Continue reading Closing Bell: Headwinds More Dominant Than GDP (DHI, NDAQ, GS, MFE)

Closing Bell: Headwinds More Dominant Than GDP (DHI, NDAQ, GS, MFE) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Merna Re, the largest catastrophe bond of all time, is set to mature in June, and State Farm is already putting together its replacement, the creatively named Merna Re II. The successor, planned for issuance in April, is said to be for $400 million in risk capital, though investor demand could push it as high as $700 million. This still pales in comparison to the $1.2 billion that the original brought in the door.

If State Farm is able to stimulate demand for Merna Re II, which would protect the company from non-California earthquake risk in the U.S., it will be third cat bond to come to market in 2010, which is expected to be a strong year for this form of risk transfer. The cat bond market fell silent after the near-collapse of American International Group (AIG) in September 2008 but was still the third busiest in terms of capital issued in the history of the cat bond market. Heading into 2009, prospects for the cat bond space seemed uncertain, but a robust fourth quarter eventually resulted in a year-over-year increase, driven mostly by repeat issuers.

Continue reading State Farm Planning Monster Cat Bond

State Farm Planning Monster Cat Bond originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Not even two months into 2010, the number of banks closed this year has already reached 20, not far behind the full-year result of 25 in 2008 and ahead of the three in 2007. On Friday, four banks were shut down by regulators, carrying forward the momentum from 2009's 140 bank failures. In only one week, the number of bank failures this year spiked 25%.

La Jolla Bank FSB in California was taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. It had 10 branches, $3.6 billion in assets and $2.8 billion in deposits. Its deposits and assets were taken over by OneWest Bank in Pasadena in a deal that is expected to cost the insurance fund $882.3 million. OneWest and the FDIC will share the losses on failed bank loans and other assets of approximately $3.3 billion.

Continue reading Bank Failures Surge 25% in One Week

Bank Failures Surge 25% in One Week originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Fiscally, California and Greece Are Not Identical

Fiscally, California and Greece Are Not Identical originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We're all pretty happy to put 2009 behind us, especially those who submitted the 1.4 million bankruptcy petitions last year, making it the seventh-worst on record.

Data gathered by the Associated Press from the 90 bankruptcy districts in the U.S. shows that filings surged 32% from 2008, with 116,000 bankruptcies in December alone. The 22% jump last month, though substantial, was at least below the annual average. That said, the holiday season may have chewed up time that people would use to file, so the apparent reprieve (if you can call a 22% increase in bankruptcies a reprieve) may not be real.

Continue reading Every State Sees Double-Digit Bankruptcy Growth

Every State Sees Double-Digit Bankruptcy Growth originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

California update: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif.) is expected to ask President Obama to ease federal mandates and minimums on social programs to save the state up to $8 billion.

The action is needed because California, which has already cut programs to eliminate previous budget deficits, faces up to a $21 billion budget deficit for this fiscal year, Bloomberg News reported Thursday.

Continue reading California's Gov. Schwarzenegger Likely to Seek More Federal Assistance to Cut Deficit

California's Gov. Schwarzenegger Likely to Seek More Federal Assistance to Cut Deficit originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 26 Dec 2009 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you still doubt that the next bubble will be green, check out the latest from California. Green and clean technology gigs surged 36% from 1995 to 2008, beating the state's overall 13% job-growth rate for the same period, according to Silicon Valley-based research firm Collaborative Economics. Since California's on the leading edge of this sector, many see it as a sign of things to come for the rest of the country.

As of January 2008, there were only 159,000 green jobs in California, less than 1% of the state's total, following year-over-year growth of 5%. But, during that same period, total jobs in the state dropped 1%, suggesting that jobs in sustainability just might be more sustainable. Though these may seem like small numbers, keep in mind that the green sector job market is twice the size of the state's biotech presence and two-thirds the size of the software industry.

Continue reading California tops U.S. for green jobs

California tops U.S. for green jobs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Google and State of California team to show climate change effects

Google and State of California team to show climate change effects originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Insurance companies have $12 billion in indirect investments related to Iran, according to California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner -- and he wants them to stop. He's pushing insurers in his state to divest, and the perspective is gaining popularity: his counterpart in Florida thinks the policy should go national.

Kevin McCarty, commissioner in Florida, said to National Underwriter, "I have consulted with other state insurance commissioners to evaluate the practicality of developing a national initiative similar to the undertaking by the California Department of Insurance." He's already contacted the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' Securities Valuation Office to figure out "the feasibility of leveraging national resources to review the financial statements of national insurers to determine their exposure to companies with operations in Iran."

Continue reading California insurance commissioner chases indirect investments in Iran

California insurance commissioner chases indirect investments in Iran originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Existing homes are starting to move again. Last month, home resales hit their highest level in more than two years, thrashing expectations. The 9.4% increase in home resales -- which entails a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.57 million -- is attributed largely to the deadline for the first-time home buyer tax credit.

According to the National Association of Realtors, the annualized, seasonally adjusted rate is up from the 5.1 million in August and far ahead of the 5.35 million expected for September (based on economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters).

Continue reading Home resales up 9.4% in September, prices fall

Home resales up 9.4% in September, prices fall originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The clean technology wave just got a little bigger. This tends to be a side-effect of interest from billionaire investor George Soros. And, as usual, it's more than just money; it's more than just a return. Soros, yet again, is trying to save the world. Interestingly, the bold move was announced at a meeting on climate change sponsored by Project Syndicate - an international association consisting of 430 newspapers from 150 countries (and thus with clear ties to the past, rather than future).

The investor and founder of Soros Fund Management LLC is planning to put $1 billion into clean-tech opportunities using what he calls "rather stringent criteria," which involves being "profitable but should also actually make a contribution to solving the problem [i.e., of clean technology adoption and proliferation]." Soros didn't provide any other details on the nature or scope of his investments.

Continue reading Soros to put $1 billion into clean-tech companies

Soros to put $1 billion into clean-tech companies originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Lincoln, Neb., is the best place in the country for job-hunters. A new survey by headhunting firm Manpower (NYSE: MAN) reports that 21% of employers there plan to add employees in the next quarter, with only 4% looking to cut. That 17% spread (which Manpower calls the "net employment outlook") is tops in the United States.

Flint, Mich., on the other hand, is at the other end of the spectrum: 26% of employers are planning to chop jobs, while only 9% are forecasting new positions.

Continue reading Need a job? Consider a move to Nebraska

Need a job? Consider a move to Nebraska originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Labor-less Day

Labor-less Day originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB) expects almost half of all U.S. homeowners to be underwater -- figuratively, of course -- by 2011.

Declines in home prices and the fact that some of those difficult mortgages just aren't going away put 26% of homeowners in this situation by the end of last March, and it seems the situation is only going to get worse. Unlike the early stages of the credit crisis, which were driven by subprime mortgages, the next iteration will have a greater effect on prime mortgage borrowers, which comprise two-thirds of the loans outstanding.

Continue reading Half of all mortgages to be underwater by 2011

Half of all mortgages to be underwater by 2011 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Safeway: Upside potential remains

Safeway: Upside potential remains originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Most Californians clamor for a tobacco tax increase

Most Californians clamor for a tobacco tax increase originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Unlike the stock market, the bond market thrives on "bad" news. Why is this? The main reason is the money trail. Investors are quick to move their money from stocks into bonds when something bad happens.

Yesterday we had plenty of bad news. The U.S. job market lost 467,000 jobs, a 26-year high. Now to add fuel to the fire, wages are dropping due to layoffs and shortened work weeks (WSJ subscription required). Fewer people are working, which means less money that consumers have to spend. That signals a slower economy.

Continue reading Bad news triggers a rally in the bond market

Bad news triggers a rally in the bond market originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading California issues I.O.U.'s -- eat that seniors!

California issues I.O.U.'s -- eat that seniors! originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The median price for existing homes in California gained 1.4% in April, posting an increase for a second month in a row. The bold are calling this the bottom (or close to it), though another financial market surprise could change the rules as it did six months ago. However, if the small uptick is real, it could mean that the worst is behind us, as some use the California residential real estate market as a leading indicator for the broader economy.

Continue reading California home prices inch higher again, fingers crossed everywhere

California home prices inch higher again, fingers crossed everywhere originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Safeway: A frugality play, for the new era

Safeway: A frugality play, for the new era originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.