Warren Buffett answers questions about the rating agencies before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Committee. The Commission is holding a hearing entitled “Credibility of Credit Ratings, the Investment Decisions Made Based on Those Ratings, and the Financial Crisis.”
Warren Buffett answers questions about the rating agencies before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Committee. The Commission is holding a hearing entitled “Credibility of Credit Ratings, the Investment Decisions Made Based on Those Ratings, and the Financial Crisis.”
The German cabinet approved a draft bill to ban naked short selling of euro zone government bonds and German shares Wednesday, but an outright ban has been postponed. Rüdiger von Rosen from Deutsches Aktieninstitut said that investors are responsible for their judgment.
The long-term chart for the euro suggests it will go “much lower” versus the dollar and could fall toward $0.90, which is the lows of 2000/2001, Mark Sturdy from Seven Days Ahead told CNBC Wednesday. Sturdy also takes a technical look at the pound.
Iconic Wall Street executive and former Bear Stearns CEO Ace Greenberg discusses his new book, “The Rise and Fall of Bear Stearns,” with CNBC.
The Nasdaq composite sliced below Thursday’s lows which reset the day count for that index. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average just ended Day 3 of a new rally attempt which opens the window for a proper follow-through day to emerge. Elsewhere, as long last Tuesday’s lows (1040) are not breached in the S&P 500, the window remains open for a proper FTD to occur. However, if at anytime last Tuesday’s lows are breached in the S&P 500, then the day count will be reset. What does all of this mean for investors? Simple, the market remains in a correction which reiterates the importance of adopting a strong defense stance until a new rally is confirmed. Trade accordingly.
Sovereign debt woes continue to be the bane of this rally. At the end of April the S&P Rating Agency downgraded Greece’s debt to “junk” status, which accelerated the steep sell-off in the euro and sent it down to its 2008 lows! This sparked a world-wide panic sell-off which sent stocks plunging. In addition, Spain and Portugal’s debt was also downgraded which put pressure on a host of capital markets. Italy and Iceland are the two nations which analysts believe are also dealing with ominous debt levels. All of this helped the US dollar enjoy one of its strongest gains against the euro in over a year. Since November, the greenback has rallied smartly and jumped above its 50-day moving average (DMA) and 200 DMA lines. As expected, the stronger dollar sent US stocks and a slew of commodities (i.e. dollar denominated assets) lower as investors continue to debate our economic future.
The ISM Manufacturing Index slipped to 59.7 in May from 60.4 in April, and construction spending jumped 2.7% in April. CNBC’s Steve Liesman parses the data.
“Russia has growth and Russia has money and Europe has neither,” Kingsmill Bond from Troika Dialog told CNBC Tuesday. “Russia has the capacity to support Europe clearly with its cash,” he added.
A slowdown in China’s economy will have a smaller impact on Asia than a slowdown in the euro zone, says Dominique Dwor-Frecaut, macro strategist from Royal Bank of Scotland. She speaks with CNBC’s Chloe Cho and Anna Edwards about why she believes we are in the early stages of the global financial crisis.