Depression ahead, prepare for stock rout: SocGen

1-15-09 • CNBC.com

Societe Generale said on Thursday that the United States' economy looks likely to enter a depression and China's could implode.

Foreclosures in U.S. Rose 81%, Topping 2.3 Million Last Year

1-15-2009 • Bloomerg

U.S. foreclosure filings jumped 81 percent last year as falling house prices, tighter mortgage lending and the longest recession in a quarter century battered property owners, RealtyTrac Inc. said.

Finance the Islamic Way at Michigan Bank

1-14-2009 • ABC News

Big financial institutions have been battered by mortgages gone bad. But a tiny Michigan bank is getting attention in the industry by turning a profit on loans without even charging interest.

Is Feb. 10 financial doomsday for thousands?

01-08-2009 • World Net Daily

I can understand why the FEDS want to eliminate ammunition availability, but KIDS CLOTHES, TOYS, AND BOOKS!?!

Bank of America to receive 'Fed bailout' for buying Merrill Lynch

1-14-09 • Calculatedriskblog.com & WSJ.com

Any possible arrangement might protect Bank of America from losses on Merrill's bad assets. There would be a cap on the amount of losses the bank would have to absorb with the federal government being on the hook for the remainder ...

Meredith Whitney: Banks face asset deflation in 2009-2010, need 2nd bailout

1-14-09 • CNBC.com

In an interview this afternoon with Maria Bartiromo, Meredith Whitney said the banks had underestimated the fall in housing prices, and the rise in unemployment. She also pointed out that the TARP money was going quickly.

Nortel, Shane Jewelry, Gottschalks, Goody’s Seek Bankruptcy

1-14-09 • CalculatedRiskblog.com

The wave of bankruptcies that was predicted for the first 3 months of 2009 is starting to wash ashore.

Is Any Place Safe When the Deflationary ‘Switch’ Is Turned On?

01-14-2009 • ElliotWave.com

EWI was alone in forecasting a deflationary collapse across nearly every asset class. Editors of The Elliott Wave Financial Forecast, were alone in not predicting a commensurate run-up in commodity prices – which inflation-fearing analysts mistakenly

The Next Catastrophe

01-14-2009 • ReasonOnline - reason.com

Think Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were a politicized financial disaster? Just wait until pension funds implode.

Retail Sales Collapse in December

1-14-09 • CalculatedRiskblog.com

Although the Census Bureau reported that nominal retail sales decreased 10.2% year-over-year (retail and food services decreased 9.8%), real retail sales declined by 11.3% (on a YoY basis). This is the largest YoY decline since the Census Bureau star

Citigroup starts breaking up;

1-14-2009 • Washngton Post

Citigroup will combine Smith Barney with the wealth management division of long-time rival Morgan Stanley. Citigroup will own 49% of the joint venture and get a cash payment of $2.7 billion from Morgan Stanley, which can buy the rest of the joint ven

Chrysler in talks with Renault and Magna: sources

01-13-2009 • Reuters

Chrysler is in talks to sell key assets to Nissan-Renault and auto supplier Magna as it rushes to restructure after taking $4 billion U.S. government loans, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.

California budget crisis forces universities to stop work on buildings in progress

1-13-09 • The Orange County Register

“I can’t ever remember having to stop construction on a building, but we’ve never faced a financial crisis like this,” said Ray Dormaier, UCI’s vice chancellor of planning and budget.

Treasury: deficit hits new record in just 3 months

01-13-2009 • Breibart.com

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Treasury Department says the federal government already has run up a record deficit of $485.2 billion in just the first three months of the current budget year.

Does "Depression Economics" Change the Rules?

1-13-2009 • Mises.org / Robert Murphy

Keynesians act as if all problems can be patched up by a simple boost of "aggregate demand." [However], the economy's capital structure was thrown into an unsustainable condition, and it takes time for the mess to be sorted out.

A Runaway Train

1-13-2009 • FFF / Jacob Hornberger

As long as one operates within the conservative-liberal paradigm of the welfare-warfare state, there is no solution. Things are only going to get worse.

Beazer Homes: Sales Off 56 Percent

1-13-09 • CalculatedRiskblog.com

Net new home orders totaled 551 for the quarter, a decrease of 56.0% from 1,252 net orders in the first quarter of the prior fiscal year. ... The cancellation rate for the first quarter was 45.6%

Economic Crash Winter 2009

01-13-2009 • http://survivemartiallaw.com

There’s so many things ‘in the works’ I’ll simply give you the bottom line since it’s too easy to get wrapped up in details. Recall please, we thought Martial Law would be imposed by now since “ALL” the pieces were in place and Directive 51, Rex 84 a

Zeros-Sum Game of Inflation

1-13-2009 • Washington Post

If you started earning $27 million every day, from the day you were born, you'd have $1 trillion in your bank account around your 100th birthday. Today, it's the amount of cash in Hank Paulson's desk drawer.

Despite Anger, Release of $350 Billion More for Bailout Gains Favor

1-13-2009 • NY Times

Republican and Democratic Senate leaders signaled on Monday that they would support the release of the second half of the Treasury’s $700 billion financial system bailout fund, despite anger among many rank-and-file lawmakers over the Bush administra

Is Bush Tanking Stocks to Grab the Remaining $350 Billion TARP?

1-12-2009 • Naked Capitalism

Bush is making it sound as if it is imperative that the remaining TARP funds be released, which is justifiable only if there is some disaster in the making that needs to be averted between now and noon on January 20. The only candidate that might fit

Earnings Fears Knock Stocks

1-12-2009 • CNNMoney.com

Also: Gold down $33 - Platinum down $30 - Crude oil at $38 a barrel - red numbers everywhere! Does someone know something?

Economist Robert Shiller fears 'decade' of weakness in US

1-12-09 • business.timesonline.co.uk/

One of the world's leading economists has given warning that the United States is facing a decade of financial misery, with the number of unemployed Americans set to continue to rise for years.

Reject Interventionism and Embrace Liberty

1-11-2009 • FFF / Jacob Hornberger

[An] initial intervention produces a crisis, which then leads public officials to call for a new intervention to address the crisis. That new intervention then produces a new crisis, which then leads to new interventions.

Now Do You Believe?

1-11-2009 • YouTube

Tired of hearing from economic chicken-littles? Well maybe it would be easier to hear from this analyst who's credentials should be obvious to all.

Obama's Magic Speedometer

1-11-2009 • Bloody Mary Breakfast

Before you drive off the cliff do everyone a favor and make these macroeconomic policy experts show you the quality in their data. Make them satisfy you that their aggregates differentiate between tuna, tractors, and rolling mills.

"I Want My Bailout Money" - Song by Michael Adams

01-11-2009 • NaturalNews.com via e-mail from AUN

"I want my bailout money-Keep the bills coming-Sweet green cash just drippin like honey-I'm a new kind of thug with a Washington buzz 'cause-Dealing debt pays better than dealing drugs