Automatic cuts elicit yawn from Washington

As deadlines go, the March 1 sequester lacks punch. Nobody’s taxes will go up; the U.S. Treasury won’t run out of cash. Government offices won’t immediately turn out the lights and lock the doors. No federal worker will be furloughed for at least 30 days.

So Washington felt little need to cancel the Presidents’ Day break. On Friday, President Obama flew to Florida for a long weekend of golf. And Congress [...]

What hangover? Hillary manages a smile after weekend of dancing and drinking beer during Colombian diplomatic summit (but is caught stifling a yawn)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton looked poised and put together after a weekend of partying in Cartagena, Colombia while she was visiting for a diplomatic conference.

Though she was pictured dancing and swigging a beer with friends Saturday evening, the form First Lady showed no signs of a hangover as she travelled from Colombia to Brazil on Monday to continue her South American diplomatic trip.

On Saturday night, following a day fully of debates at [...]

Some eye-popping observations regarding the “shadow housing inventory”:

Michael Olenick: Is Shadow Housing Inventory Vastly Larger Than Widely Believed?

The turn of the year is the time to make predictions and projections. I’m optimistic that the tide will finally turn for the American middle-class, suffering silently in a one-sided economic war. I don’t think this will be because of altruism, or even justice, but rather simple pragmatism. Specifically, I believe that parasitic financial institutions have pushed the boundaries so [...]

“Want to make sure your resume gets read?” Attach $20 bills!!

Shopworn terms just make hiring managers’ eyes glaze over, says one expert. Here’s what to say instead.

By Anne Fisher, contributor

FORTUNE — In this dismal job market, a resume that stands out from the crowd can make the difference between getting hired — or at least making it to the interview stage — and getting nowhere. The secret to a CV that will give you a fighting chance: [...]

Albert Edwards on the coming collapse in US margins – “STIFFEN UP THE SINEWS, SUMMON UP THE BLOOD, AND GIRD YOUR LOINS”

In a new note out, SocGen’s famous bear Albert Edwrads says it’s: “Time to stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood and gird the loins.”

What’s he talking about?

Basically, margins are about to come down, bringing earnings down with it, and thus brining stocks lower overall.

He specifcally draws his focus to the dramatic turn in productivity that was announced earlier last month:

Not many people paid attention to the US [...]

Bankers Secretly Meeting to Control the World?!? Yawn…

Bankers Secretly Meeting to Control the World?!? Yawn…

By Phil at Phil’s Stock World

If you want to know why the powers that be hate the New York Times – read this!

“The Paper of Record,” one of the few remaining news entities not controlled by Rupert Murdoch or some other Billionaire or major corporation, still has the guts to tell it like it is as they are actually pointing [...]

Third largest Bank in Japan set to collapse….yawn

by RobotTrader

BI:

Sept. 27 (Bloomberg) — Takefuji Corp. may file for bankruptcy as an option for restructuring itself, an official at the Tokyo Stock Exchange said as the bourse put the consumer lender’s shares on watch for possible delisting.

Takefuji is considering “various measures” to revitalize its business, the company said in a statement to the exchange today, following a Nikkei newspaper report that it may seek bankruptcy, adding that no decision [...]