Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Thursday August 14 Housing and Economic stories


The ObamaCare-IRS Nexus  - (online.wsj.com) One of the big questions out of the IRS targeting scandal is this: How can an agency that engaged in such political misconduct be trusted to implement ObamaCare? This week'sHalbig v. Burwell ruling reminded us of the answer. It can't. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Halbig that the administration had illegally provided ObamaCare subsidies in 36 insurance exchanges run by the federal government. Yet it wasn't the "administration" as a whole that issued the lawless subsidy gift. It was the administration acting through its new, favorite enforcer: the IRS. And it was entirely political. Democrats needed those subsidies. The party had assumed that dangling subsidies before the states would induce them to set up exchanges. When dozens instead refused, the White House was faced with the prospect that citizens in 36 states—two-thirds of the country—would be exposed to the full cost of ObamaCare's overpriced insurance. The backlash would have been horrific, potentially forcing Democrats to reopen the law, or even costing President Obama re-election.

Investors Retreat From Junk Bonds - (online.wsj.com) Investors are selling junk bonds at the fastest pace in more than a year, as fresh interest-rate fears and geopolitical turmoil amplify valuation concerns following a long rally. Prices on bonds issued by lower-rated U.S. companies tumbled to a three-month low this week, according to a Bank of America Merrill Lynch index. Investors yanked $2.38 billion from mutual funds and exchange-traded funds dedicated to junk bonds in the week ended Wednesday, the largest weekly withdrawal since June last year, said fund tracker Lipper. That came on the heels of $1.68 billion that poured out the week before. Companies have taken note, with some borrowers delaying scheduled debt sales and others canceling planned deals. New issuance is on track for its slowest month since February, according to data provider Dealogic.

China Credit Trust Delays Payment on $210 Million Product - (www.bloomberg.com) China Credit Trust Co. delayed payments on a 1.3 billion-yuan ($210 million) high-yield trust product backed by coal-mining assets after the borrower failed to raise funds to repay investors. The Beijing-based company will extend the maturity of Credit Equals Gold No. 2, which was scheduled to expire today, according to a statement distributed to investors in the product and seen by Bloomberg News. China Credit Trust aims to sell assets held by the product within 15 months to repay investors, the July 24 statement showed. The product is at least the second of China Credit Trust’s to face difficulties this year and highlighted rising default risk in China’s $1.9 trillion trust industry. Credit Equals Gold No. 1, created to raise 3 billion yuan for a coal miner, was bailed out days before maturity in January, averting what would have been the nation’s first trust default in at least a decade.

Ex-Banco Espírito Santo Head Detained Under Money Laundering Investigation - (online.wsj.com) Troubles at Portuguese conglomerate Espírito Santo International SA intensified Thursday after another of its units filed for creditor protection in Luxembourg and the group's main figure, former Banco Espírito Santo SA Chief Executive Ricardo Salgado, was detained in a money-laundering investigation. While the investigation isn't directly related to the creditor-protection request from Espírito Santo Financial Group SA, the matters represent the latest in a series of setbacks for Mr. Salgado, the patriarch of one of Portugal's most prominent families, who is currently trying to save a business empire under serious financial strain. Mr. Salgado released a statement saying he believes, "truth and justice will prevail." For Banco Espírito Santo, which is 20%-owned by Espírito Santo Financial Group, the creditor-protection request means it probably will face losses on its exposure to the parent, which includes more than €900 million ($1.21 billion) in loans and other dealings.

Shares Of A Major US Trucker Are Crashing After Management Says It Can't Find Drivers For Its Trucks - (www.businessinsider.com) Shares in Swift Transportation, the largest truckload carrier in North America, were down 14% Friday after management warned it was going to have to invest more to address a driver shortage. The New Jersey-based firm now says it's going to have to spend more on wages and training to hold onto and attract ore drivers. ...We were constrained in the truckload and (central refrigerated systems)  segments by the challenging driver market. Our driver turnover and unseated truck count were higher than anticipated. Therefore, we sold more trucks in the second quarter to offset the impact of idle equipment, which drove additional gains on sale of equipment this period. After assessing the current and expected environment, we believe the best investment we can make at this time, for all of our stakeholders, is in our drivers. Our goal is to clear the path for our drivers by helping them overcome challenges, eliminate wait times and take home more money.





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