Thursday, April 18, 2013

Friday April 19 Housing and Economic stories


TOP STORIES:

R.E. Kleptomania - Real estate agent accused of stealing from homeowner  - (www.cfnews13.com) A real estate agent was arrested, accused of stealing money and prescription drugs from aVolusia County home she was trying to sell. Now investigators want to know if there are any other victims. Jessica Morford was arrested Friday. Police in Port Orange said the homeowner set up a video camera after suspecting that Morford, 32, was stealing.
Police said the video caught Morford stealing the prescription drugs. Morford had access to the house to show it to prospective buyers. Morford worked for Real Living All Florida Realty in Daytona Beach. We have contacted business, but have not heard from them yet.

Largest Dutch bank defaults on physical gold deliveries to customers – (www.examiner.com) Last week, a rubicon was crossed in the precious metals market as one of the largest banks in Europe defaulted on their goldcontracts, and informed their customers there was no physical gold available for delivery. ABN AMRO, the largest Dutch bank in the Eurozone, issued a letter to their gold contract customers of failure of delivery, and instead will pay account holders in a paper currency equivalent to the current spot value of the metal. ABN AMRO, the biggest Dutch bank, has sent a letter to its clients stating that they will no longer be able to take physical deliveries of the gold they have bought through ABN. Instead they are offered money at the current market rate for gold. Basically, instead of owning a risk free, physical asset (a gold bar or a gold coin), the bank’s clients now own a monetary claim on ABN AMRO, being exposed to the bank's credit risk. - Voice of Russia

Hollande Dismisses Reshuffle as Crisis Hits Popularity - (www.bloomberg.com) French President Francois Hollande, in the midst of the worst political crisis since entering office in May, dismissed speculation of a cabinet reshuffle after a minister he’d charged with fighting tax evasion admitted to a secret overseas bank account. “It’s not the government that failed, but a man,” Hollande said yesterday at a press conference in Rabat during a state visit to Morocco. “There’s no decision on the government to be taken.” Jerome Cahuzac, who resigned as Hollande’s budget minister two weeks ago, said on April 2 that he was caught in a “spiral of lies” about the 600,000 euros ($770,000) he held in an offshore account for years. Hollande said this week that Cahuzac had lied to him, the French parliament and the French people. Cahuzac’s downfall came as the Socialist president plumbed new lows in opinion polls. Less than 11 months into his five- year mandate, Hollande is struggling to revive an economy that has barely grown in two years and joblessness that has jumped to 3.196 million, just shy of a record set in 1997.

Numbness gives way to anger in Cyprus over bailout - (www.reuters.com) Public shock in Cyprus about the tough terms of an international bailout is turning into anger as millions of euros remain locked in the country's banks. Cypriots were stunned by last month's collapse of its second-biggest lender, Popular Bank, and a decision to slap losses on large deposits at the Bank of Cyprus in return for financial aid from the European Union and IMF. They are now demanding answers after allegations earlier this week that a company connected to the family of President Nicos Anastasiades shifted money out of one of the distressed lenders just before the banking system was effectively locked down on March 15. Anger and impatience is rising as the results of an official inquiry into what caused the crisis, and exactly who knew what and when, is unlikely to be ready for weeks. Banks reopened last week but Cypriots can withdraw only 300 euros ($390) a day under a range of controls imposed to prevent panicked residents from emptying their accounts or moving all their savings abroad. Anxiety is being deepened by confusion over how the hastily-imposed rules should operate.

Growing concerns of a new global credit bubble - (www.telegraph.co.uk)  Senior managers at the private bank, whose customers include a who’s who of British society, are being discreetly advised to reduce their holdings of high-yield bonds, according to an internal warning seen byThe Daily Telegraph. Sales of high-yield debt have exploded this year as investors chase returns in an environment of historically low interest rates and rising inflation. In both Europe and Asia, high-yield sales have reached all-time highs. In January alone, Asian companies sold just over $9bn (£6bn) of high-yield bonds, a year-on-year increase of more than 6,000pc, according to data provider Dealogic. Fears have been raised as investors increase the risk they are taking on the bonds by borrowing further. Coutts’ investment strategy committee has become concerned at the use by some wealthy individuals of borrowed money to enhance returns from high-yield investments and is understood to have begun advising clients to avoid the practice.





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