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The Rising Cost Of Drinking, Smoking, Dying And Preparing Your Tax Return
In April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will be presenting consumer price index data in redesigned tables. In other words, the BLS will be "rearranging the deck chairs," writes Credit Suisse economist Neal Soss. At present, the CPI is broken down into eight categories: food and beverages; housing; apparel; transportation; medical care;...
Markets Inch Higher In Asia, China's Manufacturing PMI Barely Signals Contraction
The HSBC Flash China Manufacturing PMI came in at 49.7, up from 48.8 in January. A reading below 50 signals contraction. "With a meaningful rebound of domestic demand not in sight, external weakness is starting to bite, adding more downside risks to growth," wrote Hongbin Qu of HSBC (via Reuters). Markets, however, are...
Meredith Whitney Is About To Seriously Double Down On Her Muni Doom Prediction
Meredith Whitney first predicted widespread muni doom in late 2010, and so far that hasn't come to pass at all. Since then, her reputation has definitely taken some hits, but she's not giving up on her big call by any means. According to Kevin Roose at DealBook, Whitney will be coming out...
Goldman Has A Fascinating Theory For Why Government Gridlock Has Been A Drag On Growth
Goldman's Alec Phillips is out with a clever note on the connection between government gridlock and growth. Now the first thing to note is that contrary to some popular delusions, which posit that the government is only pumping more and more into the economy, in the last quarter, government spending was...
Bob Janjuah's Latest Note Is One Of The Most Embarrassing Things We've Ever Read
This week, Nomura's well-known bear Bob Janjuah basically threw in the towel on being a useful analyst. In a note called Monetary Anarchy he explained the failure of his bearish calls, which he's been making aggressively for months, including in early January, when he said that the rally had just a...
Here Are The Key Market Moving Events For Wednesday, February 22, 2012 (RRD, MGM, TOL, TJX, SKUL, LTD, OAS, ESRX, HPQ, FLS, SM, WMB, HTZ, ONXX, WLL, LBTYA, CLR, FLR, WIN, MNKD, DLTR, CHS)
Wednesday follows a busy earnings day, with nearly two dozen major announcers. At the same time, a series of economic releases will keep markets moving. Here's what you need to know. Australia starts the day off early with its wage index at 7:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday evening. Economists predict wage costs...
HSBC To Shareholders: This Bonus Bill Isn't Going To Pay Itself
HSBC was stuck between a rock and the Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee. On the one hand, it wanted to give its employees cash bonuses because that's what its employees wanted. On the other hand, the BoE wanted HSBC to maintain its capital levels, which cash bonuses could deplete. In simplified terms, if...
DOUG KASS: Nouriel Roubini And I Are Both Worried About These 6 Risks
Doug Kass, who started the year rather bullish, has lately adopted a more cautious tone. On February 7, Kass sent out a blast titled SELL EVERYTHING, after he found out that Nouriel Roubini's director of equity strategy expressed some bullishness. In his latest post on RealMoneyPro, Kass maintains his cautious tone, noting...
Hey Bankers, Don't Screw Or Up Or They'll Demand Your Bonus Back
The Lloyds Banking Group bankers forced to pay back some of their bonus payments are unlikely to be the last bankers made to repay remuneration, as claw-backs become increasingly popular. While claw-backs are usually employed in particularly extreme cases – in the case of Lloyds, it is punishing directors who were in...
How An Innocuous Lunch Date May Cost One Investor $2.7 Million
This could definitely turn out to be the world's most expensive lunch date. The Daily Mail is reporting that Fahim Imam-Sadeque is suing his former employer, London-based BlueBay Asset Management, claiming that the firm withheld £1.7 million (about $2.7 million) from him. The asset management firm is saying they withheld the...
GREECE GETS BAILOUT, DOW STALLS AFTER BRIEFLY HITTING 13,000: Here's What You Need To Know (DIA, SPY, QQQ, WMT, HD, WYNN, NEM, FCX)
13,000 came and went. First, the scoreboard: Dow: 12,965.6, +15.8, +0.1%S&P 500: 1,362.2, +0.9, +0.0%NASDAQ: 2,948.5, -3.2, -0.1% And now, the top stories: Very early Monday morning in Brussels, eurozone leaders finally agreed on a deal that should clear the way for Greece to get its desperately needed 130 billion euro bailout funds. Among...
Everyone Is Freaking Out Over A New Survey That Shows Unemployment Surging Again
There's a lot of consternation about this. A new Gallup survey shows unemployment rising to around 8.9% after bottoming at 8.3% a few weeks ago. Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill is sounding the alarm. We've also seen several concerned tweets. Has the economy really deteriorated just like that? Nah, don't worry. As The Bonddad Blog...
Banks Need To Stop Letting Their Customers Choose Stupid PINs
Here's further proof your birth date shouldn't double as your debit card PIN: A new study finds that when a scammer lifts your wallet, the personal identification info inside makes it easy for him to crack your bank card's PIN and drain your account. It's called "jackpotting"—the criminal practice of trying to...
An Indian Billionaire Has Built A 30-Story Home To Rival Mukesh Ambani's
This post originally appeared at Luxpresso. The Ambani's Antilla seems to have changed forever the dimensions of what a luxury home in Mumbai should be. The latest entrant in the vertigo stakes is JK House, the 30-storied Singhania mansion, which is now ready for fittings. The house in Breach Candy has...
The One Stat Where Greece Is Beating America
A shrinking economy, fiscal crisis, social unrest and now a second national bailout. You would think Greek politicians would be doing terribly in the polls. And they are. Dow Jones reports that the popularity of Greece's two main political parties, who support the interim government, is at an all time low: According...
DEUTSCHE BANK: It's Different This Time, And Gas Prices Won't Hurt The Economy (DB)
Gas prices have been steadily increasing at the pump, with Americans spending perhaps $41 billion more this year if the recent $0.29 increase remains. But Joseph LaVorgna, Chief Economist at Deutsche Bank, thinks the surge may not become the headwinds to economic performance that it has been in recent years. "At the moment,...
An Amazing Gathering Of Vintage British Cars In Downtown Boca Raton
British vintage car enthusiasts gathered in a parking lot in downtown Boca Raton, Fla. over the weekend to ogle more than 150 classic cars, from Jaguars to Aston Martins. One very famous Lotus also made an appearance. The event, sponsored by the Gold Coast British Sports Car Club of South Florida, drew...
Gold Jumps To A 2-Week High (NEM, FCX)
Gold for April delivery was up 1.88 percent today reaching $1,759 per ounce, but below a 52-week high of $1,918.10. Gold futures spiked on news of the Greek bailout deal. Meanwhile, other metals moved higher as well, with silver up 3.42 percent, platinum up 3.45 percent and copper up 3.53 percent. Copper...
IT'S OFFICIAL: The One Industry That Was Still Destroying Jobs Is Finally Turning Around
Since the Great Recession began, the one area where workers continue to get creamed is the state and local public sector. Well, that's coming to an end. NJ Governor Chris Christie is announcing his new budget, and extolling new aid to schools and more tax breaks. Crisis over. Please follow Business Insider on...
Remember Dow 13,000?
That's totally fizzled out. Looks like we'll have more opportunities to play that game. The Dow is at 12958, and barely up on the day. Other indices have gone negative. Please follow Money Game on Twitter and Facebook.Join the conversation about this story »See Also:STOCKS EXPLODE HIGHER AGAIN: Here's What You Need To...

