Archive for October, 2008
AUSTRALIA CUTS RATE FULL PERCENTAGE POINT
October 7th, 2008Via: Bloomberg: Australia’s central bank cut its benchmark interest rate by one percentage point, the most since a recession in 1992, triggering a rebound in Asian stocks on speculation other countries will follow to unlock credit markets. “Rumors are now circulating that today’s aggressive move by the Reserve Bank of Australia is the precursor for […]
ICELAND: EMERGENCY LEGISLATION, “SPECTER OF NATIONAL BANKRUPTCY”
October 7th, 2008Via: AP: Iceland’s banks face a battle for survival Tuesday after government introduced emergency legislation to give itself sweeping new powers over its collapsing financial sector. Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde warned late Monday that the heavy exposure of the tiny country’s banking sector to the global financial turmoil was raising the specter of “national […]
RBS DOWN 39%
October 7th, 2008Via: Bloomberg: European stocks fell for a second day as concern that financial firms may need more capital overshadowed speculation central banks around the world will reduce borrowing costs. U.S. index futures and Asian shares declined. Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc tumbled 39 percent after the bank had its credit rating cut for the […]
Storm
October 7th, 2008We’ve got a strong storm blowing through here at the moment. If there’s no update, it means that our electricity is out again. From this time of night (9pm NZ local time) on, if a storm takes down the juice, crews usually won’t fix it until the morning.
Plunge Protection Team Issues Statement
October 7th, 2008Don’t panic. Via: U.S. Treasury: While addressing our challenges, we must also remind investors and lenders that we have a resilient and diverse economy and workforce. We have faced economic and financial market challenges in the past. Each time we have worked through them and emerged with stronger financial institutions and regulatory policies. While it […]
Russian Stocks Plunge by Nearly 20 Per Cent, Worst Daily Loss Ever
October 6th, 2008Via: The Canadian Press: Russia’s benchmark stock exchange suffered its biggest-ever one-day loss as shares went into free fall on the back of falling oil prices and deepening fears about the global economy despite the passage of a US$700 billion U.S. bank bailout. Trading on MICEX – the country’s largest index – was shut down […]
Germany to Allow Domestic Military Deployment
October 6th, 2008Via: AP: Germany’s governing coalition partners want to change the constitution to allow for military deployment within the country if needed to combat terrorism, officials said Monday. The proposal would allow use of the military only if police are overwhelmed and cannot properly respond to a situation themselves. “It is not to be used generally, […]
FED WILL PROVIDE AS MUCH AS $900 BILLION IN LOANS TO BANKS
October 6th, 2008Via: AP: The Federal Reserve will provide as much as $900 billion in cash loans to squeezed banks in an urgent effort Monday to break through a dangerous credit clog that threatens the economy and has unhinged financial markets around the globe. The Fed’s action is aimed at spurring spooked financial institutions, which are hoarding […]
GLOBAL EQUITIES IN VERY SHARP SELL OFF, DOW TAKES OUT 10,000
October 6th, 2008“Plunge Protection Team, please pick up the white courtesy phone.” So much for the 10,000-as-support theory. HA. Like a hot knife through butter. Via: AP: Wall Street tumbled Monday, joining a selloff around the world, as fears grew that the financial crisis will cascade through economies globally despite bailout efforts by the U.S. and other […]
Reports Link Karzai’s Brother to Afghanistan Heroin Trade
October 6th, 2008Captain Obvious strikes again. Via: New York Times: When Afghan security forces found an enormous cache of heroin hidden beneath concrete blocks in a tractor-trailer outside Kandahar in 2004, the local Afghan commander quickly impounded the truck and notified his boss. Before long, the commander, Habibullah Jan, received a telephone call from Ahmed Wali Karzai, […]
