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Strategies & Market Trends : The Epic American Credit and Bond Bubble Laboratory -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John Vosilla who wrote (51493)	1/26/2006 1:07:08 AM
From: shades	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 110194

Notice fl is going to do well though for a time. And charlotte where other people like and SLC where I also liked. news.yahoo.com US bank bans loans to developers using seized land By Andrew Ward in Atlanta Wed Jan 25, 4:30 PM ET A regional US bank has banned lending to commercial developers who plan to build on land seized from private citizens, in protest against the strengthening of government powers to make compulsory purchases. ADVERTISEMENT The decision by BB&T, one of the largest banks in the US south-east, followed a controversial Supreme Court ruling last June that empowered governments to seize private property to make room for commercial developments. "The idea that a citizen's property can be taken by the government solely for private use is extremely misguided, in fact it is just plain wrong," said John Allison, chief executive of BB&T. The lending restrictions appeared designed to tap into widespread public anger about the Supreme Court ruling, which critics believe undermines a fundamental part of American freedom. "One of the most basic rights of every citizen is to keep what they own," said Mr Allison. The Supreme Court case involved an attempt by local authorities in the city of New London, Connecticut, to bulldoze homes standing in the way of a planned commercial development including a hotel, luxury apartments and offices. In a 5-4 majority ruling, the nine-member court argued the seizure was justified because of the increased tax revenues and jobs the development would generate. Supporters argue that compulsory purchases are sometimes necessary to prevent a small group of individuals from blocking developments that could benefit entire communities. But critics said the case could be used to justify the seizure of any property that could be replaced by something of greater economic value. In a dissenting opinion, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said the ruling could be used to replace "any Motel 6 with a Ritz-Carlton, any home with a shopping mall, or any farm with a factory". More than 30 states have either passed or are considering legislation placing restrictions on compulsory purchases since the ruling. Ken Chalk, chief credit officer at BB&T, said the bank's new policy was a "matter of principle" rather than a business or legal decision. BB&T, based in North Carolina, has assets of $109.2bn and operates more than 1,400 branches. It is believed to be the first financial institution to make such a policy change. Activists opposed to the Supreme Court ruling have filed a petition to replace Justice David Souter's house in New Hampshire with an inn called the Lost Liberty Hotel.

To: John Vosilla who wrote (51493)	1/26/2006 1:12:34 AM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

George carlin says F U - hehe Is blowing up nuclear reactors really smart chernobyl? US has military options against Iran - but also risks backlash Wed Jan 25, 1:23 PM ET WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States has military options to use against Iran even though it is concentrating now on a diplomatic campaign to head off any Iranian move to develop a nuclear bomb. ADVERTISEMENT For most experts a bombing strike against a limited number of suspected nuclear sites is the most likely option being considered. The GlobalSecurity.org consultancy said there are about two dozen suspected nuclear facilities in Iran and that the Bushehr 1,000 megawatt nuclear plant would be a prime target. Also the suspected nuclear facilities at Natanz and Arak will likely be targets of an air attack by B-2 or F-117 bombers, it said in an analysis on the crisis. "American air strikes on Iran would vastly exceed the scope of the 1981 Israeli attack on the Osiraq nuclear center in Iraq, and would more resemble the opening days of the 2003 air campaign against Iraq," GlobalSecurity.org said. But Peter Brookes, an expert on national security and foreign policy at the Heritage Foundation think-tank, said that "flattening Iran's nuclear infrastructure isn't easy or risk-free" because most of the facilities are underground. "Iran burrowed many sites deep below the soil, making them much tougher targets (it also put some sites near populated areas to make civilian casualties a certainty if attacked)," he said in a report. Brookes said there were about 20 known nuclear sites across Iran but the final figure could be higher than 70. The United States could also carry out a "more comprehensive set of strikes" against nuclear and other military targets "that might be used to counterattack against US forces in Iraq", GlobalSecurity.org said. Another option would be an invasion, but with US forces already stretched in Iraq such an operation appears unlikely. But US Army Secretary Francis Harvey said last week that the United States could deploy 15 extra brigades, between 45,000 and 75,000 troops, if it faced a new crisis. Iran's reaction to any kind of military action remains a mystery. Joseph Cirincione, director for non-proliferation at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said an attack could "rally the Iranian public around an otherwise unpopular government and jeopardize further the US position in Iraq." "The strike would not, as is often said, delay the Iranian program. It would almost certainly speed it up," he commented. Cirincione called the Israeli strike in 1981 "a tactical success but a strategic failure" because it accelerated the Iranian nuclear programme. Brookes also warned of a potentially extreme response by Iran against the United States and Israel. "The Iranian regime is already up to its neck in the insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan. It could certainly increase its financial/material support to the Sunni insurgents, Shia militants, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban to destabilize the new Baghdad and Kabul governments," he said. "It could also mess with other nations' oil exports -- attacking tankers in the Gulf using mines, subs, patrol boats or anti-ship missiles. "The mullahs could unleash their terrorist attack dogs Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad against Israel, killing untold numbers in suicide attacks." The Atlantic Monthly magazine staged a war game simulation of such an attack in 2004 with security experts. It concluded that the United States had "no way of predicting the long-term strategic impact of such a strike. "A strike might delay by three years Iran's attainment of its goal -- but at the cost of further embittering the regime and its people. Iran's intentions when it did get the bomb would be all the more hostile," the Atlantic Monthly said the experts concluded. Iran insists it is not seeking to build nuclear weapons, but that it has the right to develop atomic energy for peaceful electricity generation.

To: John Vosilla who wrote (51493)	1/26/2006 8:01:40 AM
From: shades	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 110194

DJ European Hedge Funds Traded, Borrowed More In 2005-Report . LONDON (Dow Jones)--European hedge funds increased their fixed-income trading activity last year and borrowed more cash to inflate their positions, according to research issued Thursday from U.S. consulting firm Greenwich Associates. "The average European hedge fund portfolio manager traded $6 billion in fixed-income securities in the past 12 months, as opposed to the $5 billion average reported among all the European fixed-income investors interviewed for this year's research," Greenwich Associates consultant Peter D'Amario said in a statement. The typical hedge fund surveyed by Greenwich Associates turned over its fixed-income portfolio three times, the survey found. Half of the hedge funds said they applied more than three times leverage on their fixed-income portfolios, more than double the amount borrowing at that level when last surveyed in 2004. Greenwich Associates conducted more than 1,500 interviews between May and July with investment professionals at banks, fund managers, insurance companies, corporations, central banks, hedge funds and other institutions in Europe. Despite the additional leverage, returns for hedge funds in fixed-income strategies were flat in 2005, with the Hennessee Groups Fixed Income Index posting a 5.79% gain, compared with 5.31% in 2004. The overall Hennessee Hedge Fund Index climbed 8% in 2005, against 8.25% in 2004. The survey also found European hedge funds are increasingly turning to prime brokers, which provide their customers with securities lending, financing, foreign exchange and other services. More than 80% of hedge fund respondents reported an active relationship with at least one prime broker, up from about two-thirds in 2004. On average, funds said they use two prime brokers. Greenwich Associates said their data suggests competition is intensifying among hedge funds to attract new capital, and among prime brokers to gain hedge fund clients. Hedge funds which cited capital introductions as an important element in choosing a prime broker doubled to 14%, from 7% in 2004. "This shift clearly indicates that, as hedge funds proliferate in Europe, individual funds are having a tougher time attracting new capital," said Frank Feenstra, a Greenwich Associates consultant. "This competition for assets is making it harder for hedge funds to build and even maintain assets under management, which in turn could be prompting them to increase leverage ratios and to trade more aggressively." Data released Wednesday by Chicago-based Hedge Fund Research showed hedge fund outflows of $824 million in the fourth quarter of 2005, the first quarterly decline in more than 10 years. HFR said hedge funds attracted just under $47 billion in new assets in 2005, bringing total industry assets to $1.105 trillion.