December 2012

Wages in America and the Attack on Labor

The attack on labor is in full throttle. We hear reports of outrageous pay for government workers with economic fictional spin. Pundits weave tall tales blaming the workers themselves as the reason for America's economic malaise. Actual wage statistics are never mentioned. Nor is the never ending income inequality in the United States and the policies which cause it.

Economic Christmas Carols for Cheer and Chuckles

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE ECONOMIC POPULIST

homeless santa

Happy Holidays from The Economic Populist!  We hope you have a wonderful, stress-free and safe Christmas.

The Economic Populist Elves are busy this holiday, tinkering on a brand new website, full of upgrades, goodies and magical statistical sprinklings.  Won't you please help the upgrade magic by donating just a few Christmas dollars?  In the spirit of giving, we thank you.

 

 

Ho, ho, ho you will go if you watch the outrageously funny economic Christmas videos below.  We hope you have a wonderful holiday!

 

Holiday Carols From Versusplus

 

When Hedge Funds Trump Governments

vultureWhile Greece suffers to the point of revolution and suicide, hedge funds made out like bandits on Greek sovereign debt.

Greece had reached its target of buying back enough bonds at a discount to retire 21 billion euros, or about $27 billion, of its debt. The bigger winners, though, were hedge funds, which pocketed higher profits than many had expected, in yet another Greek bailout financed by European taxpayers.

To some experts, this latest chapter in the long-running Greek drama is another reminder of how private investors have managed to outmaneuver European officials at various stages of the debt crisis. And they caution that each time it happens, future debt workouts in the euro zone will become even more costly.

When Europe wanted to give the Greek bond holders a hair cut, the hedge funds threatened collective action against a host of European countries. They wouldn't buy any European sovereign bonds in retaliation against the Eurogroup taking a hard line against them.

The warning was blunt: If Athens set off legal mechanisms in the bond contracts known as collective action clauses, forcing bondholders to accept lower prices, investors would stop buying the bonds of struggling European countries. That would be bad news for Spain and Italy — to say nothing of Portugal and Ireland when they return to global bond markets in 2013.

Business as Usual and Prosecution of Financial Crime

hsbcThe latest fallout in the banks manipulating the LIBOR scandal were criminal charges against two UBS traders. LIBOR is a key financial rate and the Justice Department this week fined UBS $1.5 billion for rate rigging. The Japan UBS subsidiary also pleaded guilty to wire fraud.

UBS Securities Japan Co. Ltd. (UBS Japan), an investment bank, financial advisory securities firm and wholly-owned subsidiary of UBS AG, has agreed to plead guilty to felony wire fraud and admit its role in manipulating the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), a leading benchmark used in financial products and transactions around the world, Attorney General Eric Holder announced today. The criminal information, filed today in U.S. District Court in the District of Connecticut, charges UBS Japan with one count of engaging in a scheme to defraud counterparties to interest rate derivatives trades by secretly manipulating LIBOR benchmark interest rates.

State Unemployment and Payrolls for November 2012

The November state employment statistics show a drop in unemployment rates exceeding actual job growth. No state's unemployment rate increased for November. Only five states had no change in unemployment, 45 plus the District of Columbia showed declines. The November national unemployment rate was 7.7%.

Initial Unemployment Claims 361,000 While Over 2 Million to Lose Benefits for Week of December 15th, 2012

The DOL reported Initial weekly unemployment claims for the week ending on December 15th, 2012 were 361,000, a 17,000 increase from the previous week of 344,000. Superstorm Sandy's devastating effects should be normalizing out by now, so this is a troubling increase in initial unemployment filings.

 

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