very good piece – THE Most Important Chart of the CENTURY – Nathan Martin - … What follows is the most important chart of your lifetime. It relegates almost all modern economists and economic theory to the dustbin of history. … This is a very simple chart. It takes the change in GDP and divides it by the change in Debt. What it shows is how much productivity is gained by infusing $1 of debt into our debt backed money system. – Nathan’s Economic Edge Blog
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MOVE INDEX and Harley Bassman – THE CANARY IN THE COALMINE? – … In a recent note, Harley Bassman of Bank of America/Merrill Lynch referred to the many positives, but was quick to note the “canary in the coalmine” – the MOVE index. As Mr. Bassman described, the MOVE index is the bond market’s equivalent of the VIX. He refers to it as the “best gamma volatility index”. Bassman says the recent collapse in the index is “worrisome”. The index has fallen 80% from its post-Lehman highs. Bassman notes the tendency for the index to trade between 80 and 120 with 80 representing extreme complacency and 120 representing extreme fear. Moves to extremes, however, are fairly rare. … – The Pragmatic Capitalist
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The Threat to Muddle Through – By John Mauldin – If the Chinese allowed the renminbi to rise, would that make the USA better off? That is the contention of a cabal of critics from Senators to Nobel laureates. Paul Krugman wants to see a 25% tariff on Chinese goods. Today we examine that idea, and look at the real problems that we face. – Thoughts From The Frontline
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Once Again, Moody’s Is Behind The Curve, As The Debt Market Has Already "Downgraded" The US From AAA – Vincent Fernando, CFA - … Bloomberg notes that Berkshire Hathaway recently sold debt at 3.5 basis points less than Treasuries of similar maturity, and that Procter & Gamble and Lowe’s have seen their debt trade at lower yields than Treasuries as well. For a country with a rock-solid credit rating, this is pretty staggering (even if we are looking at temporary anomalies). … – Money Game at Business Insider
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Mortgage Related
Surprise! Loan mods lower your credit score – Tim Iacono – … Of course, from the point of view of the credit agencies, this all makes good sense, however, it does seem like a double-standard. When the big banks got their big backing from the government when they ran into trouble, the ratings agencies thought that was swell, but, after the little guy gets his little bailout, his credit gets hit. … – The Mess That Greenspan Made
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Some homeowners facing the prospect of repeated foreclosures – By Alana Semuels – Aided by flimsy lending practices, many borrowers got into real estate investing during the boom years. Now they’re defaulting on multiple properties. – LA Times Business