Subprime Problems » News

Craig Stephen’s This Week in China: Hong Kong faces real-estate showdown

Hansen — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 09:00:17 +0000

It’s near impossible to ignore the Hong Kong property market, as another record land auction last week keeps real estate firmly in the focus of policy makers and investors. But, asks Craig Stephen: Will Hong Kong’s government act?

Bernanke feared fallout from Lehman’s collapse

Hansen — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:00:11 +0000

The Fed chairman says that he always thought a failure of Lehman Brothers would severely damage the U.S. economy, but that the firm’s failure and bankruptcy proved inevitable.

Ending too-big-to-fail top crisis lesson: Bernanke

Hansen — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:00:10 +0000

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The need to end the concept of too-big-to fail banks is the single most important lesson from the recent financial crisis, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke said Thursday. Regulators now have the tools to address this issue, he said. In 30-pages of prepared remarks before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, Bernanke acknowleged that the Fed could have done more prior to the crisis about capital standards and said the Fed was slow to address abuses in subprime lending. Bernanke said Fed monetary policy did not cause the housing bubble. “The evidence is more consistent with a view that the run-up in house prices primarily represented a feedback loop between optimism regarding house prices and developments in the mortgage markets,” Bernanke said. The high rate of foreign investment in the U.S. also played a role in housing boom, he said. (Corrects spelling in headline.)

Brett Arends’ ROI: Don’t get fooled by Ben Bernanke

Hansen — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:00:11 +0000

When are investors going to stop getting suckered by Ben Bernanke?

Caixin Online: Inflation, not deflation, Mr. Bernanke

Hansen — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 09:00:07 +0000

Stimulus is the wrong medicine for solving the developed world’s current problems, and too much stimulus will causes inflation and bubbles in emerging economies first, and inflation in developed economies later, writes economist Andy Xie in a commentary for Caixin Online.

Ratings case against S&P to proceed

Hansen — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 09:00:15 +0000

(Updates with ratings firms’ lack of comment in last paragraph) Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Friday the Superior Court has rejected Standard & Poor’s motion to dismiss his case against the credit-ratings agency for allegedly giving artificially low credit ratings to municipalities.

Outside the Box: It’s doom and gloom all over again

Hansen — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 09:00:13 +0000

Investors are scared–really, really scared, writes Howard Gold.

Thomas Kostigen’s Ethics Monitor: Ground Zero needs a symbol of U.S. values

Hansen — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 09:00:11 +0000

Trump Ground Zero. Literally. Donald Trump should develop the Ground Zero site in Manhattan, writes Thomas Kostigen.

Financial Stocks: Financial stocks close up to break losing streak

Hansen — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 09:00:23 +0000

U.S. financial stocks close to break a string of recent losses amid economic worries and anemic trading volume.

Financials rise with mortgage panel in focus

Hansen — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 09:00:22 +0000

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — The Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund was up nearly 1% at Tuesday’s open after falling the previous five days. Bank investors will be keying on the Obama administration’s conference on housing finance, which will feature Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Pimco’s Bill Gross. Markets will be looking for any hints on the future of mortgage-finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac , which where placed into government conservatorship after they were devastated by the subprime crunch. Shares of M&T Bank Corp. were up more than 6% after the Financial Times reported Spanish lender Banco Santander is back in merger talks with the bank. (Updated to correct Santander ticker.)