Top Financial Blogs

Fukushima Workers Face Risk of Uncontrolled Reactions

2011-03-30T23:41:00.000-07:00

Japan’s damaged nuclear plant may be in danger of emitting sudden bursts of heat and radiation, undermining efforts to cool the reactors and contain fallout. The potential for limited, uncontrolled chain reactions, voiced yesterday by the International Atomic Energy Agency, is among the phenomena that might occur, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters in Tokyo today. The IAEA "emphasized that the nuclear reactors won’t explode," he said.

Radioactive chlorine found March 25 in the No. 1 turbine building suggests chain reactions continued after the reactor shut down, physicist Ferenc Dalnoki-Veress of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, California, wrote in a March 28 paper. Radioactive chlorine has a half-life of 37 minutes, according to the report.

Contamination of seawater found near the plant has increased. Radioactive iodine rose to 4,385 times the regulated safety limit yesterday from 2,572 times on Tuesday, Nishiyama said. No fishing is occurring nearby and the sea is dispersing the iodine so there is no threat, he said.

Source: bloomberg

Japanese authorities today confirmed finding traces of plutonium

2011-03-29T00:06:00.001-07:00

"After taking soil samples at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Japanese authorities today confirmed finding traces of plutonium that most likely resulted from the nuclear accident there. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told the IAEA that the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) had found concentrations of plutonium in two of five soil samples."

Fukushima nuclear power plant update: get all the data

2011-03-28T07:27:00.000-07:00

Japan is racing to gain control of the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plan. Where does the most detailed data come from? Updated daily

The head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission met Japanese officials in Tokyo on Monday

2011-03-28T07:03:00.001-07:00

The head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission met Japanese officials in Tokyo on Monday to assess the battle to contain the crisis at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, and offer U.S. support.

Yukio Edano earlier said some is "almost certainly" seeping from a damaged reactor core in one of the units

2011-03-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Government spokesman Yukio Edano earlier said some is "almost certainly" seeping from a damaged reactor core in one of the units. If so, that raises the potential for long-lasting environmental contamination in areas around the plant.

low levels of radioactive material were detected in Chinese provences

2011-03-28T06:27:00.000-07:00

Chinese government: Health authorities are monitoring food and drinking water for contamination in 14 provinces and cities in the northeast after low levels of radioactive material were detected there.

TEPCO 3/28/2011:

The water inside the reactor 2 turbine room was measured at 1,000 millisieverts an hour.

Greenpeace 3/28/2011:

Greenpeace said its experts had confirmed radiation levels of up to 10 microsieverts per hour in a village 40 km (25 miles) northwest of the plant. It called for the extension of a 20-km (12-mile) evacuation zone.

Yukio Edana 3/28/2011:

As officials scrambled to determine the source of the radioactive water, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the contamination in Unit 2 appeared to be due to a partial meltdown of the reactor core.

China 3/28/2011

- CHINA MONITORS RADIATION. Health authorities are monitoring food and drinking water for contamination in 14 provinces and cities in the northeast after low levels of radioactive material were detected there.

Four of eleven radiation detectors in California were offline..

2011-03-28T06:25:00.000-07:00

"And while American Authorities promise that only trivial amounts of radiation have harmlessly trickled over to our continent, and that our precious anus burgers and plasma widescreens are still safe, four of eleven radiation detectors in California were offline for “repairs” last week. Oh, and now traces of radiation have been detected on the East Coast, on the other side of the world"

source: wonkete

Contamination in Unit 2 appeared to be due to a partial meltdown of the reactor core

2011-03-28T06:21:00.000-07:00

"As officials scrambled to determine the source of the radioactive water, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the contamination in Unit 2 appeared to be due to a partial meltdown of the reactor core."

TEPCO 3/28/2011:
The water inside the reactor 2 turbine room was measured at 1,000 millisieverts an hour.

Greenpeace 3/28/2011:
Greenpeace said its experts had confirmed radiation levels of up to 10 microsieverts per hour in a village 40 km (25 miles) northwest of the plant. It called for the extension of a 20-km (12-mile) evacuation zone.

Yukio Edano 3/28/2011:
As officials scrambled to determine the source of the radioactive water, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the contamination in Unit 2 appeared to be due to a partial meltdown of the reactor core.

Greenpeace radiation readings

2011-03-28T06:16:00.000-07:00

"Greenpeace said its experts had confirmed radiation levels of up to 10 microsieverts per hour in a village 40 km (25 miles) northwest of the plant. It called for the extension of a 20-km (12-mile) evacuation zone."

TEPCO 3/28/2011:

The water inside the reactor 2 turbine room was measured at 1,000 millisieverts an hour.

Greenpeace 3/28/2011:

Damage estimates disaster in Japan

2011-03-28T06:01:00.000-07:00

"Residents there have been repeatedly rattled by aftershocks from the strongest earthquake in Japanese history, including a magnitude 6.5 tremor on Monday that triggered a tsunami warning.
The latest death toll was 10,804 people, with 16,244 still missing 17 days after the disaster. About a quarter of a million people are living in shelters.
Damage could top $300 billion, making it the world's costliest natural disaster."

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=29096

TEPCO 3/28/2011:
"The water inside the reactor 2 turbine room was measured at 1,000 millisieverts an hour."

TEPCO's mistake

2011-03-28T05:57:00.000-07:00

"Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of the stricken power station, came under fire on Monday, a day after it erroneously said radiation in water at the site had reached 10 million times the normal level.

It later issued a much lower - but still dangerous - figure.

"Considering the fact that the monitoring of radioactivity is a major condition to ensure safety, this kind of mistake is absolutely unacceptable," said top government spokesman Yukio Edano.

The water inside the reactor two turbine room was measured at 1,000 millisieverts an hour - a dose that can cause temporary radiation sickness with nausea and vomiting for people who are exposed."

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1119229/1/.html

TEPCO 3/28/2011:
"The water inside the reactor 2 turbine room was measured at 1,000 millisieverts an hour."

Radiation readings in Tokyo and Yamagata

2011-03-28T05:54:00.000-07:00

"In downtown Tokyo, a Reuters reading on Monday morning showed ambient radiation of 0.20 microsieverts per hour, well within the global average of naturally occurring background radiation of 0.17-0.39 microsieverts per hour. In Yamagata, a town about 110 km northwest of the stricken plant, the reading was just 0.15."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-newspapers/west-coast-6013/news-6662/4819061/Japan-nuclear-crisis-Radiation-reading-mistake-absolutely-unforgivable

Highly radioactive iodine seeping from Japan's damaged nuclear complex may be making its way into seawater further north

2011-03-28T05:49:00.000-07:00

"Highly radioactive iodine seeping from Japan's damaged nuclear complex may be making its way into seawater further north of the plant than previously thought, officials have said, adding to radiation concerns as the crisis stretches into a third week.
Mounting problems, including badly miscalculated radiation figures and no place to store dangerously contaminated water, have stymied emergency workers struggling to cool down the overheating plant and avert a disaster with global implications."

Reactor 2 exceeding 1,000 millisieverts per hour

2011-03-28T05:46:00.001-07:00

"Workers also discovered radioactive water in the deep trenches outside three units, with the airborne radiation levels outside Unit 2 exceeding 1,000 millisieverts per hour - more than four times the amount that the government considers safe for workers, TEPCO said Monday."

http://www.wtae.com/r/27339101/detail.html

Progress Energy says it picked up low levels of iodine-131, a radioactive byproduct of nuclear fission

2011-03-28T05:44:00.000-07:00

"Progress Energy and Duke Energy in North Carolina and South Carolina Electric and Gas Co. all operate nuclear plants and say they've detected trace amounts of radiation.
Nuclear experts and health officials say there's no public health risk. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says people are exposed to much more radiation on an international airline flight.
Progress Energy says it picked up low levels of iodine-131, a radioactive byproduct of nuclear fission, at its nuclear plant in South Carolina and a Florida plant."

http://www.kionrightnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=14332571

EPA, NRC and consumer safety

2011-03-28T05:39:00.000-07:00

The NRC case is damning: in 1972 a federal safety official eerily described the disaster now unfolding at Fukushima, saying that GE’s Mark I nuclear reactor presented an unacceptable safety risk and should be discontinued. His supervisor, Joseph Hendrie, nixed the idea, arguing that a ban could “well be the end of nuclear power.”

source: http://www.penfieldpost.com/highlight/x855929062/Online-Only-Abolish-the-EPA-NRC-and-really-protect-public-safety

US suspected Allen Stanford's 'Ponzi schemes' already in 2006: WikiLeaks

2010-12-21T04:03:00.000-08:00

The United States was concerned about rumours of "bribery, money-laundering and political manipulation" surrounding Allen Stanford even before the Texan billionaire signed a 20 million deal with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2008, according to a classified US diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks. The concerns are revealed in a cable dated May 3, 2006, detailing a meeting between Stanford and the US Ambassador to Barbados in Bridgetown, which was also attended by the Barbados Prime Minister and cricket legends signed up by Stanford to push his idea for a series of Twenty20 competitions. "Allen Stanford is a controversial Texan billionaire who has made significant investments in offshore finance, aviation, and property development in Antigua and throughout the region," the Guardian quoted the cable, as saying."His companies are rumoured to engage in bribery, money-laundering and political manipulation," it added.
Source: Sify.com

Three years later the US government decides to do something about it. He was arrested by the FBI on June 18, 2009.

Bull, Bear or Sideways markets

2010-12-19T03:48:00.000-08:00

I read this article on Zerohedge on Making money when market go nowhere and the first that comes to mind, is how can you compare apples with pears and still say there is a trend. The composition of the DOW in the 1930s was completely different than the ones currently in the dow. All the losers have left the DOW and the good ones have been added. If you would start off with original composition of the DOW i believe that the Bull and Bear markets in this article would look much different. These are the original 12 stocks that were included in the DOW in 1896:

American Cotton Oil Company, a predecessor company to Bestfoods, now part of Unilever.
American Sugar Company, became Domino Sugar in 1900, now Domino Foods, Inc.
American Tobacco Company, broken up in a 1911 antitrust action.
Chicago Gas Company, bought by Peoples Gas Light in 1897, now an operating subsidiary of Integrys Energy Group.
Distilling & Cattle Feeding Company, now Millennium Chemicals, formerly a division of LyondellBasell, the latter of which is now in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Laclede Gas Company, still in operation as the Laclede Group, Inc., removed from the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1899.
National Lead Company, now NL Industries, removed from the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1916.
North American Company, an electric utility holding company, broken up by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 1946.
Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company in Birmingham, Alabama, bought by U.S. Steel in 1907.
U.S. Leather Company, dissolved in 1952.
United States Rubber Company, changed its name to Uniroyal in 1961, merged with private B.F. Goodrich in 1986, bought by Michelin in 1990.

Are 5 pct US 10-year yields and an S+P of 1475 possible in 2011?

2010-12-19T02:10:00.000-08:00

Jim O'Neill appears to think so. One of the main reasons for the stock markets rise has been the constant lowering of interest, but now Goldman's Jim O'Neill thinks the opposite is also possible and not for the negative reasons. I think its not possible. Higher interest will kill the "recovering" housing market, will put more pressure on government finances and it will make bonds relatively more attractive than stocks. The only possible way is that we get high interest rate with a increasing stock markets is when we have hyperinflation. Zimbabwe has a high inflation, rising stock market and high interest rate and its not because their economy is doing so good. I would also like to note that FED is the largest owner of treasuries right now. They stand to loose a lot of money if interests go to 5%.

Inflation usually means higher interest rate

2010-12-18T13:27:00.000-08:00

There is big debate going on in the financial markets, if we will get inflation or deflation. I personally believe there is a bigger chance for deflation, but i do not rule inflation if politicians are determined enough. I will tell you why i think it is going to be more likely deflation. If we do get more inflation by either money creation or actual real growth, it will likely cause a higher interest rate. If the scenario of high inflation plays out, interest rates will shoot up. This will cause households to go bankrupt, because they cannot ask for higher wages with so much excess supply in the labour force (and the vast supply of labour in china). Not only households will get into trouble, but also the US government. I do not think that the US government can afford interest rates of 7% anymore. Just like Japan, who has a debt of 200% of GDP, it has never allowed to let interest go higher from almost 0% for the last decade.

ZeroHedge has moved to http://www.zerohedge.org/

2010-12-17T03:08:00.000-08:00

One my favorite sites Zerohedge.com moved to Zerohedge.org

Hello,

Through a wholly unfortunate series of events, http://www.zerohedge.com has been moved, indefinitely, to http://www.zerohedge.org When and if we regain control of the zerohedge.com domain, we'll return to offering service at that location. We assure you the move was in your best interest, and that we will continue to offer you the cutting edge news and analysis you deserve.

Please do not email @zerohedge.com, as that email has been redirected to a site outside our control.

Best,

Tyler Durden.

Downgrade of Irish debt by Moody's

2010-12-17T02:24:00.000-08:00

Moody's downgraded Irish debt today. It did not really seems to matter to the markets. The European markets are even slightly higher. The pre-Christmas lull may cause this inaction of the market and it seems that even on an tripple witching day we cannot get some action this morning. News that would have cratered the market a few years ago, makes the market go up these days. The times are they are changing. Even Moody's decision to put Spain on debt review for a negative downgrade has no effect what so ever.

This can mean three things:
1) Rating agencies do not matter anymore, because they cannot be trusted,
2) Its christmas and speculators decided lets not rock the boat anymore and wait until the new year or
3) the fact that the EU leaders have agreed on a premanent bailout package makes Ireland's and Spain's rating irrelevant.

I think its a combination of all three.

Is Bernanke loosing control of the US interest rate?

2010-12-16T14:54:00.000-08:00

US interest rates are supposed to be falling, not rising. At least that's what we were led to believe a few months ago when market consensus was excited about QE2 and the Fed’s power to stimulate the economy. It appears that Bernanke is not really in control of US interest rates. That's very very scary. If the US 10 year goes above 4% we will have a highly unstable situation. Bernanke only rescue is going to be, to crash Europe and let pension funds buy his precious US 10 year bonds.

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2010-05-16T04:02:00.003-07:00

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2010-05-14T00:38:00.001-07:00

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2009-09-28T06:09:00.000-07:00

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2009-09-24T04:06:00.000-07:00

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Top Financial Blogs

Fukushima Workers Face Risk of Uncontrolled Reactions

Japanese authorities today confirmed finding traces of plutonium

Fukushima nuclear power plant update: get all the data

The head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission met Japanese officials in Tokyo on Monday

Yukio Edano earlier said some is "almost certainly" seeping from a damaged reactor core in one of the units

low levels of radioactive material were detected in Chinese provences

Four of eleven radiation detectors in California were offline..

Contamination in Unit 2 appeared to be due to a partial meltdown of the reactor core

Greenpeace radiation readings

Damage estimates disaster in Japan

TEPCO's mistake

Radiation readings in Tokyo and Yamagata

Highly radioactive iodine seeping from Japan's damaged nuclear complex may be making its way into seawater further north

Reactor 2 exceeding 1,000 millisieverts per hour

Progress Energy says it picked up low levels of iodine-131, a radioactive byproduct of nuclear fission

EPA, NRC and consumer safety

US suspected Allen Stanford's 'Ponzi schemes' already in 2006: WikiLeaks

Bull, Bear or Sideways markets

Are 5 pct US 10-year yields and an S+P of 1475 possible in 2011?

Inflation usually means higher interest rate

ZeroHedge has moved to http://www.zerohedge.org/

Downgrade of Irish debt by Moody's

Is Bernanke loosing control of the US interest rate?

The latest financial blog news

zero hedge

naked capitalism

The Market Ticker

Calculated Risk

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Across the Curve

SeekingAlpha.com

The Aleph Blog

Investing Contrarian

China Financial Markets

The Daily Capitalist

Jesse's Café Américain

The Big Picture

The Market Oracle

Think BIG

Latest from Financial Blogs

zero hedge

naked capitalism

The Market Ticker

Calculated Risk

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Across the Curve

SeekingAlpha.com

The Aleph Blog

Investing Contrarian

China Financial Markets

The Daily Capitalist

Jesse's Café Américain

The Big Picture

The Market Oracle

Think BIG

Latest of Top Financial Blogs

zero hedge

naked capitalism

The Market Ticker

Calculated Risk

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Across the Curve

SeekingAlpha.com

The Aleph Blog

Investing Contrarian

China Financial Markets

The Daily Capitalist

Jesse's Café Américain

The Big Picture

The Market Oracle

Think BIG

Top financials blogs on 28 september 2009

zero hedge - on a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

naked capitalism

The Market Ticker

Calculated Risk

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Across the Curve

SeekingAlpha.com