05:00

Never Say Never

A Look at the Troubling Trend in French Bond Yields

Eric Fry

Reporting from Laguna Beach, California...

French bond yields are soaring. That’s what the French might call “mauvaises nouvelles.” In fact, that’s what we might all call “bad news.”

It’s one thing when chronic deadbeats like Greece and Portugal struggle to make ends meet. But it is something completely different when the economic pillars of the European economy start showing some cracks.

In European trading today, the 10-year French government bond yield hit 3.71%, compared to 2.44% about two months ago. The rapid rise in rates is not that alarming...until you examine it in the context of German bond yields. Take a look at the chart below, which shows the difference (or spread) between French and German bond yields since the launch of the euro.

For most of this 12-year period, 10-year French government bonds offered yields that were roughly identical to German bond yields. In other words, bond investors considered French government bonds about as safe as German government bonds.

After the credit crisis of 2008, French bond yields moved slightly higher than German yields, but not dramatically so. More recently, as investors have been dumping the bonds issued by Greece, Portugal, Italy and other “questionable” sovereign issuers, they have been flocking into both French and German bonds as a “flight-to-safety” trade.

But look what has happened during the last few weeks. French bond spreads have “blown out,” as the traders would say. Apparently, bond investors are beginning to distrust French debt as a “slight-to-safety” asset, at least relative to German debt. So investors have been selling French government bonds very aggressively for the last several weeks, while continuing to buy German government bonds.

As a result, French yields are soaring while German yields are falling, causing the spread between the two to skyrocket to a euro-era record high. The chart below shows the spread between 10-year French bonds and 10-year government bonds to be 1.50%. But that number is already out of date. Today the spread is 1.90%...and widening.

So why should we care about all this? Because France is not Greece.

Greece has the dubious distinction of spending more of its modern history in default or debt-restructuring than any other euro zone nation, according to the fascinating research of Reinhart & Rogoff. Since gaining its independence 182 years ago, Greece has spent 94 of those years in default or restructuring. Spain is a distant second on the list, having spent only 24% of the last two centuries in default. Then comes Austria at 17% and Germany at 13%.

France has never defaulted during the last 200 years...at least not entirely. It did default on its WWI debts to the US. (So let’s put an asterisk next to that one). But in terms of across-the-board sovereign defaults, France has one of the cleanest 200-year records on the European continent.

But that was then and this is now. In this present moment in history, the French governments lightly blemished credit history matters little. What matters a lot is that French banks are holding hundreds of billions of euros worth of Greek, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian sovereign debt — the very stuff that is plummeting in value.

If the big French banks are in trouble, the French government’s finances will also be in trouble. At least that’s what the math suggests. And it is this frightening math that is causing bond investors to load up on insurance against a default by the French government...as remote a possibility as that may seem.

Thus, the chart above is somewhat shocking. It presents the price of insuring various government bonds against default. (This insurance is called a credit default swap, or CDS). The higher the bar on the chart, the more expensive the insurance. And there’s only one reason why the price of any kind of insurance rises: The underwriter believes the likelihood of a claim has increased.

Thus, the price of insuring a 5-year French government bond is now higher than the price of insuring various “junk” and “near-junk” sovereign borrowers! France still carries a AAA rating. Despite that attribute, insuring its debt is more expensive than insuring the “junk” debts of Indonesia and the Philippines.

The owners of French government debt can still take some comfort from the fact that French CDS prices are not as high as Kazakhstan CDS prices. But the gap is narrowing.

The steep upward trajectory of French bond prices is signaling a new phase of the euro crisis — a phase that may drive multiple sovereign borrowers into default and may claim the life of at least one major Western currency.

Therefore, to repeat the quote from James Grant we published in yesterday’s edition: “There are better ports in a monetary storm than government securities denominated in paper money.”

Veterance Day

2011-11-11T17:58:00.000-05:00

Half of US Mortgages Are Effectively Underwater

Published: Tuesday, 8 Nov 2011 | 5:45 PM ET

A new report on still-falling home prices today highlights the fact that the lower those prices go, the more American borrowers fall into an negative equity position; that is, they owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth.

Getty Images

Most analysts will tell you that negative equity is the number one problem in the housing market today, even worse than foreclosures, because it causes foreclosures, stymies consumer spending and traps potential home buyers and sellers in place.

Negative equity rose to 28.6 percent of single-family homes with mortgages in the third quarter of this year, according to Zillow. That's up from 26.8 percent in the second quarter. In real terms, that's 14.6 million borrowers.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/45209336

Congress Members Took Part in Insider Trading: Abramoff

2011-11-11T12:29:00.001-05:00

Congress Members Took Part in Insider Trading: Abramoff
| 11 Nov 2011 | 10:16 AM ET

As many as a dozen members of Congress and their aides took part in insider trading based on foreknowledge of market moving information on Capitol Hill, disgraced Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff told CNBC in an interview.

Abramoff, who was once one of the wealthiest and most powerful lobbyists in Washington before a corruption scandal sent him to federal prison for more than three years, said that many of those members of Congress bragged to him about their stock trading prowess while dining at the exclusive restaurant he owned on Pennsylvania Avenue.

But Abramoff, whose black trench coat and fedora became one of the most notorious images in recent Washington history after his fall from grace, said he didn't play the stock market himself — he considered it an inherently unfair "casino" in which the house had far more information than the players. Abramoff made most of his fortune representing — and, as it turned out, duping — Native American tribes rich with cash from casino operations.

The former lobbyist said the amounts members of Congress earned trading off their inside knowledge ranged from as little as $2,000 to, as much as "several hundred thousand dollars," that was claimed by one member of Congress.

Abramoff declined to name the members of Congress.

"It was more, 'Look at me, I'm a real great stock trader,'" Abramoff told CNBC of the congressional bragging. "All of a sudden somebody from a background maybe in law, maybe in some other unrelated business area, all of a sudden is picking winners and losers in the market."

"I was making far more money than they were," Abramoff recalled. "So I wasn't as impressed as perhaps they thought I'd be."

At the time, Abramoff, who was involved in an extensive corruption ring, didn't think much of it. But after years in prison to reflect on the culture of corruption in Washington, Abramoff says he thinks trading based on inside Congressional knowledge is wrong.

"These people should not be using whatever information they gain as public servants to benefit themselves, any more than they should be taking bribes," he said.

Generally, however, legal analysts say that Wall Street insider trading laws do not apply to Congress. As an open and public institution, the legal assumption has long been that any member of the public can have access to information about how Congress works. In practice, though, that's simply not true, as powerful members of Congress come into contact daily with market-moving tidbits. That gap between the law and the reality has made Capitol Hill a virtual free-fire zone for insider trading. Over the years, academic studies have found that members of the House of Representatives beat the market by as much as six percent per year and members of the Senate do even better than that.

And Abramoff says everybody on the inside knew it. "I think it was pretty widely known and it is pretty widely known that it is going on," he said.

Abramoff has been making the rounds, speaking with the media this week, to promote his new book, "Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption From America's Most Notorious Lobbyist," which went on sale Monday.

Abramoff said that the most valuable type of information for Congressional insider trading is held by congressional investigators who pry deeply into corporate goings on. A particularly easy target is advance knowledge of the announcement of an investigative hearing into a company.

"Hearings under almost every circumstance are going to have a bad impact on a company," Abramoff said. "And so some staffers I've seen in the past talking about the fact that, 'Oh, I'm gonna go out and short that company.'"

But the man who spread millions around the nation's capital said he didn't like to invest his own money in the stock market. "I'd never really played the stock market," he said. "I viewed it as a big gamble because of the fact you don't have all the information you need. The casino has all the information, and you don't."

Follow Eamon Javers on Twitter: @EamonJavers and Facebook
URL: http://www.cnbc.com/id/45249857/

Health Care Cost

2011-10-04T12:32:00.000-04:00

Fed Bernanke - the Class of 1926 Professor of.......?

2011-10-01T08:57:00.006-04:00

Can someone explain why it is "the Class of 1926" Professor ....?Only the year 1926 comes to my mind is the Greenspan birth year and the 1926 Crash.
So, he is the professor making everyone to cry except the 1%?

The article shown below about the house price does not help anyone since it is already done the damages to entire Americans and America as well as globally even though some would be now realizing realities of how illogical financial loophole is. The real problem of the massive housing bubble-burst started with Greenspan, and Fed Bernanke and entire world is dealing with his intentional mess.

~~*~~

Home prices are unlikely to recover before 2020 and mortgage defaults will persist for years, says a survey of bank risk managers out Friday.

The survey conducted by the Professional Risk Managers’ International Association for FICO, found that 49 percent of respondents do not expect housing prices to rise back to 2007 levels for another nine years. Only 21 percent of respondents said they would.

The findings, which authors called “a decidedly pessimistic outlook”, are a sharp reversal from cautious optimism the survey respondents expressed late last year and in early 2011.

In addition, 73 percent of surveyed bankers say they expect mortgage defaults to remain elevated for at least another five years. And 46 percent believe mortgage delinquencies will increase over the next six months.

Only 15 percent of respondents expect mortgage delinquencies to decline during that period.

“While the housing sector will almost certainly gain strength during the next nine years, many bankers clearly believe prices will remain depressed for half a generation,” said Andrew Jennings, chief analytics officer at FICO.

Bankers concerns spread beyond the housing market.

A large number of respondents says they also expect to see an uptick in delinquencies on auto loans, credit cards and student loans.

Small businesses are expected to continue face a challenging credit environment. More than one-third of respondents forecast an increase in delinquencies on small business loans.

Bankers also appear to be pessimistic about recovery in consumer spending, with 64 percent of respondents expecting credit card usage to remain below pre-recession levels for at least five more years.

Half of the respondents expect credit card balances to increase over the next six months, due to higher spending by some households and smaller monthly payments by others.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/44735283

Virginia earthquake rattles East Coast

2011-08-23T14:54:00.000-04:00

Washington (CNN) -- The second most powerful earthquake in Virginia's recorded history was felt Tuesday by millions on the East Coast and prompted evacuations of office buildings and the closing of monuments in the nation's capital.

No major injuries or damage were immediately reported after the 5.8-magnitude earthquake, which struck about 40 miles northwest of Richmond. A surge in calls by cell-phone users affected service in many areas, federal officials said.

"It's one of the largest that we've had there," said U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Lucy Jones.

Magnitude-2.8 and -2.2 aftershocks were recorded later in the afternoon, with others possible in coming weeks, officials said.

Most federal buildings in Washington had reopened by late Tuesday afternoon, but officials were taking all precautions before giving the all-clear to some of its most iconic structures.

A helicopter inspected the Washington Monument and it was found to be structurally sound, the National Park Service said. The grounds were being reopened late Tuesday afternoon, but not the plaza and monument itself.

U.S. Park Police spokesman David Schlosser said to his eye, the monument was "clearly not leaning. It's standing tall and proud."

The Lincoln Memorial and Jefferson Memorial may reopen later Tuesday.

New Yorkers respond to quake

Earthquake hits Virginia

Record-setting earthquakes

Measuring earthquakes

RELATED TOPICS

A number of buildings were evacuated as far away as North Carolina and New York, witnesses reported.

The quake, which struck at 1:51 p.m., was shallow -- just 3.7 miles deep -- and was located 88 miles southwest of Washington near the town of Mineral, Virginia. The magnitude was initially reported as 5.8, then revised to 5.9, and then revised again back to 5.8.

Those unaccustomed to West Coast earthquakes were left wondering whether all that rumbling could have been caused by a truck, helicopter or some other force.

Kate Duddy was in an office building elevator in Manhattan, alone, when the shaking started.

"I have never felt a quake before. It was scary having no idea what the cause was," she said. "I felt the vibrations and the elevator stopped for a period of about five minutes."

Minor damage was reported in a few Virginia counties.

"We have received numerous calls for structural damage and collapse of residential structures," Louisa County spokeswoman Amanda Reidelbach told CNN.

Desi Fleming, a resident of Mineral in Louisa County, said the quake arrived with a rumbling "that sounded like a train coming to a stop." It knocked down two chimneys on the converted 1900-vintage home that now houses her parcel-shipping business.

Laura Southard of the state Emergency Operations Center said light structural damage was reported in Culpeper and Orange counties, but there had been no reports of injuries in the state.

The earthquake triggered the shutdown of a nearby nuclear power plant and the reporting of "unusual events" at 12 others across the East Coast and Michigan, U.S. authorities reported.

Dominion Virginia Power said both reactors at its North Anna plant, less than 20 miles from the epicenter, shut down after the first tremors. Reidelbach said the plant vented steam, but there was no release of radioactive material. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission was monitoring the plant.

Tuesday's incident occurred in a known seismic zone in central Virginia, said Dave Russ of the U.S. Geological Survey. But the strength of the earthquake was a bit surprising. A 5.9 event occurred in 1897 near Blacksburg, he said.

At Washington's National Cathedral, spokesman Richard Weinberg said three 5- to 8-foot pinnacles had broken from the central tower. He said stone masons and engineers would assess the damage, which also included other pieces that broke and fell on the surrounding lawn.

The building was evacuated and closed to the public.

Wayne Clough, the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, said the national museum's landmark castle on the Mall had cracks in interior walls. There was no immediate indication of structural damage, but the 150-year-old building will need closer examination, he said.

"You want to do an inspection to be sure about that," Clough said.

Clough, who's also an earthquake engineer, said the geography of the Eastern Seaboard helped transmit the shock from the Carolinas to New England. The underlying bedrock is largely a solid sheet, "so you get a lot more travel out of earthquake waves than you would in California," he said.

Court buildings in downtown New York were evacuated.

"I was trying to figure out what was going on, like everyone else," said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, who said he had been through many earthquakes when he lived in California.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at an afternoon news conference that the earthquake was felt "across the five boroughs" of the city, but there were no reports of injuries and "virtually no reports of damage."

The quake was also reported to have been felt on the island of Martha's Vineyard, where President Barack Obama was playing golf.

The earthquake slowed but didn't halt major transportation services.

Service at major airports throughout the region was disrupted, but all were reported to have resumed normal operations about 75 minutes after the earthquake struck.

At John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark-Liberty International Airport, control towers were evacuated, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.

Amtrak said service between Washington and Baltimore was operating at reduced speed in the aftermath of the earthquake. An Amtrak statement warned travelers to expect delays.

Tish Walker, in Spotsylvania, Virginia, said she was spooked and staying outside for the moment.

"I used to live in California, so I know shaking and this felt big," she said. "I grabbed my dog and raced outside; my first thought is always that the furnace might explode or a cabinet crashes down on top of us."

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/08/23/virginia.quake/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Market Summary 20110805 ~ US Debt Analysis

2011-08-05T17:00:00.008-04:00

SPX closing at 1200.07 -- below secondary 3 pivot long term support 1225 shown on the SPX weekly chart is hopeful and is confirming the VIX long term breakout. Diamond-H&S target to 1130, 1000, then, letting all bubble air out to SPX 555 final destination to complete A-B-C long term correction ~ It took nearly half of time to retrace the 2007 for most of markets, so it is possible that it could take half of the time to retrace.

WOW, VIX did breakout and did follow through as shown on the weekly chart -- and is showing secondary breakout from 31.66 to confirm a continuation hope. Hopefully, it will go to 48 and to 90 ~

Hopefully, this is a real break of LT trend and a break from the Fractal Diamond as it was in the 2007 top -- alternatively Big VLT Adam & Eve H&S. So far, TA working out perfectly as it broke LT trend in Jun, backtested the broken trend.

For the market action, it's superb, but VIX has not shown new high from the 3 days ago suggesting that the real market sentiment has not changed taking today's action as a false signal. Most of traders must be not believing today's action and waiting for march low to break -- and some would further wait to break SPX 1220.

Breaking March low 1249 would be hopeful -- even though I see leading indexes are showing breaking LT trend. We first had the break on log scale chart long term trend line break in Jun.

$COMPX 2669.24 -75.37 -2.75%
$INDU 11866.62 -265.87 -2.19%
$INX 1254.05 -32.89 -2.56%

Incredible - a perfect contrarian indicator!
100% traders are expecting markets to go up as shown below on the Maxipain chart.

No one is expecting markets will break to downside. Entire world is brainwashed.

Click the charts for larger charts

quote:

According to the 2008 Financial Report of the United States Government, which is an official United States government report, the total liabilities of the United States government, including future social security and medicare payments that the U.S. government is already committed to pay out, now exceed 65 TRILLION dollars. This amount is more than the entire GDP of the whole world.

In fact, there are other authors who have written that the actual figure for the future liabilities of the U.S. government should be much higher, but let's be conservative and go with 65 trillion for now.

So, if the U.S. government took control of all physical assets in the United States and sold them off, it could not even make enough money to pay for everything that the U.S. government is already on the hook for.

from:

It Is Now Mathematically Impossible To Pay Off The U.S. National Debt
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/it-is-now-mathematically-impossible-to-pay-off-the-u-s-national-debt

also see(from September 2010):

US Government 'hiding true amount of debt'
http://www.news.com.au/business/breaking-news/us-government-hiding-true-amount-of-debt/story-e6frfkur-1225926567256

Scenes from debt deal http://www.cnbc.com/id/44005992?slide=1

Recession Seen Looming as Jobless Benefits End

The expiration of jobless benefits for millions of Americans in the coming months will only add to the economy's woes. New analysis puts the chance of another downturn at 1 in 3.

Congress Reaches Deal to End Partial FAA Shutdown
Obama Urges Geithner to Stay as US Treasury Chief
Euro Zone Policymakers Fail to Extinguish Market Fire
Oil Falls to Six-Month Low Amid Fears About Economy
NetNet: More Proof Meredith Whitney May Be Right
Chrysler Recalls Nearly 300,000 Minivans
Ally Delays IPO Offering Due to Market Swoon
Congress Suits Up for Next Phase of Budget Battle
Authorities Charge 14 in $58 Million Mortgage Fraud
Trichet: Euro Zone in Better Shape Than US, Japan
Italian Prosecutors Seize Documents from Moody's, S&P

Jobless Claims Little Changed as Labor Market Struggles

New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits were little changed last week, a government report showed on Thursday, pointing to a marginal improvement in the labor market.

Morici: Where Are the Jobs?

GM Profit Nearly Doubles on Stronger Global Sales

Kraft to Split in 2; Profit Up, Raises Guidance

ECB Holds Rate; Trichet Announces Liquidity Operation

Deep Discounts Drive July Retail Chain Sales Up

Italy Is Rich but Needs Growth: Italian Bank CEO

Bank of England Holds Rates After Weak Growth

JPMorgan Cuts Third-Quarter US Growth Forecast

BofA Snags JPMorgan Exec for Global Banking Post

Firms Court Homeowners With Fire-Protection Products

Berlusconi Uses Vague Promises to Battle Default Fears

Scary Chart Suggests More Selling on Way
Election 2012: Who Will Vote for the Dollar?
How to Trade the Yen Intervention
Top Traders' 3 Best 'Slow Money' Stock Plays
RIM, Yahoo, Garmin: Are They 'Dinosaur Stocks'?
What the Options Are Saying About Google

Debt Debate May Have Masked The Real Threat: Recession

The fact that bond buyers ignored this debate for months, investors and economists said the debate was all but a distraction as the country, and maybe even the globe, head for a recession.

S&P Clearly in Breakdown Mode, Maybe Not!

Service Sector Slows, Factory Orders Down
AAA Rating Is a Rarity in Business
Private Sector Adds 114,000, But Layoffs on Rise
Economy Solid Despite Market Tension: Italy's Berlusconi
Aviation Shutdown Likely to Continue Through August
Spending Cuts Seen as Step, Not as Cure
US Mortgage Applications Rise as Interest Rates Fall
Is the Italian Bond Selloff Becoming Self-Fulfilling?
Biggest Businesses Run by College Dropouts
RIM Launches New Touchscreen Smartphones

US Mortgage Applications Rise as Interest Rates Fall

The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted index of mortgage application activity, which includes both refinancing and home purchase demand, rose 7.1 percent in the week ended July 29.

Social Security, Medicare Dodge Bullet, But Cuts Loom
Biggest Series of Cyber Attacks In History Revealed
Is the Italian Bond Selloff Becoming Self-Fulfilling?
Italian Bank Grapples With ‘Reprobate’ Prime Minister
US Debt Clashes to Continue, Downgrade Likely: Analysts
Twin Fears of Weak Economy and Euro Crisis Are Back
New Layoff Wave Suggests Jobs Report May Disappoint
Will Berlusconi Finally Be Forced Out Over Debt?
10 Business Fakes Made in China
BofA in Talks for Home Foreclosure Settlement: Report
Disaster Prevention Spawns A Cottage Industry

US Rating 'Will Remain Under Pressure' for Some Time: Fitch
Fitch's triple-A rating on U.S. debt is safe, for now, but that could change if "fundamental weakness" in the economy isn't addressed, Fitch Managing Director David Riley said on CNBC.
Debt Downgrade Unlikely to Push Interest Rates Higher

The Senate passed a compromise bill to raise the U.S. debt ceiling. President Obama signed the measure, calling it "an important first step." FULL STORY

US Less Than 3 Years Away From Being Greece: Walker

The US is only a few years away from reaching the same debt levels that pushed Greece to the brink of ruin, former comptroller general and head of the Comeback America Initiative David Walker said.

Playing the Debt Deal

Personal Spending Down 0.2% While Income Growth Slows

Consumer spending unexpectedly fell in June to post the first decline in nearly two years as incomes barely rose, suggesting economic growth could remain subdued in the third quarter.

'Recovery Is Over': CEO

US Less Than 3 Years Away From Being Greece: Walker

Bear Market Starting, Stocks Vulnerable: Marc Fabe

Debt-Ceiling Bill Faces Final Test in Senate Vote

Will Fed Pump More Money as US Economy Sinks?

Debt Deal Done, Focus Turns Back to Fed on Economy

Debt Debate Was Messy, but Worth It: Economist

Pfizer Earnings, Sales Slide but Edge Street Forecasts

Debt Downgrade Unlikely to Push Interest Rates Higher
The humiliation of a credit rating downgrade for the U.S. would enact some psychological damage but is widely viewed as less likely to cause any actual carnage on interest rates.
Bond Yields Plunge
Obama Signs Debt Bill, Urges More Action on Economy
Bear Market Starting, Stocks Vulnerable: Marc Faber
US Less Than 3 Years Away From Being Greece: Walker
Ford, GM US Sales Rise, But Consumer Doubts Persist
CBS Earnings Soar, Helped by Distribution Deals
Europe Near 'Major Financial Collapse': Guggenheim CIO
Op-Ed: Hats Off to the Tea Party...For Now
10 Business Fakes Made in China
Why iPads Are a Retail Game-Changer
How Do You Fix the Housing Market? Bulldoze It
PIMCO's Gross Says Deficit Deal Makes No Den

Award-Winning Wines You've Never Heard Of

Italian Authorities to Discuss Growing Market Turmoi

Will the Swiss Central Bank Intervene Again?

Debt Consolidation Can Work, but It Will Hurt: Goldman

Debt Deal Blog: Euphoria Over

Risk-On, Stocks Could Hit New Highs: Strategist

Italian, Spanish Bond Yields Soar on Debt Fears

Signs of a Double-Dip Have Emerged: Meredith Whitney

If US Is Downgraded, Will Anyone Care?

Japan Primes Market for Yen Intervention

Is FEMA Ready For Hurricane Season?

The Senate is set to take up the hotly debated debt-limit legislation at noon today as lawmakers stare down the deadline to avert a possible national default. FULL STORY

SP500 daily heat map S&P 500 | World | Full | Market 3D | Market Archive | Exchange Traded Funds
Sector Charts Sector Performances

Triple A: Global Debt Mania

2011-07-31T15:43:00.002-04:00

Already, just the threat of a possible downgrade has taken a toll.
Now, S&P and Moody's are questioning the United States' membership in this exclusive club.

The triple-A rating enables nations to borrow funds at a low cost, because their governments are considered stable and their bonds safe.

The U.S. for example, has seen its dollar become the world's No. 1 reserve currency because its bonds are held in such high regard by investors. They're backed by the "full faith and credit of the U.S. government" -- which until now, has never seriously been called into question.

Prior to November 2007, the United States boasted some of the safest bonds in the world. That started to gradually change with the recession, and now the country's creditworthiness continues to be questioned amid the debt ceiling debates.
Debt ceiling fight: What a downgrade would mean

Investors can discern the "risk" associated with a country's debt, by looking at the cost to insure against a possible default -- through a financial instrument called a credit default swap. In the case of the U.S., that cost surged on Thursday to its highest level since 2009.

By that measure, U.S. bonds are no longer in the clear lead as a safe bet, compared to other triple-A rated countries.

By looking at the prices of 5-year credit default swaps, Norway's debt ranks the safest, followed by Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, the Netherlands and Australia.

Canada, Singapore and Germany also have safer bonds than the United States.

If lawmakers don't come through with a deal to raise the debt ceiling and lower the long term deficit, the U.S. could soon join the ranks of the lower-level, double-A rated countries like China, Spain, Japan, Saudi Arabia and even Kuwait.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/07/29/news/international/countries_with_aaa_rating/index.htm?hpt=hp_t2

No deal yet, but they're talking

3:41PM: Framework between the White House and Congress would raise debt ceiling for two years and reduce spending by $3 trillion. More

Debt fraud bankrupting America & Americans

2011-07-29T15:00:00.001-04:00

Debt ceiling impasse: How we got into this mess

From CNNPolitics.com

July 29, 2011 10:35 p.m. EDT

President Obama and congressional leaders have held several debt negotiation meetings at the White House.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The U.S. will default on its loans if the debt ceiling isn't raised by August 2
Lawmakers have faced months of contentious negotiations on how to deal with debt crisis
Obama pressed for "grand bargain," while many in GOP favored short-term debt deal

RELATED TOPICS

Washington (CNN) -- The United States appears to be no closer to raising the debt ceiling than it was in January when the issue arose. In fact, Democrats and Republicans might be further apart now than they were then.
After several rounds of negotiations, talks are once again at a standstill as the August 2 date nears at which the U.S. will bump up against its borrowing limit.
Here are some key dates on how President Barack Obama and the Congress got into this position:
January
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner sends a letter to Congress on January urging lawmakers to act soon to increase the debt ceiling, warning that failure to do so would be disastrous for the economy. The Treasury estimates that U.S. borrowing needs could push the amount of debt past the legal borrowing limit of $14.294 trillion sometime between March 31 and May 16.
Also in early January, the Senate's "Gang of Six," a bipartisan group of three Republicans and three Democrats, begins discussions on a long-term deficit deal
February
17: House Speaker John Boehner says the House of Representatives won't pass a budget for the remainder of the year that doesn't cut spending and that he wouldn't support a series of short-term measures that keep funding at 2010 levels until a deal is reached.
March
Debt-ceiling talks continue privately as Congress and the White House focus their attention on domestic issues such as the economy and immigration -- and global issues involving the uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East.
Congressional Republicans continue to say -- both publicly and in private meetings with Obama -- they will not vote to raise the debt ceiling without conditions controlling federal spending. However, Republicans have not yet come to agreement among themselves about what those conditions should be. Some say there should be spending cuts, while others call for spending caps. Many say there must be a balanced-budget amendment to go along with any vote to raise the debt limit.
Passing a budget to fund the government through September becomes the hot-button issue. An impasse in the talks leads many to speculate that the government could shut down.
April
3: Republican Sen. John Cornyn says he will not vote to raise the debt ceiling unless it's accompanied by systematic reforms to address long-term spending and the national debt. The senator from Texas and member of the Senate Budget Committee also voices support for a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution as a way to ensure the federal government lives within its means "instead of spending money we don't have."
4: Geithner once again sends a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to pass a plan to avoid defaulting on the country's loans. He says if the debt limit is not increased by May 16, the Treasury has authority to take certain extraordinary measures to postpone the date temporarily that the U.S. would otherwise default on its obligations.
8: Democrats and Republicans narrowly avert a partial shutdown of the federal government, agreeing on a budget deal and a short-term funding extension a little more than an hour before the clock strikes midnight and time runs out. The new funding extension, which cuts spending by $2 billion, will last through the next week.
13: Obama unveils his long-awaited deficit reduction plan, calling for a mix of spending reductions and tax hikes that the White House asserts would cut federal deficits by $4 trillion over the next 12 years without gutting popular programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Obama's plan includes a repeal of the Bush-era tax cuts on families making more than $250,000 annually -- something sought by Democrats but strongly opposed by Republicans.
15: The budget deal reached to avert a government shutdown wins approval from both the House and Senate, sending it to Obama for his signature. The measure cuts $38.5 billion in spending while funding the government for the rest of the current fiscal year, which ends September 30. With its passage, the White House and Congress will now focus on what are expected to be more rancorous battles over a budget for fiscal year 2012 and the upcoming need to raise the federal debt limit.
The House passes the Republican leadership's 2012 budget proposal, approving a blueprint for cutting federal deficits by roughly $4.4 trillion over the next decade while radically overhauling Medicare and Medicaid -- two popular entitlement programs long considered politically untouchable. Every Democrat opposes the measure. The measure, which Obama opposes, has virtually no chance of clearing the Democratic-controlled Senate.
26: With a showdown over raising the debt limit looming, House Republican leaders say they will hold a series of "listening sessions" for rank-and-file GOP members when Congress returns from a break. The sessions are designed to get feedback on how to frame the controversial upcoming vote to raise the nation's debt limit, according to GOP sources on a conference call for House Republicans.
May
5: Vice President Joe Biden huddles behind closed doors with top congressional budget negotiators seeking to bridge a partisan divide over taxes and spending before the federal government slams into its debt ceiling in the summer.
9: Boehner indicates he plans to hold a hard line in debt-ceiling negotiations. Among his demands: spending cuts in exchange for support to raise the debt ceiling -- and the cuts will have to be greater in magnitude than the ceiling increase.
15: While the budget negotiations led by Biden continue with members of Congress, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, maintains his position that a vote to increase the debt limit must be accompanied by changes in spending.
16: The United States hits the $14.3 trillion debt limit. Geithner says he will move funds around to pay the bills. Crisis averted -- for now.
17: Gang of Six talks break down as Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, leaves the negotiations -- upset over provisions in its plan.
31: The House votes down a measure that will raise the debt ceiling; Democrats call it a political stunt since it has no chance of passing in the Senate.
June
23: An impasse in talks between Biden and congressional leaders develops over proposed tax increases that Democrats insist must be included in a debt bill to go along with the trillions in spending cuts, Republicans say.
29: The International Monetary Fund says the United States must lift the debt ceiling to prevent a "severe shock" to the world economy.
30: The Senate plans to forgo its scheduled recess for the week of July Fourth to work on legislation to raise the debt ceiling and cut the deficit, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says.
Reid announces the Senate will take the Independence Day holiday off but will return to work on July 5 after Obama criticizes lawmakers and urges them to cancel vacations.
The House is out of town, with lawmakers working in home districts.
July
3: Obama and Boehner meet to work out a "grand bargain" deal, which includes trillions in spending cuts, changing Medicare and Social Security and reforming the tax system.
5: The president calls on congressional leaders to meet at the White House to work out a deal. A day later, Obama indicates there is still huge differences between the parties.
8: The job market hits a major roadblock, as hiring slows to a crawl and the unemployment rate unexpectedly rises. The economy gains just 18,000 jobs in June, the government reports, sharply missing most expectations and coming in even weaker than the paltry 25,000 jobs added in May. Meanwhile, the number of unemployed rises to 14.1 million.
9: Boehner indicates that a "grand bargain" is unlikely due to the differences on Obama's plan to raise revenues along with the spending cuts.
10: Obama meets with congressional leaders at the White House. At one point, the talks get heated between House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and the president. Multiple sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, say Obama tells the gathering that "this could bring my presidency down," referring to his pledge to veto any short-term extension of the debt ceiling. Sources say he vows, "I will not yield on this."
Cantor tells reporters after the meeting that he proposed a short-term agreement to raise the federal debt ceiling, a position Obama has previously rejected.
12. In an interview with CBS News, Obama warns that he can't guarantee older Americans will receive their Social Security checks next month if a deal is not reached in time. Republicans accuse the president of resorting to scare tactics.
13: The public pressure on lawmakers to raise the debt ceiling is ratcheted when a major rating agency says it will put the sterling bond rating of the United States on review for possible downgrade. Moody's Investors Services says it initiated the review because of "the rising possibility" that Congress will fail to raise the debt ceiling by August 2.
14: The seriousness of the overall situation is reinforced when a major credit rating agency, Standard and Poor's, unveils it is placing the U.S. sovereign rating on "CreditWatch with negative implications."
Also, Reid confirms that he and McConnell are working on a possible debt ceiling measure that could come up in the event the broader negotiations fail to reach agreement. It is based in part on a plan McConnell unveiled that would set up three short-term increases in the debt ceiling while at the same time registering the disapproval of Congress for such a move. Both Obama and Boehner say McConnell's plan is not the preferred option but indicate a variation of it could ultimately be accepted to avoid a larger crisis.
15: Obama says he has not given up hope for a broad deficit reduction deal, urging Republicans to accept a fiscal stability package that includes higher taxes on the wealthy and reforms to politically popular entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security.
Republicans also say they intend to move forward with a vote on the "cut, cap and balance" plan -- a blueprint to cut spending significantly, cap future expenditures and amend the Constitution to require a balanced budget in the future.
19: A Gang of Six plan gains traction and becomes the talk of Washington. But the top two Democrats in the Senate indicate they don't think there is enough time to pass the comprehensive debt reduction plan.
Meanwhile, the House votes 234-190 to pass the "cut, cap and balance" plan -- the solution favored by hard-line conservatives. The vote is almost completely on party lines for the measure that includes the requirement that Congress pass a balanced-budget amendment before agreeing to extend the federal debt ceiling.
24: Reid says he is preparing a proposal to raise the ceiling through the end of 2012 and cut $2.7 trillion in debt. The measure does not call for any tax revenue increases.
Geithner, who first alerted Congress in January that the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling would need to be raised, says the situation is urgent.
25: In a prime-time address, Obama singles out House Republicans for intransigence and says the political showdown is "no way to run the greatest country on Earth."
In response, Boehner says that excessive government spending caused the problems the nation faces and cutting that spending is the only way to solve the problem.
Earlier, Reid and Boehner had unveiled their proposals. Reid's calls for roughly $2.7 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade while raising the debt limit by $2.4 trillion -- an amount sufficient to fund the government through 2012
Boehner's plan requires two votes. The first would cut $1.2 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade while raising the debt ceiling through the end of 2011. The second would raise the debt limit through 2012 if Congress approves a series of tax reforms and entitlement changes outlined by a bipartisan committee of Senate and House members.
26: Boehner's plan runs into trouble when the Congressional Budget Office says it fails to reduce spending and deficits as much as advertised. Conservatives criticize the Boehner plan for not doing enough to tackle the nation's mounting deficits and debt.
Meanwhile, Capitol Hill phone lines are jammed and websites of key lawmakers -- including Boehner -- crash as citizens try to weigh in on the debate after Obama's call the night before for the public to push their elected representatives to reach a deal.
27: Signs of disarray emerge in a House Republican caucus split between unhappy conservatives and a leadership struggling to maintain party unity. "Get your ass in line," Boehner tells his fellow Republicans in the face of divisive infighting over his proposal.
Several members are furious when they learn that staff members for the Republican Study Committee -- a group of fiscally conservative legislators -- sent e-mails to outside groups encouraging them to put pressure on fellow Republicans to oppose Boehner's plan.
Meanwhile, Reid's plan comes up short of its promised savings -- a CBO analysis concludes it would reduce deficits over the next decade by $2.2 trillion -- $500 billion short of promised savings of $2.7 trillion.
28: House Republicans call off a vote on Boehner's plan when he is unable to muster sufficient support from his own caucus to guarantee it would pass in the face of expected unified Democratic opposition.
Fiscal conservatives, many of them elected last year with tea party backing, say the plan doesn't cut enough and fails to mandate that the federal government maintain a balanced budget.
29: Boehner's plan narrowly passes his chamber after he is able to muster support from wary conservatives by including a provision requiring congressional passage of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution before the debt ceiling can be extended through the end of 2012.
No Democrats vote for the plan and 22 Republicans vote against it as well.
The Senate promptly tables the proposal when it comes to them hours later.
Reid announces in the morning that he intends to "take action" on a Senate bill by the end of the day but later complains on the Senate floor that Republicans would effectively filibuster his proposal by requiring a 60-vote supermajority in the 100-member chamber to start debate on it.
August 2

It is the date when the country will run out of the cash it needs to pay all the federal government's bills on time.

USD purchasing power One Dollar became Two Cents

2011-07-27T20:19:00.001-04:00

Stop Investing Until Congress Resolves Debt Impasse: Bove

Until Washington resolves its debt ceiling impasse no investments are safe, says banking analyst Dick Bove, who recommends shedding all positions in the stock market.

Rival Debt Plans In Doubt; Congress Scrambles for Deal
- Debt Plans Narrow Differences
- Tea Party Can't Pass Deal?
Treasury Insists Aug. 2 Debt-Ceiling Deadline Is Real
Look Who's Back: Japan Popular Again With Investors
Vacant Homes Will Drown Housing Recovery
US Growth Slowed at Start of Second Half: Beige Book
Microsoft 'Stole' Skype From eBay: Venture Capitalist
Greece's Debt Rating Spirals Further Into Junk Status
US Is 'Laughingstock' as Debt Talks Drag: Dow CEO
10 High-Paying Government Jobs
Want 1950's Taxes? Accept 1950's Spending: Analyst

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Charts

2011-07-25T20:44:00.001-04:00

Obama Backs New Debt Plan That Doesn't Increase Taxes

President Obama backed a plan by Senate Majority Leader Reid to avert a debt-limit crisis by trimming $2.7 trillion of spending without raising taxes.

Obama to Stress 'Incalculable' Harm of Debt Failure

US Image in China Already Tarnished by Debt Fight
Is It Time to Buy Treasurys, Or Not?
Big Target in Debt Talks: Mortgage Interest Deduction
Netflix Braces for Slowdown in Subscriber Growth
Gartman: 2 Commodities Trades Most Pros Have Wrong
Baidu Defies Expectations of a China Slowdown
US Holds World 'Hostage' but Analysts See Debt Deal
Guess Who's Backing Europe's Bailout Fund?
Moody's: Greek Default Is Almost Certain. Here's Why
Colleges That Bring The Highest Paycheck
NFL, Players Reach Multimillion-Dollar Settlement

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Financial market hype on debt pump nightmare

2011-07-25T20:36:00.001-04:00

You know who are in control of the debt, economy, financial market -- Obama is a puppet. But it seems that Obama is also pressuring the Fed to benefit himself bankrupting Americans and US.

http://youtu.be/p43DMh5YMeU

ENTIRE BLOGS are bullish in a nightmare debt hype.

Carl has been bullish all along -- how easy it is to rob nations with simple math manipulating markets. He is always bullish, and he forecasted 3 peaks and doom... but he missed entire sell off in 2008.

http://carlfutia.blogspot.com/

This fellow is doing well with EW.

http://danericselliottwaves.blogspot.com/2011/07/elliott-wave-update-25-april-2011.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DanericsElliottWaves+%28Daneric%27s+Elliott+Waves%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo

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Global Madness -- financial greed and manipulation

2011-07-25T12:33:00.004-04:00

http://www.infowars.com/anders-behring-breivik-manufacturing-a-patsy/
Anders Behring Breivik: Manufacturing a Patsy? Trusting media portrayal of gunman foolish given how press got it spectacularly wrong in blaming Muslims
Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
Breivik’s character of an enraged psychopath intent on butchering as many people as possible in the name of his cause is also contradicted by people who knew him personally.

http://www.infowars.com/anders-behring-breivik-manufacturing-a-patsy/

Global financial madness

2011-07-22T19:13:00.000-04:00

http://unitednations.ispnw.org/archives/breivik-manifesto-2011.pdf

The Oslo Bombers Manifesto: "2083 A European Declaration of Independence"

WEDNESDAY MORNING'S TOP STORIES

By MarketWatch

Premarket news

A raft of companies reported second-quarter financial results Wednesday, with earnings from Altria Group Inc. (MO), Abbot Laboratories (ABT) and blue chip United Technologies Corp. (UTX) among those in the early focus.

Indications: Stock futures rise on debt talks, Apple profit

U.S. stock index futures rose Wednesday as investors continued to cheer signs of progress toward resolution of the U.S. government's debt-limit debate and welcomed robust earnings from Apple Inc. (AAPL)released late Tuesday.
See Indications.

Europe Markets: Europe stocks higher, led by banks

European stock markets pushed higher amid strong gains for banking and insurance stocks ahead of a Thursday meeting on the sovereign-debt crisis.
See Europe Markets.

London Markets: ARM Holdings rallies, AstraZeneca off in London

London stocks rose in early trading with gains for ARM Holdings in the wake of upbeat results from Apple Inc., while AstraZeneca dropped on disappointing regulatory news over a diabetes drug.
Read London Markets.

Asia Markets: Asia rallies on technology stocks; Shanghai drops

Asian markets rose, helped by upbeat U.S. earnings reports and a hint of progress on the U.S. debt-ceiling front, with technology stocks leading the charge.
See Asia Markets.

Metals Stocks: Gold futures give up $1,600/ounce level

Gold futures slipped below the $1,600-an-ounce level as signs of progress on U.S. and European debt issues prompts selling after the metal's steep recent climb.
See Metals Stocks.

June Existing Home Sales Drop, Cancellations Up
Sales of previously owned U.S. homes unexpectedly fell in June to touch a seven-month low as cancellations of pending contracts surged, an industry group said Wednesday.
Healthiest Housing Markets
American Airlines Orders 460 Narrowbody Aircraft
- American Air Order Is an Opportunity: United Tech CFO
Senate GOP Showing Flexibility in Debt Fight
- GOP Pushes Huge Deficit-Cutting Bill Through House
United Tech Profit Up 19 Percent, Raises 2011 View
UK PM Has Regrets Over Hiring Ex-Murdoch Editor
Homes of Country Music Stars
When Does It Pay to Fall Down the Career Ladder?
US to Close 800 Computer Data Centers
Google in Talks to Buy InterDigital: Report
Panel Recommends Coverage for Contraception

Trend-Signals

Population Control

January 27, 2012 Market Summary

By STEVEN LEE MYERS and DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK

By ETHAN BRONNER

By JIM RUTENBERG and JEFF ZELENY

By ED MILIBAND

WORLD

By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.

By LIAM STACK

By DECLAN WALSH

U.S.

The Long Run

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

By ELISABETH BUMILLER and THOM SHANKER

By TAMAR LEWIN

POLITICS

By TRIP GABRIEL

The Caucus

By RICHARD W. STEVENSON

The 6th Floor Blog

By ANDREW GOLDMAN

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By DAVID STREITFELD

By LANDON THOMAS Jr.

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By SOMINI SENGUPTA

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SPORTS

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By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.

Exhibition Review

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NEW YORK / REGION

City Room

By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM

About New York

By JIM DWYER

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MOVIES

Movie Review | 'The Grey'

By A. O. SCOTT

Movie Review | 'Declaration of War'

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Movie Review | 'Man on a Ledge'

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EDITORIALS

Editorial

Editorial

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OP-ED

Op-Ed Columnist

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ON THIS DAY

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Fed Reserve Bernanke - Obama debt bubble market pump nightmare

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NObama-Fed Reserve Debt Genesis 3:1 Satan

Fed Reserve Fraud & Market Hype

Obama will challenge Congress in ambitious State of the Union

Financial Market Monsters

Tokyo sees high quake probability, scientists warn

Wall Street Horror e.g. USD & ETF manipulation crush from 10,000 to 30

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Astonishing USD value deterioraton

Planes expected to reroute following massive solar eruption

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Revelation 22

Fed Reserve, Central Bank, Wall Street Debt Bubble Market hype

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Was sinking the Costa ship, possibly intentional as decoy?
~*~

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