Sunday March 6 Housing and Economic stories

KeNosHousingPortal.blogspot.com

TOP STORIES:

Cotton traders and US farmers clash - (www.ft.com) The world’s biggest cotton traders and Texas farmers are clashing over supplies as the price of a bale reaches an all-time high. Merchants buying cotton from the high plains encircling the western Texas city of Lubbock have been accusing some growers of walking away from contracts signed when prices were less than half current levels. The dispute has prompted lawsuits, arbitration claims and the setting up of an anonymous phone line for informants. Given that the US is the largest exporter, the dispute could reverberate in international markets as textile mills in China, Bangladesh, Turkey and elsewhere scramble for cotton while supplies dry up. Texas last year grew 44 per cent of the 18.3m-bale crop in the US. The dispute highlighted the risks that commodity trading houses such as Louis Dreyfus of France, Cargill, Singapore-based Olam International, Noble Group of Hong Kong and Switzerland-based Ecom Agroindustrial face as they buy, sell and transport cotton between continents.

GOP Bill Takes Aim at Pension Disclosures - (online.wsj.com) Legislation being pushed by House Republicans could require many states to disclose larger shortfalls in their pension plans and force them to take more aggressive steps to get their finances in order. The Public Employee Pension Transparency Act, introduced by Rep. Devin Nunes (R., Calif.) earlier this month, would compel states and municipalities to meet stringent standards for reporting on the finances of employee-pension funds, and would expressly ban any federal bailouts. Opponents view it as another congressional Republican swing at public-employee unions, which have come under fire as federal and state governments seek to tame budget deficits.

The Stealth Return of $100 Oil - (online.wsj.com) The days of $100 oil are back—and not just in Europe, where the Brent crude benchmark vaulted past $108 a barrel on Monday. While U.S. prices haven't scaled such heights—the benchmark oil contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange briefly surged Tuesday past $94—many U.S. oil refiners and consumers are finding their costs have already escalated. Refiners such as Valero EnergyCorp. are paying prices that mostly track Brent, not the U.S. benchmark often referred to as West Texas Intermediate, and those costs are being passed on to gas stations. Gasoline prices averaged $3.14 a gallon in the U.S. last week, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, up 2.9% from Dec. 27. In February 2008, when oil prices settled in triple digits for the first time in history, retail gasoline prices in the U.S. were at $3.13 a gallon.

German Voter Disapproval of Greek Bailout Muddles Aid Talks: Euro Credit - (www.bloomberg.com) German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s resolve to defend the euro is being tested after her party suffered one its worst defeats since World War II in the first of seven state elections this year. Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union lost power in Hamburg for the first time in a decade in a Feb. 20 vote. A European Union summit on March 24-25 to thrash out a permanent rescue facility to address the debt crisis that prompted Greeceand Ireland to seek bailouts is sandwiched between polls that may echo what Merkel called “a stinging defeat.” “We are in a ‘muddling through’ scenario,” said Steven Major, global head of fixed-income research at HSBC Holdings Plc in London. “Come the end of March, things could come to a bit of a head. The negotiations can get knocked off course.” Germany wants stiffer sanctions against nations whose budget deficits top 3 percent of gross domestic product in exchange for cheaper rescue loans. Merkel’s coalition partner, the Free Democratic Party, opposes increasing the scope of the European Financial Stability Facility rescue fund. The opposition Social Democrats, winners in Hamburg, have called for joint euro-area bonds and a bigger EFSF.

Japan Debt Outlook Lowered by Moody’s on ‘Inexorable’ Debt - (www.bloomberg.com) Japan’s debt rating outlook was lowered to negative from stable by Moody’s Investors Service on concern that political gridlock will constrain efforts to tackle the biggest debt burden of any nation. Economic and fiscal policies “may not prove strong enough to achieve the government’s deficit reduction target and contain the inexorable rise in debt,” Moody’s said in a statement today. The rating is Aa2, the company’s third highest. Standard & Poor’s cut its rating last month to fourth highest. Today’s move adds pressure on Prime Minister Naoto Kan as his public approval rating slides and he struggles to secure lawmakers’ support for measures to reduce debt, including a possible sales-tax increase. Japanese shares accelerated declines after the announcement and amid tensions in the Middle East. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average slid 1.8 percent today.

OTHER STORIES:

Home Prices in 20 U.S. Cities Declined 2.4% From Year Earlier - (www.bloomberg.com)

Dallas Fed president: 'We're moving forward' - (www.washingtonpost.com)

Wisconsin Workers' Rights Battle Goes National at Pivotal Time for Labor - (www.bloomberg.com)

Wal-Mart's U.S. sales woes deepen - (www.reuters.com)

Oil groups prepare to close down in Libya - (www.ft.com)

Europe’s reforms may come at a high price - (www.ft.com)

Farmers Can't Meet Demand as Corn Stocks Drop to 1974 Low - (www.bloomberg.com)

U.S. Office Rent Growth to Be ‘Modest’ in 2011, CB Richard Says - (www.bloomberg.com)

Qaddafi Clings to Power in Libya as Soldiers Desert, Diplomats Quit Posts - (www.bloomberg.com)

Mersch Says ECB May Warn Next Week of Rising Inflation Risks in Euro Area - (www.bloomberg.com)

China official warns of domestic unrest and "hostile" West - (www.reuters.com)

Saturday March 5 Housing and Economic stories

KeNosHousingPortal.blogspot.com

TOP STORIES:

Federal, state and local debt hits post-WWII levels - (www.washingtonpost.com) The daunting tower of national, state and local debt in the United States will reach a level this year unmatched just after World War II and already exceeds the size of the entire economy, according to government estimates. But any similarity between 1946 and now ends there. The U.S. debt levels tumbled in the years after World War II, but today they are still climbing and even deep cuts in spending won't completely change that for several years. As President Obama and Republicans squabble over whose programs to cut and which taxes to raise, slow growth and a rising tide of interest payments - largely beyond their control - are making the job of fixing the budget much harder than in the past. Statehouses and governors face similar challenges.

Moody’s forecasts ‘distress’ for US muni markets - (www.ft.com) Moody’s expects defaults and distress in the $3,000bn US municipal bond markets but does not anticipate a broad “crisis of confidence”, says the credit rating agency’s chief executive. “There may be additional defaults in the municipal sector. There certainly is going to be distress in the municipal sector,” said Raymond McDaniel, chairman and chief executive of Moody’s, in an interview. “But we differentiate that from a broad-based systemic problem.” Increased scrutiny of the municipal bond markets, in which US states, cities and other public sector borrowers raise money, takes place as investors take a broader look at risks in sectors once seen as “safe”. The eurozone debt crisis emphasised that even government debts carry credit risks. Mr McDaniel said the emergence of credit problems in bond sectors “traditionally viewed as a safe haven” had potential for confidence problems – with effects for the broader system.

American Held in Pakistan Worked for CIA - (online.wsj.com) U.S. officials Monday acknowledged for the first time that former Special Forces soldier Raymond Davis, held in detention in Pakistan for killing two armed men, works for the Central Intelligence Agency, but said he was not directly involved in spying operations. U.S.officials say Mr. Davis, who has been held in the eastern city of Lahore since late January, was on a short-term contract as a protective officer, responsible for providing security to officials with the CIA and other agencies in the country. "Rumors to the contrary are simply wrong," a U.S. official said of Pakistani claims that Mr. Davis was directly involved in intelligence gathering operations. The U.S. says Mr. Davis, 36 years, shot the two men in self-defense when they tried to rob him. President Barack Obama, referring to Mr. Davis as "our diplomat", said last week that he was covered by diplomatic immunity and should be immediately released. Facing public anger over the killings, Pakistan has refused to do so.

Indiana Union Members Protest Bill - (online.wsj.com) The confrontation between unions and government officials over bargaining and organizing rights moved to Indianapolis Monday as thousands of steelworkers, auto workers and others surrounded the state capital to protest a right-to-work labor bill before the Republican-controlled House. The bill would change state law so that private-sector workers no longer are required to pay dues or belong to a union that bargains on their behalf. About 22 states, mostly across the South, have such laws. In Indiana currently, if a union bargains for a group of workers at an employer, all workers covered by the contract must belong to the union. Proponents of the bill say it would create jobs while opponents say it would drive down wages. Republicans hold a 60-40 lead in the House and need a two-thirds quorum to vote on legislation. The bill would exempt members of the construction industries. Indiana had a right-to-work law in 1957, which was repealed in 1965.

George Soros: Obama has "lost control" of the economic agenda - (www.businessinsider.com) In his interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, George Soros had some lamenting to do. He told Zakaria that Obama “has lost control of the [county's ecnomic] agenda” and as a result it's been left “in the hands of the Republican Party,” (via Bloomberg). Though Soros thinks the GOP will be successful in its pursuit of cutting services and denying any tax increases, he thinks those developments will be deleterious to the nation's fiscal health. The GOP's course will be “more directed at cutting services and achieving the ideological purposes of the Republicans rather than to get the economy going," he said. The billionaire also told Zakaria he thinks interest rates are going to increase and “choke off the economic recovery.”

OTHER STORIES:

Nations May Expand Food Stockpiles, Subsidies, Traders Say - (www.bloomberg.com)

Record U.S. Cattle, Hog Prices Seen on Shrinking Herds, China - (www.bloomberg.com)

Qaddafi's Son Warns of Libyan Civil War, Offers Dialogue - (www.bloomberg.com)

China Is Said to Tell Banks to Prepare Contingency Plans for Credit Crisis - (www.bloomberg.com)

ECB's Bini Smaghi says inflation a concern - (www.reuters.com)

Merkel's Party Suffers Worst Post-War Defeat in Hamburg Port - (www.bloomberg.com)

Europe Services, Manufacturing Expand at Fastest Pace in More Than 4 Years - (www.bloomberg.com)

China Blocks Coverage of Protests to Squelch Egypt-Style Revolt - (www.bloomberg.com)

Eurozone inflation pressures build - (www.ft.com)

G-20 Overcomes China Opposition to Agree on Yardsticks to Gauge Imbalances - (www.bloomberg.com)

2 Executives Quit Alibaba.com After Fraud Inquiry – (www.nytimes.com)

Friday March 4 Housing and Economic stories

KeNosHousingPortal.blogspot.com

TOP STORIES:

How a Whistle-Blower Conquered Countrywide - (www.nytimes.com) Such was the lesson learned by Michael G. Winston, a former executive at the Countrywide Financial Corporation. Mr. Winston spent three years in a legal battle against Countrywide, the once-mighty mortgage giant, and its current owner, Bank of America, contending that he was punished and pushed out for not toeing the company line. On Feb. 4, he won: a jury in California awarded him $3.8 million in damages. “It is the littlest of Davids beating the biggest of Goliaths and taking two of them on at once,” Mr. Winston said. “This is the story of somebody who tried to set a company right. But it was frightening to them for me to shine the light from the inside out.” Mr. Winston’s story provides a glimpse into how business was done at Countrywide at the height of the subprime craziness — and how assiduously Angelo R. Mozilo, the company’s fallen leader, worked to quash dissent in the ranks. Mr. Winston had the audacity to question Countrywide practices. Mr. Mozilo was not pleased and, before long, Mr. Winston was marginalized and later dismissed.

Homeownership loses its luster - (www.latimes.com) Meredith Carr and Vince Melamed of Brentwood are just the sort of couple real estate agents have always counted on to buy a home. Melamed is a successful keyboardist and songwriter who wrote hits including Trisha Yearwood's "Walkaway Joe," and Carr is a freelance editor. They owned a home in Nashville, but when they moved to Los Angeles last year they decided they did not want to tie up their money in real estate, or be on the hook for home repairs and upkeep. "I never want to let the mortgage stand in the way of a business decision," Melamed said. "I don't want to be in a position where I want to buy a piece of equipment but I can't because all my money is tied up in the house."

House Blocks Health-Overhaul Funds in Budget-Cutting Plan - (www.bloomberg.com) The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives votedto cut at least $61 billion in federal spending this year, setting up a budget confrontation with Democrats that threatens a government shutdown. After more than 90 hours of debate, the House decided 235- 189 yesterday to send the measure to the Senate. Members adopted changes that will make agreement with the Senate difficult, including a ban on funds for President Barack Obama’s health-care overhaul and for Planned Parenthood, which provides abortions. The measure would block regulations on greenhouse-gas emissions, for-profit colleges and the Federal Communications Commission’s “net neutrality” Internet rules. Senate Democrats already have said they won’t accept the cuts in the $1.2 trillion spending bill, and Obama’s budget office has threatened a presidential veto. With Congress out of session in the coming week, lawmakers have little time to work out their differences. Current spending authority ends March 4, and without a new plan the government will shut down.

JPMorgan Says Lehman Left It `Goat Poo' Collateral - (www.bloomberg.com) Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. tricked JPMorgan Chase & Co. into holding onto collateral that the bankrupt investment firm internally described as “goat poo,” according to a court filing by JPMorgan. JPMorgan was stuck with Lehman’s worst securities backing $25 billion of loans as Lehman was sold to Barclays Plc in September 2008, JPMorgan said in its filing yesterday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan. Lehman described the collateral as “toxic crap” and “goat poo” to be scattered “in other people’s backyards,” JPMorgan said. “Only later was JPMorgan able to determine that the position in which it unexpectedly found itself was the result of collusion and deception” by Lehman and Barclays, JPMorgan said. The accusations appeared in amended counterclaims against Lehman in its lawsuit against JPMorgan. Both companies are based in New York.

12K State Workers Could Be Fired Without Budget Deal, Wisconsin Governor Warns - (www.foxnews.com) If changes aren't made to the benefit contributions paid by Wisconsin's nearly 300,000 public sector employees, about 10,000-12,000 workers will lose their jobs, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker warned Sunday. "I don't want a single person laid off in the public nor in the private sector and that's why this is a much better alternative than losing jobs," Walker told "Fox News Sunday." "If we're going to be in this together, (cut) our $3.6 billion budget deficit, it's going to take a whole lot more than just employee contributions when it comes to pensions and health care," Walker said. "But it's got to be a piece of the puzzle because as I saw at the local level, it's like a virus that eats up more and more of the budget if you don't get it under control." President Obama, whose group Organizing for America, has bused in some of the nearly 70,000 protesters outside the state capitol on Saturday, last week called the bill "an assault on unions." Under the governor's proposal, unions still could represent workers, but they could not force employees to pay dues and would have to hold annual votes to stay organized. Only wages below the Consumer Price Index would be subject to collective bargaining, anything higher would have to be approved by referendum.

OTHER STORIES:

G-20 Agrees on Yardsticks for Imbalances as U.S. Seeks Leverage on Yuan - (www.bloomberg.com)

House passes sweeping cuts to domestic programs - (finance.yahoo.com)

G-20 reach compromise deal on imbalances - (finance.yahoo.com)

Threat Of Shutdown Looms Large Over Budget Debate - (www.npr.com)

Bernanke Defends U.S. Policies - (online.wsj.com)

US in deadlock over budget - (www.ft.com)

Rift lowers hopes of G20 breakthrough - (www.ft.com)

Bernanke says foreign investors fuelled crisis - (www.ft.com)

Regulators close 4 Ga., Calif. banks; 22 in 2011 - (finance.yahoo.com)

U.S. drops criminal probe of former Countrywide chief Angelo Mozilo - (www.latimes.com)

Pricing Power in the Grocery Aisle - (online.barrons.com)

Scientist finds Gulf bottom still oily, dead - (www.google.com/hostednews/ap)

Thursday March 3 Housing and Economic stories

KeNosHousingPortal.blogspot.com

TOP STORIES:

US Chamber of Commerce using gov't contractors against foes - (www.latimes.com) Hoping to win a lucrative agreement with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, three data security contractors for federal defense and intelligence agencies developed a proposal to monitor and manipulate the chamber's left-leaning critics, according to recently released e-mail correspondence. Employees of the firms compiled short dossiers on a few activists that included photographs, references to their families and charts of their relationships with other liberal and labor leaders. A review of the correspondence, dating from late October through last week, suggested that the surveillance and intelligence gathering had begun only on a superficial basis in anticipation of a coming meeting with chamber officials. The proposals were received by Hunton & Williams, a law firm that represents the chamber. The firm, which also represents Bank of America, solicited a separate proposal from the security firms to help the bank deal with a threat by WikiLeaks, the international hacker organization, to release some of the bank's internal data. Chamber officials as well as a spokesman for Bank of America said they knew nothing of the surveillance proposals until the e-mails were released Friday by Anonymous, a group that is sympathetic to WikiLeaks.

Phila. houseowner "forecloses" on Wells Fargo over mortgage fees! - (www.philly.com) It's not clear how this story will turn out, but right now Patrick Rodgers is living a pay-back fantasy probably shared by millions of struggling U.S. homeowners. Frustrated by a dispute with Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and by his inability to get answers to questions, the West Philadelphia homeowner took the mortgage company to court last fall. When Wells Fargo still didn't respond, Rodgers got a $1,000 default judgment against it for failing to answer his formal questions, as required by a federal law called the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act. And when the mortgage company didn't pay - does something sound familiar? - Rodgers turned to Philadelphia's sheriff.

Foreclosures surge in California - (www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com) January brought significant increases in foreclosure sales in California, including the Central Valley, according to figures from ForeclosureRadar Inc., a Discovery Bay-based company that says it tracks every foreclosure filing to its resolution. The increases return volumes to pre robo-signing levels, the company says. “While the increase is significant, we've seen larger surges after moratoriums or delays have played out in the past,” says Sean O’Toole, founder and president of ForeclosureRadar Inc. “For example in California after the delays caused by Senate Bill 1137 we saw a surge in Notice of Default filings that far eclipsed any prior period. That is not the case here,” he says. “Despite months of slow sales, we've simply returned to prior levels, which to me indicates banks remain reluctant to aggressively foreclose despite the time it takes to foreclose being at or near record levels, and large inventories of properties still scheduled for foreclosure sale.”

US Chamber of Commerce plans for dirty-tricks campaign against foes - (www.washingtonpost.com) Hacked e-mails reveal plans for dirty-tricks campaign against U.S. Chamber foes. A feud between a security contracting firm and a group of guerrilla computer hackers has spilled over onto K Street, as stolen e-mails reveal plans for a dirty-tricks-style campaign against critics of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The tale began this month when a global hackers collective known as Anonymous broke into the computers of HBGary Federal, a California security firm, and dumped tens of thousands of internal company e-mails onto the Internet. The move was in retaliation for assertions by HBGary Federal chief executive Aaron Barr that he had identified leaders of the hackers' group, which has actively supported the efforts of anti-secrecy Web site WikiLeaks to obtain and disclose classified documents.

Housebuilders have grim view of housing market - (www.news.yahoo.com) Homebuilders have yet to see a turnaround in the housing market after the worst year for new-home sales in a half-century. The National Association of Home Builders said Tuesday that its index of builder sentiment for February remained unchanged for the fourth straight month at 16. Any reading below 50 indicates negative sentiment about the market. The index hasn't been above that level since April 2006. Homebuilders are struggling to compete with millions of foreclosures that are forcing home prices down. Last year was also the worst in more than a decade for sales of existing homes.

OTHER STORIES:

Adjustable rate mortgages are back - (www.money.cnn.com)

Capitalism Without Failure: A Lawyer on Fraud and Bailouts - (www.capitalismwithoutfailure.com)

Recession Lingers On in Silicon Valley - (www.dailyfinance.com)

January Chartfest: House Prices Drop Again - (www.voiceofsandiego.org)

Why do Americans think that house price inflation is a good thing? - (www.latimes.com)

Hong Kong's housing bubble feeds popular anger - (www.chinaworker.info)

How the Germans keep a lid on prices - (www.smh.com.au)

Renting In, Mortgages & Foreclosures Out - (www.ourbroker.com)

Appraisers get conservative, Grubb exec says - (www.therealdeal.com)
SoCal housing market kicks off 2011 with a slump - (www.latimesblogs.latimes.com)

Southern California House Prices Drop to 18-Month Low - (www.bloomberg.com)

House Sales and House Prices Dropped in January - (www.nbclosangeles.com)

Wednesday March 2 Housing and Economic stories

KeNosHousingPortal.blogspot.com

TOP STORIES:

California Implements $2 Billion Loan-Owner Welfare - (www.irvinehousingblog.com) California residents who are unemployed or owe more on their mortgages than what their homes are worth now have four new state programs that will help them stay in their house and current on their mortgage. The California Housing Finance Agency fully implanted the programs under its "Keep Your Home California" initiative, a nearly $2 billion endeavor funded by the U.S. Treasury's Hardest Hit Fund. Alabama recently jump-started a program to distribute its funds from the Treasury HHF. “Our goal is to get the very most out of these federal dollars to assist California families,” said Steven Spears, executive director of CalHFA. “With families struggling through a number of financial hardships and the disruption in the real estate market, these programs will help those in need while stabilizing neighborhoods and communities severely impacted by foreclosures.”

Administration housing proposals draw fire from left - (www.washingtonpost.com) The Obama administration's plan to overhaul the U.S. housing marketdrew fire Friday from some of the president's traditional allies, who argued that proposals in the newly released report could make it too costly for many Americans to buy a home. But while consumer and civil rights groups broke with President Obama over the long-awaited white paper, the plan met with little objection - and even praise - from Republicans, who have pilloried the administration over its housing policies. Senior administration officials offered a series of suggestions for scaling back the federal role in the housing market, which has been on government life-support since the mortgage meltdown three years ago. In the near term, the administration wants to require larger down payments and higher fees for home loans and reduce the number of borrowers getting government-backed loans.

Drop in Ohio foreclosure filings may not be real - (www.dispatch.com) According to data collected by the Ohio Supreme Court, 85,483 foreclosure cases were filed throughout the state last year, a 4percent decline from 2009. Central Ohio reported a slight drop, but much of the decline occurred in northeastern Ohio. Foreclosure filings fell 9percent in Cuyahoga County last year, even though the county continued to lead the state in number of foreclosures. Lorain, Summit and Trumbull counties also reported significant declines. In all, 58 of Ohio's 88 counties had drops in the number of foreclosure filings. But few observers believe the data represent any sort of turnaround. "It's a wonderful number and we should be happy, but we shouldn't expect it to continue," said James Newton, chief economic adviser at Commerce National Bank. "In the final analysis, any improvement will depend on whether people get jobs."

Wall Street: Endless Free Money and No Real Production - (www.zerohedge.com) The Federal Reserve’s actions in combating the Financial Crisis have had dozens if not hundreds of consequences. However, one of the most profound has largely gone unnoticed by all commentators. That consequence of the Fed sending the clear message: incompetence pays. Consider that since the Financial Crisis first hit in mid-2007, the Federal Reserve has pumped TRILLIONS of Dollars into Wall Street. The banks have done what they do best with the money: funnel it into obscene salaries and bonuses. Meanwhile, all of these firms remain bankrupt (thanks to the suspension of accounting principles no one cares), the underlying issues that nearly took down the system remain in place, and savers and other sensible folks have been fleeced due to US Dollar devaluation and future taxpayer obligations.

The Economic Hitmen - How Broken Capitalism Rules The Globe - (www.dailybail.com) VIDEO: The Economic Hitmen - How Broken Capitalism Rules The Globe (Author John Perkins). Highly recommended. Perkins is author of Hood Winked and Confessions Of An Economic Hitman. Wikipedia page - Perkins is a former Chief Economist of the war machine...

OTHER STORIES:

Why are house prices still falling? - (www.irvinehousingblog.com)

Rising Interest Rates Mean Falling House Prices - (www.reallyf'dhomeowner.com)

Inflation, Hyperinflation and Real Estate - (gonzalolira.blogspot.com)

Housing Market Looks Sickest in Cities That Once Seemed Immune - (www.nytimes.com)

Real Estate Market Collapse: Now Coming to the Nice Cities - (www.gawker.com)

Why House Prices Are Falling Beyond Bubble Capitals - (www.theatlantic.com)

Warren Buffett Closes Out His Bank Of America Stake - (www.dealbook.nytimes.com)

Theorist Says Global Free Trade Necessary - (www.miller-mccune.com)

Privatization Alone Won't Fix Housing Mess - (www.npr.org)

Mortgage-backed bonds burst out of their grave - (www.snl.com)

Fools still spending 6x annual income on houses in CA - (housing-kaboom.blogspot.com)

What is the right price for a house? - (articles.philly.com)

S. Fla. house values continue to slip - (www.miamiherald.com)

Nearly $10 Trillion In Housing Equity Proven Imaginary Since Peak - (www.businessinsider.com)

The Low Inflation Rate Lie - (www.usawatchdog.com)

The Short Story of How We Lose - (theautomaticearth.blogspot.com)