Tag archive for ‘Doubts’
Why Republicans will likely have to cave on the automaker bailout.
Today, Congress reconvened itself in the “lame duck” session to attempt to force through before the 111th Congress the remaining laundry list of bills that Democratic leaders promised during the October campaigning period. One bill, however, has run into significant opposition - the automakers bailout bill. Despite holding sizable leads in the House and Senate, Democrats are unable to garner sufficient votes to pass the bill. As a result, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has been forced to say, “Just wait” for the 111th Congress. For Republicans, the automaker bailout issue is fraught with peril for a party that is already weakened and attempting to regain both its confidence and its soul.
Encouraging the Freedom to Fail
American business is the most robust, the most efficient, and the most effective in providing returns to shareholders on invested capital. We take capital from all points on the globe and turn it into returns that are often multiples of what they initially invested. No other country is as effective at generating wealth as the United States. We are so effective because of our commitment to capitalism and free markets. Part and parcel of that commitment is a belief in freedom. One of those freedoms has to be the freedom to fail. For if failure is not a consequence of bad decision making by private enterprise, we will surely fail in the long term in generating wealth. Life without risk, in business, is not worth investing in.
Stock Market Meltdown, Bank Failures, and Recession! Oh my!
Last week, the stock market shredded almost 20% of its value, and briefly looked as if the Dow Jones Industrial Average would march to 7000, a number that would bring the market’s value down to almost 50% from its high a year ago. Panicked investors continue to be frenzied as they worry about the value of their 401K’s, IRA’s, and government savings plans, selling in droves and fleeing for the safety of US Treasury Bonds; bonds which are almost worthless in their yields at the moment as demand for bonds far outstrips supply. In the time of market panic - cash is king. Many Americans are asking, however, why this is happening? They were told the Bail Out “rescue” plan would avoid Financial Armageddon! Why then does the market continue to be driven downward, and the credit market continue to be seized?
US and World Markets fall and Congress looks for blame.
Today’s markets plummted around the world reacting to the bailout bill, worries about the broader credit markets, and the lack of reaction by most Western governments to what is undoubtedly a broadening financial crunch around the world. Panic swept through the world’s financial markets, wiping $2.5 trillion from share values, amid concern that regulators and politicians were struggling to get a grip on the worsening crisis of confidence.
Unwinding Mess - IndyMac, Freddie Mac, and Fannie Mae
On Friday, the first unavoidable evidence that the credit crunch continues burst forth to center stage. The Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) and the Federal Depositors Insurance Corporation (FDIC) were forced to take control of IndyMac Bancorp, Inc. IndyMac’s failure marks one of the largest bank failures in history, and is the largest bank failure [...]
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