Reuters reports: U.S. consumer confidence rebounded in April to the highest levels since September before investors panicked about the coll...

Back in October, Bloomberg reported: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. will temporarily guarantee new senior unsecured debt and fully pro...

Are you a buyer at these levels and importantly (whether a buyer or seller)... WHY? Lets hear it....

Felix Salmon (now at Reuters) with the details: The Philadelphia Fed said its business activity index came in at minus 24.4 in April compar...

Brad Setser reports: It is a good thing the US trade deficit has come down, because foreign demand for US financial assets — actually forei...

Bloomberg details: Industrial production in Europe contracted by the most on record in February as the deepening global recession curtailed...

Bond Buyer with the details: State tax collections for the fourth quarter of 2008 declined for the first time in more than six years, and s...

Finfacts reports: Outside of manufacturing, the output of mines fell 3.2% in March, as oil and gas well drilling continued to drop. After a...

We've detailed similar thoughts here and here , but worth repeating. While the borrowing cost for corporations that have been able to m...

Bloomberg reports: Industrial production in the U.S. fell for the 14th time in the last 15 months as factories trimmed unwanted stockpiles....

BLS details: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.2 percent in March, before seasonal adjustment, the Burea...

Yesterday we saw another monthly decline in business inventories. Xinhuanet with the details: Inventories held by U.S. businesses on shelve...

I am a HUGE Mets fan and I was fortunate enough to spend WAY too much money scalping tickets to last night's home opener (which happene...

WSJ reports: U.S. retail sales unexpectedly plunged during March in a broad-based decrease that threw a shadow over recent signs of improve...

Year over Year Month over Month Source: BLS

I understand Moody's ratings don't necessarily apply directly to equity, BUT this does tell the story rather well... Click for Large...

In the latest installment of "Greed that Makes Me Want to Throw up in my Mouth" we have International Paper. It started innocently...

Source: Investment Postcards

If I've learned anything, it is that when the "smart money" is selling, you SHOULD NOT be buying. The WSJ reports: Goldman S...

It was a quiet week of news... lets hope the lack of drama continues.... Economic Data Good News Alert! Imports Down, Exports Up, Trade Bala...

Marketwatch reports: The U.S. federal budget deficit rose to a record $956.8 billion in the first six months of the fiscal year after the g...

The NY Times presents: Only a handful of chains on Thursday reported an increase in sales at stores open at least a year, a measure of reta...

The Big Picture details the importance of understanding the difference between a "real thing" (i.e. market bottom) and a bear mar...

WSJ reports: Major U.S. averages soared Thursday, but shares of Wal-Mart Stores were left in the dust as the nation’s largest retailer repo...

Reuters reports: U.S. crude oil futures reversed course and rose sharply Wednesday after government inventory data showed that, despite cru...

Okay, first I need to brag as I pretty much nailed we'd see a relative strength in exports (and the dollar) in this DECEMBER 8TH post. ...

Bespoke details: Even though the market is barely up on the day at the moment, the VIX volatility index is down more than a point and has ...

As the saying goes, inventories can't go negative. Thus, at some point these businesses will have to reorder. Especially if sales contin...

High yield bonds are outperforming investment grade corporate bonds, which are outperforming equities (year to date 2009). How rare is this?...

Bloomberg reports: Japan’s current-account surplus narrowed in February as the global recession eroded demand for the nation’s exports. The...

Marketwatch reports: Total outstanding consumer credit, including both revolving and nonrevolving credit, fell at a 3.5% annual rate, or $...

The WSJ reports: The record contraction in the euro-zone economy in the fourth quarter was even sharper than initially estimated, fueling f...

The WSJ reports: A fresh batch of Treasurys up for sale this week sent prices on long-end Treasury futures lower Monday, sending anticipate...

I am no UNC fan, but I have never seen that dominating a performance throughout a final four. Source: ESPN

OCC and OTS Release Mortgage Metrics Report for Fourth Quarter 2008 (hat tip Calculated Risk ): The Office of the Comptroller of the Curr...

Reuters reports: The yen fell broadly on Monday, hitting its weakest against the dollar and the euro in nearly six months as investors took...

A bit busy, but the chart below shows March and YTD returns through March. All bar charts show absolute returns (i.e. Emerging Markets retur...

Asset Classes Are Corporate Bonds a Screaming Buy? TIPS Rockin' Stocks for the Long Run... Why Does Intra-Year Volatility Matter ...

Making this an early weekend, but one more chart before I go... What this shows is the population is growing, the labor force is shrinking, ...

Source: BLS