Monday February 28
Judge: Parmalat Can Sue Citigroup AP
The Pendulum of Global Leadership Roach
U.S.: Housing -- Bubbly? Berner
The Bear's Lair: The doomed continent? UPI
Moneyization Part Eight SH
U.S. new home sales off 9.2% in January CBSM Census
Chicago Purchasers Index Rose to 62.7 in Feb BL
January Personal Spending Unchanged; Incomes Fall 2.3% BL BEA
Personal Incomes See Biggest Dip in Decade
Crude Surpasses $52, as Snow Is Forecast in U.S. BL  $ Down ~ Gold Up
Falling dollar and rising oil form a dangerous mix Times Online
What is causing the falling dollar? Brookes (Jackson)
Dress rehearsal for a dollar deluge Fleck  Badly Exposed
HSBC forecasts further falls for the US dollar AME
The Decoy of the Falling Dollar Fekete FX Daily BlackS
Credit Mart Braces For Potential Fallout BondWeek
Brief Market Climate Update Hussman
A Prominent Wall Street Bear Calls It Quits WSJ
Housing's future is bleak DiMartino
Top of the Market, Ma! LA Times Let homebuyer beware DenverP
People do foolish things under the impression they are getting richer because their houses are worth more.
Is That A Whiff Of Inflation? Business Week
Federal spending on tech skyrockets USAT
Projects that can have a short-term impact on anti-terrorism efforts or the war in Iraq are taking precedence over more traditional initiatives, such as e-government and infrastructure upgrades, some tech executives say.
Wall Street Is Stuck With Fannie Mae WP
Federated to Buy May -Sources ~  Yellow to Buy USF for $1.37 Billion Reuters
Heinz Profit Falls on Write-Down Reuters
Apple faces multi-billion dollar suit over old for new sales claims Scotsman
Wal-Mart ordered to stop harassing help Reuters
Black threatens to sue Hollinger board members G&M
Biogen, Elan Suspend Marketing of Tysabri Drug After Death; Shares Drop BL
The WorldCom and Enron Settlements AEI  PDF
Politics Rears its Ugly Head
Ebbers telling his side to New York jury AP
SEC’s Empty Quiver NYP
Harmony chief in offshore mystery Guardian
Drooy Panic G-E
Most G7 favour IMF gold sales for debt relief Mining Weekly
Gold-linked funds fuel hunger for bullion G&M
Firms brace for options rules SVBJ
The SEC could reject the FASB rules, or, more likely, provide guidance on how to value options.
Mutual funds cutting commissions WSJ
Some worry that hedge funds are studying the trading patterns of the new electronic systems to get a leg up on other investors, while paying brokers higher commissions of five cents a share or more in hopes of getting better service that could include quick responses in a market meltdown.
Hedge Fund Services Heat Up Wall St.& Tech
Yen Rises After IP Expands More Than Forecast BL Retail Sales Gain
Copper Rises to Record in London BL Global coal crisis warning Stand
With China on a buying binge, price of steel skyrockets in U.S. Sac Bee
What happened to the German economy? Inde (King)
Germans feel the bite of the new hedge-fund reality Independent
Australia's trade deficit near another record AFP
House prices fall for 8th month Reuters
Creditor accepts Argentina's debt offer FT
Mexico Central Bank Raises Rates for 11th Time in a Year to Curb Inflation BL
Central bank expected to stand pat on interest rates Globe & Mail
Week could see another wild ride for CND dollar G&M
Skills shortage in oil industry BBC
House price warning for homeowners Mail & Guardian
Beware of financial conglomerates in FSA's Wild Kingdom Japan Times
Companies set up in 2002 'doomed' BBC
Asian markets still on guard against fraud 10 years after Barings saga AFP
Former Royal Bank quartet intend to root out rogue traders The Herald
Online Poker: IPOs in the Cards? Business Week
A Stock Exchange for Bettor BW
Fiddling figures won't give this rule legs Times Online
Whiskey sales take great leap forward Standard
“For China to reach the level of Scotch whiskey consumption per head seen in Hong Kong and Taiwan, they would need to buy far more Scotch than can conceivably be produced”
Officials tell Arab Bank to stop wire transfers USAT
Bush warmed France, but Russia's still a bit chilly Newsweek

Rebound in U.S. Stocks May Falter as $50-a-Barrel Oil Takes Toll on Profit BL
Gold May Rise ~  $ May Gain ~  Treasuries May Fall BL

Weekend Edition (Feb 26-27)
The Coming Week: Rate Puzzle TStreet  Martha Stewart Gets Out of Jail WSJ
OPEC signals it wants high oil prices AFP
Filmmaker says rude awakening about oil is coming EB
That Tricky Yield Curve Forbes (Grant)
The Dollar as the Old Maid Mauldin
Rough dollar days ahead? AP
Does Greenspan Get It? Gillespie
Dr. Bernanke on the Current Account PBear (Noland)
Investing in the Bubbles of Tomorrow - Today Mayer
Add Asia central bankers to 'worry' list AP
Happy investor = bad investor Farrell
Banks Bet Big on Troubled Stocks NY Post
ChoicePoint Execs Sold Shares After Breach AP
Wall Street's love affair with radio turns sour AP
Harmony's Gold Fields bid may go flat as delay hits Times Online
Oil price surge defies forecasters CBSM
County home prices reach record high Tribune
China Says Will Move on Yuan in '05 AP
China to face electricity shortage in 2005 China Daily
A marginalised market Economist
Is Kafka Running Korea's Currency Policy? Pesek
The Week Ahead: Will Pensions Clip the Loonie's Wings? CIBC
Bank of America Buys Bad Loans From Philippine Bank BL
Argentina completes debt restructuring AP
The collapse that rocked the establishment Guardian
Brown’s Bleeding Heart Excuse To Dump IMF Gold G-E

Friday February 25
Crude futures end the week up 5% CBSM
Natural-gas futures add 12 percent
Short-term US Treasury yields hit fresh highs Reuters
A Look at Inflation's Effects on the DJIA and it's Dividend Yield G-E
Oil Prices: More Than Just Cold Weather BCA Research
Existing home sales dip Reuters  Realtor
U.S. Fourth-Quarter Gross Domestic Product Rises at 3.8% Rate BL BEA
Asia in focus as dollar drifts up FT Dollar pushes Asia closer
Hosokawa:  "It was an unofficial meeting to freely exchange views on macroeconomic issues surrounding Asian nations. We are not supposed to disclose the content of the meeting." R/BL
Oil and the US consumer will determine how this global growth story ends Inde
Should Americans Save More? AIE (Makin)  PDF
The Case For a Market Top Comstock
The Instruments of Rebalancing Roach
Think Again: Alan Greenspan Roach
Fear and Loathing Crack Greenspan Bond Conundrum Gilbert
Greenspan is gone in nine months Texas Hedge
Changing Of The Guard Rostenko
Foreign Investment's Flip Side WP
U.S. Trade Deficit Swells Along With Consumption, Debt
"The Specifics That 'Make' the Dollar Go Up or Down" EW
“As homebuilders go, so goes the dollar!” Black Swan PDF
Current account adjustment and capital flows BIS  PDF
Volatility Indicators Try to Break Out of Downtrend, But Fail for Now Schaeffers
The long and short of it Hulbert
Kansas on My Mind Krugman (R)
Who Suffers Most If Housing Bubble Bursts? TheDay
Luxury-home market luxuriates CBSM
Demand/Supply Ratio For Gold Swung Into Deficit In 2004 Mineset
Lassonde Warns of More Cracks in "Dollar Support Syndicate" Wood
S&P Warns of Airline Bankruptcies AP
Boeing -- Another Corporate Giant Destined to Fail? BL
Michaels Stores Subpoenaed Over Trusts; SEC Also Probing AP
Jury Awards $7.5 Million in Wal-Mart Case AP
GAO: Air Force Improperly Favored Boeing AP
Ex Marsh & McLennan Exec Pleads Guilty AP
eBay plays down 'shill' bidding allegations TheRegister
Tech Companies Hit Hard by Labor Suits AEI
Nice work -- if you can get it CNN
CEOs at the nation's top corporations saw their bonuses soar by nearly half to more than $1 million last year,
US deficits risk crash: Treasury Australian
Peter Costello's closest adviser fears the US is heading for a devastating financial crash that could ravage Australia's economic growth.
Australian PM rejects as alarmist warning that US deficits risk crash AFP
Japan's core consumer prices down 0.3 percent in January AFP
Fitch: China revaluation may be risky CBSM
China to Keep Hold on Currency Controls AP
Economic gloom coming Australian
French Jobless Rate Climbs to 10 Percent; Manufacturers' Confidence Slips BL
Asian demand ignites boom for iron ore Globe & Mail
RBS boss says former banking czar is 'detached from reality' Times Online
Ito deems banks ready for end of unlimited deposit insurance Japan Times
Depositors are expected to become more selective after the full guarantee has been lifted, and flee to stronger banks from weaker ones.
World Bank Says Penalized 300 for Corruption AP
Judge Dismisses Yukos Bankruptcy AP
Ex-Yukos Boss Khodorkovsky Denies Guilt AP
BAE pension deficit hits £4bn Guardian
Indonesia mulls withdrawing from OPEC Oil & Gas
Martin says No to missile defence, U.S. says it will still fire over Canada CP

Thursday February 24
Fed's Bernanke Says He's Fine With Rate-Increase Pace BL
Help-Wanted Advertising Index Increases Again CB
Krispy Kreme faces 2nd investigation CBSM
Jobless Claims Rise, Factory Orders Fall AP Census
Bonds rise on hints of slower growth CNN
Crude Jumps; Cold Snap Drains Fuel Supplies BL War Jitters! Chapman
Are Crude Oil Prices To High? Cross Currents
Record gas prices coming, trends say BL
Dollar Declines on Concern U.S. Yields Too Low to Spur Demand BL
The Day After Tomorrow Financial Sense
Caution: Falling profits CNN
The Anguish of Central Banking 2005 Mises  Boom or Bust? Rockwell
We need to take more of those blue pills Mogambo Guru
Warning From the Markets NYT
Honey, I shrunk the dollar Spiegel (NYT)
When a country lives on borrowed time, borrowed money and borrowed energy, it is just begging the markets to discipline it in their own way at their own time
Growth story turns bad BRW
When the US loses its appetite for borrowed money, the effects will be felt around the world.
US bankruptcies ‘to surge’ amid junk bond deluge Times Online
A case of pension deficit disorder FT The Domino Effect CFO
“Some have compared this to the savings and loan crisis of the early nineties”
IMF Rato-Need policy to shrink US deficits, help dlr Reuters
Dollar Damage Control in Force FS
‘The Aviator' Is a Lesson in U.S. Finance BL (Lewis)
Irrational Market Bubbles: Are They "Post-Modern"? EW
The End of the Bond Rally Morgan Stanley
U.S. participation rate hits 17-year low AP
Health care tab ready to explode USAT
CPI's Deceptive Story BW Many feel pinch AR Inflation with a new face SFG
Valley home prices hit new high Desert Sun
Dobbs fires away against outsourcing USAT
Fannie Scrambles for New Ways to Raise Capital NYT  Fannie Keeps Cookin’ N
Turnaround Artist Stephen Cooper Is Swamped: First Enron, Now Krispy Kreme, and More to Come Wharton
Wal-Mart's next battle: in the Big Apple CS Monitor
In eBay's Success May Lie Hints of Trouble Ahead Wharton
Google, Yahoo! Ripped TheStreet
Viacom takes $18 billion charge Reuters
SEC may charge former Bear broker CBSM
U.S. Rests Fraud Case Against Ebbers Reuters
Witness: Scrushy knew of HealthSouth fraud BW
Martha coming back as CEO? CNN
Judge decides Lea Fastow must finish out her full prison term HC
Trial date set for Enron's Lay, Skilling Reuters
Judge Keeps E&Y Papers Private CFO
Unions sue Rumsfeld PI
IRS pursuing almost 200 executives for not paying taxes on stock options CT
Shhh. Liquidnet Is Trading Stocks in Huge Blocks NYT
Increasing Competition in Hedge, Buyout Funds LA Times
Weekly Gold Market Outlook Bugos
End Game Dynamics Hook PM's and Oil Maund
Consumers dazzled by gold despite high prices Reuters
Gold output lowest in 60 years MiningMx
Copper hits fresh 16-year high on LME MC
Asia To Set Up Monetary Discussion Group Dow Jones
ASEAN+3 to Tackle Weak Dollar Korea Times
Monetary policymakers of South Korea, Japan, China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held a low-key meeting in Bangkok, Tuesday, to discuss countermeasures against the weak dollar.
Won Under Attack from Hedge Funds Korea Times
Top banker vows to keep yuan stable China Daily
Asia / Pacific: Staring at the Strong Currency Trap Again MS (Xie)
NT dollar rockets to 53-month high TT
Taiwan Poised to Open Door to Chinese Lenders for First Time in 55 Years BL
Bank of England Must Be `Pre-Emptive' on Rates, Lomax Says BL
France doubles sale of its bonds IHT (BL)
2005 Canadian Federal Budget: Spend and Spend CIBC
Economic Minister: Russian Inflation Soaring, Investment Lagging AP
Argentina: Screeching to the precipice Economist
Iranian Minister calls for dynamic bourse in Iran IranMania
IT firms paying top money to US pros India Times
HVB to Cut as Many as 2,400 Jobs, Has EU2.28 Bln Loss BL
Gazprom's Debts, Costs Are Becoming a Liability Moscow Times
U.S. Judge Postpones Yukos Cliffhanger AP
China Aviation Oil Files Defense to Sumitomo Lawsuit BL
Islamist with links to Iran to be PM Times Online Iran holding the wild card KR

Dollar Rises as FOMC Suggests Rate Hikes Reuters  Fed Minutes
Fed Is Split on Whether to Set Inflation Target Berry
Yield Curve Says Fed Less Stimulative, Not More Baum

Wednesday February 23
Consumer Prices in U.S. Rise 0.1%; Core Rate Increases 0.2% BL BLS
Dollar Gains as Japan, Bank of Korea Say They Won't Sell the U.S. Currency BL
Currency Currents Black Swan
Because the currency markets are so damn leveraged, when the news-bit driven groupies act, the rest of us either have to play along or get out the way.
Crude Holds Above $51 AP Oil May Hit $60 BL OPEC to the rescue? CNN
Mortgage Applications Down Last Week Reuters  MBA
Markets minding minutes Dallas News
The Likely Range of Market Returns in the Coming Decade Hussman
Out of the Blue? Morgan Stanley (Roach)
Trees don't grow to the sky Hulbert
Outlook for stock returns too rosy in Social Security debate
Fannie Mae Says Regulator Finds Accounting Errors BL Fannie
Fannie Mae mortgage portfolio shrinks AP
The Budget Two-Step CATO Budget Reality Check NTU
Bush proposes that the federal government spend $2.57 trillion in the next fiscal year. That's 38 percent more than the federal government was spending in the last year of President Bill Clinton's term.
American economy: deficits are not a “force for economic good” Jackson
Time to Buy Gold Aden
Russell on the Markets G-E
You don't see many days that are this damaging.
Instant Economic Depression SH
Even higher interest rates wouldn't end the housing boom, economist says
“The real estate market is still booming all across the U.S. You can't apply conventional wisdom to the real estate markets anymore.”
U.S. Technology Stocks Decline After Motorola Cuts Profit BL
Dell sued for bait and switch CNN
Is eBay spinning out of control? Times Online
Big Lots Restates Its Earnings on Lease Accounting BL
Land's End to cut 375 jobs Reuters
Yellow-USF eye $1B deal? Reuters
Hershey Affirms Earnings View, Warns on Margins Reuters
Costco's shares don't come cheap WSJ
Exec: Ebbers Said CFO Was Too Conservative AP
Ex-Fleet unit fined $570k in funds case Boston Globe
Martha's 'Homecoming' CNN
Probe of title insurers widens Denver Post
Galvin broadens Gillette inquiry Boston Globe
End of late fees could cost you big bucks Det FP
Missing Baggage Costs Airlines $1.6B AP
American to start flying into China in 2006 ST
Donaldson's Balancing Act Business Week
In the eye of the investor Economist
Efficient markets are producing boring returns these days. Is investing in one of the least efficient—art—a better bet?
More Gloom on the Island of Lost Toy Makers NYT
Balls, Barbies, and Bongs? Children's Book on Pot Spectator
“We knew this book was going to be controversial”
FSA issues warning over derivatives Guardian FSA
Asian Interest Fuels Growth in Cayman Islands Hedge Fund Sector W&W
More than 1,100 new hedge funds were created in the Cayman Islands in 2004, marking a 100 per cent increase over the previous reporting period.
Derivatives litigation set to explode Reuters
A decline in credit markets could prompt a wave of lawsuits against investment banks, as investors ratchet up losses on risky credit derivatives
British Land fuels derivatives growth Times Online
Stress Testing At Major Banks, Brokers And Dealers Forbes
CIBC not commenting on arbitrator's hedge-fund decision costing US$3.6M CP
German Business Confidence Falls for First Month in Three BL
Fears rise over property bubble People’s Daily
Japan: Would Diminished Liquidity Pop the Mini-bubble? Morgan S
China becomes World No. 1 cellphone producer CS
China's steel price keeps increasing at the beginning of 2005 PD Stats
Auto sales nosedive as output increases CS
More Western execs jump ship for Indian IT companies WSJ
Is there a retail loan bubble? Rediff
Bond sales hit record in Q4 Globe & Mail
FSA calls on banks to fight cash card crime Japan Times
Weak dollar trims Cadbury profits BBC
China Aviation Oil sued by second big creditor FT (R)
Lawyers face multi-million rand fraud charges IOL
US denies plotting to kill Chavez BBC
Bush leans on Putin. Will he budge? CS Monitor
Farm food fight looms over Cuba AP

Tuesday February 22
Oil, Dollar Moves Slam Stocks TheStreet
Dow posts biggest loss in 21 months CBSM 29 in the Red ~  Oil tops $51
“The likes of Thailand, Taiwan and smaller, medium-sized central banks may follow suit”  Bloomberg
The Asian Monetary Fund Rears Its Head Again Auerback
New funds for playing the dollar CBSM
Oil Jumps to $50 a Barrel as Cold Boosts Heating-Fuel Demand BL
Oil Could Slip Up Stock Gains WSJ
Consumer Confidence in U.S. Drops to 104 BL Conference Board
Bears Maul Futures CBSM
Dollar Declines on Report Korea to Diversify Currency Reserves BL
Europe gold hits seven-week peak on surging euro Reuters
Dollar Downtrend Still in Place Black Swan PDF
Crude Jumps BL Inflation Hikes Due To Weak Dollar - LBs DJ
Soros: Oil exporters' shift to euros hurts dollar Reuters
Economic Growth Expected to Dip in 2005 AP NABE
Profit warnings mount Globe & Mail First Call (Weekly)
More than 2-and-a-half companies have warned for every one that raised its outlook. That ratio is well above the historical average of 2.0 and the fourth-quarter ratio of 1.8.
Near-Term Outlook Moves to a More Ominous "Red Alert" Gillespie
The Decoy of the Falling Dollar Taylor/Fekete
Why the Long Bond Might Just Keep Getting Stronger & Stronger
The Secular Trend Saville
The Maestro Changes his Tune Paul
Greenspan has become one of those central planners he once denounced
Why did you change your mind, Mr. Greenspan? Baker
Greenspan Sees Fervent Social Security Discord Berry
Fed's Rate Boosts Backfire by Stimulating Economy, Lending bl
Four Fed Hikes and a Funeral Financial Sense
Pensions and Japanese help to explain the 'conundrum' TOnline  Chart
Pension funds, nursing wounds, move out of stocks NYT
A half-century ago, pension funds generally invested as safely as they could; nearly all their money was in low-risk bonds and bond-backed instruments...By the end of the 20th century, all-bond strategies were a dim memory, and a typical pension fund had about two-thirds of its assets in stocks and one-third in bonds.
Swindler Again Selling Real Estate Courant
Bear Funds Lick Chops TheStreet
In unusual move, GM slashes sticker prices on SUVs USAT
US investor seeks to block MCI sale to Verizon: report AFP
Winn-Dixie seeks bankruptcy AP
Home Depot Posts Jump in Its 4Q Profit AP
TWX: making options available to all 80,000 would be ''prohibitively expensive” C
Prison Time for Former Boeing CFO CFO
Cancerous Clump NYP (Byron)
Blockbuster sued over late fees CNN
Howard Stern guest gets SEC subpoena CNN
U.S. firm details data breach AP
Courts and Torts: Touching on Intangibles CFO
Pension Consultant Conflicts Sap Your Retirement Bloomberg
“Recently we found a consultant who was earning approximately $4 million from the money managers he recommended to a $2 billion pension fund, which thought it was paying the consultant $300,000 for objective advice.”
US$6b fund to back ailing stock markets TheStandard
China will create a $6B investment fund to support its moribund stock markets, using public funds for the first time...
China allows banks to establish mutual funds FT
China's January Consumer Prices Rise 1.9%, Smallest Gain in a Year BL
BOJ's Mizuno: CPI won't tie hands on policy--paper Reuters
Euro keeps damper on Germany IHT
Little Christmas Cheer for CDN Retailers CIBC
Dollar Hits 22-Year Low Vs NZ Dollar Reuters
Breakup of Yukos hits output in Russia IHT (NYT)
Caribbean bank eyed in Portus probe Globe & Mail
Investors bet big on equity fund IPOs The Telegraph (India)
Ericsson to Lay Off 393 Workers in Sweden AP
Second suicide in Seibu scandal Asahi
Dubai-based gold exchange aims to rank among world's top five Daily Star
Arms to China threatens to derail Bush-Blair love train Australian
Europeans Ask: Is Bush a Wolf in a Granny's Suit? Spiegel

Weekend Edition (Feb 19-21)
The economic horrors facing central bankers Inde (King)
An inside look at trades gone right and wrong MSN (Fleck)
Survey: U.S. Gas Prices Down Slightly AP
U.S. to Lead Gov. Debt Auctions This Week; Japan, Germany Plan Sales BL
The market's conundrum CNN
Privatization's desperate little secrets Farrell
More than a technicality Brimelow
Does Smith Barney's firing of its entire U.S. technical analysis team send a message?
Why You Should Own Gold & Dollars Taylor Maund Gold May Rise BL
Charting the Course of the Secular Bear Market G-E
The Nation That Debt Built G-E
Bretton Woods, Part Two Mauldin
It Has Everything to do with ‘Finance,’ Mr. Chairman PBear (Noland)
The other side of prosperity Auerback
Contending Gold Perspectives Zeal
When the Fed stops its neutral talking, we'll know the squeeze is about to be applied Independent
Borrow and spend vs. export and stumble Norris
Buyer’s Blues NYP
Fund View: Consumers on the Ropes Reuters
“This is one bubble that has yet to pop”
Out of Steam Newsweek
A dip in U.S. productivity provokes anxious questions. The biggest: does it signal the end of the global boom?
Getting Rich:  Stock Valuations Charting The Economy
Unmasking That Pension Consultant NYT (Morgenson)
Firms hold back on hiring LA Times
Companies able to expand without adding employees
U.S. Companies Bring Overseas Profits Home AP
Merck's Vioxx May Be Sold Again, FDA Advisers Vote BL
Feds Investigating Wal-Mart Settlement AP
GM's $2 Billion Lifeline Still Won't Rescue Fiat BL
Ex-Boeing director gets jail term BBC
Exxon Mobil Passes GE As Most Valuable AP
Spitzer probes World Jewish Congress Observer
Shareholders Must Push To Stop Ridiculous Pay NYP
Don't Show Us the Money Newsweek
Why Wall Street is sitting out the Social Security wars
Asia-Pacific: More of the Same? MS (Xie)
The hurdles that unite Southeast Asian leaders Pesek
China's Producer-Price Inflation Slows to 5.8 Percent BL
Why China Won't Revalue The Yuan Forbes
Foreign Investment in China Rose 10.7% in January BL
ECB's Wellink Says European Inflation Is Under Control BL
U.S. Watches As China Seduces Caribbean Guardian
Bank breaker Observer
10-years after bringing Barings to its knees and being branded the world's first 'rogue trader', Nick Leeson warns that the financial services industry has yet to learn its lesson  Few escaped unscathed from glittering class of 1995
The Week Ahead: Best Bond Bet CIBC PDF
Dragon Storm TheAge
The world's biggest consumer of iron ore is putting pressure on producers to uncork a supply bottleneck
Tories accuse Brown of 'brazen cheating' to meet his golden rule Independent
High exposure to housing could become a bubble: OBC chief India News
FSA to assess banks' credit checks Japan Times
FSA to discipline Meiji Yasuda Japan Times
Beware the perils of a falling property market Sun Herald
Last chance saloon for Lastminute.com? ThisisMoney
Chancellor urged: sell gold to the Chinese Observer
Chavez says US plans to kill him BBC

Greenspan And His Bubble Forbes

Friday February 18
Post-Bubble Pitfalls -- Yet Another Lesson from Japan MS (Roach)
U.S. charges traders with foreign exchange fraud CFTC
Consumer sentiment sinks in Feb., UMich says CBSM
Producer Prices Rise 0.3%; Core Jumps 0.8% BL BLS -  Treasurys slump
We Shoulda Seen it Coming! Corrigan
Bad Bets Against Bonds? Schaeffers
Inflation-Deflation Tug Aden
Barclays Opens Up a Pandora's Box of Derivatives Gilbert
Dollar Heads for Biggest Weekly Decline in 2 Months on U.S. Rate Outlook BL
Bullish XAU Could Indicate Higher Gold DJ Hedge Book Analysis GFMS
What Keeps Greenspan Up at Night Comstock
Fed chief sees home price bubble WT
Greenspan Undermines Bush's Social Security Plan BL
Mortgage giants' growth worries Fed AP Suggests Limits
A Fannie-Freddie 'conspiracy'? Newsday
A dose of pension reality Dallas News
Reality adds $1.1 trillion (yes, trillion with a T) in off-balance-sheet pension liabilities and $900 billion in off-balance-sheet assets.
Bush sees uphill fight Reuters
The President acknowledged lack of support for his Social Security plan, but vows to keep fighting
Congress curbs class-action suits BBC  Bankruptcy Bill Advances WP
The new money men Economist
Investors have made a trillion-dollar bet that hedge funds will bring them rich returns. But will they?
If a stock falls, blame the SEC Norris
Too many investors are like students who think good grades reflect their brilliance and bad grades show unfair teachers.
Why Intel's inventory troubles may cause widespread problems ITMJ
Qwest plans new bid for MCI Reuters
NY Times agrees to buy About.com Crain’s
Merck May Consider Selling Vioxx Again Reuters
Ballard's Power Drain Fool
Smith Barney Lays Off Entire US Technical Analysis Team Dow Jones
Microsoft recalls Xbox cords CNN
WorldCom ex-CFO tells of pressure to hit numbers AP
Conference Board suspends analyst CBSM
15 firms now face annuities inquiries Boston Globe
NASD: American Funds Paid $100M in Kickbacks NYP
Bally Faces Criminal Investigation CFO
Compuware testimony against IBM begins Det FP
AmEx Unit Accused of Defrauding Investors AP
Florida Probes Tenet Hospital TheStreet
Investor sues Cisco over execs' stock plans Mecury News
In addition to criticizing the option plan as “exorbitant,'' the suit also contained an unusual allegation, that in 2003, Cisco's board knowingly granted stock options to executives one day before Cisco announced some good news.
Pre-merger trading on P&G, Gillette raises flags MSN
Auditors Rotating at a Dizzying Pace CFO
The 2,514 changes over the past two years represents more than one-fourth of all U.S. publicly traded companies.
Bad for business? Economist
Business schools stand accused of being responsible for much that is wrong with corporate management today
Deloitte: Talent Crisis Looms SmartPros
Oil Prices May Increase Next Week as Demand Rises, Survey Finds BL
Shell and Exxon Tap `High Cost' Oil Sands, Gas as Other Reserves Dwindle BL
Copper Trades Near 16-Year High on China Demand, Weaker Dollar BL
Inventory monitored by the LME has slid 87 percent since the start of last year to 55,800 tons.
"Crazy For You" bears in straitjackets Seattle Times  Are tulips next? SP
China Industrial Output Rises 8.9%, Slowest in 3 Yrs BL
China: Dealing with Too Much Money MS (Xie)
Why your clothes are made in China Blodget
France to Sell First 50-Year Bond From a G-7 Nation BL
EU reopens trade row with US Times Online
The renewed hostility will cast a shadow over a visit by President Bush to Brussels to repair transatlantic ties damaged by the Iraq war.
Low bond returns baffle bankers CP
Massive gap in pensions as public sector bill soars 20% Times Online
The World Bank reconsiders its pension strategy Economist
Australia's central bank chief warns of rate hikes, lower growth AFP  Text
Speculators out in force as mining minnows become the new dot.coms Inde
"In the first quarter of last year, you could have floated a dead dog"
Russia: So Much For The Oil Giants' Next Frontier BW
Deutsche Bank Says Russia’s Yukos Lied to U.S. Court MosNews
Portus probe may widen Globe & Mail
Treasury's Role in Illicit Iraq Oil Sales Cited WP

Thursday February 17
Philadelphia Fed February Manufacturing Index Rises PFed
The U.S. Leading Index Decreases in January Conference Board
Initial Jobless drop by 2K BL Jan. import prices jump 0.9% CBSM Census
Gold Rises in London as Dollar Slumps Against Euro for 4th Day BL
Crude Oil Trades Near Three-Week High on Rising World Demand BL
Conditionally Unconditional Pimco (McCulley)
How Fragile is the U.S. Economy? Levy
The Lukewarm 2004 Labor Market EPI
The Coming Fiscal Deluge NCPA
For now, the fight against deflation is over ECR Research
It's all too weird, and I am all too scared Mogambo Guru
Debt Trap Dynamics: Time To Think The Unthinkable PBear (Auerback)
It's All About Perception Rostenko Even a bear likes a recovery Brimelow
Out of Aces Daily Reckoning
How US suffers when $ falls CS Monitor US$ Props & Pitfalls Willie Droke
Greenspan's Conundrum CIBC Alan Feigns Confusion Over a No-brainer EP
Soaring home values not necessarily good Pioneer Press
The hottest housing market MSN
This city was the hottest housing market last year, with prices rising 47%. But worries about a bubble persist.
Some Housing Markets Are Grossly Overheated REstate Journal
8-figure home sales soar C  Developer warns of condo glut   PP (R)
Invest Your IRA in Real Estate? Kiplinger
Are Americans successful because they're nuts? Slate
Consumer Electronics Sales Insights View From SV
As high-tech exports drop, US warned it could lose competitive edge AFP
Ethics training ordered by Citigroup executive R/BL
Wal-Mart's 4th-Qtr Profit Rises to $3.16 Bln on Holiday Sales BL
Pharma shares slide ahead of hearing Times Online
Steelmakers dispute auto parts makers' report on prices PPG
Founded in N.E., exported to China Boston Globe
Is Cornerstone just giving back money? CBSM
Ebbers' lawyer grills top witness over lies Seattle Times
IPO For Banker Weisel NYP  IPOs in 2005 raise record $8.4 billion USAT
The New Raiders Business Week
In all, hedge funds and their affiliates have announced deals for at least 23 companies, valued at about $30 billion, in the past year.
Capital Ideas: Cashing in on Currency CFO
Where Did All the Long Bonds Go? BW
Bush May Raise Taxes for Social Security Reuters
Mankiw resigns as White House CEA chairman Reuters
Summers' Harvard Vote Fails to Get Rubin Response Bloomberg
US warned of east-west oil bidding war NYT (FT)
Dent Still Sees Boom 9news
China emerges as global consumer BBC
China has overtaken the US in the consumption of basic agricultural and industrial goods, a survey has found.
Germany and Japan—shrinking giants Economist
Japan's central bank vows to keep stimulus policy as economy slumps AFP
Sakakibara Says Japan Shouldn't Halt Yen Gain to 95 Per Dollar BL
Brazil Raises Benchmark Lending Rate to 18.75 Percent BL
The global counterfeit business is out of control Business Week
Brussels warns Brown over budget deficit Guardian
Swiss must repay £244m of dictator’s dirty money Times Online
It sounds ike the ultimate Nigerian scam letter — only this time, it is genuine
Regulators extend Portus suspension to at least 3 months Globe & Mail
Mafia told Desmond: we'll kill you over porn deal Guardian
Chávez Stepping Out of Bounds CS Monitor

Fund managers poll CNN
February's cash level is near the record low of 3.5 percent logged in December 2003, showing that fund managers are near to being fully invested in the market.

Wednesday February 16
U.S. January Industrial Production Unchanged; Plant Use 79% BL
Iran blast report shocks world market -  Iran to aid Syria against threats BBC
Research Quarterly - February 2005 Bond Market Association
Asset-backed securities issuance increased 53.2 percent, to a record $896.6 billion, up from the $585.1 billion issued during the previous year.
Plane registered to Circuit City crashes CBSM
Testimony of Chairman Alan Greenspan FED
History cautions that people experiencing long periods of relative stability are prone to excess.
Treasury Notes Fall -- Greenspan: Interest Rates Are `Fairly Low'
$ Gains Versus Yen, Euro After Greenspan BL
Oil Prices Fall on U.S. Inventory Report AP DOE
Oil Demand to Rise More Than Expected in 2005, OPEC Says BL
Greenspan, Iran weigh on stocks   CNN
“Witnesses claim Wednesday's blast was the result of a missile fired from a plane seen overhead.”  CNNs
Housing Starts in U.S. Unexpectedly Increase 4.7 Percent to 21-Year High BL
Mortgage Applications Fell Last Week Reuters
Many analysts now expecting tougher talk from Fed chief CBSM
Consumer Watch U.S. - The End of Home-Made Savings CIBC PDF
Median PV home price: $1 million Arizona Republic
The figure is a milestone in metropolitan Phoenix's housing market, marking the first time the median resale home price in any city has exceeded $1 million,
The Three Faces of Inflation Puplava
Will There Be a "Public" Stock-Market Capitulation Gillespie
A Simple Explanation for Bond-Market Exuberance Gilbert
Cinderella markets Economist
If ever there was a time to shun glamour and look for inner beauty, this is it
Bubbles and Crashes Princeton  Powerpoint
PC shipment growth may slow in 2005 CNet
Dolby's IPO: Are the Numbers Distorted? Business Week
Circuit City to Close 19 Stores Reuters
Ford courts students and grads with $500 cash bonus Reuters
Kicking the Stock-Options Habit Business Week
The Deferred-Revenue Dilemma CFO
Three More Plead Guilty in Insurance Probe TheStreet
Accord Limits I.P.O. Liability of 300 Start-Ups NYT
Hedged mutual funds offer defense strategy Chicago Sun Times
The Psychology of Gold and Silver Texas Hedge
Gold Turns Out to be Someone’s Liability After All Wood
UK fund manager sees golden future TheAge
Europe gold drifts lower, market eyes Greenspan Reuters
'Dogs Playing Poker' sell for $590K CNN
Japan Falls Into Recession as 4th-Qtr GDP Shrinks Bloomberg
Yen Falls After Report Shows Japan's Economy Entered Recession BL
Liquidity quandary for BOJ Asahi
Japan to Halt Yen Gain Should China Revalue, MOF Says BL
Chinese Rooster Year Outlook, Part 2 Bullnotbull
China and the Final War for Resources Axis of Logic
Will rise in yuan spell more yen sales? IHT (BL)
ECB worry as Italy and Germany fall back Times Online
Moody's cuts Philippines sovereign rating by two notches AFP
Brazil to Ask for WTO Investigation of U.S. Soybean Farming Subsidies BL
Venezuela Agency Closes Coke Operations   AP
Fake document led to Citigroup sacking FT (R)
Financial Times cuts 30 staff to reduce costs FT
Electrolux could pull plug on 27 western factories Guardian

Dollar Weakens As Japanese Continue To Dump Treasuries Daily FX

Tuesday February 15
U.S. capital flows fall sharply in Dec. CBSM US Treasury
January Retail Sales Fall 0.3%; Ex-Autos Rise 0.6% BL Census
Sears Restates Fourth Quarter Earnings AP
E*Trade Cuts Fees on Most Accounts Reuters
Close Your Eyes Morgan Stanley (Roach)
Swelling U.S. twin deficits Asahi
Weak dollar lets foreigners grab U.S. firms IHT (Boston Globe)
What we owe keeps growing DiMartino
U.S. households are vulnerable to any bump in the road
Markets await word from man with hand on interest rate tiller FT
Some Fed policymakers suspect its reassuring guidance may have encouraged excessive risk-taking in financial markets as well as some housing-market excess.
Greenspan to Admonish Congress, Not Consumers, on Need to Save BL
It's Not a Good Time for New Greenspan MacGuffin Baum
Dollar Near 1-Week Low; Demand for U.S. Assets May Have Eased BL
Are Central Banks Buying Fewer Dollars? Kitco Casey
Nasdaq's relative weakness bearish? Hulbert
This is What REAL Credit Growth Looks Like FallST (EW)
How to Avoid Hedge Fund `Accident' With Diligence Bloomberg
Employers using hedge funds to oversee pension assets AR
Interest-Rate Squeeze Puts Bond Managers on Spot Currier
Sales Data Fuels Case for Slowing Housing Market LA Business Journal
Bush Wants $82B More for Iraq, Afghan Costs Reuters
Bush's Budget Means Cutting Only Peanut Butter Bloomberg
How Housing Helped Bush Weekly Standard (R)
Bush has presided over the largest increase in American home values of any president during the modern era--but potential dangers await as he begins his second term.  Region joins housing bubble WT
Medicaid is devouring Federal, State Budgets NCPA
Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Doubles Comcast Stake, Trims Holding of Nike BL
Regency, Macquarie CountryWide to Buy Malls for $2.74B From Calpers BL
Circuit City Gets $3.25B Buyout Offer AP
Verizon CFO: 7,000 Layoffs After MCI Merger Dow Jones
Is Southwest Headed South? Schaeffers
United offered debt financing worth $2.5bn FT
Pentagon to probe 8 more Air Force deals Reuters
J.P. Morgan pays $2.1M settlement Reuters
SEC's Bear Stearns Probe Deepens TheStreet
AIG sustains barrage of subpoenas Telegraph
OfficeMax CEO Resigns; 2 Employees Fired AP
Study Links Painkillers to Heart Risk AP
Drug sales in the US head for stagnation Times Online
Painkiller Use Falls After Vioxx Withdrawn AP
The Insider: 'I think we're going to blow by Sony with our next box' Seattle PI
AMD slashes processor prices Register
Chocolate industry criticized for inaction on child labor AP
NYSE Puts Late Filers on Notice CFO
IMF gold sale plan need not depress market price FT IMF gold sale unlikely MS
The December peak in gold should not be exceeded EW
What's the top performing stock over the last 25 years? CBSM
World funds are latest bubbly bet Detroit FP
“We're seeing signs of a possible mania”
A Slow Boat to Yuan Devaluation Business Week
Yuan-dollar peg and its discontents ABS-CBN
Banking sector needs a little control Bangkok Post
People are growing increasingly worried about the effects of China's dysfunctional financial system
Welcome to the Chinese century? Not so fast Pesek
Global outlook: No risks, no gains Asia Times
Change will be painful for everyone, so it remains easier to push the day of reckoning further into the future...
European Growth Unexpectedly Slows, German Economy Shrinks BL
UK buy-to-let boom 'losing steam' BBC
Mortgage fees jump by 40% Times Online
Luxury car sales in China slow sharply in 2004 China Daily
China shuts down 10,000 Internet bars in 2004 Xinhua
Nonresidents buy record 15 trillion yen in stocks, bonds Japan Times
BOJ's English Web site popular Japan Times
Overseas analysts apparently watch every effort made by the BOJ to lift the nation out of its prolonged period of deflation.
Argentines warm to bond swap FT
Mexico City suburb enjoys major housing boom AP
Portus has hedge funds uneasy Globe & Mail
"There's a real concern that these guys are going to leave a smell on the Canadian alternative investment industry”

Monday February 14
Economists raise 2005 U.S. GDP forecast Reuters  Philly Fed
Debt and Money Zoom Higher Wall Street Examiner
Nothing from nothing Farrell
We're a zero-saver nation full of excuses, unwilling to give up lattes
Europe gold, silver move higher as dollar slides Reuters
Rampant consumer spending can't continue, analyst warns DiMartino
 Stocks that rely on consumers' ability to increase their spending should be avoided like the plague.
Bad Finance Hussman
Various late 90's valuation models that properly vanished during the 2000-2002 plunge are being pulled out of the dirt like artifacts from an archaeological dig.
Stepping aside from the investment markets! AME (Faber)
U.S. Stocks May Falter as 2005 Profit Outlook Fails to Improve BL
Pensions' hole could be deeper than thought UPS
Accounting may underestimate what is owed to future retirees
That jobs report was no reason to celebrate MSN (Fleck)
Beware the bear Warsaw BJ
The American economy and Say’s Law Brookesnews
Look Both Ways: Irrational Gloom? CFO
The current rush toward investment in safe-haven Treasury securities may not have a rational basis.
Banc of America cuts bond weighting to zero CBSM
Worrying price trends Dawn
Verizon to buy MCI for $6.7 billion CBSM
Wheaton River shareholders back Goldcorp takeover Reuters
Carly may get $42 million CNN
AIG Gets Subpoenas From Spitzer, SEC AP
4 funds that scream 'dump me!' MSN
Settlements hit record in U.S. securities suits IHT (NYT)
'Toothless’ Feds May Dump Next Martha Stock Case NYP
Commodities get new spin Chicago Tribune
Oil bulls shrug off winter discontent Brimelow
Control all 'tyrannical' world oil chokepoints? 321
IMF gold sales - Why it will be a non-event Mineweb
China's Big Export Time
When it comes to spying, Beijing likes to flood the zone
Yen Gains After Japan's Current Account Surplus Widens BL
The economic news you may have missed Independent
India and China battle over Russian oil Telegraph
First signs of growing stock bubble Indian Express
Growth story or ghost story? Pesek
Australian Home owners taking on more risk News
Africans' new motto: 'Charge it' CS Monitor
A half-million new credit cards may be issued this year in Kenya. Only 100,000 people currently hold cards.
Volkswagen's Profit Falls 29 Percent on Lower Sales in China, U.S. Losses BL
U.S. Said to Pay Iraq Contractors in Cash AP
Buy stock in Iraq? Not yet CS Monitor

Weekend Edition (Feb 12-13)
'Love Stocks' in Wall Street Spotlight AP
The Week Ahead: Measured Words CIBC All eyes on Greenspan CNN
Greenspan calibrates the dollar Reuters  Greenspan's Whopper Bonner
US woes threaten global economy Business Times
Why The U.S. Budget Deficit Matters BCAR
Home equity loans rise sharply NJ
U.S. debt: Watch out for the domino effect IHT
Blame it on Demographics Mauldin
More from Mr. Otmar Issing PBear (Noland)
US Stocks in Euros Zeal
New Uptrend for Gold Maund
Watch for Squeezing Prices Schaeffers
Corporate Profits vs. GDP Northern Trust
Giving Away Lots of Money Is Easy, Right? Morgenson
Medtronic Warns of Defibrillator Problem AP
Citigroup's Krawcheck Says European Bond-Trade Fallout May Cut Profit BL
Citi To Layoff 1,000 Overall NYP Stun Gun Stock Are Jolted NYP
GM, Fiat reach $2 billion settlement CBSM
Qwest Raises Bid for MCI to More Than $7 Billion, Tops Verizon, People Say BL
How Wall Street blurs lines between brokers and advisers CBSM
Gridlock on India's New Paths to Prosperity NYT
Indian outsourcing business hits a bumpy road IHT
World focus: China AZCentral
China to maintain 'basically stable' yuan rate in 2005 AFP
Yukos sues for more than $20B over Ch 11 stay CBSM
Spotlight: Bank's president arrives in time of crisis IHT
Ontario Regulator Imposes Trading Ban on Portus Hedge Fund BL
Up to 70% interest - credit card aimed at the poor Guardian
Uniq pension deters suitors Guardian
Oil-for-Food Head Said to Block Audit AP

Friday February 11
Trusting investors lulled by a sea of complacency Australian
Markets are behaving as if they believe central banks have discovered how to deliver permanently low inflation and sustained economic growth.
No Rest Yet for the Fed WSJ
CNBC Redefines the Word "Sacrifice" Euro Pacific
Public Participation Comstock
Fed Officials Don't See China Dropping Peg Soon Berry
Americans Still Consuming Too Much and Rest of World Still Consuming Too Little Global Insight
Just Like Old Times as Joe Granville Yells `Sell' Bloomberg
Chico leads housing bubble list ACBJ National City PDF
Low mortgage rates make time right for refinancing Arizona Republic
As deficits soar, why cut taxes? Norris
Hedge funds success may not be all it seems -study Reuters
PC Juggernaut Dell Bearish on 2005 Outlook AP
Krispy Kreme Shares Plummet on Worries AP
Ebay says Web search key word pricing "bubble-like" Reuters
Senate votes to limit class action lawsuits AP
U.S. Firms Losing Health Care Battle, GM Chairman Says WP
State hits Citizens unit over annuities Boston Globe
Audit Fees Double Due to Sarbox CFO
Donaldson may bend a little on Sarbanes-Oxley FT
I was no insider dealer, Soros says Times Online
“Not Free, Not Fair” An Update on the Gold Cartel Embry
Gold Into Capitulation Mode 321
Lawmakers Oppose Sale of IMF Gold Stocks Reuters
China's Choice Morgan Stanley (Roach)
One third of China's private business people are Communist Party members AFP
Global Stocks And Bonds Are De-Coupled BCA Research
Ghosts of 1997 Haunting Bangkok These Days Pesek
Russia bars foreign-owned firms from key assets FT
IMF cuts forecast for German growth this year to 1.0-1.5 pct AFP
Growth of Russian oil supply slowing, IEA reports Times Online
The rise and rise of the sharemarket tipsters Courier Mail
Argentine Congress Bans Gov. From Improving Debt Restructuring Offer BL
Unilever: The Anglo-Dutch giant is in bad shape Economist

Thursday February 10
Top Line Dents Dell TheStreet
Trade Gap Shrinks BL Census -  All-Time High of $617.7 Billion in 2004 AP
Dollar Advances Against the Euro and Yen After U.S. Trade Deficit Narrows BL
Jobless claims fall to 4-year low CBSM
Crude Oil Gains as IEA Says Demand Rising Faster Than Expected BL IEA
Dollar Near 2-Month High Against Yen Before U.S. Deficit Report BL
Dollar May Fall on Expectations Report to Renew Deficit Concern BL
No easy fix for trade gap Dallas Morning News
The US & the World Economy: Foreign Economic Policy for the Next Decade IIE
Will the Bretton Woods 2 Regime Unravel Soon? Roubini  PDF
The Risk of a Hard Landing in 2005-2006
Where is the dollar heading? DB Research
Should we be so bold as to start considering an alternative to the existing global exchange rate system?
Will the economic recovery continue to roll in 2005? No. Daily Herald
Defined Benefit Pension Plans' Interest Rate Exposure at Record High Pimco
Factors Influencing Long Term Yields Northern Trust PDF
Thirst for short-dated Treasuries still unslaked following $15bn sale FT
Of Topsy-Turvy Yields and Curves Morgan Stanley
Decoding The Yield Curve Yardeni  PDF
Smart Investors Go Against Herd Fox
The Big Loser Faber
The times are out of whack Russell
Fools Parade 1 2 Fiendbear
Minimum credit card payments rising Boston Herald
Move follows growing concerns about the amount Americans are borrowing
World in a property bubble BRW Magazine
Economist: Bay Area real estate slowing AP
New magazine targets luxury real estate buffs TownOnline
Downtown home sales heated Chicago Tribune
Beware the Budget Ratchet CATO
Proposed Social Security price indexing would slash benefits EPI
Gold Bullies Systematically Wringing Gold Market Goldenbar
Newmont opposes IMF gold sale plan FT
Networking Nightmare Schaeffers
Bundesbank warns over Citigroup case FT
Wall Street's affection for Fiorina vanished Norris BBC
CEO slashed thousands of jobs but lost her own AP
Fiorina, who touts The Art of War by the ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu as her favorite book, wasn’t afraid to blame individuals or declare enemies.
SEC Official Rebuts Fannie Mae WP Restatements May Take a Year FT
Wal-Mart to close store that's about to unionize AP
Sara Lee Names New CEO; to Divest Units AP
Are eBay and Amazon swimming naked? CNN
Pfizer staff fear 10,000 job losses Guardian
Playtex to cut 20 percent of staff: company to ship some work to Malaysia AP
Cash crunch could fell Krispy Kreme CBSM
GM Recalling Over 193,000 Vehicles Reuters
American tosses pillows off most domestic flights USAT
Scrushy scoffs at SEC Reuters
Elan to Pay $15 Mln to Settle SEC Charges AP
Ex-Handleman official accepts $25,000 fine Bloomberg
SEC Examining Possible Revisions to Law AP
SEC Moves Raise Questions It's Going Soft AP
SEC Report Faults Nasdaq Oversight TheStreet
Woman's claim that Merrill caused her to overspend denied AP
A Cruel, Cold January for Funds Business Week
The $2.4 Million Question: What is the ROI for Super Bowl Ads? Wharton
What GDP figures don't say Pesek
China: The Show Goes On Morgan Stanley (Xie)
Canada looks to retaliate against U.S. on softwood, B.C. backs move CP
Floats: Fire in the pit BRW
More companies are lining up to list than at the peak of the tech bubble
Bad news for household goods Asahi
New manufacturing job cuts feared BBC
Is the share boom a load of bull? This is Money
Prime Minister was ready to resign after currency crisis Times Online
Golden days are over on Brazil's soyabean frontier FT
"Brazil's agro-business is in flux . .. we are victims of a crisis of abundance"
Russia Says It's Ready to Arm Saudi Arabia Moscow Times
Yukos Lawyer's Wife Detained at Airport After Drug Tip-Off Moscow Times

Wednesday February 9
Fed's Guynn: 'Measured' may soon go Reuters
Treasury 10-Year Yield Drops Below 4 Percent for First Time Since October BL
Dollar Rally Stalls as Trade Data Looms AP
High yield or high risk? Hulbert
There's a connection between the bankruptcy rate and new issues of high-yield bonds.
Fitch warns of US rates jump threat FT
Biggest U.S. pension fund warns on private equity Reuters
The booming U.S. private equity market could be heading for a crash as interest rates rise and hedge funds, desperately seeking higher returns, pour money into the sector
Greenspan Not Really Optimistic on Account Gap Berry
Citigroup Now Supports Super Cycle Thesis AIR
Dealing with runaway oil prices Asia Times
Mortgage Applications Increase Last Week Reuters
Real estate appraisal laws lack teeth, funds Inman
Appraisal inflation: Real estate's dirty little secret
Snow urges quick action on Social Security Reuters
WHouse balks at submitting Social Security plan Reuters
Don't count on Social Security CBSM
Bush's Social Security Plan Assumes Much From Stocks W
Should Tax Dollars Fund Bush's Bubble? WP
Democrats vow fight to protect Amtrak funding AP
Poll: Tap wealthy on Social Security USAT
Citigroup Mustn't Make Scapegoats of Bond Traders Gilbert
Warren Buffett and Bill Gates do Not a Mania Make Euro P
Soft Sales Sack Cisco TheStreet
Chambers Forecasts Slowest Sales Gain in Six Quarters BL
Hewlett-Packard's Fiorina Ousted Over `Differences' With Board on Strategy BL
Krispy Kreme to cut 25% of workers AP Sells Corporate Jet ACBJ
Pfizer Says It Is Weighing Job Cuts as It Faces Patent Losses on Key Drugs BL
Ex-HealthSouth Exec Tells of Secret Tapes AP
Marketers of Splenda Sue Over Campaign AP
Debt-Rating Firms Resist Prospect of More Supervision WP
Crunch time for Sarbanes-Oxley FT
The big four accounting firms Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PwC suggest about 10 per cent of companies will reveal serious difficulties.
Insider Buying Falls to 12-Year Low CFO
Corporate executives and directors are bearish on their own companies' stock.
Pension funds 'eyeing commodity investments' Times Online
VXO Hits Nine-Year Low Schaeffers
New uses for gold could raise industrial demand by 50% in a decade Business R
Beware The Rooster AIR
On The Economy -- The Giant Entangled IW
Being a world leader takes more than simply having lots of people.
China-US trade ties to enter an eventful period, Expert People’s Daily
Japan’s Economy: Struggling To Bottom BCA Research
ECB's Liebscher Sees No Need to Raise Rates BL
MP queries undisclosed ending of FSA inquiry Times Online
Prospectuses that float on a sea of secrecy Times Online
The Financial Services Authority should be renamed the Financial Secrecy Authority for its Kremlin-like contempt for the rights of ordinary investors.
Man Group apologises to Eurex chief FT
Toronto-Dominion Eying Stelco Assets - Report Reuters
Iraq to earn millions from $5 bln Fed deposit-Taylor Reuters

Tuesday February 8
Consumers less confident in U.S. economy - report Reuters
WorldCom Needed Two Sets of Books Under Ebbers, E-Mail Shows BL
Gold Trades Near 16-Week Low on IMF Bullion Sales Concern, Stronger$ BL
Dollar Gains; Bies Says U.S. Attracting `Tremendous Amount' of Investment BL
Crude falls below $45 per barrel CBSM
It’s Not About Investing Anymore Cross Currents
Aging, the World Economy and the Coming Generational Storm NCPA PDF
How Wall Street Learns to Look the Other Way NYT (Shiller - R)
"The Lull Before The Storm" Puplava
The Next Mania in Investing Might Be Income Fever BL
Tracking Consumer Spending May Knock Economists Off Track NBR Transcript
Will consumers finally take a break from shopping this year? That`s what many computer models are projecting...
Schaeffer on Charts: Bad Medicine Schaeffers
The cloud in the silver lining Hulbert
The stock market's initial reaction to Friday's unemployment news was revealing -- and potentially disturbing
Congress unlikely to embrace Bush wish list WP
Fiscal Projections Questioned on Capitol Hill, Wall St. BL
Budget tight, deficit high CSM Spearing The Beast Krugman
White House: Social Security plan will expand deficits R
Roots of Social Security found in Great Depression Scripps
Math comes up short in Bush's plan to cut deficit IHT (NYT)
Last year, Bush called for cutting or eliminating 65 programs, for a total projected savings of $4.8 billion. But Congress agreed to eliminate only four of those programs, for a savings of less than $200 million.
The era of big government is back LA Times
The Deficit Is in the Details NYT
Many people who follow budgets closely doubt much deficit reduction is in the offing.
Dealing with a Declining Dollar – Part I YaleGlobal
High-yield bond prices lower FT
The weak start could be a warning sign to investors...this was only the third time in the index's 19-year history that the market fell in the first month.
EDS stock sinks on '05 forecast   Reuters
Job Cuts, Outsourcing in Store at Playtex Reuters
Federated Fueled Trial Balloon To May With Journal Hot Air NYP
W.House Questions Fannie, Freddie Value Reuters
W.R. Grace, Execs Charged With Asbestos Conspiracy at Montana Mine BL
Glamis raises takeover bid for Goldcorp CBC
Ex-Enron CFO settles with SEC for $500K AP
Citigroup trades spark call for EU regulation FT
SEC Issues Formal Probe Order to Buca AP
Sullivan links Ebbers to WorldCom fraud Independent
Beware Blowhards Forbes
CNBC Change NYP
In 2004, CNBC's total viewers during the daytime slipped 21 percent
Gates draws on doodles mix-up to liven up speech Seattle PI
Digital guru floats sub-$100 PC BBC
Plot to cash in stolen nickels unravels when Florida store reports big deposit CP
Man fined for assaulting manager with Egg McMuffin AP
The Most Important Driver of Gold & Commodity Prices FSU
Moneyization, Part 7 Schmidt
German opposition raises spectre of 1930s FT
Unemployment is rampant; anger is growing among the poor; and the young democratic institutions, freshly settled in a new capital, are beginning to crumble Germans seek to overhaul state job pay IHT
Asian stock index sets 7-year high; greenback rises Reuters
Grim outlook for Chinese stockmarkets in Year of the Rooster AFP
China's growth enigma Business Line
Coal prices leap as power producers agree to pay over the limit Standard
China `Comfortable' on Rates, Preparing to Loosen Peg BL
Dollar Rises Versus Yen; China's Zhou Says Yuan Not Undervalued BL
ADollar down on $US strength Herald Sun
C$ closes below 80 cents US for 1st time since Oct as greenback revives CP
Monthly Indicators: Trust in Lower Rates CIBC PDF
Breaking out of the US wedge RBC  PDF
Russian assets whet investors' appetites, again IHT (Reuters)
Housing bubble still floating RNZ
Some Chinese Internet investors have had a rough year CBSM
The Dubai economic miracle, can it last? AME
20 years after Plaza deal Asahi
More retail gloom as BRC reports minimal January sales growth Guardian
T-Mobile to cut 800 jobs across UK Guardian
Yukos drops US case against five banks FT
Yukos Shipper Says Default Is Looming Moscow Times
Kenya: Cry foreign investors Financial Standard
Bank employees arrested for siphoning off customers's funds Jakarta Post

Monday February 7
Consumer credit increased 4-1/2 percent in 2004 FED
Confession Time   Morgan Stanley (Roach)
Bush Seeks $2.57 Trillion U.S. Budget to Slow Spending Growth, Cut Deficit BL
Gold Seen Pressured by IMF Sales Study Reuters
Currency Currents BS PDF
Useless Risk Hussman
Denial sets tech investors up for a fall MSN (Fleck) 
Too many investors aren't facing facts: There's too much capacity in chips, computers and related hardware for the current demand. That spells trouble.
Granville sees doom for Dow NY Daily News
Bad data was good for stocks, but not for long CBSM
Special Report: Dealing With The Dollar LA Business Journal
Greenspan's Delphic message on US deficit Independent (King)
Gas Could Be Costly for Summer Motorists AP
Strong hints of a bearish market year Democrat and Chronicle
Trim Deficit? Only if Bush Uses Magic NYT
The American economy: is the current account deficit a problem? Jackson
Cheney Says U.S. Can Afford Borrowing for Private Social Security Accounts BL
Social Insecurity NYP (Byron)
Who will be standing guard to see that the coffers of capitalism — suddenly swelling with the nation's retirement nest eggs — don't morph overnight into a ringing dinner bell for every white-collar criminal on earth?
The United States as an Indebted Empire AEI  Book: Colossus Amazon
Deflation is On Its Way! Taylor
Group of appraisers working to keep the profession honest DallasMN
 Appraisers are to the current real estate bubble as stock analysts were to the tech bubble: In each case, some pump up prices for their own gain, in opposition to all logic and sense.
Exporting America: An Interview With Dobbs MotherJ  Book: Exporting America
A New Inquiry Into Big Board Specialists NYT
The Drexel Diaspora NYT
Today, almost exactly 15 years after the firm's demise, many employees swept up in the Drexel diaspora have risen to prominent positions on Wall Street.
Bush Considers Limiting Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Assets Dow Jones
Nicolaisen to Testify on Fannie Mae Restatement WepCPA
EBay cuts fees to appease customers FT
Intel to be warned on `unfair' practice Asahi
Suspected of giving rebates to buyers of its central processing units (CPU) on condition that the manufacturers refrain from purchasing products of Intel rivals.
IBM, Sony, Toshiba to reveal ‘superbrain chip’ FT
GM Gives Pontiac Bonneville the Ax AP
Merck had early Vioxx warning? Reuters
Goldman Sachs Leads Fastest M&A Start Since 2000; Merrill, UBS Surge BL
Great Depression: defending capitalism against anti-market myths, part II Jack
Investment expert Peter Bernstein dispenses hard truths CBSM
Fox News declares war on CNBC CBSM
Pats win, bulls lose? CNN
Tomato crisis has Florida consumers seeing red AFP
Flood of spam anticipated WP
Thailand Is Turning Japanese; a Good Thing? Pesek
Will the Indian Tortoise Catch the Chinese Hare? Reuters
EU pledges not to impose quotas on Chinese textile imports AFP
Yue Yuen Shows Revaluation Limit AFP
Will a revaluation of the Chinese currency help reduce America's bloated trade deficit with China? A closer look at the world's biggest sneaker maker’s cost and pricing pressures show why that's probably wishful thinking.
Australia's central bank warns of early rates hike AFP
Retail Sales in Europe Drop for Fifth Month in Six, Denting Recovery Hopes BL
EMI Lowers Annual Revenue Forecast as Music Sales Miss BL
State  bank heads get earful on 'vile' fraud Standard

Dollar May Gain a 4th Week on Easing Deficit Concerns BL
U.S. Notes Set to Extend Rally After Weak Jobs Report BL

Friday February 4
Source: OPEC Won't Cut Until $37 Mark AP
G7 Aid Proposal for Africa in Jeopardy as U.S. Says No Reuters
RBC Commodities: IMF Gold Sales in Perspective RBC  PDF
Gold futures edge lower for a second day CBSM
Economy Adds 146K Jobs, Less Than Forecast; Jobless Rate Declines BL BLS
Greenspan: `Market Pressures' May Cut Current Account Gap BL Speech Text
“The voice of fiscal restraint, barely audible a year ago, has at least partially regained volume.”
Dollar Poised for Longest Weekly Winning Streak Since April   BL
Falling dollar hasn't landed yet AP
Pressure, Speculation Rise on China's Currency Stand LA Times
Summit expected to be anticlimactic CBSM
As Goes January...? Comstock
Don't Confuse Brains With A Bull Market Gold-Eagle
Take your damn shoes off! Shoes off! Mogambo Guru
The Fed's Trip to Neutrality Could Use a Roadmap Baum
Billion Dollar Babies Economist
A flurry of big acquisitions and better-than-expected corporate profits has heartened a dubious stockmarket recently. Don’t break out the champagne yet
The rise of the superbrands Economist
Trade deficit Star Tribune (R)
Trade numbers for December will come out next Thursday, and if they are anything like November's, watch out.
Hedge fund failures are on the horizon Advertiser
Sizing Up Social Security PIMCO (Gross)
Participants Would Lose Some Profits From Accounts WP
Participants get 100% of Their Personal Retirement Accounts Drudge
The White House is seeking a correction from the Washington Post.
Privatizers can't explain away their Catch-22 NYT (Krugman)  2018 CEPR
Hevesi's Bond Study Shows What Wall Street Does Bloomberg
Condo Fever Turns Buyers Into Early Birds NYT
U.S. consumer spending to slow in February-report Reuters
Fannie, Freddie regulator seeks power to close companies CBSM
New Sears Holding Company to Be Junk-Rated AP
Toyota U.S. Unit Finds Accounting Errors CFO
Halliburton exempt from Army withholding Reuters
Citigroup faces 30-day trading suspension over bond debacle Times Online
Trichet calls for 'thorough' Citigroup inquiry FT
New Evidence: Enron Scams Began Years Ago AP
Bennett indicted on HealthSouth fraud FT
Nortel Sues Ex-Chief TheStreet
Colorado sues hedge fund execs Rocky MN
State says two managers hid loans, lied about returns
BofA awards Lewis 500,000 stock options Charlotte Observer
Merrill's O'Neal Got Pay Increase and Then Some BL
Thinking Like Warren Buffett Business Week
Billionaire Buffett Honored for Writing AP
NASDAQ NM Threshold Securities Listed But Hundreds 'Missing In Action' CBS
Big mining and its increasingly radical opponents Economist
The Alchemist Rude Awakening
What would you say if we told you two Russian physicists had figured out how to manufacture gold at a cost of $200 an ounce?
Forget the Euro. 2005 Is the Year of the Yen Pesek
Chinese Rooster Year Outlook, Part 1 Bullnotbull
Property markets soft Australian
Hugo's Folly Forbes
Simmons: "I'm just hoping that Chavez doesn't realize what an unbelievable whip he has on the energy policy of the U.S.”
China to end govt bailout for bankrupt SOEs People’s Daily
CAO survival plans threatened FT
Huadian shares surge 79% in Shanghai debut IHT (BL)
China did not fund Rosneft's purchase of Yuganskneftegaz People’s Daily
China adds to confusion around sale of Yukos unit IHT (NYT)
Growth in profit slows at textile companies TheStandard
India's deficit, debt impeding rapid growth: IMF AFP
Loonie losing its lustre: Gross Globe & Mail
One-man pension scheme that doesn't add up Times Online
Credit card calculations 'unfair for consumers' Guardian
Hyundai Motor 4th-Qtr Profit Unexpectedly Falls 21% Bloomberg
Vinci Airports Sells Stake in Beijing Airport for $544 Million Bloomberg
Americans sweet on Mexican real estate Bankrate
China issues gold newspaper BBC

Forex mkt focused on current account in Q4 -NY Fed Reuters
Monetary Authorities Did Not Intervene In FX Market During the 4Q04 NYF

Thursday February 3
Dollar rallies to multi-week highs ~ COMEX gold ends at 3-1/2-month low
U.S. stocks to open lower; Amazon down 16% on Q4 miss CBSM
US service surge slowing down RTE  ISM
Productivity - Significant Deceleration Underway NT PDF
Productivity Increases at 0.8% Rate, Slowest in 4 Years BL BLS - T’s Fall
U.S. initial jobless claims fall to 316,000 CBSM
Gold slips on possible central bank selling R  Rising appetite for gold BRW
Dealaer: “There seems to be a programme of selling in gold -- it may be central banks (under Europe's Central Bank Gold Sales Agreement)"
Treasury Secretary Snow Cancels G-7 Trip AP
Fed's Increase Is Case of Perfect Transparency Berry
Fed still has a ways to got CBSM Tiime to slow down? CNN
Things Change CWS Capital
(or Dealing with my Obsession with Interest Rates)
The New, More Rational Internet Bubble NYT
The fate of the Google bubble CBSM
Commentary: This ain't no 1999 -- yet
116 Is Being Nice to Spiders Schaeffers
Commodities: Riding the super cycle Mineweb
Are Commodity Prices Headed for Switch to Euros? Bloomberg
Barclays silver ETF seen in early stages -trade Reuters
Delighting in the dollar's decline SF Chronicle
Foreign visitors find bargains abound in S.F, other tourist areas
New American Home showhouse most expensive yet Knight Ridder
State's million-dollar homes go fast AP
More homes priced at over a million dollars were sold last year in California than in the two previous years combined
A bankrupt health system drives families into debt Daily Southdown
State of Union offers details on Social Security CNN  Text
SS Battle has only just begun CBSM
The revolution, phase two Economist  Still a murky fight CNN
The Fog of the Budget Business Week  To slash 150 programs
How Bush will mask the biggest national debt in history: By largely ignoring the costs of his own top priorities
Military contractors use ads to defend against budget cuts AP
“In essence they're doing what every good brand does”
Wall Street, Banks, and American Foreign Policy Rothbard (1984)
Regional Banks Raise The Roof Forbes
Are banks drawing too much earnings from yields on mortgage bonds and other securities?  Gee, Banking Can Be Fun! Slate
Feds taking over US Air pensions AP
Agency assuming $2.3 billion burden
Amazon Shares Tumble as Earnings Miss Estimates and Spending Increases BL
Report: Qwest in talks to buy MCI AP
Blockbuster sweetens Hollywood bid USAT
Whirlpool Profit Falls Reuters
Wal-Mart's January sales up 2.5% CNN  Michaels +12% - Retailers: Good Jan
SBC Faces Brand Old Issues TheStreet
Auto parts producer bankrupt, optimistic Journal Gazette
Kinross says may have to restate 2003 results Reuters
Sears plans to shift from NYSE to Nasdaq USAT
Combination with Kmart brings a change after 95 years.
AT&T: Competition and Unexpected Outcomes EW
Gate Gourmet plans layoffs CincyPost
Fiat and GM on road to court battle IHT
Former HealthSouth CFO Comments on Scrushy AP
Putnam's investors were shorted $100 million AP
A.G. Edwards Charged in Market-Timing Probe TheStreet
WorldCom's $54M settlement collapses Reuters
Scandal Bared NYP Out of this World - ’Unfettered Authority' Norris
Grasso was paid as much as $156.7 million too much during his eight years atop the New York Stock Exchange, an explosive confidential report concludes.
Webb Report: How Did the NYSE Miss This Stuff? Crudele
Massachusetts Probing Gillette Payouts CFO
Citigroup says bond traders ‘miscalculated’ FT
The bank said they had made "inappropriate, unrealistic, and in certain instances juvenile remarks about the trading strategy before it was executed".
'Goldman Sachs' on a Résumé Gives Continuing Rewards NYT
Bond Ratings: Another M&A Casualty? CFO
"Redundant" employees aren't the only people who dislike mega-mergers; bond investors aren't too thrilled, either.
Martha Stewart to host new 'Apprentice' CNN
US warns on risk of net-based telephony FT
Deleting spam costs billions, study finds AP
Ford pulls lustful clergy ad Reuters
Chinese shares surge on rumored government rescue plans PD
It was also speculated that a leading official of the China Securities Regulatory Commission urged institutional investors to buy more shares.
Surviving the Year of the Rooster Morgan Stanley (Xie)
PART 1: The failed-state cancer Asia Times
Personal debt and peak oil Energy Bulletin
Inflation Pressures Remain Muted Outside Of The U.S. BC Research
European Central Bank Leaves Rate Alone AP
Small US companies flex their muscles on trade policy LA Times NAM
China blasts threatened US deadline on yuan as wrong way to handle issue AFP
Yen Falls After Fukui Says Japan Yet to Show Sustainable Growth BL
Weak dollar troubles Japan manufacturers AP
SA House prices up 29.6% in January Sunday Times
Beware anyone talking up the market Cyprus Mail
‘Climate of fear' puts brakes on Russian economy CS Monitor
Disbelief as State Says GDP Up 7.1% Moscow Times
Turkey: Noah Built the Boat Before the Rain MS
Shell cuts oil reserves for fifth time Times Online
Deutsche Bank Will Eliminate 3,280 More Jobs; Profit Declines 38 Percent BL
Alcatel quarterly profits disappoint investors FT
Banks Demand $540M From Rosneft Moscow Times
German banks struggle IHT  Jobless rate in Germany hits record
Pension tax to hit 41% of FTSE directors Times Online
Steelmakers press for 20% price hike Asahi
GE stops taking new orders in Iran AP
Lawmakers claim 'proof' of collusion TheStandard
John Elliott officially bankrupt Australian
Tokyo' blamed for bank's lengthy name Japan Times
Bank card crimes fuel rush to biometric systems Japan Times
'Zero intelligence' trading closely mimics stock market New Scientist
A model that assumes stock market traders have zero intelligence has been found to mimic the behaviour of the London Stock Exchange very closely.

Wednesday February 2
FOMC Statement FED
The Committee believes that policy accommodation can be removed at a pace that is likely to be measured.
Interest rates yield concerns Dallas News
"I went back to the 1950s and could not find a period of time that long-term rates did not start to rise when the Fed started raising rates”
Fed's at throttle, shifting into cruise Cassel
The stakes are bigger than one quarter-point change might suggest.
Dollar Dawdles as Market Looks to Fed Reuters
Gates, Buffett and China Gang Up on Dollar Pesek
One number to watch Setser
Home prices are outpacing income gains Arizona Republic
Investment real estate listings hit the Web Inman News
Philly Fans Borrow Against Their Homes for Tickets AP
Manteca: Land of the $720K tract home Manteca Bulletin
More Texans turn to food stamps Houston Chronicle
Power plant goes bust Arizona Republic
Mergers in vogue, for better or worse Chicago Tribune
“The managers may end up making out, but the shareholders won't for the most part."  US Companies Splash Out On Corporate Jets Airwise
Google 4Q Profits Increase Sevenfold AP
GM, Ford Post Disappointing Sales Reuters
GM to cut production in US after poor sales FT
SBC expects to cut nearly 13,000 jobs Bloomberg
Yield Curve Flattens Countrywide TheStreet
Fitch Junks Kodak's Credit Rating AP
Bank threatened to sell Ebbers stock unless WorldCom covered him AP
Scrushy 'Directed' Fraud, Former CFO Says AP
Enron chiefs face autumn trial date FT
Shady practices taint too many IPOs MSN
Golf comes out of the bunker FT
By the time the bubble burst in 2000 the industry was churning out almost 400 new courses a year.
Some eBay sellers are going, going, gone USAT
Wall Street bulls eye Super Bowl UPI
Feel-good factor helps gold consumption rise for first year in four Business Report
Japan '04 gold imports up, investment key this year Reuters
Medicare to cover Viagra, similar drugs WT
Beer-caffeine drink launched in US AFP
Shares dip to 68-month low in Shanghai China Daily
More than 40 stocks listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen plunged by or almost by their daily trade limit of 10% yesterday
China's Big, Dirty Secret Business Week
All eyes on special guest China at G7 meeting AFP
China dampens expectations of yuan revaluation ahead of G7 meet AFP Furniture business falls victim to 'China price' Business Journal
NTC may impose dumping duty on China in March Daily Times (Pakistan)
EU Imposes Tariff on Chinese Chemical to Protect Solvay Unit Bloomberg
G-7 Needs Cathartic Conversation About Currencies Bloomberg (Gilbert)
Strong pound brings factory job cuts Guardian
Germany's five million jobless pile pressure on the economy Times Online
Inflation Soars, Ruble Rate Targeted Moscow Times
Japanese Buy Back Into US Property Motor Trend
Rather than plunging into the market with fists full of cash in search of landmark buildings, as they did in the exuberant 1980s, the Japanese are now taking a more circumspect approach, no doubt having learned a few lessons. They are testing the waters by first investing in real estate investment trusts (REITs)...
Yukos deal backed by $6bn loan from China Times Online
The loan is in support of a five-year contract to supply some 50 million tonnes of oil to China
EU threatens France over Alstom bailout AFP
A wrangle over bond coupons in Japan Bloomberg
Korea trade surplus hits record high Korea Herald
Shanghai downtown property prices seen overheating ETNews
Time to catch out the insider traders Times Online
Banker gets six years in 38m yuan loans scandal TheStandard
Canadian Police Raid Bank in Royal Group Probe Reuters
Treasurer threatens cartels with jail, fines ABC
Accountant pleads guilty to $10m fraud ABC
Standard Life makes fresh round of cuts in bonuses Independent
Xstrata raises WMC takeover offer by A$1bn FT
Hitachi Profit Plunges Reuters
New from China: wine made from fish Reuters

Tuesday February 1
U.S. Economy: Manufacturing Slows, Construction Rises BL
U.S. January ISM Manufacturing Index Falls to 56.4 From 57.3 BL
Just how nervous are Alan Greenspan & Co.? Jubak  CBOT Fed Watch
Fed Voters Face `More Difficult' Task in Chairman Greenspan's Final Year BL
Handicapping Friday’s Report on Employment NYP (Crudele)
Wall Street is probably expecting too much from Friday's employment report.
Simple Multiplication - The Real Problem Behind The US Trade Deficit? C
Stock Market Remains Risky McHugh PDF
The Great Depression — then and know Brookesnews
A Google-Eyed Market Puplava
The New Asset Dependent Economy Rosetnko
Banks feel the pinch of flattening curve CBSM
Are Bond advisers are too bearish? Hulbert
Wearing the Wrong Shorts Schaeffers
Corporate America's new mantra: Buy, Buy Buy! Globe & Mail
No Prunes at Costco? Not a Problem for the CPI Baum
I doubt conspiracy theorists will be convinced by the rigorous data-collection process.
Commentary: When services get ahead of demand... Francisco
Declaring War On Wal-Mart Business Week
First labor union at Wal-Mart? CNN
GM agrees to pay Fiat two billion dollars to escape auto purchase: report AFP
GM's credit crunch FT
World airlines lose $4.8B in 2004; traffic up 15%, says IATA CP
Few Survivors Predicted: Why Most Airlines Are Caught in a Tailspin Wharton
Unions take cuts Rocky MN
If AT&T executives spoke English Slate
AT&T May Face Another Round of Job Cuts AP
Gillette deal a distortion of 'success' Boston Globe
Suggest that this is capitalism perverted and you are labeled a socialist
MetLife to Buy Travelers From Citigroup AP
Citigroup bond market trading memo revealed   FT
Entitled “Challenging the dominance of Eurex futures”, the Citigroup document outlines a plan to take advantage of liquidity differentials between the German government bond [Bund] futures and cash bonds traded on the EuroMTS electronic system. “We should be able to exploit this situation in a very profitable way,” the memo says
Enron cost utilities $1.8 billion, feds say Seattle Times
Paying back jilted investors CNN
Long-awaited plan to distribute $433 million to investors hurt by Wall Street is made public.
Actions 'Shameful,' Insurance Broker Says LAT
SEC Upgrades Interstate Bakeries Probe CFO
Hedge Fund Manager Snared in Short-Selling Investigation TheStreet
Former SEC Chairman Hired to Help Fannie Mae WP
Loyalty Strained at Caremark TheStreet
Price cuts hit digital camera makers   Bloomberg
Embry: $800-$1000 gold is conservative Mineweb
Will Silver Lag or Lap Gold? Texas Hedge
Gold Bottom Imminent? GE May Make New Lows Karvy
The Best Money for Long-term Investors Saville
The Future of Gold As Money Hultberg
Gold Consumption Up in Kingdom Arab News
Raking muck in Glamis/Goldcorp/Wheaton battle Mineweb
Spend. Lie. Stick your kids with the bill Jubak
Investors Place Bets On Soaring Casino Stocks Gambling News
Calif. Jury Awards $15.6M to Nestle Model LA Times
Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day KOTV
End to Global Textile Quotas: Watch China Sew Up the Market Wharton
Bk Of China Upbeat About IPO Despite Latest Probe Dow Jones
S Korea Exports Rise at Slowest Pace in 1 1/2 Years Bloomberg
China May Alter Its Currency Policy By End of June, Lehman Says BL
Asian currency regimes Reuters
Exports to China surging for firms BL
China imports fewer steel products in 2004 People’s Daily
China 2005 steel output tipped to surpass 300 mln tonnes ETNet
Iron ore is hot, but party could fade Reuters
Russia to Repay IMF Debt Early AP S&P Upgrades Russia Moscow Times
U.K. Mortgage Approvals Rose in December for 1st Time Since May BL
The 'golden rule' should be melted down Guardian
Asian Stock Focus: Japan's Nippon Steel Faces Twin Woes Dow Jones
Sharp's Profit Growth Rises at Slowest Rate Since 2002 on LCD Prices Fall BL
Big German builder files for bankruptcy Expatica
Investors file class action against Seibu Rail FT
Scams snare unwary investors in art Times Online

Oil prices rebound as US-Canadian glitch skews economic outlook AFP
Canada acknowledged it made a mistake in its November trade report, underestimating its imports from the United States by over one billion dollars.
GDP to Be Revised Due to Canada Error-BEA