bond market

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Treasury Makes Big Move on Russia Debt Payments
Russia Tries to Pay
Dollar Debt in Rubles
UPDATED

Russia Tries to Pay Dollar Debt in Rubles

US sanctions may soon lead to country's first default in more than 100 years

(Newser) - Update: Russia said Wednesday that it made a debt payment in rubles this week, a move that may not be accepted by Russia's foreign debt holders and could put the country on a path to an historic default. The Ministry of Finance said it tried to make a $649...

Inflation Report Roils Bond Markets
Inflation Report
Hits Markets Hard
MARKETS

Inflation Report Hits Markets Hard

Dow dropped 240 points

(Newser) - An eye-opening report on inflation that was hotter than expected slammed into the bond market on Wednesday, sending yields jumping, and helping knock stocks lower, the AP reports. The sharpest inflation since 1990 forced investors to boost bets that the Federal Reserve will have to raise short-term interest rates more...

Fed Moves Street; Dow Up 91
 Fed Moves Street; Dow Up 91 
MARKETS

Fed Moves Street; Dow Up 91

Plan to buy Treasuries, mortgage-backed securities stirs stocks

(Newser) - Stocks slumped today until the announcement of the Federal Reserve’s plans to buy billions in Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities, which caused a minor rally in equities, the Wall Street Journal reports. Treasury prices surged and yields plummeted. The Dow gained 90.88 to close at 7,486.58. The...

Fed to Spend $1T on Mortgage, Treasury Securities

Latest intervention hopes to lower lending costs

(Newser) - The Fed plans buy up to $300 billion in long-term Treasury securities in an attempt to make lending more affordable, the Wall Street Journal reports. The massive buy is intended to push down interest rates on consumer loans and corporate bonds, which are linked to yields T-bills. The Fed will...

As Life Insurers Face Losses, Next Bailout Decision Looms

Life insurers, a key cog in capital markets, seek TARP funds

(Newser) - Life insurance companies, an oft-overlooked yet important cog in the financial infrastructure, haven’t been immune to tumbling markets, the Wall Street Journal reports, which are eroding both their portfolios and consumer confidence. A Dow Jones life insurance index is off 59% this year and 82% from its 2007 high,...

Japan, Help Us Wrestle the World's Problems
Japan, Help Us Wrestle
the World's Problems
ANALYSIS

Japan, Help Us Wrestle the World's Problems

(Newser) - Japan's economic collapse in the 1990s and its decades of US dependence have left the nation rather timid, Christian Caryl writes in Newsweek. But its strong economy, bold environmental moves, and likely change of government this year will leave it poised to help the world. “The only trick now,...

30-Year Mortgage Rates Fall to Record Low 5.01%

Fed buys $10.2B in agency mortgage bonds

(Newser) - Interest rates on 30-year fixed mortgages fell to a record low 5.01% this week, Bloomberg reports. The drop—the 10th weekly fall in a row—comes as the Federal Reserve purchased $10.2 billion of mortgage-backed securities from Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae as part of a...

Next Bubble May Be in Treasuries
Next Bubble May Be
in Treasuries
ANALYSIS

Next Bubble May Be in Treasuries

But the rest of the bond market is attractively priced

(Newser) - As the credit and stock markets collapsed, investors rushed to Treasuries as the safest possible bet. But the rush to safety could be fueling a bubble, writes Andrew Bary for Barrons. Yields have been plummeting, with 10-year notes at 2.4% and three-month bills selling last week for 0.05%....

Credit Markets Show Signs of Thaw

But experts warn that the credit market remains tight, and may not ease for months

(Newser) - The government’s move to take stakes in major banks has finally succeeded in easing some of the panic that’s locked up credit markets, reports the Wall Street Journal. Corporate-bond values rose and commercial paper began trading at lower rates, giving hope that the intervention is working, though experts...

California, Out of Cash, Begs for $7B From Treasury

Cash-starved Calif, credit markets, may need bailout of its own

(Newser) - California is almost out of cash, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger warned the Treasury Department yesterday, and may need an emergency loan of up to $7 billion from the federal government, the Los Angeles Times reports. California is the largest of several states locked out of the bond market by the credit...

Credit Crunch Shuts Down State, City Projects

Projects shelved as municipal bond market dries up

(Newser) - The credit crisis is squeezing the life out of local governments, reports the New York Times. Cities and states have found themselves shut out of bond markets for the last 2 weeks, and big projects, from new hospitals to highway repairs, are being shelved or delayed. Analysts believe the days...

Municipalities Challenge Bond Ratings

Local officials say double standard cheats taxpayers

(Newser) - City and state officials are mounting a rebellion against bond rating firms they say are siphoning off billions of taxpayer dollars by giving them unfairly low credit ratings, the New York Times reports. Even though municipal bonds are generally safer than those issued by corporations, municipalities get lower credit scores,...

$1.5B Bailout Gives Hope to Reeling Bond Insurers

(Newser) - A quiet infusion of $1.5 billion from two European banks will help bond insurer CIFG maintain its AAA credit rating, the Wall Street Journal reports. The move keeps at bay a crisis in the bond market that could cost investors $200 billion and might provide a bailout blueprint for...

Credit Crunch Hits Bond Market
Credit Crunch Hits Bond Market

Credit Crunch Hits Bond Market

Tight corporate borrowing could slow economy

(Newser) - Ripples from the credit crisis have reached the corporate bond market—threatening to slow down the economy by seriously limiting the ability of major corporations to borrow money for new projects,  the Washington Post reports. Credit problems have already begun to bite into the future plans of Hertz, ...

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