Financial sector rebound anything but certain - July 23, 2008 13:15

A fresh batch of earnings reports in recent days have definitely called into question the likelihood of a near-term recovery in the financial services sector. Some financial services and lending companies have performed better than anticipated.

Will Europe Escape the maladies of the U.S.? - July 23, 2008 6:58

Last week all was well, as no less a person as Paulson, the Treasury Secretary reassured us all that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were sufficiently capitalized. Last weekend a plan was put into effect to ensure their survival. The second largest bank failure ever in the States Indy Bank went bust. Many believe that […]

Oil in freefall, but for how long? - July 18, 2008 10:02

Oil has been in a strong freefall over the last few days of futures trade. This has helped boost stocks, with the Dow regaining nearly 500 points in two days. The Dow bounce occurred after a drop below 11,000 early in the week.

Gold Dips as Oil Falls - July 17, 2008 13:35

Gold Dips as Oil Falls, Stocks Rally; Inflation “Won’t Fall” in Recession, Warns European Central Bank. SPOT GOLD PRICES fell back at lunchtime in London on Thursday, slipping 0.7% towards this week’s low of $955 per ounce as Western stock markets continued to rally on falling oil prices.

Inflation concerns mount - July 16, 2008 9:25

Investors have gained renewed enthusiasm for their concerns about a continued slump in the economy. Despite a 25 per cent rise in Intel’s second quarter earnings and a drop in oil prices, the Dow gained downward momentum Tuesday (July 15) dropping below 11,000, to a close of 10,962. This is over 3,000 points below the […]

Fly Away - July 15, 2008 10:29

AFTER TWENTY-FIVE YEARS of booming asset markets, it’s getting hard to keep hold of your money, let alone grow it.

The Weekly Report - July 14, 2008 8:58

Welcome to the Weekly Report. Normally at An Occasional Letter From The Collection Agency we try to focus attention on the macro-economic near term effects using the Weekly Report, allowing the Occasional Letter to look further into the future by about 18-24 months. We have reached a stage now where it is becoming difficult to […]

Middle East tension limits oil price decline - July 11, 2008 8:37

Thursday (July 10) was another in a long run of recent trading days that shows just how much downward price resistance is in the way of crude oil. Following another recent dip, which pushed the commodity down to $135, light sweet crude oil speculators pushed oil futures back up over $140 with a $5 gain […]

Fed cracks down on home lending - July 9, 2008 8:57

Tuesday (July 8), Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke finally shared some of the details about new Fed plans to crackdown on some of the deceptive and unethical home lending practices that most believe have contributed to the housing and credit mess. Largely a response to demand from Americans and law makers, the Fed wants to […]