Saturday, May 29, 2010

World Financial Report, May 28, 2010


click here for audio

Bond Sales Fall to Least in Decade, Yields Soar: Credit Markets

Companies sold the least amount of bonds in a decade this month as concern Europe’s sovereign debt crisis will slow the global economy drove up relative borrowing costs by the most since the aftermath of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.’s collapse.

Borrowers issued $66.1 billion of debt in currencies from dollars to yen, a third of April’s tally and the least since December 2000, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. At least 14 companies withdrew offerings, including New York-based retailer Jones Apparel Group Inc. and theater chain operator Regal Entertainment Group. (more)

Gold Relative to S&P500 (1928-2010)

Will The USD Be Replaced By The SDR Or The CNY As The Next Reserve Currency?

Jim O'Neill, who did not make any friends within the bear community earlier today, has written an interesting paper on the IMF's Special Drawing Rights, and whether this hypernational currency can ever become a reserve currency as is, and/or with the CNY as a constituent member. While O'Neill as usual focuses on the angle of the "next paradigm" BRICs, and how they will increasingly dominate global economics, he does pose an important question: with the dollar likely to suffer the side effects of either hyperdeflation, hyperinflation, or hyperstagflation, will the next reserve currency be a diluted melange of other flawed fiat constructs (i.e., the SDR), or the currency of the one country, which for all its flaws, still has the cleanest balance sheet backing its own fiat construct. On the other hand, the question of whether this analysis is moot to begin with, and the world will revert to the gold standard as the ongoing crisis of confidence in all paper money flares up, is not raised even once... We wonder (not really) what Jim O'Neill would have to say on that particular issue. (more)

U.S. Stocks, Oil, Euro Tumble; Dow Ends Worst May Since 1940

U.S. stocks slid, capping the worst May for the Dow Jones Industrial Average since 1940, while the euro slumped and Treasuries rose as a downgrade of Spain’s debt rating and escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula triggered a flight from riskier assets.

The Dow tumbled 122.36 points, or 1.2 percent, to 10,136.63 at 4 p.m. in New York and lost 7.9 percent this month. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index sank 1.2 percent to 1,089.41, led by financial shares on the Spanish downgrade and energy companies after U.S. President Barack Obama extended a moratorium on new deep-water drilling. Oil erased gains after rallying as much as 1.6 percent to more than $75 a barrel. Ten-year Treasury yields decreased 7 basis points to 3.3 percent. The euro slipped 0.7 percent to $1.2273. (more)

The Economist - May 29th - June 4th 2010



FREE magazine download click here

Friday's Analytical Charts for Gold, Silver and Platinum

As a Kitco News exclusive, seasoned analyst, Jim Wyckoff will be providing technical charts on a daily basis. Today, Jim focuses in on Gold, Silver and Platinum. Get ready to sharpen your trading skills with these useful tools as Jim brings it to you....Tecnically Speaking. (more)

International Forecaster, May 26, 2010

FREE download of International Forecaster click here

BNN: Louise Yamada Technical Research.



click here for video

Canada won't fall victim to foreclosure wave: Report


Canada's housing market is expected to cool off this year and next, but isn't at risk of falling victim to a U.S.-style foreclosure crisis anytime soon, according to a new report by debt-rating firm DBRS Ltd.

DBRS said in the report that Canada will continue to fare well in comparison to its neighbour to the south when the Canadian housing market corrects itself and interest rates are tightened. That is because lending practices here are much more sound than in the U.S. (more)

Business Week - May, 31 2010




FREE magazine download click here

Chart of the Day