<p>“SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) – The European Central Bank said it will provide liquidity to Cyprus as needed within the existing rules, according to Bloomberg News Tuesday. The announcement comes after Cypriot lawmakers rejected a measure that would levy bank deposits in the country to help pay for a bailout. Following the report, the euro EURUSD -0.4657% briefly spiked above $1.29 but soon fell below that level, where it’s been most of the day.”</p>
<p>Okay, I might be in Vegas this weekend and I’m woefully behind on my March Madness. Some one give me a few of the best bets for the tournament. (With point spread considered)! Thx</p>
<p>No Russian bases in Cyprus. The Brits have a few and the best real estate on the coast. No one has talked about the Northern bases full of Turks. It is a complicated, sunny place.</p>
<p>"International media is reporting on proposals to place a levy on bank deposits in Cyprus. Cypriot police advised that they expect demonstrations to be held at the Presidential Palace and the Parliament in Nicosia on March 19, and the U.S. Embassy in Nicosia has advised Embassy employees, family members, and U.S. citizens to avoid these areas.</p>
<p>In the days ahead, similar demonstrations could take place at other locations in Nicosia and around the Republic of Cyprus. As always, U.S. citizens should avoid demonstrations and large gatherings. Remember even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence.</p>
<p>Cypriot authorities have announced that banks will be closed March 19 and 20, though the media reports that ATMs are operating. You may want to review your personal financial situation to ensure that you have access to enough money for your short-term needs. U.S. citizens should also monitor local media for continuing developments."</p>
<p>“There are also frightening Corrections that rattle investors nerves. Since 1928, thereve been 94-corrections of -10% or more, leading to upheavals in the stock market, about once in every 11-months. They typically last for four months and have erased -14% of the stock market’s value, on average.Since 1928, there have been42 severe corrections, or market declines of -15% or more.In60% of the instances where a severe correction of -15% has evolved, the stock markets downturn has morphed into an outright Bear market.”</p>
<p>I was wondering how often the stock market corrects and I saw the above…</p>
<p>“The primary problem is New England does not have enough natural gas pipeline capacity to bring fuel to the region for both home heating and power generation on the coldest winter days, ISO New England, the region’s power grid operator said in a release.”</p>
<p>Nice link. Looks like there is a list of companies in the link go keep an eye on although none of the companies listed have div yields like pba.</p>
<p>With the recent changes in the tax code, we get to see which taxes have larger multiplier effects in the economy. Which taxes increases really have a negative effect on the economy. We can see for ourselves. We don’t need talking heads to tell us what is going to happen and we don’t need to listen to people on somebody’s payroll tell us some bs.</p>
<p>I feel sorry for the people affected and the businesses that are affected. </p>
<p>Kentucky Fried Chicken is huge in China. A friend is in China now and says the Chinese would love better food than they have. Most Chinese live in situations where their food is in the same room as their bathroom. If you can call the room a bathroom. So…there are lots of opportunities in China for fast food companies.</p>
<p>I went to a KFC in Singapore many years ago and they had a local spicy variant.</p>
<p>I had a service done at the dealer this morning and asked how business was going and they said that it had been quiet this year. This was a bit of a surprise because sales were strong the last few months of 2012 - people were replacing cars because it was more expensive to keep their old cars running. It appears that the payroll taxes have had a much bigger effect on spending that I would have guessed.</p>
<p>I think we had 4 legged chicken when we were there. At the time we couldn’t figure out how they had prepared the chicken so it seemed to have 4 legs - a mystery that is still with us today!</p>
<p>Interesting as to what is happening with mortgage rates in Canada. Apparently the government is trying to keep the banks from lowering mortgage rates because they think that prices are too high. Manulife Bank (I have a few shares of their parent company Manulife Financial) lowered rates to 2.89% and then changed their mind after a call from the Finance Minister. So they’re posting 3.09%. Another bank lowered rates to 2.99% and the Finance Minister asked them to not do this but they did it anyways. Apparently rates are negotiable and customers can go into the bank and try to negotiate the rate down and my guess is that this is what will happen.</p>
<p>Canada has tightened lending rules five times but this hasn’t cooled down their property market.</p>
<p>The 4 legged chicken wasn’t at kfc, it was at a highly recommended restaurant in HK. You have to be careful in all restaurants in China. We mainly ate at restaurants where we were the only non - Chinese. I remember when I said that in the US, chicken meat is usually white and beef dark, they looked at me strangely as most of the time in China it was the opposite.</p>
