Typhoon Hato lashed Southern China two weeks ago. Hong Kong and Macau were struck head-on with strong winds and heavy rain. A widely-shared youtube video of Macau showed thousands of cockroaches getting out of their underground hiding places and crawling one after the other over a sea wall. It was a well-coordinated effort to march to higher grounds to flee from possible … [Read more...]
When the housing market collapses
Remember the infamous Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that kick-started the last financial crisis? Last month hedge fund Bayview Financial bundled their junk securities into $118 million new bonds. Fitch Rating immediately stamped it with A- for investment grade. Didn't they do the same for subprime mortgage bonds that were once top-rated AAA debts before the US housing … [Read more...]