Continue reading Greek Bonds Faltering -- Back to the EU Drawing Board

Greek Bonds Faltering -- Back to the EU Drawing Board originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The gold bugs are on the loose. Today gold shot up to another new high of $1,212 per ounce. So far this year gold has risen 34%.

Investors are looking for a safe haven and are running headlong into gold. Governments around the world are buying more gold, with India buying 200 metric tons from the International Monetary Fund. The US Mint has run out of gold coins. The situation in Dubai is up in the air.

Continue reading Gold closes at a record high of $1,212 per ounce

Gold closes at a record high of $1,212 per ounce originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading International Monetary Fund sees sluggish recovery

International Monetary Fund sees sluggish recovery originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I guess that when the United States sneezes, the world catches a cold. Consumer sentiment was announced to be circling the drain in the United States and the world economy dropped for the first time in four months.

The Bloomberg Professional Global Confidence Index fell to 39.13 this month - from 43.57 last month. Your benchmark: anything below 50 means that there are more pessimists than optimists. In the United States, index fell from 36.7 to 29.5, suggesting that we're more pessimistic than the rest of the world.

Continue reading World consumer confidence follows U.S. down

World consumer confidence follows U.S. down originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Looking for a new emerging market? Try Pakistan! Despite a continued sense of tension with India and open hostility along the Afghan border, the country's bond market is the best in the world, according to data from JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM). Debt sold by Pakistan has surged 88% this year -- topping the 45 emerging markets that JPMorgan watches and the 19 that Merrill Lynch & Co. (NYSE: BAC) follows.

And, the stock market may be next.

Money managers, according to a report by Bloomberg, believe that the Pakistani equity market could become the next global superstar. The Karachi Stock Exchange 100 Index is only trading at 9.6X earnings, making it the lowest in Asia (excluding Japan) . . . and this follows a 21% increase year-to-date.

Continue reading Pakistan: Best bond investment this year

Pakistan: Best bond investment this year originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

You know that the rally in Gold has reached bubble proportions when the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announces that they are selling a huge chunk of their gold reserves. The sale of a 12.5% share of their gold position is a big supply that is going to be coming onto the market, and could potentially pressure gold prices.

According to the Marketwatch report: " In a statement on Monday, Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said the IMF had made "difficult but necessary choices" to close an income shortfall and make the agency more efficient through a "new and sustainable income and expenditure framework."

The sale could generate over $13b. I knew that the IMF was a bloated bureaucracy that had all kinds of debt, but they need to sell $13b? Ouch.

Continue reading IMF turns into gold trader

IMF turns into gold trader originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Growth in emerging market countries that are heavily dependent on capital inflows could be particularly affected, while the strong momentum of domestic demand in some emerging market countries provides upside potential," the IMF said.

Economic growth in the United States "appears to have slowed notably in the fourth quarter of 2007, with recent indicators showing weakening of manufacturing and housing sector activity, employment, and consumption."

Continue reading IMF says 2008 global GDP growth to slow to 4.1% on U.S. downturn

IMF says 2008 global GDP growth to slow to 4.1% on U.S. downturn originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Jan 2008 15:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I have been wondering lately if the sagging value of the dollar is actually going down through economic gyrations or being pushed down by design.

There are many repercussions. No one less than Rodrigo Rato, head of the International Monetary Fund, warned Monday of a potential "abrupt fall" in the US dollar that could roil the global economy. "There are risks that an abrupt fall in the dollar could either be triggered by, or itself trigger, a loss of confidence in dollar assets," Rato said at the close of annual meetings here of the IMF and the World Bank, according to news reports.

Here is what is really on his mind: Europe may take steps to temper the strong appreciation of the Euro, which is weighing on exports from the 13-nation bloc. "There is a risk that exchange rate appreciation in countries with flexible exchange rates -- including the Euro area -- could hurt their growth prospects, and that in these circumstances protectionist pressures could worsen," he said.

From my perspective I have wondered if the Bush administration is at least applauding the weak dollar as it improves U.S. trade imbalances, helps prop up the stock market and worried investment bankers, and strengthens American companies in many regards.

Continue reading Bush administration pushing dollar down or allowing it to fall? IMF chief sounds alarm

Bush administration pushing dollar down or allowing it to fall? IMF chief sounds alarm originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.