The Week in Review from @valeofinancial (8-12-11)
This week from the @valeofinancial Twitter feed
European Debt Issues
- The Size of PIIGS Valeo Financial Advisors
- ECB pledges to purchase Spanish & Italian debt to lower interest rates. BusinessWeek Rates drop in Italy and Spain
- France, Belgium, Italy and Spain to Temporarily Limit Short-Selling
- Greek Economy Shrinks by 6.9% Wall Street Journal
- Michael Lewis’s latest financial-disaster travel guide: “It’s the Economy, Dumkopf!” Vanity Fair
United States
- Retail & Food Sales increase by 0.5% in July. Chart of change and levels over past 4+ years
- Consumer confidence drops in August Calculated Risk
- Fewer Foreclosures Started As Bank Delays Continue NPR
- The U.S. trade deficit widened in June. Cleveland Federal Reserve
- Productivity declined in Q2 2011 by -0.3%. Q1 2011 revised from +1.8% to -0.6% U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
China
- China Again Faces Growth vs. Inflation Conundrum Wall Street Journal
- The IMF opines on the Chinese “Bubbly” housing market International Monetary Fund
U.S. Equity Markets
- Equity Market Volatility Picks Up Yahoo! Finance
- Apple briefly edged past Exxon Mobil to become the most valuable company in the World Reuters
Other
- How The U.S. Gave S&P Its Power from Planet Money
- With expected future debate about social programs in the US, here is a comprehensive look at social programs in European countries U.S. Social Security Administration