Chart du Jour: Unemployment Around the World – According to the IMF, despite early signs of an economic recovery, most countries around the world should see unemployment rates rise from 2009-2010. – Plan B Economics
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on market reaction to unemployment – … We are seeing the first signs of improvement in the jobs data and the equity market is nervous? What gives? The now famous risk trade works on the premises that the dollar liquidity and zero rates would be around for quite some time. The Fed is on hold for one simple reason – employment weakness. As long as the US jobs market stays weak, the “cat is away and mice can play”. – Sober Look Blog
Barney Frank’s House bill H.R. 3996 – impact on secured lending – … It would require secured creditors, like repurchase agreement lenders and the Federal Home Loan Bank system, to bear losses of as much as 20 percent to cover the costs of a systemically significant bank failure. … – has list of 5 increased risks to financial system – Sober Look Blog
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China’s Consumption Conundrum – Tom Lindmark – looks at the question if China can increase consumer consumption from already high levels to spur further recovery – But Then What Blog
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Who in America is Paying Taxes? – great chart – 7% of the people pay 70% of income taxes and 47% pay zero federal taxes. … – Plan B Economics
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Too many people pay no income tax – Scott Grannis – … Nuni, a very good friend of mine, made a similar comment to me this morning: If we talk about the unfairness of those making a lot of money and not sharing enough with those who don’t make a lot of money, how about the unfairness of those who don’t pay any taxes asking to increase taxes on the rich? The fair thing to do would be to say that only those who pay taxes should be able to give an opinion about raising taxes. The rest are just going along for a free ride. And that’s definitively unfair … – Calafia Beach Pundit
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Low interest rates lure banks to take risk: study – … The study from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) found evidence of a significant link between an extended period of low interest rates prior to the financial crisis and banks’ risk-taking. …”It is important…that prudential authorities be especially vigilant during periods of unusually low interest rates, particularly if they are accompanied by other signs of risk-taking, such as rapid credit and asset price increases.” … – Reuters
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The Government Bubble When will it pop? – Brian S. Wesbury and Robert Stein – … In other words, loose money has created a temporary mirage in which a massive increase in government spending appears to be an easy burden to carry. In particular, the mirage of low rates colors the public’s view of legislative efforts to fully nationalize the U.S. health care system, making it seem more affordable than it is in reality. How is this any different than the housing market from a few years back? … – Forbes
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Lending Squeeze Drags On – By LIZ RAPPAPORT and SERENA NG – 2 interesting points – … One measure of the retreat in consumer lending: In 2005, over six billion credit-card offers flooded consumers’ mailboxes. This year just 1.4 billion have been sent out, according to Synovate, a market-research firm … and … These securitization markets provided as much as 50% of consumer lending in the years leading up to the crisis, says Tim Ryan of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, a financial-industry trade group. “Without [the securitization markets], it’s very difficult to replicate the amount of money moving into the economy,” he says – Wall Street Journal