- It beggars belief that the zombies from the GOP_tea are willing to risk national default for the sake of antitax bs! Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan Mitch McConnell all voted for the chief drivers of the debt during the past decade: Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts and Medicare prescription drug benefits. They also voted for TARP!! etc.etc……………………………………………………………………………
- The CME is raising collateral required to trade its Treasury futures as the U.S. debt stupidity promised to intensify market volatility!
- (Reuters) - The United States will lose its top-notch AAA credit rating from at least one major rating agency, according to a Reuters poll that also found wrangling over the debt ceiling has already damaged the economy.
- Sales of U.S. new single-family homes fell 1.0% in June to an annual rate of 312,000. The median sales price rose 5.8% to $235,000 last month from $222,400 in May. At the current sales pace, there was a 6.3 months supply of new homes.
- The S&P/Case-Shiller index of property values in 20 U.S. cities fell 4.5 % YoY
- U.S Consumer confidence rose to 59.5 in July from a downwardly revised 57.6 in June.
- (AP) -- The U.S wealth gaps between whites and minorities have grown to their widest levels in a quarter-century. The recession and uneven recovery have erased decades of minority gains, leaving whites on average with 20 times the net worth of blacks and 18 times that of Hispanics, according to an analysis of new Census data.
- German consumer confidence for August declined to 5.4 from 5.5 in July.
- Cotton appears to be bouncing at long term support.
- For contemplation: HealthSpring, (HS): is up over 160% YoY. The Company serves Medicare recipients with a network of hospitals and physicians.
- More food for thought: WellCare (WCG) is up over 110% YoY. The Company operates health plans in multiple states.
- The price of crystal sugar in Brazil, the world's largest producer, climbed 20% this month as supplies remain limited, according to Cepea.