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Markets News Afternoon: AIB transfers €3.29bn in loans to NAMA at discount or 'haircut' of 43%; Politicians to meet Financial Regulator on Quinn Insurance
By Finfacts Team
Apr 6, 2010 - 5:10:23 PM
US Job openings/vacancies rate, seasonally adjusted, March 2007 -February 2010
The State toxic property loans agency, National Asset Management Agency (NAMA), announced today that it has completed the transfer of the first tranche of loans from Allied Irish Banks Plc (AIB). The Agency has acquired loans from AIB with a nominal value of €3.29bn in exchange for NAMA securities with a value of €1.90bn. Following the completion of all data checks and taking account of foreign exchange movements the discount or "haircut" pplied to the first tranche of AIB loans has been amended to 42% from the 43% originally indicated.
US Job openings: There were 2.7 million job openings on the last business day of February 2010, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The job openings rate was little changed over the month at 2.1%. The hires rate (3.1%) and the departures or separations rate (3.1%) were also little changed in February.
The BLS said the number of job openings was little changed in February at 2.7 million. Although little changed over the month, the level has trended upward since the most recent trough of 2.3 million in July 2009. The job openings level was little changed in February for most industries and all four regions.
The hires rate was little changed in February at 3.1%. The rate has remained between 3.0% and 3.2% since November 2008. After falling from the most recent peak of 5.6 million hires in January 2005, the hires level reached a low point of 3.9 million in June 2009. In February 2010, the hires level was 4.0 million. The hires rate was little changed in February for all industries and 3 of the 4 regions; the rate decreased in the Northeast.
Quinn Insurance:A meeting is expected to be held in Dublin this evening between the Financial Regulator and a group of politicians from the border area to discuss the future of Quinn Insurance. Earlier Monday in Cavan, a group of employees of the company met with the two High Court-appointed administrators of the company and also politicians. The administrators were appointed last Tuesday at the request of the Regulator.
The Quinn Group has been lobbying politicians and involving its employees in its efforts to prevent the Regulator from going ahead with an application to the High Court next week to sell the insurance unit where about 2,800 are employed.
The Quinn Group owes the State-owned Anglo Irish Bank €2.8bn and it has total debts of €4bn.
People in the UK earning £150,000 or more per year will have to pay 50% income tax from Tuesday. David Scott from Vestra Wealth has analysis:
Global currency reserves:Bloomberg reports that the fastest growth in global currency reserves since the credit crisis is blunting a rise in Treasury yields even as concern increases about record U.S. borrowing to finance an unprecedented budget deficit.
Global reserve assets climbed 18% to $7.8 trillion in the 12 months ended in March, the biggest increase since the collapse of Bear Stearns Cos. in March 2008, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Bank of America Corp. and Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc forecast that growth in reserves, led by Asian nations, will sustain demand as Greece’s fiscal woes raise concern about the risk of holding sovereign debt and corporate bonds offer the slimmest yield premiums over Treasuries since November 2007.
Richmond Federal Reserve President Jeffrey Lacker tells CNBC's Steve Liesman he's not concerned about deflation and sees job growth accelerating as the year continues:
US markets
On Tuesday, the Dow has dipped 5 points or 0.05% to 10,968.
The S&P 500 has inched up 0.08% and the Nasdaq Composite has moved by the same amount.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans think the time is right to buy a house, with a majority believing prices will be the same or higher over the next year, according to a survey by federal mortgage financier Fannie Mae survey released Tuesday.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, oil for May 2010 delivery is trading at $86.95 up 33 cents from Monday's close. In London, Brent crude for May delivery is trading at $86.23 a barrel.
Currencies
The euro is trading at $1.3377 and at £0.8792.
For live currency updates, check the right-hand column of the Finfacts home page. The dollar traded at a record low $1.6038 per euro on July 15, 2008.
