feeddec03






		Wednesday December 31 California's Home Boom Looks Like A Bubble Michigan's bond rating cut from top level by S&P DFP U.S. Initial Jobless Claims Fell to 339,000 Last Week Bloomberg Mortgage demand falls to year low Reuters MBAA What is the logical expectation from here? CrossCurrents Don’t believe the hype Economist From overly cautious to overly trusting: the tale of 2003 Dollar Declines to Record, Poised for Worst Year Against Euro Bloom Micron may be cutting a deal over chip prices Seattle Times Symbol Tech Admits Fraud NYP Spiegel to Close 29 Eddie Bauer Stores AP Corporate Pensions Face Pressure Despite Rally NYT (R) Italian Treasury 'urged Parmalat inquiry in July' Times Online Judge decides Parmalat founder must stay in jail Guardian China: The New Fulcrum Of The Global Economy? Prudent Bear Hong Kong expecting surge in IPOs FT In a first, yuan stock of Taiwan firm surges IHT (Bloom) Email hoax targets Bank of England BBC Prices for cattle drop 20% in a day Financial Post 3 Economic Measures Off Recent Hot Pace WP Tuesday December 30 Consumer Confidence Index Dips in December Conference Board Help-Wanted Index Increases Two Points Conference Board Existing Home Sales Off 4.6% in November Realtor Homepage Chicago PMI Christmas cheer for retailers CNN/Money Micromuse to Probe 4 Years of Accounting Reuters Our So-Called Boom NY Times (R) (Krugman) The big question is whether a recovery that does so little for most Americans can really be sustained. Dow 10,000 May Be Ceiling for Years, Patterns Show Reuters Tech’s Heady Ride NY Post "More and more people seem to be becoming believers in this rally." The Bear's Lair: Put Grandpa back to work! UPI Money-Market Funds Lose Record $205.5 Bln Assets From Low Rates Bloom Currency Manipulation IIE Japan Sold 2.25 Trillion Yen From Nov. 27 to Dec. 26 Bloom Gold rivals dollar as global currency Business Standard Speculators Dump Beef For Pot of Gold NYP Investors in rush to buy gold as $ weakens TO Saville - Taylor The Deep, Deep Doo-Doo of Deep, Deep Debt 321 Grasso Heads the Parade in 2003's Animal Kingdom Bloomberg (Baum) Parmalat crisis takes US turn Times Online Automakers push incentives to hit goals USA Today U.S. misses deadline to repeal tariff provision Bloom Pittsburgh declared 'distressed' Reuters ECB considers rate cut as $ continues to slide Inde House Boom is Over Koizumi's key 2004 worries: U.S. economy, yen, pensions Kyodo China may reconsider yuan peg... IHT China lets carmakers offer loans Bankrupt companies failed to disclose risk information Japan Times Russia's Yukos accused of US$3b tax shortfall in 2000 AFP Tanzi 'has admitted diverting 500m' Guardian Taiwan bans U.S. beef AP Taiwan Bans The Selling Of Dog Meat ANC Monday December 29 Dollar Slips; U.S. Deficit Worries Linger Reuters Euro: New Record High Dollar will plunge if Asian banks bail out Gulf-News The Dropping Knife GS Richard Russell On Gold Gold-Eagle Gold drifts toward 8-year high Reuters Kitco Mining juniors jumping Financial Post Where Did All The Money Go? Gold-Eagle The Games Economists Play Mises Inflation: The Grand Illusion Mises Inflation now, deflation later Prudent Bear Bubble Boys NYP Book: ‘American Sucker’ Buying on margin: A stock-market gamble with a sad history CP US expands 'mad cow' beef recall BBC ECB fears strength of euro will undermine recovery FT China's getting hot; investors might get burned AP Parmalat Founder Arrested in Probe Reuters More relaxed approach to policy party-going risks a worse hangover Independent Can Saudi Arabia and Kuwait escape a crash? AME Japan ready to cancel Iraq debt BBC Holiday Edition (Dec 25-28) Gold in Euros and Yen 2 Zeal This euphoria smells like 1999 all over again to me CBSM "Smoke and Mirrors" Financial Sense Foreign demand for US debt again hits record - Fed Reuters Little cheer for the US dollar AME Cost gap hitting a limit, some experts contend Union Tribune The last time the affordability index was even close to the current low level was in 1989, when affordability averaged 22 percent. A year and a half later, the housing market began a five-year downturn. Fewer smiles at Wal-Mart Reuters Many Beef Stocks Continue to Fall Ledger (NYT) US Loses 90% of B-Exports Cattle Futures Fall After Japan Bans U.S. Beef on Mad Cow Find Bloomberg Don't fall for the old Ponzi scheme Californian The few individuals who invest first are given some money from later investors, disguised as investment returns. Deflation continues to haunt Japan NYT (FT) Moneylenders fuel family binge Sydney Morning Herald Cost of Running Home Rising Faster Than Inflation Scotsman The cost of owning and running a home is rising at nearly three times the rate of inflation... Dollar Brushes Against Record Lows v Euro Reuters Concerns Rising With Dollar's Continued Fall WP Analysts Fear Rates Will Climb, Recovery Will Stall Robert Rubin's view of the world CBSM The United States may be paying a high price for its unilateralism IHT (NYT) Eating will require a fatter wallet in 2004 USA Today Don’t Bet on it: Our Business Forecasts For The New Year NYP (Crudele) More nations ban US beef imports BBC Long-Term Budget Outlook NCPA China Sets Restrictions On Some Industries WP Don't sell the yen, former BOJ governor advises IHT (Bloomberg) National wealth down to 2.79 quadrillion yen Japan Times Parmalat's foreign creditors file lawsuits as ex-chief leaves Italy Times Online Dollar Stuck Near Record Lows Versus Euro Reuters Everything but Christmas spirit 'made in China' AP Post Business Section Special: Holiday Challenge NYP Billion$ At Steak NYP China Bars U.S. Beef Imports; Markets React Reuters Wednesday December 24 Nov. durable goods orders plunge 3.1% BL Census Jobless Claims Held Steady U.S. November New Home Sales Fall 2.4% to 1.082 Million Rate Bloomberg The Pitfalls Ahead Comstock Addicts and Pushers North Most residents in the United States are addicts. They are addicted to debt. A Glut of Greenbacks Washington Post Gold may dazzle in 2004 The Age 2003 ends with a bang. What about 2004? Globe & Mail (Ingram) Analyst worries that debt load too much baggage for American AP U.S. Companies Moving More Jobs Overseas Reuters India's software advantage isn't just in wages IHT Pension Gap Widens Despite Rising Stocks Reuters Despite surging stock prices this year, U.S. corporate pension funds have fallen even further behind FASB issues new rules for pension plans Reuters PDF NWA seeks pension plan delay Bloomberg Fed is making the same mistake CBSM (Kellner) Understanding the risk in structured deals Reuters Natural Gas: "High and Volatile" Business Week The Magazine Industry Struggles to Get Ahead NYT (R) Principal reveals market timing by former managers USA Today Nortel restates results with US regulators FT Messier Gets $0 NYP RIMM Shorts Stung Chart No NYSE Merger: NASDAQ NYP Critics see little need for NYSE specialists JS First Suspected U.S. Mad Cow Case Found AP Japan and Korea halt U.S. beef imports Reuters Australia bans McDonald's Off 6 Percent Before Bell Reuters USDA refused to release mad cow records UPI China's crude oil import to surpass Japan next year People’s Daily Bank of China to Get $20 Billion Bailout Before IPO Bloomberg Financing is a new concept in China Det Free P The Ministry of Finance Has A Message For You Prudent Bear French consumers cut back Bloom/Reuters Crisis powers invoked to save Parmalat Guardian Files for Bankruptcy The Auditors Never Noticed NY Times (R) The fraud went on and on for more than a decade. Mexico to Put 50% Duty on Japanese Cars Bloomberg Doomsday scenario a jolt for Reserve News.com.au Tuesday December 23 Personal spending edges up CNN/Money BEA 3Q03-Final GDP Who To Blame When The Next Bubble Bursts CEPR (Baker) The housing bulls have a number of explanations for this increase in home prices: a growing population, a limited supply of urban land, environmental restrictions on development. But these stories are no better than the "new economy" yarns of those who defended the stock market bubble... U.S. recovery enriches bottom line, not assembly line IHT (NYT) “We have never seen, in the 40 years that we have this hourly wage survey, wage growth that has been this slow" ~ Baker 'Exporting' high-tech jobs II: The tipping point Worldnetdaily Fannie, Freddie fall short in mission Reuters Both mortgage finance companies offers scant help to homeowners, Fed report says. Why the U.S. Treasury Market Just Won't Go Down Bloomberg (Baum) Wall Street worries profits may ease LA Times Junk comes back into favour FT The Bear's Lair: Is Bear Food toxic? UPI Nasdaq reportedly eyes NYSE merger CBSM Grasso Banked on Backward Tech Play NYP (Crudele) Franklin entangled in mutuals probe FT Tech sector's coming weakness CBSM CIBC Settles Enron-Linked Charges Reuters SEC Looking at Amylin Call TheStreet Mirant Restates Prior Earnings for 3Q AP Citizen Conrad's Friends NYT (R) (Krugman) XMas Inn-Justice NYP The Fed and the banking lobby Ample Is the Fed buying gold to shore up US investment banks? The Sneak Fed Atack on the Metals Market GSeek (Tactical) Gold - The Implications of a China-centric World SHaven (Ing) It's Been a Great Year! Gold-Eagle China welcomes foreigners into mining industry Reuters Russia ups gold production 2.6% Interfax Surviving the Soft Depression of the 21st Century 321 Reckoning Day - Amazon Debt can be eluded StarBulletin “client had over $1 million in credit card debt spread out over 78 different cards.” China considers pegging yuan to 10-currency basket TT(AFP) China coast as factory of the world CS Monitor Pearl River Delta is growing by double digits - stocking Wal-Mart's shelves. A Monumental Fiscal Divide CIBC (PDF File) US Bleeds Red Ink, Canadian Balances Intact Mutual fund troubles from the U.S. are spilling into Europe IHT (NYT) Will the housing bubble finally burst? BBC FSA bans selective use of past performance data Independent Japanese Govt makes currency deal to keep yen low ABC Italy awaits fate of 'Europe's Enron' BBC Parmalat Execs Probed AP LG Card fails to attract any takeover bids FT China Court Rejects J&J Copyright Suit Reuters India’s Forex Reserve Exceeds $100 Billion India Daily SA facing a 'black Christmas' Finance 24 Russians punt $40m space honeymoon TheRegister UK IT grads face 'grim' future TheRegister Terror threat to extend through January NBC Martha Stewart: This Christmas 'saddest holiday ever' Reuters Anything You Do Say May Be Used Against You Slate (Blodget on Martha) Financial scandals -- alive and well in 2003 MSNBC Monday December 22 Banks' exposure to Parmalat Reuters Wal-Mart December sales weak Reuters Global Venting Roach -- Morgan Stanley Holiday Global Economic Forum U.S. Stock Strategists Scale Back Forecasts for 2004 Gains Bloomberg After predicting three years of rallies that never came, Wall Street's stock-market forecasters finally got the direction right this year...Goldman, Sachs & Co.'s Abby Joseph Cohen is the most bullish... Bait & Tackle Hussman Dollar Weakens to Record; U.S. Says Terrorism Risks Increasing Bloomberg Dollar's depreciation due more to towering twin debts than euro Japan Times There are also rumors on the market that China, which has the largest surplus with the U.S., is turning to the euro for part of its foreign currency reserves. Dollar May Drop Versus Euro for 7th Week, Survey Says Bloomberg Dollar's Drop Becomes Ominous Reuters One year after sounding warning, Fed has little breathing room MSNBC Freddie Mac’s Mistep NY Post (Byron) Why isn't everybody completely freaked out over what has apparently been going at the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Association? NYSE may order Grasso to repay millions Reuters (WSJ) Worried metals prices might fall? Be prepared MSN (Fleck) Gold Bullion fizzles out MineWeb ...Underlying demand has quickly dwindled away to virtually nothing. Gold as a hedge? How about a 64% return? UPS (Burns) Is Silver the Next Medical Gold Standard? PRN-AsiaN Nanotechnology is set for a capital infusion IHT (NYT) U.S. air traffic caught in sector fallout Globe & Mail Ford Sees $1.6 Billion Visteon Charge Reuters Most managers maximize buying equities; some find dollars safer NYT ‘Bubble' Reenters Asia Investors' Lexicon Bloomberg China gold miner Zijin's IPO 744 times subscribed Reuters China funds are getting much attention AP Low costs give Asia edge for making TV's IHT (NYT) China demand has steelmakers scrambling for ore IHT (NYT) Huarong Sells Less Than a 5th of $3 Bln of Bad Loans Bloomberg Japan adds firepower to fight yen's rise FT Currency strategists said there was now in effect no limit on how much Japan could spend trying to hold down the yen Brown's growth estimates 'wrong' Scotsman One of the first exposes of Gordon Brown’s new growth forecasts claims to have uncovered two false assumptions that could lead to a "major crisis" for the economy. Italian Business Confidence Falls to Five-Month Low Bloomberg “The euro's strength is starting to get scary” Sore heads follow the long bear market FT In Venezuela, even Christmas carols get political CS Monitor Old Mutual in surprise profit warning Guardian LG Card receives Won300bn in emergency funds FT Nation's Threat Level Rising to Orange AP NYSE Short Interest Declines NYSE Weekend Edition (Dec 20-21) Parmalat's money hole may gape wider Reuters Berlusconi to shore up Parmalat BBC Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti reportedly told cabinet members that Parmalat was "Europe's Enron" - Parmalat's balance sheet shows 4.2bn in liquidity. But last week, it repaid a 150m bond 4 days late and only with help from banks and the government. Gu Yes, the Shareholders Can Fight Back NY Times (R) Calif. Grocery Strike Talks Collapse Reuters FS Interview With Marc Faber Financial Sense MP3 ”Mr. Greenspan is the bubblemaker of history...he intellectually has been a disgrace...you will have to pay $20 for a coffee” A golden hedge for investors DMN Sitting with the metal Russell Oil, Stock Prices and the Dollar Frontline (Mauldin) HUI Bollinger Bands Zeal No Inflating Out of this Quagmire Prudent Bear (Noland) PIMCO’s Secular Outlook for Commodities Pimco PDF Bullish On Commodities Northern Trust PDF Fitch says US power merchants face new debt bubble Reuters Experts see gloomy future for federal budget AP Merrill Shocker NY Post The financial whiz kid who swindled Merrill Lynch out of a staggering $43 million is set to blow the whistle on the Wall Street powerhouse, including its shady Enron deals. Savings dwindle as Americans spend, spend, spend Reuters Boeing faces $500m penalty for scandal Independent Janus to Pay Investors $31.5 Million to Cover Losses From Scandal WP Hedge Fund May Be Next to Pay in Fund Scandal TheStreet Watchdog: About 400,000 Use Tax Dodges Reuters Parmalat Hires Advisers on Bankruptcy, People Say Bloomberg Gambling Gordon stakes £121bn on his last, desperate throw of the dice Inde Is China a threat to the rest of the world? NY Times (R) Not One, But Two Sources Of Chinese Malinvestment Northern Trust Corporate China Pushes Abroad Amid Skepticism Reuters Most Spanish households struggling to make ends meet AFP Pumped-up pound is a poser Guardian Libya to give up WMD BBC Friday December 19 Prediction: The future of the USA stock market UCLA (Sornette) Perceptions, fashions and the falling US dollar Business Times Fall in foreigners' U.S. investments puts pressure on the dollar PI Dollar hangs near lows, deficit worries persist Reuters Treasury Nominee Called Dollar Policy Unenforceable Bloomberg Is Personal Debt Sustainable? Levy Consumer Spending Looks Soft Comstock Job growth up, job quality down EPI Job market better, but far from healed CNN/Money The Pension Fund Problem That Wonâ€™t Go Away Prudent Bear Defusing the Pension Bomb NYP Feds pick up Rouge pensions DFPÂ Feds take over Kaiser's pension plan HBJ United Takes a Second Stab at Loan Guarantees WP Pac-Man, Clicks, & Bricks Financial Sense Companies cutting back on year-end bonus checks AP NYSE post for Goldman chief angers US funds Telegraph U.S. rules against 3 drugmakers AP/Reuters Food companies exposed to rising commodity prices Reuters Feds Fine Freddie's Former Finance Chief CFO RealNetworks files $1 billion antitrust suit against Microsoft Seattle Times Baker Says Spitzer Overstepped Authority in Alliance Settlement Bloomberg Fed Reserve Banks to Cut Up to 300 Jobs AP BellSouth to Layoff about 200 WTVM 100 - Owen Steelâ€™s assets to be sold Slate Stock options to be an expense after Jan. 1 CP The move will make Canada the first major jurisdiction to require expensing of stock-based compensation Federal Reserve fines Credit Lyonnais $100 million over illegal takeover CP FED European leaders show worry over euro's rise IHT IMF tells Chancellor to cut spending or raise taxes Independent Dollar dive to slash central bank profits RTE China's investment sector shows signs of overheating People’s Daily China Sells Like Sex; Watch Out Bloomberg U.S. report cites China's trade failures Wash Times China: Dark threat AP Nationwide, 21 regions have instituted some form of limit on power consumption this year. Markets-japan-assetallocation Reuters Investors planning to trim the share of U.S. bonds in their portfolios SA Investors Warned on US Equity Market All Africa Argentina bounces back from bust to buzz FT Argentine Welfare Payments Help Reduce Unemployment Bloomberg Argentina's actual unemployment rate, counting those receiving government handouts, is still above 16 percent Toyota: Accounting As a Weapon Wardâ€™s Auto WorldÂ Parmalat Board Meets as Bank Contests $4.9 Billion Bloomberg More revelations plunge Parmalat deeper into crisis Food Navigator Each new day seems to bring another embarrassing revelation, and today is no exception. Putin Says He'll Run, Tax Oil Windfalls Moscow Times U.S. Natural Gas Prices Soar WP Copper hits fresh six-year high FT Record low inventories for month lift crude DJ/AP Platinum, a victim of success Mineweb Thursday December 18 Philadelphia Fed Survey Indicates Increased Activity PRN PFED Jobless Claims Fell to 353K Last Week Bloom Morgan, Goldman Earnings Rise Vanishing jobs CNN/Money Structural change in the economy means many jobs are never going to come back Gift wrap orders forecast 'disappointing' holiday sales JS Online For 18 years, Appert, a securities analyst in the San Francisco office of Goldman Sachs Global Equity Research, has been studying shipments of wrapping paper to retailers. Making Sense of Money Supply Data Mises Dollar hits new low as euro tops $1.24 AP Monthly FX Outlook CIBC PDF Puff the magic dragon Economist Beware the China Play China Life Shares Rise on Hong Kong Trading Debut Bloomberg Some said China Life will not be profitable for several years IPO appetite returns: 5 hit Street in 1 day USAT Inquiring Minds Want To Know: How Can Euro-zone Consumer Inflation Be Higher Than That Of The U.S.? Northern Trust PDF Schwarzenegger to Declare Money Emergency Sac Bee Job seekers give up, so jobless rate goes down Det Free Press Denver Foreclosure Flood Rocky Mountain News NYSE to split CEO, chairman jobs Reuters Big Trading Firm Quits the AMEX NYP Street Bonuses Boom NYP Penalties Sought in Freddie Case WP Former Alger Vice Chairman Is First in Probe to Get Prison Term WP Micron Sales Manager to Plead Guilty in DRAM Case Reuters Halliburton Unit Denies Gouging WP KBR Says It Saved U.S. Money in Iraq Fuel Deal Brain Drain at Hollinger Hurts Probe of Black NYP (Crudele) Former Tyco chief owes company $48m FT 3Com Cutting 900 Jobs TheStreet Newport Steel To Lay Off 90 Workers WCPO Steel prices on rise AP If the CEO is selling, should you? MSN When tax returns go overseas SF Gate Ammunition plant gives shot in arm to area economy KC B-J Critics: Bush plan to cut deficit ignores long-term budget crunch AP Spending restraint needed now Washington Times Weekly Monster debt Charleston Gazette $7 trillion, and growing The risks for the world economy in 2004 AFP Japan said to be boosting intervention funds by 40% CBSM Asia Worries About Getting Less U.S. Investment Bloomberg Ford mulls building Land Rovers in China FT Tire company building plant in China AP Negative outlook on Japan remains FT Japan to raise mandatory pension payments IHT (Bloomberg) MPs condemn UK credit card firms BBC Swiss-based bank offers two specialist gold funds Menanfn Oil hits post-Iraq war highs Reuters Gold futures close near $413 an ounce CBSM Bugs proclaim bear market dead FP Goldcorp dives as CEO sells 40 pct of his stock Reuters Wednesday December 17 Dollar Slumps Agaijn as Euro Hits New All-Time High Reuters Kitco China Life Soars in Trading Debut Reuters BellSouth says to cut 1.4 percent of jobs Reuters Roundtable: Have Central Banks Won the War on Gold? Financial Sense Gold at $400 seen as a factor in Central Bank pact Reuters Dollar under pressure as trend continues FT US mortgage applications rebound last week Reuters MBAA Lehman - Bear Dream Downpayment Act: New law offers cash grants to low-income families A gloomy four-year forecast CBSM The stock market in December 2007 is unlikely to be much higher than it is today. A profits problem CNN/Money Draw a nice long historical chart of commodity prices and the rate of inflation and you will find, unsurprisingly, that the two rise and fall together. Until now, that is. Greenspan Offers Economics 101 on China Bloomberg Productivity Takes Its Toll USA Today Cartoon U.S. workers feel burn of long hours, less leisure Globalization of IT Services and White Collar Jobs: The Next Wave of Productivity Growth IIE PDF Measuring employment since the recovery EPI State jobs moving to workers overseas Seattle PI Carolinas companies increasingly export jobs AP Not everyone is splurging this holiday season Slate Early Snows Create Few Optimists in Retailing NYT (R) Pier 1 falls on warning of lower profit CBSM Circuit City, Best Buy Disappoint TheStreet Ford: May Take 'Significant' Charge Reuters FedEx misses forecasts CNN/Money Halliburton Units File for Bankruptcy Reuters SEC filing reveals Dell sold 10m shares FT Calpers sues New York Stock Exchange and seven specialist firms Inde Putnam fires another 9 employees Reuters NY Wants Alliance to Hire Fee Monitor Reuters As the dollar falls to an 11-year low, Britons pound streets of Manhattan and go shopping until they drop Indepedent The everyday waste of your taxdollars CAGW Japan to boost FX intervention war chest -sources Reuters Japanese stocks hit one-week low on new SARS case Reuters Bank voted 8-1 to hold UK rates BBC Sterling hits fresh 11-yr high vs dollar Reuters POLL-Bunds seen outperforming Treasuries in 2004 Reuters CDSs: Not the "golden bullet" that the banks and others earlier hoped FT Pipeline attack pushes up oil prices Reuters Copper Futures Rise Above $1 a Pound for First Time Since 1997 Bloomberg Nickel surges past $15,000 to 14-year high FT Hussein’s Futures Pay Out After Arrest NYP Tuesday December 16 November Consumer Price Index Falls 0.2%; Core Falls 0.1% Bloom BLS November Housing Starts Rise 4.5% to 2.07 Million Rate Bloom Census Current account gap shrinks to $135B CBSM Capital flows slow as foreigners sell U.S. stocks U.S. Nov. industrial production surges 0.9% CBSM FDRB US chain store sales slow ahead of holidays Reuters More Firms to Add Staff; Cuts Planned Too Reuters PDF What the heck, it's only debt CBSM I say ignore the Grinch. Spending makes us feel good. Leave the fiscal discipline for the next generation. Federal Spending per Dollar of Taxes Heartland Celebrate the Latest Dow 10,000 (But Not Too Loudly) WP (Sloan) Gold firms, Saddam euphoria fades R Euro rises to record high of $1.234 Gold to touch $450/oz in 2004, says Deutsche Asset Reuters IBM to Export Highly Paid Jobs to India, China DJ Sprint Sees $365 Million Charges Reuters Big Decline In Death Taxes On Jan. 1 Reuters Financial planners are all giving similar advice to clients: Stay alive until Jan. 1 Cost of employee stock options may rise FT Hollinger in talks on extra funding FT From lousy fund companies come lousy funds MSN Alliance Capital to Settle With U.S., N.Y. Regulators WP Congress eyes UPS pension rules change HC (NYT) Honeywell warns pension costs to impact earnings CBSM Wal-Mart Gives Chillier Sales Outlook Reuters Analysts expect soft video game sales Reuters Stores may cave in showdown with bargain hunters USA Today Patriots and Profits NYT (R) (Krugman) Hedge Funds Still Trailing Broad Market in 2003 TheStreet Japan girds for an expensive battle with the market IHT (Bloom) Just when you thought it was safe to return to the currency markets, Japan is increasing the amount of money it can use to weaken the yen - big time. Yen Drops on Speculation Japan Will Sell Currency to Stem Gains Bloomberg Households' financial assets finally rebound Japan Times First rise since the April-June quarter of 2001 China's consumer class keeps growing IHT (NYT) High street in a panic as shoppers stay away Independent The Impact of a Weaker Dollar on the Gulf AME Info Day of reckoning for Italy's big cheese NZHerald IMF Agrees to Extend Brazil's Credit Deal AP In Grip of Economic Decline, Venezuela Seeks Stability NYT (R) The Bear's Lair: Warming after Kyoto UPI US bid to restructure Iraq debts BB Monday December 15 Global Stocks, Dollar Rise After Hussein Is Captured; Oil Drops Bloomberg Dollar's Saddam-based gains short-lived FT NY factory activity off record highs in Dec. CBSM NY Fed Avoid the home equity hangover CNN/Money For American consumers addicted to spending, the home equity line of credit looks to be the drug of choice. Building a gadget isn't the same as selling one MSN (Fleck) Unless demand emerges to turn all this tech inventory into sales, I see big trouble ahead. Here are the stocks that look most vulnerable when the sell-off arrives. The Fundamentals of a Falling Dollar Mises China Test Morgan Stanley (Roach) Unrepresentative Samples Hussman Echoes of roaring '90s as Dow hits 10,000 FT Should everyone now be going for gold? Times Online Gold price is a flashback to the '80s - and good times may well roll on The Age US is carried away by Chinese IPOs FT Beware the 10,000 Dow WP Why Dow 10,000 no cause for celebration SS Freddie's Finicky Finances CS Monitor Houses Go Up, But Builders' Stocks Go Down WP George Soros, markets and democracy Brookesnews Grocery miscount inflated jobs tally Union Tribune Dialing Up Disaster NYP (Byron) Sears restructuring might mean more layoffs AP Office Santas cutting back on cash gifts, survey shows Buff News Keynesian stupidity and Asian woes Brookesnews Sugar shortfall in China brings sweet news to local producers India Times Shortages force mills to shut down in China IHT Foreign investment in China drops in November Reuters Debt problem threatens to overwhelm Philippine economy AFP Weekend Edition (Dec 13-14) Saddam Captured While Hiding in Hole Near Hometown Wall Street to Rally on Saddam's Capture Reuters $ May Drop This Week After `Bit of Euphoria' on Monday Greenback continues slide despite Snow's assurances FP Dollar Falls to Record Against Euro as Snow Sees `Orderly' Drop BL Labor-Market Spin Morgan Stanley (Roach) The Fed Said What? Mauldin Standard-Deviation Technicals Zeal OFHEO on Fraud at Freddie Prudent Bear (Noland) Bush Economic Aide Says Government Lacks Vision WP Bush weighs in on Halliburton 'overcharging' FT New data -- and a forecast that's riding on one gigantic "IF" Elliott Wave Natural gas price soars 46% since Thanksgiving AP Mutual fund innovator bangs drum for reform SunSpot Long before Spitzer, say admirers, there was Bogle. GM plans to take more risk on pension fund FT General Motors, plans to shift large chunks of its pension fund from US blue chip shares into risky junk bonds and hedge funds to boost returns. Shares of ISG run up 26% in Wall Street trading debut SunSpot The last major integrated steelmaker to go public was AK Steel Corp., in 1994. Freddie hits back at restriction by regulator FT Valley's resale home market already is in record books Arizona Republic China Assails U.S. For Launching Dumping Inquiry WP Why China is scooping up Europe's old coins Reuters A Russian Reformer Sees Pitfalls Ahead Business Week Pub group guilty of accounts errors BBC Friday December 12 Take your pick: 10,000 is ceiling or floor for Dow Post-Dispatch U.S. sentiment takes surprise drop CBSM Producer Price Index in U.S. Falls 0.3 Percent, First Drop in Six Months B BLS Record Imports Widen Trade Gap Reuters Census Consumers Spending Washington's Money CIBC PDF Beware a Fall From So High On the Hog WP Better to feast on cookies than junk bonds Economist Ignore Claim of Bullish Victory Comstock Labor market bust? WashTimes 'Exporting' high-tech jobs WND Fed Rate Hike Still Far Off, Minutes Hint WP (Berry) Oct Minutes A global tightening CNN/Money As central banks head into tightening mode, the world economy will face some tough hurdles. Greenspan Casts Doubt on Impact Of China Actions WP (Berry) Speech Don't Be In the Hen House Guarded By the Foxes Elliott Wave U.S. Funds Flows Data Charts Heartland Insiders, Friends Sold as Funds Failed, SEC Alleges Bloomberg Prudential Charged With Late Trading WP GM, Ford, Exxon Mobil Pension Deficits Ease as Markets Rebound Bloomberg The market performance doesn't address the concerns of investors such as Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Chief Executive Warren Buffett. Easy Ride Is Over for Chips TheStreet Overstock.com: the next Amazon? CNN/Money AT&T Cutting More Jobs TheStreet U.S. considers new protection for steel makers IHT (Bloomberg) China Names Its Price -- Taiwan Bloomberg China praises Bush for Taiwan rebuke WP China issued a rare "thank you" to an American president yesterday... Global View: China and U.S. symbiosis UPI Chinese premier promises more U.S. imports CNN China Life Sells $3 Billion of Shares in Biggest IPO of Year Bloomberg China's consumer prices surge three percent in November AFP Are Asian central banks selling out of America? Reuters Borrowers are warned against banking on big pay rises Guardian France to Settle U.S. Dispute WP UK investors demand votes in US Independent Softwood settlement all but dead FP/CP A Deliberate Debacle NY Times (R) (Krugman) Cutting James Baker's Ties Friday December 12 Take your pick: 10,000 is ceiling or floor for Dow Post-Dispatch U.S. sentiment takes surprise drop CBSM Producer Price Index in U.S. Falls 0.3 Percent, First Drop in Six Months B BLS Record Imports Widen Trade Gap Reuters Census Consumers Spending Washington's Money CIBC PDF Beware a Fall From So High On the Hog WP Better to feast on cookies than junk bonds Economist Ignore Claim of Bullish Victory Comstock Labor market bust? WashTimes 'Exporting' high-tech jobs WND Fed Rate Hike Still Far Off, Minutes Hint WP (Berry) Oct Minutes A global tightening CNN/Money As central banks head into tightening mode, the world economy will face some tough hurdles. Greenspan Casts Doubt on Impact Of China Actions WP (Berry) Speech Don't Be In the Hen House Guarded By the Foxes Elliott Wave U.S. Funds Flows Data Charts Heartland Insiders, Friends Sold as Funds Failed, SEC Alleges Bloomberg Prudential Charged With Late Trading WP GM, Ford, Exxon Mobil Pension Deficits Ease as Markets Rebound Bloomberg The market performance doesn't address the concerns of investors such as Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Chief Executive Warren Buffett. Easy Ride Is Over for Chips TheStreet Overstock.com: the next Amazon? CNN/Money AT&T Cutting More Jobs TheStreet U.S. considers new protection for steel makers IHT (Bloomberg) China Names Its Price -- Taiwan Bloomberg China praises Bush for Taiwan rebuke WP China issued a rare "thank you" to an American president yesterday... Global View: China and U.S. symbiosis UPI Chinese premier promises more U.S. imports CNN China Life Sells $3 Billion of Shares in Biggest IPO of Year Bloomberg China's consumer prices surge three percent in November AFP Are Asian central banks selling out of America? Reuters Borrowers are warned against banking on big pay rises Guardian France to Settle U.S. Dispute WP UK investors demand votes in US Independent Softwood settlement all but dead FP/CP A Deliberate Debacle NY Times (R) (Krugman) Cutting James Baker's Ties Thursday December 11 November Retail Sales Rise 0.9%; Ex-Autos Increase 0.4% Bloom Census Jobless Claims Rose by 13,000 Last Week to 378,000 Bloom DOL Dollar up off lows, dollar bears wary of BOJ Reuters EUR/USD "Many Thanks to the BOJ" Financial Sense Of Accelerating Economic Growth and Falling U.S. Dollars PruB No commitment to support dollar ThisisLondon Asked whether the Treasury would intervene in markets in support of the dollar, Snow would not speculate. Opec: oil in euros? TheStar $ becomes an albatross for Opec AP Gold Softer, Nervous Ahead of Year-End Reuters Nov 24, 03: “You want to buy yen or euros? Go ahead. It's a free country. But it's a sucker's bet. Buy dollars...In fact, the cheapest currency in the world right now is the U.S. dollar.” Dec 10, 03: “Defend the Dollar” Imagine Pimco (Gross) When too much debt infects the heart of capitalism you either default or inflate it away and the latter is by far the easiest (although not necessarily the wisest) policy... A natural-gas conspiracy? Desert NG: Up 55% in just over a week Bohl Chart “To just say that this is the way the market moves is just sheer lunacy” Analysis: It's 1973, not 1929 UPI U.S. growth seen about 3 pct in 2004-UCLA forecast Reuters The sustained surge in U.S. growth next year that some Wall Street analysts expect will not emerge. Car wreck coming? CNN/Money If the Fed puts on the brakes, earnings at automakers could go into a serious skid. Spitzer Opposes Banking Changes Newsday Spitzer threatenes to sue federal banking regulators if they attempt to curtail his enforcement power. Timers Favor Global, Junk-Bond Sectors WP ICI Report Calls Freddie Board Complacent WP OHFEO - PDF 5 from HealthSouth sentenced for fraud AP “I am pleased that the judge showed mercy on these defendants. This is obviously a human tragedy.” Ex-analyst for Bank of America arm fined FT Mr. Hamerling decided not to downgrade companies because he feared they would be angry with him or because it would harm investment banking relationships. Tax preparer sentenced for refusing to file own returns Union-Tribune S&P Puts US Airways On Credit Watch WP Bad year for airlines, but... SPI Goodyear Reveals More Accounting Woes AP AMD, Founder to open China design lab People’s Daily AT&T to add Internet phone service USAT Qwest expands its Internet phone service Seattle PI Canadian companies to roll out I-based telephone service CH BT broadband voice-calls blow for rivals MacWorld Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff Calandra London paper gold shatters Australian benchmark Mineweb "The Sage" seen cutting back Lloyd's investment Reuters Nikkei Ends Up 1.7 Pct, Above 10,000 Reuters Chancellor's Budget arithmetic feels strain as luck runs out Independent Britain joins deficit bad boys EUobserver Gov't tries to tame coal price PD Former Bank of China chief jailed FT Sentenced by a Beijing court to 12 years in prison for taking bribes Stock in Africa going up CS Monitor Iraq contract ban angers U.S. allies IHT Bush's Latest Headache: Democracy Business Week Man pays dollar parking fine, 38 years late Ananova Wednesday December 10 Huntsman Renews Call for Natural Gas Price Manipulation Investigation PRN - Bohl Chart ~ Long Term - NYMEX Daily Revisions: Economy Shrank Pre-Recession Reuters BEA Release Extensive revisions dating back to 1929 revealed a contraction in gross domestic product, or GDP, in the July-to-September quarter of 2000...Savings, however, were pushed sharply lower beginning in 1987 because personal spending was higher than previously thought and personal income was revised down. Dollar Gains Versus Yen After BOJ Sells, Advances Against Euro B The BOJ, at the behest of the Ministry of Finance, has sold a record 17.8 trillion yen ($164 billion) this year The Dollar Crisis Mises To understand how we got here requires some historical background. Cigarettes and Gold Blumert Gofsky - Maund - Bugos - Benson If you buy a share of IBM, you’re a patriot. Buy an ounce of gold, and they figure something’s wrong with you. Gold-Dealers conscripted to spy on you? 321 Golden opportunity to bet on bullion Times Online Motley Fool Dollar under new pressure Guardian US currency selling fuelled by fears of 'benign neglect' as Fed holds interest rates It’s Too Late For A Dollar Devaluation Prudent Bear (Auerback) Platinum At New 23-Yr High Of $805/Oz DJ If this is not a stock market mania, what is it? Crosscurrents (Chart) Why low interest rates aren't good news Slate (Gross) Berry on the Fed So if the economy is red-hot, and companies are engaged in a frenzy of investment, purchasing, and selling, you might expect demand for commercial paper to be rising. But demand for commercial paper has in fact been falling. The Bear's Lair: Can they be dumb again?-2 UPI Inflation or Deflation? Comstock Robust Economy Fuels Extra Oil Demand Reuters Mortgage Requests Decline Last Week Reuters Mortgage defaults ease Price of panels used in new homes plunges AP Lumber Chart (CME) Moody's lowers California bond rating again Sacramento BJ Schwarzenegger Retreats on Key Campaign Vows LA Times (Registration) SBC Says to Cut 3,000-4,000 Jobs Reuters 771 Teaching jobs face ax in school budget deficit Washington Times America Online cutting 450 jobs AP Giant Cuts Payroll In Busiest Season WP 30 more Eddie Bauer stores may close Seattle PI Wall Street won't hit record profit CNN/Money Freddie Agrees To Settle Inquiry For $125 Million WP The "Cover-Up," Part 3 Slate (Blodget on Martha) Scrushy to challenge Sarbanes-Oxley Act AP Derivatives arcades enjoy a second wave FT Meet Benjamin Graham Fool Nikkei Average Breaks Below 10,000 Reuters Treasury plans bailout for £9bn of export bad debts Times Online The true cost of a guarantee Times Online The Euro Zone: There Go The Brakes Business Week Blind led by the greedy - verdict on home loans Inde Supply Way Below Demand German Exports Dropped 6.6 Percent in October, Most in More Than 10 Years B Pound's 11-year high bad news for exporters to US IC Wales Euro Falls After Italian Official Says Gains Are Curbing Growth Bloomberg S&P warns of surge in defaults FT China's Factory Production Grows a Record 18 Percent Bloomberg Xinhua Finance to buy U.S.-based Market News People’s Daily Saudis the big winners in Russian turmoil Times Online The Looming Energy Crisis And Its Effect On Gold Gold-Eagle Last chance for lumber deal FP Bush says he opposes referendum on Taiwan People’s Daily U.S. Policy Change Now Favors China IHT (NYT) U.S. Shuts Out France, Germany for Iraq Work Reuters High Payments to Halliburton for Fuel in Iraq NYT (R) The US government is paying the Halliburton Company an average of $2.64 a gallon to import gasoline and other fuel to Iraq from Kuwait, more than twice what others are paying to truck in Kuwaiti fuel, government documents show. Tuesday December 9 FOMC Statment FDRB The Committee believes that policy accommodation can be maintained for a considerable period. China Says U.S. Trade Deficit a Problem Reuters Washington Mutual Cuts Outlook Reuters SBC to Cut Up to 4,000 Jobs Reuters Dollar Hits New Record Low Vs Euro Reuters Sharp drop in U.S. weekly chain store sales CBSM Kill `Considerable' Clause Before It Kills Us Bloomberg (Baum) Fed Unlikely to Do Treasury's Dirty Work on Dollar TheStreet The Disappearing Dollar Ron Paul Inflation Could Be Around The Corner NCPA (Bartlett) The Fed, not OPEC, caused the stagflation of the 1970s Commodity Prices, $ Dip Fail to Ring Fed Inflation Alarm Bloom Latest Inflation Trends In Pictures Northern Trust PDF Europe gold shuffles higher, watches dollar, FOMC Reuters Kitco The Case for Silver Forbes (Grant) Sinclair Claptrap Goldenbar Is This Real? Financial Sense GBS debuts, gives all investors a shot at gold Reuters "We've had huge interest, from the man on the street to the big institutional investors" Gold may break $470 in 2004 Business Day Central Fund of Canada Announces Filing of Prelim Prospectus BW Shine returns to gold Knight Ridder Vince Grimaldi remembers Jan. 21, 1980, the final day of the last big gold bubble...."It was like a Broadway opening. People were lined up outside the building and around the corner. They'd buy whatever we had on hand." Bush boldly going where we went decades ago CS Monitor "The budgetary situation is getting so far off track that you simply can't propose any more tax cuts without looking like a comp lete idiot." Digging into Spending Cap Mag The Bear's Lair: Can they be dumb again?-I UPI Citing economic gains, GOP doesn't extend jobless benefits AP Minn. workers to see cuts in pension following investment losses Knight Ridder Machine tool demand down Reuters Listen, beware when silent CEOs speak Toronto Star The phone carriers and big telecom equipment manufacturers in North America are organizing into a powerful, unified voice that wants governments to leave their grubby hands off the telecom market. Newell Rubbermaid Sees Earnings Off Reuters Chevron to Sell Some U.S. Assets, Cut Jobs Reuters Black in talks to avert Hollinger cash crisis FT Big Funds Hit Marsh on Putnam Reuters It's the expenses, stupid CBSM Illegal timing and trading are distractions Sun Life unit faces SEC action FP Corinthian Debacle Shows Electronic Trading's Underbelly TheStreet US body challenges Basel bank capital plans FT PDF File (FDIC) ...Basel II proposals could sharply reduce bank capital, hampering the ability of US officials to prevent bank failures. BIS Quarterly Review - December 2003 BIS Big leap for 12 days a-spendin' CNN/Money Pound hits 11-year high against dollar Independent China has serious job-loss problems, too IHT (NYT) Retail investors flock to China Life's IPO IHT (B) Wong, a 33-year old house wife, is applying for 400,000 shares in China's biggest insurer and plans to resell them within three days of the start of trading so she can repay the loan. China's Great Wall share offer 600 times oversubscribed Channelnewsasia Japan optimism despite GDP cut BBC Bank lending slipped again in November Japan Times Japan stares into the abyss as pension cash runs low FT German December Investor Confidence Rises Bloomberg Europe - All: More Debt, for Longer Morgan Stanley It'll be bumpy, but a crash isn't expected SMH The story of the Australian economy in 2004 is already clear: it will be a contest between rising terms of trade and property/debt deflation. Dodge sees 4% growth in fourth quarter Globe & Mail Hints at Rate Cut Russian elections branded as distorted FT Trade, Taiwan hang over Bush talks with China premier Reuters Trade deficit with China not cause for US job losses P-Daily China: No reason to frighten the analysts Asia Times China faces overheating of steel industry People’s Daily Chinese prepare for blackouts Taipei Times Chinese Premier Wen Visits Wall Street AP "Let me assure you that I have come to this country to seek friendship and cooperation and not to fight a trade war" Wen Monday December 8 Nickel soars to 14-1/2 year high, hits $13,000 Reuters London platinum hits fresh 23-yr high as specs buy Reuters A Bet Coming Due? Morgan Stanley (Roach) Greenspan is guilty of monetary malpractice Forbes (Forbes) Will Fed Flood Drown Investors? Playing different games Economist The world economy is picking up. American firms are hiring again. But Alan Greenspan is still sitting on his hands Dollar’s dramatic decline comes out of your wallet MSN (Fleck) Too many people believe the dollar’s decline over the last year is helping the economy No Sign Of Letup For Dollar As FOMC Looms Dow Jones A US$550b reason why the dollar stays weak Business Times Dollar Falls to Record Against Euro, Drops Versus Pound, Yen Bloomberg Dollar May Extend Drop to Record Low Against Euro Bloom Sell US equities, buy the US dollar! Faber Stock Pickers' Yardstick May Need Surgery Reuters Natural Consequences Hussman Profits and Layoffs Forbes (Shilling) Productivity gains in this recovery are mostly the result of trimming workers from the payroll. And so earnings have benefited. Alas, this elixir can't keep working forever. Look out. US spending surges to historic level CS Monitor Why America's recession had 19th century echoes Brookesnews (Jackson) Dow Theory downer? There's trepidation about the Transports CBSM Workers bear brunt of rising health care in '03 USAT Layoffs Hit MSNBC Drudge “Unvested s-options for Warner Music employees will be immediately terminated” Freddie Mac Names Syron CEO Reuters SEC Begins Probe into Ernst's Business Pacts Reuters Fund Investors Fight Back Newsweek Fling Failure Fallout NYP (Byron) The storm that killed Xmas? CNN/M Holiday sales on ice - Northeast Digs Out Laptop Prices At Record Lows USAT Want a cheaper flat-panel TV? CNN/M Phone Cos. Cut Internet Service Prices Reuters Bush to meet Jiabao CBSM China to press U.S. to ease curbs Pressure rises in U.S. for China tariffs IHT (Bloom) U.S. lawmakers in both houses of Congress say they will redouble their efforts to impose tariffs on Chinese imports Trade war? A buying spree for cheap Chinese goods People’s Daily `China.com' vs `Japan.bomb' -- Reality Check Bloomberg China Facing Energy Shortage Asia Pulse Brussels set for clash on US tax breaks FT Japan's Nikkei hits one-week low on Wall St, yen Reuters Dollar Hits Three-Year Low Against Yen AP Japan plots eastern currency bloc with China Independent Borrowing at highest level for eight years Times Online OFT in blitz on loan sharks Guardian First changes to credit laws for 30 years as concern over consumer debt mounts Weekend Edition (Dec 6-7) ~ The Week Ahead CIBC Young and in Debt WP A generation of consumers has embraced and used debt in a way that no generation has before. A Lost Retirement Dream for Boomers? WP China's IT output will lead the world by year 2010 People’s Daily Agreement Seen to End Lumber Fight Reuters Higher Central Bank Gold Sales Likely Reuters That gold short position . . . MineWeb A faded green Economist The dollar will need to fall further to eliminate America's imbalances. Dollar Falls for Fourth Week Against the Euro on Rate Concern Bloomberg Inflationary Manifestations Hit the Farm Belt Prudent Bear (Noland) Trading the Gold-Stock Bull 3 Zeal The Problem With Assumptions Mauldin California Lawmakers Reject Schwarzenegger's $15 Bln Bond Plan Bloomberg Ford puts cash rebate on pickups Reuters 3M cuts jobs amid weak demand AP The problems besetting pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. also... AP Fund mecca takes a hit Rocky Mountain News Wells Fargo finds 1,600 fund market-timing tries Bloomberg Greed, secrecy, scandals and court cases. Is this the new American dream? In Chancellor loses his balance Independent Lights go out at Brazil ministry BBC The lights went out at the Brazilian Foreign Ministry on Friday - because it hadn't paid its bills Grasping at the Statistics on the Self-Employed NY Times (R) The not-quite-so-jobless recovery Economist Output often recovers before employmet...But in most recoveries, this hesitation lasts only about three months. This time round (aside from a hiring blip last autumn) it lasted a year and a half. Friday December 5 Nov Payrolls Rise 57,000; Jobless Rate Falls to 5.9% Bloom BLS Gold Hits $407 as Jobs Data Dents Dollar Reuters Commodities panel bullish for 2004 CBSM U.S. dollar's not expected to recover soon CRB Breakout? Northern Trust PDF Steel yourself for inflation? CNN/Money Berry on Fed WP One of Alan Greenspan's favorite economic indicators is surging. Platinum soars on fears over shortages FT Chinese demand has U.S. prices soaring Times Daily 30-Year Mortgages Above 6 Percent Reuters The market is taking bets that the Fed will soften its language and raise rates sooner rather than later. Global Rebalancing and Dollar Risk Morgan Stanley (Roach) Global View: Euro and plunging dollar UPI Three signs gold will keep shining Toronto Star Holiday retail sales fall short CCT (NYT) Santa:"To me, it's just extra slow" Generally merchants fell short of estimates for October as well as November, Perkins said, "and that doesn't usually bode well for sales in the holiday period." Looting the Future NY Times (R) (Krugman) What Happens When the Tap Runs Dry? CIBC PDF The big meltdown: Why steel tariffs were a no-win for president LA Could timber tariffs end like steel did? Seattle Times States' Budget Crisis Continue R Fiscal Survey of States PDF Tax Revenue Shows Slight Improvement (Nov) Rock Crunch Time "Could the Stock Market Crash? Everyone Says 'No.'" Financial Sense In Defense of Bank Failures Mises The American people have not seen widespread bank runs since 1933. In that object at least, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has succeeded. But at what cost? Gold Shares Too Hot for Dow Tumble Goldenbar Mind the Gap CFO A new study of operating cash flow and earnings for the 87 nonfinancial companies in the Standard and Poor's 100 suggests that the recent upturn in corporate profits may not be sustainable. Consumer Spending--the Weak Link? Comstock Stifling heat bills Rocky Mountain News 20% of Xcel users behind on heating bill payments, up 88% from 2002 Schering-Plough cutting 2,000 jobs AP Charge Cuts Into Intel's Cheer TheStreet Lucent, Bank of America, Revlon Lead Short Lists Bloomberg DuPont's real reason for dropping Lycra Philly Inquirer Calif. Teachers Pension Fund Fires Putnam AP CEOs are an unhappy lot. So unhappy, it ... Dallas Morning News A whopping 73 percent of 369 CEOs answered yes to the question, "Do you think about quitting your job?" SEC Charges Fund Trader With Fraud WP "It really goes to show how far industry professionals will go to deceive innocent investors" Enron executive indicted for western energy market manipulation AP Perle Article Didn't Disclose Boeing Tie WP Pentagon Adviser Lauded Plan to Lease Air Tankers 0% of Xcel users behind on heating bill payments, up 88% from 2002 Schering-Plough cutting 2,000 jobs AP Charge Cuts Into Intel's Cheer TheStreet Lucent, Bank of America, Revlon Lead Short Lists Bloomberg DuPont's real reason for dropping Lycra Philly Inquirer Calif. Teachers Pension Fund Fires Putnam AP CEOs are an unhappy lot. So unhappy, it ... Dallas Morning News Tulipmania II: bloom to bust FT Nearly four centuries after thousands of people were made bankrupt by Tulipmania, a modern-day variant of the speculative futures trade is again threatening to bring investors in the Netherlands to their knees. ECB raises 2004 eurozone inflation forecast AFP German Industrial Production Rose 2.4% in October Bloomberg China expected to surpass France in exports PD World's 4th largest trader Chinese residents welcome gold trade Xinhua From Rags to Riches To Arrests in Booming China WP No obstacles seen as golf gains popularity in China ST (Bloomberg) Regionals lag behind big banks on bad loans Japan Times Ripples from a Japanese bank collapse Asia Times Hope for settlement on Argentine debt FT Iraqi businesses face new threat AP Debt, salary pressure topple city's AAA credit rating Vancouver Sun Thursday December 4 U.S. relents, scraps steel tariffs CBSM Natural-gas climbs to 6-month high CBS EIA Update - Northeast braces for snow Beef prices are soaring ABC Corning to Close Two U.S. Plants Reuters Jobless claims rise CNN/Money One On One With Former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin NBR Transcript Siegel: Time to Sell Tech Stocks Kiplinger Nov. Insider Stock Sales Hit 2-Year High Reuters $42.98 were sold for $1 of stock purchased last month Fed Seen Poised to Drop `a Considerable Period' From Policy Bloomberg Spending has surged during Bush's watch Knight Ridder Deficits and Politics The Optimate Who will replace the baby boomers? Knight Ridder Economists admit 03 hasn't been as good as expected, promise better 04 AR Collecting credit cards can damgage Detroit Free Press Pick a store and chances are good that it has a way to save you money if you sign up for its credit card. Counting the Costs of Fund Fees WP Investigators probing the mutual fund industry have turned up case after case of improper or illegal trading that reduced profits for average investors. But a perfectly legal practice may be costing fund customers seven times as much. SEC to Shut Mutual Fund Trading Window Reuters Kerkorian - 'I will never settle' This is London Xerox to Cut 800 Jobs This Month Reuters Enron headquarters sold to doctor for $55.5 mil Houston Chronicle Jobs May Fill Seat At Disney: H’Wood Buzz NYP (Crudele) Rebounding Lucent to pay bonuses Bloomberg US Dollar Implosion - Part II G-E The Once and Future Money GS Consequences of a Dollar Standard Mises Got Gold? Worldnetdaily Hedging against more US$ weakness Business Times Gold fund to convert cash to paper bullion MineWeb Gold headed for US$1,000/oz? MineWeb Shanghai Gold Exchange does brisk trading People’s Daily Illegal speculators hinder India's bullion futures Reuters Vietnam's Central Bank To Sell US Dollars To Gold Importers Bernama Euro Falls; Report European Commission Mulls Exchange Controls Bl Capital controls? Not very likely CBSM A spokesman for the EU called the report on capital controls "'completely groundless." EU, China May Drop Steel Curbs After U.S. Tariffs End Bloomberg Coal shares rise as China cuts exports Bloomberg Canadian Central bank must tread fine line Globe & Mail More Sour Notes in the Eurozone Business Week The Europeans can take solace in knowing that the dollar, not the euro, remains counterfeiters' No. 1 target. OPEC Agrees to Keep Oil Targets, Meet Again on Cuts Bloomberg 30 Years Later, OPEC Still Does Not Suffer From Money Illusion NTrust PDF Saudi Arabia Hints at No Change in Output AP Wednesday December 3 Worker Productivity in U.S. Grows at 9.4 Percent Rate, Most in Two Decades BL Mortgage Application Activity Off Reuters Dollar digs record low vs euro as downtrend grips Reuters Metamorphosis Cross Currents Monumental Changes in the U.S. Capital Market "Animal Spirits" and Policy Stimulants AEI (Makin) Beware of economic hubris Washington Times Beyond bull Guardian The US economy may look buoyant but sky-high balance of payments deficits point to a coming crisis Financial Imbalances Threaten US Economic Recovery, Predicts Lombard Street Research Business Wire Five "Torpedoes" Heading For Wall Street Some experts fear inflation poised for comeback Wall Street Journal Markets get ready for higher rates Financial Post Why Central Banks Should Own Inflation-Linked Bonds Pimco PDF Compared to ILBs, gold offers little help in preserving the purchasing power of the currency for which gold is held as a reserve. Fed adds permanent reserves by buying TIPS Reuters Bill on pension gaps may cost companies AP Pension plans of S&P 500 companies went from being overfunded by $250 billion in 1999 to being underfunded by $225 billion at the end of last year...And now, even with the stock market rebounding, pension plans are expected to be underfunded by $247 billion by the end of the year. Strength in Market is Not Warranted Comstock Hitachi to lay off 220 Greenville Boeing tanker purchase put on hold Seattle PI Ten Things Still Wrong With Accounting Forbes US doles out more WTO-illegal payments to companies Reuters Bush undecided on tariffs Post Gazette The Bottom of the Barrel Monbiot Oil is running out, but no one wants to talk about it. Natural gas costs rise as mercury falls USAT Precious Metals Have Been The Place To Be Chapman Companies Look Harder, Find More Fraud CFO 3 more mutual fund scandals in the making MSN (Jubak) Strong Capital Says Richard Strong Resigned as CEO Bloomberg Spitzer, SEC Charge Invesco and Its CEO Reuters Mutual funds lobby rejects NYSE reform plans FT Probe of NYSE Specialists Expands to cover 5 years NYP Mutual Fund Scandals Show How Wall St. Can Devour Small Investors WP Australian Central Bank Raises Interest Rate to 5.25% Bloomberg ECB in spat with Germany over EU's fiscal rules FT Bank of China Plans First Time Share Sale in 2005 Bloomberg China told to fix problem of share overhang Business Times Massive govt holdings of shares a threat to market, says state paper Takefuji boss arrested over wiretap claim FT Tuesday December 2 Early COMEX gold jumps to new high on Barrick news Reuters GOP Abandons Conservatives Ron Paul The federal government now spends roughly $21,000 per household every year, up from $16,000 just 4 years ago... What Might Follow Friday Job Figures NYP (Crudele) FAO to File for Bankruptcy Again Reuters Layoffs drop below 100,000 CBSM The Productivity Paradox Morgan Stanley (Roach) Metal Heads Up Contrary Investor The Invisible Recovery CPages (Henwood) After the New Economy Amazon The Bear's Lair: 4 Horsemen of the Economy UPI Capital spending is up, but it's not structural CBSM (Kellner) US economy: old names, old fallacies Brookesnews US manufacturing, wages and the lessons of history BN Too hot for the Fed? CNN/Money It's hard to imagine the Fed won't start hiking rates soon. The Internet meets telecom, part II Globe & Mail (Ingram) Chain Store Sales End Nov. in the Red Reuters DuPont to Cut Jobs, Eliminate Products Reuters Pepsi to restructure, cutting 750 jobs CBSM Ford shutting minivan plant for 7 days Globe & Mail Facing Budget Crisis, MIT Slashes Costs Crimson Walt's nephew quits Disney, ridiculing a Mickey Mouse organisation Independent Disney’s nephew will reveal secrets to shareholders Times Online Chairman Of Boeing Resigns WP Levi Strauss Replaces CFO Reuters SEC's budget faces $30m cut FT Putnam assets down another $2B AP New Quattrone trial set for March 22 Reuters Bush trip sparks new steel appeal BBC NY gold ends atop $400/oz,first time since Feb '96 Reuters Global gold stocks roar to record valuations Mineweb Demand for gold in China threatening to outstrip supply Shanghai News China says fixed currency to stay for long time Reuters E.U.'s Solbes Rules Out Suing Germany On Budget Pact Dow Jones Why we need to become a saving society again Times Online Sony Sells 220 Billion Yen of Convertible Bonds Bloomberg Two Samsung executives indicted AP S Korean credit card debts swell BBC Monday December 1 ISM Manufacturing Index - Best Month Since December 1983 ISM Gold Battles Near $400 an ounce Spot Chart Rational Expectations Hussman Growth at What Cost? Morgan Stanley (Roach) US recession and the fallacy of technological overhang. Brookesnews Dow 10,000 is irrelevant MSN (Fleck) Dow stocks and stocks in general are priced for a perfect world -- in a world that's far from perfect. The debt trap Chicago Tribune Consumers who fueled economic rebound find their purchases coming back to haunt them Portrait of the Consumer - Why Americans Must Keep Spending NY Times (R) The 22 Rules of Trading Mauldin Fools Rush In (Again) NYP (Byron) Bush to End Steel Tariffs, White House Official Says Bloomberg U.S. Retailers' Sales Rise at Start of Holiday Season Bloomberg Divergence of the Twain CFO The clash between FASB and IASB over how to record the tax benefits of equity-based pay... Go where the strength is Russell Insane: $160,000 Gold? 321 Gold and silver turn our heads, but what price a spot of metal bashing? Independent Euro hits new best AFP I’d buy that for a dollar (and two dimes) Economist Is the SEC too cozy with the fund industry? Forbes Australian central bank tipped to raise rates again this week AFP Japan Builds a Recovery on the Boom or Bust of Exports NYT (R) China: economic threat and potential market USAT Baby boom or pensions bust Guardian Euro members' club needs a new rule to keep the house in order Inde (King)

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