/lex/macromarketshttp://www.ft.com/rss/lex/macromarketsFT.com - Lex, Macroeconomics & marketsen© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2008. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. See http://www.ft.com/servicestools/help/terms#legal1 for the terms and conditions of reuse.support@ft.comMon, 21 Jul 2008 13:20 BSTThu, 24 Jul 2008 12:11:43 BSTNewspapers15http://news.ft.com/cms/d1f3ce1a-6bbe-11da-bb53-0000779e2340.gif/lex/macromarkets(PICS-1.1 "http://www.classify.org/safesurf/" L gen true for "http://www.ft.com/" r (SS~~000 1))http://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/bac85da4-56f4-11dd-916c-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/bac85da4-56f4-11dd-916c-000077b07658.htmlBanks have featured heavily in this latest sag in equity markets. But the wobbles at Bradford & Bingley, HBOS and Barclays have diverted attention from what is really going onMon, 21 Jul 2008 13:20 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/c221151a-54d2-11dd-ae9c-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/c221151a-54d2-11dd-ae9c-000077b07658.htmlThe government must take flak for stretching the country's finances. But compared with the devastating effect of raising taxes just as the economy is sinking, borrowing makes senseFri, 18 Jul 2008 21:47 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/bad3d124-53da-11dd-aa78-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/bad3d124-53da-11dd-aa78-000077b07658.htmlFannie Mae and Freddie Mac may not have many friends these days, but they should be able to count on a certain loyalty in BeijingThu, 17 Jul 2008 21:06 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/6ec4e720-5310-11dd-8dd2-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/6ec4e720-5310-11dd-8dd2-000077b07658.htmlWhat is the direction of monetary policy and what does it mean for the slew of bets placed on the renminbi and other Chinese instruments? Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:13 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/788378f4-530f-11dd-8dd2-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/788378f4-530f-11dd-8dd2-000077b07658.htmlFor a region whose business model relies on buying ever more expensive materials to sell goods to a slowing world, Asia's earnings forecasts look surprisingly perkyWed, 16 Jul 2008 22:13 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/1367976a-533d-11dd-8dd2-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/1367976a-533d-11dd-8dd2-000077b07658.htmlIn the space of a year, investors have gone from backslapping to nervously rubbing sweaty palms. Tumbling equity prices and rising bond yields are obvious signs of fearWed, 16 Jul 2008 19:15 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/e6d90dde-5245-11dd-9ba7-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/e6d90dde-5245-11dd-9ba7-000077b07658.htmlHigher prices are beginning to trickle down, compressing corporate profit margins and hitting household demandTue, 15 Jul 2008 09:19 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/5b1cfcf6-51aa-11dd-a97c-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/5b1cfcf6-51aa-11dd-a97c-000077b07658.htmlRepeated statements from US officials that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are adequately capitalised have not worked – hardly surprising when their direct and guaranteed liabilities were almost 65 times their regulatory capital at the end of the first quarter Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:11 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/a9942de6-5105-11dd-b751-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/a9942de6-5105-11dd-b751-000077b07658.htmlBonds linked to inflation are all the rage now that prices are rising inexorably. Investors in the world's second-biggest economy, however, are missing outMon, 14 Jul 2008 08:52 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/d8647e92-4f24-11dd-b050-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/d8647e92-4f24-11dd-b050-000077b07658.htmlBeijing is preparing for next month's Olympics by clamping down on almost everything. Now it wants to chain stockbrokers and fund managers to their desksFri, 11 Jul 2008 19:34 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/40fce0aa-4f4f-11dd-b050-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/40fce0aa-4f4f-11dd-b050-000077b07658.htmlThe already dreadful US housing market would implode if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored enterprises, went underFri, 11 Jul 2008 19:24 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/a841fb2e-4e87-11dd-ba7c-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/a841fb2e-4e87-11dd-ba7c-000077b07658.htmlAs political commitment among some of the older European Union members to the "European project" wanes, so too has the enthusiasm of newer entrants for its currencyThu, 10 Jul 2008 19:23 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/ff937de6-4dae-11dd-820e-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/ff937de6-4dae-11dd-820e-000077b07658.html"A big zero". That, in the words of one leading Indian chief executive, is the legacy of Manmohan Singh as India's prime ministerWed, 9 Jul 2008 20:44 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/9af7a9a2-4dbd-11dd-820e-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/9af7a9a2-4dbd-11dd-820e-000077b07658.htmlBanks' highly leveraged business models make them particularly vulnerable to any crisis of confidence. Hence the special hatred reserved for "rumour-mongers"Wed, 9 Jul 2008 19:11 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/f711e0e2-4cc6-11dd-b527-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/f711e0e2-4cc6-11dd-b527-000077b07658.htmlWhen a country doesn't really make anything, watching its property, retail and financial sectors implode begs the question: what's left?Tue, 8 Jul 2008 20:48 BST