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Saturday, July 23

July 23rd WEEKENDER MASSIVE


Some of my older (t-one week) hand-picked links that have not been featured on this blog previously.  Especially some of the entries in Operators-section are worth your time. I’ll do a later blog entry on news/stuff published over the weekend.
I thought about splitting this entry to two in order to have “content to publish tomorrow”, but realized I’m not a magazine that has to fill pages around ads. I’ll just keep throwing in everything I have that I think is valuable.
As always, please leave an anon-comment if you like/dislike something or have suggestions or requests. Hire me.

EURO CRISIS
IMF European section’s director opens up on the importance of austerity, productivity , tech and integration to solve the crisis. Also links to to IMF CEO’s statement how astonishingly successful European integration has been.
The Solution Is More, Not Less Europe – IMFDirect via Economonitor

IMF report on sovereign trouble’s serious effect on the economy, supporting ECB and commission hard liners. Also links to the IMF spillover-report
The IMF wakes up – Financial Times

Italy’s situation and troubles and its’ role in the crisis – in short, bad and large.
Little time for Italy – Manasse, Trigilia via VOX

Gloomy report from Royal Bank of Scotland’s rates strategist

Stratfor’s long report. First a link to a summary and then to the full report.
The European Experiment in context – Humble Student of The Markets
The Divided States of Europe – Stratfor Global Intelligence

Roubini thinks waiting will not work and has some suggestions
The Eurozone’s Last Stand – Economonitor by Nouriel Roubini


This is how our great leaders pushed the banks for ”voluntary” solution

Who holds what maturity of the PIIGS-debt

Nice overviews on several end game-solutions

ECB balance sheet pump and stealth-support to PIIGS has been discussed elsewhere. This is slightly more academic approach to the issue.

Lawrence Summers states his opinion. I’ve previously written a heart-warming opinion on him, but you can probably check the wiki entry on him and read Stiglitz’s view for my points.
How to save the eurozone – Financial Times


SocGen’s stress test special report on Monday in full. Must read and save

Interpreting SocGen’s previous Monday’s report on stress tests: most banks surprisingly ok even if worst happens. A lot less credible is the actual CDO-like solution pushed by the EU




Italy’s problems with charts in two minutes

Good summary but nothing that has not been covered elsewhere.

Current situation looks and feels like ERM break-up but nothing has been learned. Speculators, markets blamed, forced choice between bank crisis and austerity – or a balance between the two.

Who picks up the check?

Argues for the necessity of a federal union

Argentina 2001 and Greece 2011, comparison and lessons


FINANCIAL CRISIS
Bank failure rates show no sign of abating
FDIC Bank Failures – The Big Picture

Surprisingly interesting article with some links worth checking out

Really radical ideas again from my favorite folio hatter


S&P gets tired on debt ceiling clownery and threatens to downgrade everyone whose credit is connected to U.S.



Krugman points out that none of the guilty parties has been sanctioned in any way.
Letting Bankers Walk – The New York Times / Paul Krugman


Historical depths and lengths of downcycles
Understanding financial cycles – Claessens, Kose, Terrones via VOX

SEC increased max allowed leverage of IB’s in 2004. Leverage increased from 13 to 30-40 levels in couple of years and here we are.

Total debt of sovereigns and financial sector has never been this high. Deutsche’s report is not polite.

Two nice ones in defense of credit raters


OPERATORS
Warren Buffett’s friend and partner is 87 years old. Probably the last interview

GS’s trading activity lower

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau gets a new director, known to be tight (previously targeted AIG, ML) Banks have already whined about this, but very, very carefully.

Long interview of what, how and why

Mr. Dalio’s, of Bridgewater fame, book ”Principles”. Link to the doc at the bottom of the page.

Discusses also other cash-heavy HF’s. Money looking for opportunities causes what?


Very good article on Galleon’s insider dealing, what happened, how they tried to evade authorities and how they finally caught them

Very, very good article and interview on Bridgewater’s Ray Dalio.

HFT’s found a new org as their spokesman . Expect lobbying.


EMERGING
Iran’s influence growing, Saudi-Arabia accommodates as they cannot rely on keeping their own crazies under control, or the help of U.S., as America is over-extended. Article links a lot to Stratfor articles.

Gold price and the average incomes in India&China show a strong positive correlation.

N11-countries after BRIC boom?.
The Next Eleven – Financial Post

BRICs
Sick as a BRICEconomonitor


MISC.
Everything (still) depends on Saudi-Arabia

IMF’s SDR as the new world currency. A bit folio-hatty but good reading

Mankiw b-slaps Summers but does find some ideas and quotes from him good, and lists them
The Always Quotable Larry Summers – Greg Mankiw’s Blog

Large pie graph good for wallpaper.



This presentation has already been posted elsewhere, but here it is anyways

Comparison of FB&G+ segmentation and valuation


DIVERSION
F-Secure’s Mikko Hyppönen’s video presentation
Fighting Computer Viruses, 25 Years Later – TED: Ideas worth spreading

Classic: Citibank ex CEO Walter Wriston interviewed by Predictors-author. Deputy Sec of Def calls him regarding encryption patent application: ”He ain't gonna get that patent, and you're never going to use that cipher overseas. Is that clear?”
The Future of Money – Wired / Thomas A. Bass

Statistician cracks scratch lottery tickets and finds out he can tell the winners beforehand. What would you do?

Another guy cracks slot machines

What the Mafia Can Teach The Legitimate Businessman-book’s author used to do heists for the Gambino-family.

One chart says it all.

Netflix-history teaches some points why content does not rule

My favourite comic.

Give room to your strengths and do not accommodate your play to environment

Almost everyone gets an A nowadays

Google’s employee number 59 tells about the first years – free chapter one..
The Beginning – The Wall Street Journal

Source criticism etc. discussed briefly

CME announces the end of pork bellies futures. Makes me a sad panda.
No, no, no it ain’t CME babe – Financial Times