Posted on 10/14/2013 3:27:53 AM PDT by expat_panama
This is the Weekly Investment & Finance Thread (Oct 14 - Oct. 18 edition)----
Trying to focus on the markets for today and each day and the economic news
This is where you can exchange some investment opinions and advice
If you see another FR economic thread you like and want to link to it here, please do
Post your favorite economic site links. Your favorite economic blogs and precious metals blogs and sites
Ping list -- on or off let me know here or via freep-mail. If I missed you then Freep-mail me
I might ping you to other interesting economic threads a few times a week. One per day maybe
Sites that posters have recommended ------
http://www.bing.com/search?q=china+canal+nicaragua&form=APMCS1
My niece speaks Chinese and Spanish and will be graduating with degrees in finance and Chinese linguistics.... I smell opportunity!!!!
How is Panama taking this news? It's a ways off but.....
Stock futures are up this morning after yesterdays strong showing (Stocks Roll Higher, And Nasdaq Volume Rises). My personal take is that traders have figured out that the US budget deal wasn't as one-sided as it'd seemed, though we won't find it in the news...
Dollar slides to 8-1/2 month lows on US economy worries Reuters - 9 hours ago By Jessica Mortimer. LONDON | Fri Oct 18, 2013 4:26am EDT. LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar fell to eight-and-a-half-month lows against the euro and a currency basket on Friday on speculation the fallout of this month's political impasse in the U.S.China growth data boost stock futures USA TODAY - 2 hours ago Accelerating economic growth in China was underwriting gains in U.S. stock futures Friday. Dow Jones industrial average index futures rose 0.2%, Standard & Poor's 500 index futures gained 0.2% and Nasdaq index futures added 0.5%.US gov't to release September jobs report Oct. 22 By CHRISTOPER S. RUGABER - AP - Thu Oct 17, 3:56PM CDT WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. Labor Department will release the September employment report on Tuesday now that Congress has reopened the government. The report had been delayed 2½ weeks because of the partial government shutdown. (full story)
AFP - A Chinese ratings agency downgraded its US sovereign credit rating Thursday despite Washington's resolution of the debt ceiling deadlock, warning that fundamentals for a potential default remained "unchanged".
"The fundamental situation that the debt growth rate significantly outpaces that of fiscal income and gross domestic product remains unchanged,"
Related video:
US grown scandals get as much traction in Panama as US grown coffee and bananas. Anyone who wants a real scandal comes straight to Panama where they're produced by experienced professionals...
fwiw, I just bot EGOV —it makes websites for state & local governments. didn’t see anything about Obamacare work but my bet is that it’s going to be a growth industry.
Maybe one of the few....
up 6% this AM in heavy trade; scores 99% on IBD’s checkup.
Alas I should have excerpted the mentioning that this rating agency is probably more of a Chinese publicity arm rather than an official rating agency. About the only good thing about T-bill’s interest is that my TSP G Fund will receive a nice bump.
Maybe not; the thing to remember about bond values is that when interest rates go up today on new bonds being sold, it means that the bonds you bought yesterday won't be worth as much when you try to sell them. Rising interest rates mean share prices of bond funds drop. Counter intuitive and I remember getting that question wrong on my college econ test, but I get reminded often on how it works.
Just the same, this Chinese rating downgrade appears to have the backing of the market place so I'll believe it. Contrast that to the downgrade Moodys (iirc) gave a few years ago that was followed by soaring values on US debt. Moodys ratings became a joke.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.