Economics Update

Well, gasoline prices hit all-time high today, and oil prices hit another record too.

Interesting thing though, at the start of the day, prices were down on increased inventories.

Oil Prices are rising because the dollar is falling now.

In the ever entertaining world of monoliner insurance, MBIA and Fitch Ratings are in a pissing contest. MBIA dropped them as a ratings service, because Fitch thinks that they should be downgraded.

MBIA and AMBAC's debt is junk in reality, no matter what S&P, Moody's, or Fitch says.

Speaking of Moody's, they are forecasting a big drop in earnings, down from $2.17-$2.25/share to $1.90-$2.00, which tanked their stocked.

The GSE's stock tanked too, with Fannie Mae falling 6% and Freddie Mac falling 3%. It turns out that the relaxed lending limits has the market spooked that this will lead them into more losses, which, of course, it will.

If I had to make a bet between Fannie and Freddie, I'd go with Freddie though. their CEO has a good grasp on reality, he thinks that the housing market is only 1/3 of the way to the bottom.

I'm a bit more of a bear than he is, but I think that Richard Syron is a member of the reality based community.

Despite the rate cuts, and the talk out of the Fed about more rate cuts, mortgage rates are up, and applications are down as a result.

In the more general doom and gloom scenarios, I present the following:

Citigroup is having to pump $1 billion into six of its internal hedge funds. I guess that they have to sell another piece of themselves to some Arab sovereign wealth fund.

Finally, we have ING New Zealand suspending withdrawals from two of their CDOs.

New Zealand???? New F#$@ing Zealand? Whisken Tango Foxtrot.

The meltdown is now fully global.