In Thursday's Americas papers

27 March 2008 10:36  [Source: ICIS news]

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Front Page

A decade later, John Meriwether must scramble again
Ten years after overseeing a hedge-fund collapse that buckled the world's financial markets, John Meriwether again is scrambling to stem losses and keep investors from jumping ship.

Clinton fears Japan-style malaise
Hillary Clinton said she fears the US is slipping into a Japanese-style economic malaise that will overwhelm the Federal Reserve's considerable powers.

Democrats are tied in new poll
The racially charged debate over Barack Obama's relationship with his long-time pastor hasn't much changed his close contest against Hillary Clinton, or hurt him against Republican nominee-in-waiting John McCain, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

Money & Investing

Bond, loan markets remain wary
The Federal Reserve's efforts to heal broken credit markets have diminished worries about a big financial failure, but wariness about lending remains in bond and loan markets.

'Savvy' ventures begin to haunt home builders
Getting caught with excess land during a housing downturn can be fatal to a home builder. Debt payments on the land drain cash, and it's hard to unload at a good price during a downturn.

Schwab bond fund spurs suit
Charles Schwab is starting to face litigation over a bond fund that has declined substantially amid the subprime-mortgage meltdown. Schwab YieldPlus Fund was a popular offering in recent years that sought to offer investors attractive yields with minimal changes in share price.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Front Page

Supplier under scrutiny on aging arms for Afghans
Since 2006, when the insurgency in Afghanistan sharply intensified, the Afghan government has been dependent on American logistics and military support in the war against al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Inquiry assails accounting firm in lender’s fall
A sweeping five-month investigation into the collapse of one of the nation’s largest subprime lenders points a finger at a possible new culprit in the mortgage mess: the accountants.

Business Day

Equity loans as next round in credit crisis
Little by little, millions of Americans surrendered equity in their homes in recent years. Lulled by good times, they borrowed - sometimes heavily - against the roofs over their heads.

The builder who pushes Tokyo into the clouds
Minoru Mori, Japan’s most prolific developer, will finish the world’s tallest building in May. Many of his colleagues might consider the 101-storey Shanghai World Financial Center the crowning achievement of a long career. But Mr Mori has lots of plans for a 73 year old.

WASHINGTON POST

Front Page

US steps up unilateral strikes in Pakistan
The US has escalated its unilateral strikes against al-Qaeda members and fighters operating in Pakistan's tribal areas, partly because of anxieties that Pakistan's new leaders will insist on scaling back military operations in that country, according to US officials.

McCain outlines foreign policy
Senator John McCain on Wednesday promised a collaborative foreign policy that would seek the input of allies abroad and would contrast sharply with the go-it-alone approach of the Bush administration.

Business

Cheaper to keep her and pay off the loan
Even before the recent economic mudslide, the inbox for my regular online chat had filled up with questions from people wondering how to get out of debt or seeking assurances that they weren't the crazy ones for trying to pay off loans aggressively.

Foreign wealth funds defend US investments
It was not Bader al-Saad's idea to buy huge chunks of Citigroup and Merrill Lynch. It was early January and Saad, managing director of one of the world's largest investment funds, was in his office as usual, reviewing potential deals in Kuwait and elsewhere in the Persian Gulf region, when the banks asked him to invest, he recalled.

GLOBE AND MAIL, Canada

Front Page

Monks disrupt Tibet media tour
A government-managed visit by foreign reporters to Tibet's capital backfired Thursday when Buddhist monks disrupted the tour, screaming there was no religious freedom and that the Dalai Lama was not to blame for Lhasa's recent violence.

Rev up election plans, Dion urged
Liberal Leader Stephane Dion was challenged by one of his MPs yesterday to “show what he's made of” and kick-start the electoral machine that remains unprepared for a federal election in Quebec.

Business

Bay Street freezes...
Canadian bank executives are skeptical the crisis rocking global financial institutions will be over soon, and Toronto-Dominion Bank chief Ed Clark says it could stretch into 2009.

As Main Street splurges
Over the years, small business owners Karie and Randy Dick of Didsbury, Alta., have borrowed steadily to accumulate Alberta real estate. They own two RV lots in Pine Lake and an 80-acre farm, and have watched their valuations soar over the last decade.

BUENOS AIRES HERALD

Front Page

CFK lambasts farm lockout
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner yesterday blasted the farming sector shortly after the four main farming unions said their 13-day lockout will continue indefinitely. 

Wanted for murder and conspiracy
The government yesterday sued former economy minister José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz on charges that he participated in the killing of economist Juan Carlos Casariego, and of conspiracy in connection to the so-called “Italo” power company case during the past dictatorship.

Sarkozy threatens boycott of Beijing Olympics opening
Ratcheting up pressure on China over its Tibet policy, French President Nicolas Sarkozy suggested yesterday he could boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

By: Staff Reporter
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