Author: Serkadis

Arc System Works’ BlazBlue has successfully rocked the worlds of hardcore 2D fighting game fanatics, but that doesn’t mean the studio is abandoning the franchise that put them on the map. In a recent interview with NowGamer, Arc System Works’

China’s Purchasing Manufacturers Index (PMI) shot to a 20-month high in December, blowing past expectations of 55.4 and hitting 56.6. Anything over 50 indicates an expansion of activity.

This coincides with the manufacturing acceleration witnessed in other Asian nations as well. Japan’s PMI has begun rising again while Korea’s manufacturing is expanding as well.

Bloomberg: “Manufacturing will stay at a high level as industrial production quickens and companies receive more orders for new- year holiday sales,” Lu Zhengwei, an economist at Industrial Bank Co. in Shanghai, said before today’s data. “Exports may return to growth in December, aiding manufacturing growth.”

Industrial production grew in November at the fastest pace since March 2008, exports dropped the least in 13 months and imports surged.

Today’s figure compares with a record-low 38.8 in November 2008, when recessions in the U.S., Europe and Japan sent export orders plunging.

Read more here.

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See Also:

• 2010 Will Be The Year Of China — And Not In A Good Way
• China’s Mercantilist Policies Are Screwing Us Out Of 1.4 Million U.S. Jobs
• China’s Year Of Executing White Collar Crooks

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Peter Schiff, now running for the Senate, was absolutely right about the housing market long before anyone else most of the mainstream press and analysts  (see comment below).  It is fascinating watching this and seeing the scorn, ridicule, and condescension that others lay upon him. He sticks to his guns and is unwavering in his opinions.

Also includes these gems from his crictics:

Arthur Laffer makes and loses a bet (see him brushing off the bet here)
Ben Stein (buy Merrill Lynch at $76, ‘they are giving it away’)
Charles Payne (Bear Stearns is cheap but risky)
Tracy Byrnes (buy Goldman Sachs at $175).

hattip John Cervarich

The Taylors Do Mexico: It appears 2010 will be the year of “Sprung Exes Who Need To Buy A Clue…..”

Taylor Lautner is lobbying to have former girlfriend Taylor Swift cast in his upcoming hostage thriller, Cancun, despite the recent revelation that the country cutie kicked Boy Taylor to the curb after just two months of dating.

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The Taylors met on the set of the upcoming romantic comedy Valentine’s Day and Taylor L’s hoping a few months of shooting in the Mexican sun will revive the young lovers’ extinguished flame.

A Star Magazine spy says: “She tours a lot for her music, but he’s hoping she’ll do more movies so they can stay closer. He’s very serious about her and wants it to work out.”

It has only been roughly two months since Dragon Age: Origins came out. BioWare also has a two-year DLC roadmap for the game, so it’s still pretty early to be talking about full-on expansions, right? Not so, says

Wallet Pop’s Tom Barlow put together the below compilation of price difference on various items since 1999. 

The idea that a single index or indicator (like CPI) or even a data-massaging index (like CPI ex Food and Energy) can give us an accurate depiction of inflation and deflation is laughable …

See dozens more at The Reformed Broker »

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See Also:

• 2010 Will Be The Year Of China — And Not In A Good Way
• Mortgage Modifications Have Done More Harm Than Good, The NYT Concludes
• Homeowners With Underwater Mortgages May Be Too Ignorant To Be Ruthless

great – read this – Synthetic CDO’s, Spanish 21 and Sports Betting – by Kid Dynamite – As expected, my last post, “Fiduciary Duty and the Victim Mindset” sparked a lot of discussion.  … I had the epiphany this morning that the proper analogy with these CDO’s lies in sports betting. I left the following comment (edited slightly here) on another blog this morning: … – Kid Dynamite’s World

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worth reading – Five Notes on the Current Market Situation – David Merkel – … We are in an ugly situation where most investors do not grasp the gravity of the troubles we are in. … – The Aleph Blog

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Treasuries Set for Worst Year Since 1978 as U.S. Steps Up Sales – By Theresa Barraclough – Bloomberg – Treasuries headed for the worst year since at least 1978 as the U.S. stepped up debt sales to help spur growth in an economy recovering from its deepest recession in six decades. – BusinessWeek

and
Treasury wraps up record year of debt sales – By MIN ZENG – In 2009, the Treasury sold more than $2.1 trillion in bonds and notes, a record and more than the amount in the previous two years combined. – Wall Street Journal

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YEAR IN REVIEW – The most memorable financial stories of 2009 – No reality show could top the drama of the economy and markets – has list of 7 – LA Times Business

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Kyle Bass Betting Big On A Collapse Of The Japanese Bond Market – Joe Weisenthal – One of the oldest, most popular bets — that the Japanese government would collapse under the weight of its debt — has a fresh round of adherents who believe that this time it’s going to work out.  Among them: Hayman Capital manager Kyle Bass, who made a fortune shorting subprime.  He tells the Journal a Japanese bond market collapse is merely a matter of when, not if. – Money Game @ Business Insider

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Commercial Real Estate: Why Now Is the Perfect Time to Invest – David Fessler – apparently Tepper at Appaloosa is buying – Seeking Alpha

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Higher interest rates are not a big concern – Scott Grannis – Calafia Beach
Pundit 

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Princeton Economist and Computer Scientists Show that Derivatives Are Inherently Vulnerable to Fraud – … Now, Princeton University economists and computer scientists have demonstrated that financial derivatives are also inherently vulnerable to fraudulent pricing.  PhysOrg summarizes Princeton’s findings  … – Washingtons Blog

Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Hyundai, Luxury

Before the Hyundai Genesis arrived in showrooms, there was talk of the car launching under the aegis of its own brand, much like the debut of the Lexus LS400 back in 1990. That didn’t happen, and premium Hyundai models like the Genesis and the forthcoming 2010 Equus share floor space with Accents and Tucsons.

Still, the thought of a roped-off premium car department has a certain pull. “Sectioning off the brand, that’s the Holy Grail,” said Hyundai Motors USA CEO John Krafcik to Ward’s Auto. What Krafcik and his Korean masters may have up their collective sleeve is a way to get some of the desired differentiation without the massive costs a new brand launch would entail.

Dave Zuchowski, Hyundai’s North American sales vice president, has drawn parallels to Toyota’s co-locating efforts with its Scion sub-brand in a letter to dealers, laying out the plans for incorporating the Equus into showrooms. “This strategy will create physical and psychological separation in the Hyundai showroom,” says Zuchowski, while dealers remain less convinced that this means anything more for them than increased costs. On the retail end, stores will be required to purchase several kits for showroom, service, and parts support of the Equus. While not as expensive as a full-blown new store would be, dealers still might have trouble mustering enthusiasm for hundreds of thousands of dollars in corporate-ordered directives that franchisees may have to comply with.

Dealer unhappiness aside, Zuchowski lays out Hyundai’s strategy clearly. “We intend to use the launch of the new Equus to develop and further establish Hyundai as a legitimate force in the premium-luxury segments;” intimating there might be more to it than just the Genesis models and the luxo-liner Equus – a “Genesised-up” Santa Fe might do battle against the Lexus RX, for instance. While it will cost dealers money, Zuchowski notes that ultimately, it’s the cheapest way to go while “still providing an enhanced dealership environment…that will devliver a substantial incremental profit opportunity with very reasonable dealer investment.” In other words, pay the man now, and cash in later, if all goes well.

[Source: Ward’s Auto]

Ward’s obtains Hyundai doc detailing plan to split off luxury cars in dealerships originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 02 Jan 2010 09:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As many of you many know, going to the mall during the holiday a season is a drag. The crowds, the annoyances, the Nexus One confirmations? After heading to the mall yesterday in Albany, New York to clear up a few problems with my T-Mobile bill, I  asked a T-Mobile store manager about the upcoming release of the Nexus One phone and the rumors that have  it launching on T-Mobile USA.  He told me me straight out that it is coming to T-Mobile USA one week after Google starts selling them from their website on January 5th, 2010.

I should also note that he told me a Google Representative was in the store last week to discuss details concerning the phone.  While obviously none of this can be verified,  let us hope it is true.

Don’t call it a comeback, but J. Lo’s New Year’s Eve catsuit is the talk of the year! Jennifer Lopez has gotten everyone buzzing after she performed a medley of hits in a sexy skintight bodysuit live from Times Square as part of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve on Thursday night.

The see-through outfit seemingly showed off J.Lo’s curves while downsizing her derriere. The 40-year-old singer/actress pulled a page from the Book of Boss Diana Ross, who wore a similar shocking outfit during a free outdoor concert in Central Park in 1983. The “Louboutins” singer admitted it was the first time she had been in the Manhattan destination for New Year’’s despite growing up in The Bronx.

What did you think of Jennifer’s catsuit?

Citigroup Inc., Marshall & Ilsley Corp. and Huntington Bancshares Inc. ended 2009 with the biggest drops in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, weighed down by defaulting property loans that may add to their declines this year.

Marshall & Ilsley, Wisconsin’s biggest bank, tumbled 60 percent.

Hungtington Bancshares  fell 52%

Citigroup dropped 51%.

Continue reading at the NY Post»

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See Also:

• Citi Underwriters Step In To Prevent Stock From Falling Below $3

China’s yuan peg is costing us 1.4 million jobs, Paul Krugman says.  And protectionism is a perfectly reasonable response.

NYT:  …China has become a major financial and trade power. But it doesn’t act like other big economies. Instead, it follows a mercantilist policy, keeping its trade surplus artificially high. And in today’s depressed world, that policy is, to put it bluntly, predatory.

Keep reading at the New York Times >

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See Also:

• The Graph That Says Everything About The Decade
• Mortgage Modifications Have Done More Harm Than Good, The NYT Concludes

“Rocket Man” Elton John has revealed that he’s helping rapper pal Eminem cope with substance abuse issues, staying by the “Slim Shady” charttopper’s side as he recovers from an addiction to prescription drugs.

The “Candle In The Wind” crooner and the reformed homophobe have become firm friends since they performed “Stan” together at the 2001 Grammy Awards.

Eminem — now 37 — battled a reliance on Ambien, Vicodin and Valium, and Elton has faced his own issues with substance abuse in the past.

“I’ve been helping Eminem over the last 18 months and he’s doing brilliantly,” Sir Elton told The BBC early Saturday. “I’m there if people want my help. If people ask for help you tell them where to go, but there’s no point advising people if they don’t want to do it,” the 62-year-old said.

Last May, Em revealed that he called on Sir Elton when he wanted to get sober.

“Me and him have had similar lives and stuff,” he told The Detroit Metro Times at the time. “He understands … the pressure and any other reasons that you want to come up with for doing drugs.”

Whoops, it looks like most, if not all, of HP’s CES computer lineup has leaked a few days early. So far detailed spec sheets are missing for the four notebooks and four deskstops, but none of them really seem to be all that exciting. The most noteworthy one out of the bunch is the Mini 210 HD  netbook that comes sporting a Pine Trail CPU and Broadcom’s Crystal HD video playback chip for $329. Besides that, the rest are just your standard Best Buy-bound computers.

>Now all of this info should still be classified as a rumor until HP makes it official next week. But each system seems like the next evolutionary step for HP. There is nothing out of the ordinary here  like, say, a tablet with a revolutionary content delivery system. LogicBuy, the deal site that originally posted the leaks, states the ship date for the systems is January 7, 2010, so expect word before then. [via Engadget]

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As home prices have fallen, growing numbers of borrowers wound up owing more on their homes than the homes are worth.

For at least two years, we’ve been hearing that this situation will result in more mortgage defaults as borrowers rationally decide to “just walk away.”

A few warnings about this:

1. It’s still hard to find reliable data about people who could otherwise afford to pay their mortgages choosing instead to default. Many defaults still seem to be driven by much more traditional factors, such as economic distress and unemployment. What evidence there is of strategic defaults, seems to confine the practice to the most sophisticated borrowers.
2. Strategic defaults may seem rational but people don’t always act in a cold, calculating manner when it comes to their homes. A rise in strategic defaults would represent a huge change in borrower behavior in the US. That’s not to say it cannot happen but it is reason to be at least a bit skeptical.
3. Many of the predictions of a rise in strategic defaults seem to assume that borrowers have accurate and timely information about the value of their homes. In fact, most people have a wide degree of ignorance about home values unless they are planning to sell or refinance soon. They tend to overestimate the value of their home, which should put a damper on stratgic defaults.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Mortgage Modifications Have Done More Harm Than Good, The NYT Concludes
• 2010: The Year Of Walking Away On Your Mortgage
• IMF: The Riskiest Mortgage Lenders Contributed The Most To Lobbyists