Is the US Government About to Forgive Mortgage Debt?

Is it possible for the US Government to choose to forgive mortgage debt? Sounds outrageous? Read on for the legal theory behind this claim and let me know what you think? I thought it was little esoteric as well, but as I looked deeper… Well, I’ll let you be the judge.

A lot of attention accrued to Representative Grayson’s calling out of foreclosure fraud, and for good reason. The story is absolutely amazing, and kudos to a member of congress that defends his constituency.

It’s not as if other entities have failed to take notice. ZeroHedge has its usual witty commentary regarding the possibility of foreclosure transactions potentially being unwound due to fraudulent foreclosure activity. The NYT ran an article stating that Fitch will look into lowering the credit rating of companies that participated in the submission of inappropriate foreclosure paperwork, which apparently seems to include an awful lot of companies. It goes on to state (as excerpted by Zerohedge): (more)

Weekly CFTC Report - Kill (Dollar) Bill

This week's CFTC Commitment of Traders reports validates what everyone knows: that the "short dollar" is now the biggest groupthink trade in the world. Or let us paraphrase - the "Ben Bernanke QE2 Is Imminent" trade is now the biggest groupthink trade in the world. One glimpse at the move in the COT data confirms what we speculated earlier when we discussed Goldman's virtual certainty that QE2 is coming in 31 days: that if there is no QE2 announcement, the shock that would reverberate from this as all the Kill (Dollar) Bill trades are unwound, may just blow up world markets and make the flash crash seems like a dress rehearsal for midgets (of the SEC intellectual variety). Of course, what this means for contrarian traders is more than obvious. (more)

How To Buy a Home at a $100,000 Discount

To pare down their growing inventory of properties, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are scrambling to unload nearly 150,000 foreclosed homes. And that means 2004-esque deals — like requiring as little as 3% down, offering to pay a portion of the closing costs and arranging special financing and warranties for repairs and renovations.

It's another option for home owners who want to trade up — and an easier way into the market for first-time home buyers, says Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research who studies the housing market.

The best bargain might be the home's price. A SmartMoney analysis revealed that buyers could save $100,000 by buying a Fannie or Freddie home instead of similar fair-market properties just a few blocks away.

And while many of Fannie and Freddie's homes are at the lower end of the market and in less-desirable areas, a SmartMoney.com search of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac listings revealed that buyers could find properties in good neighborhoods — and for $100,000 less than comparable houses nearby. For example, a five-bedroom, three-bath with a backyard, deck and two-car garage in tony Alexandria, Va., was listed for $445,000, $100,000 less than the average listing price in the area, according to Trulia.com. Four blocks away, a similar non-foreclosed colonial is listed for $639,900. (more)

10 things you'll be paying more for soon

Buyers who are holding on to their money waiting for lower prices, may want to start spending now. The U.S. Bureau of Statistics' Consumer Price Index shows prices are on the rise and they are going to continue to climb.

Before prices get too high, here are 10 things you may want to buy now. The price of these items are on the rise and soon they will be costing you plenty more:

1. Coffee
The price of coffee futures recently hit a 13-year high, which drove up the price of a cup of Joe at places like Starbucks. Blame bad weather in South America and low U.S. stockpiles of coffee beans.

Coffee from Folgers, Dunkin' Donuts and Millstone already cost an average of 9% more. Kraft Foods raised prices on Maxwell House Coffee and Yuban coffee products by about 9% in September, translating into a price hike of 5 to 30 cents per pound of ground coffee and an increase of 2.5 cents per ounce for instant coffee.

And prices on single-serve K-cups -- sold as Tully's Coffee, Timothy's Coffee, Newman's Own Organics, Caribou Coffee and other Green Mountain Coffee brands -- will rise 10% to 15%, starting Oct. 11.

2. Cotton clothing
Again, blame the weather in part for this increase. A drought in China is damaging cotton crops there, causing the world's largest cotton producer and consumer to increase prices. Another major cotton producer, Pakistan, was devastated by floods, and another, India, is restricting its exports.

All that should add up to another $2 on the $12 t-shirt you planned to buy next year, reports CNN Money, along with higher prices for jeans. With 80% of U.S. cotton exported, it may be good news for U.S. cotton farmers, who are at an advantage compared to their competitors in the far East. For consumers, maybe it's time for a polyester revival? (more)

The Economist – 02 October 2010

The Economist is a global weekly magazine written for those who share an uncommon interest in being well and broadly informed. Each issue explores the close links between domestic and international issues, business, politics, finance, current affairs, science, technology and the arts.


read more here

Crisis and collusion The 50 years under OPEC have been eventful

The Economist,
OPEC, the cartel of oil producers, celebrated its 50th anniversary on September 14th. The organisation was founded in 1960 with the explicit purpose of manipulating oil prices by controlling supplies. It has generally proved successful. OPEC controls around 80% of the world's proven reserves and over 40% of the world's production among its 12 member states. The Gulf states that dominate OPEC have the biggest reserves and lowest costs, so can most easily turn the taps on and off when required to keep prices high. Despite the slow return to health of a sickly world economy, oil fetches a lofty $75 a barrel, which Saudi Arabia, OPEC's most influential member reckons is "ideal".

Have Central Banks Lost Control of the Gold Market?

A brief history of Central Bank control of gold

When Eurodollars appeared in Europe, European central banks were not happy and sold them for U.S. gold. Then President Nixon, in his infinite wisdom closed the ‘gold window’ [After Europe had boosted their reserves after sending around 12,000 tonnes of gold across the Atlantic into European vaults]. In a mutually beneficial but clandestine accord, the world then saw the U.S. dollar rise to be the sole global reserve currency. It has continued to reign supreme because it is the only currency that is used to buy oil, oil that we all need.

Control lost

After 1971, gold began to rise in earnest as every man and his dog bought some, taking the gold price from $42.35 to $850. This was a public statement that the global investing public did not accept paper currencies with no gold to back them. These had become simply government obligations with no settlement date.
Central banks had to act to ensure the public accepted these currencies and were moved away from gold as money. To do that, the U.S. and by extension the I.M.F. decided on limited [limited because central banks still wanted it in their vaults as an important reserve asset] gold sales through auctions. All the gold sold there was snapped up. The reality of central banks wanting to keep gold then kicked in and the auctions were halted. (more)