NEW YORK (AP) — A computerized selloff possibly caused by a simple typographical error triggered one of the most turbulent days in Wall Street history Thursday and sent the Dow Jones industrials to a loss of almost 1,000 points, nearly a tenth of their value, in less than half an hour. It was the biggest drop ever during a trading day.

Wall St. rollercoaster: Stocks fall nearly 10 pct – Yahoo! Finance

Supposedly, government regulators are looking into the issue. However, might this be another financial reform that ought to be looked into a little more closely? Is this type of automated trading a good thing, overall, for the market?

I think not.
 

[Editor's Note: Investors battered stocks again yesterday (Wednesday) over fears that the Greek debt contagion will spread to Portugal and even to Spain. Money Morning's Martin Hutchinson, a former merchant banker who has written extensively about the European debt crisis, explains why the Spain debt situation isn't so dire.]  

It had a huge housing boom, and is now dealing with the fallout. It has a left-of-center government and a big budget deficit, but relatively low debt in relation to its gross domestic product (GDP). And it has a worrisome current account deficit.

I'm talking, of course, about Spain, which investors clearly fear will be the next domino to fall as a result of the Greek debt contagion.

I disagree. 

 

The Spain debt outlook is nothing like that of its Greek counterpart. When you get right down to it, Spain looks more like the United States than it does the other European "PIGS" (Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain, or "PIIGS," if you wish to include Italy). It's because of those U.S. similarities that Spain is fairly unlikely to share the fate of its Mediterranean neighbor, Greece, which is essentially insolvent.

Indeed, in one respect, Spain's position is actually much better than its U.S. counterpart. We'll see why shortly.
 

A Tale of Two Monocracies

Like Greece, Spain suffered from a reviled dictatorship that exited the scene in the 1974-1975 time frame. The dictatorship in Greece ended in 1974 with the collapse of the "Regime of the Colonels," while the curtain came down on Spain's autocracy in December 1975 with the death of General Francisco Franco.

However, both the tenure of the dictatorships and the two countries' reactions to the collapse of their respective regimes were quite different.

Greece's dictatorship lasted only seven years, was never stable, and occupied itself mostly with corruption, military expenditure and saber rattling in Cyprus. Franco, on the other hand, after winning a truly devastating civil war in 1939, devoted himself over his remaining 36 years to developing his country's economy on a more or less free-market basis, with low public spending, while maintaining an international posture of caution and neutrality.

With the two countries traveling down such divergent paths, it's no surprise that they experienced very different outcomes. By 1975, Greece was a total basket case, with only its offshore (and non-taxpaying) shipping sector flourishing, whereas Spain was a rapidly developing tourist magnet, with a substantial industrial economy behind it.
 

The Next Phase

After 1975, the two countries continued to develop very differently. Greece – which had exiled its king, Constantine II – elected the leftist socialist Andreas Papandreou and in 1981 joined the European Union (EU), where it became a master in the art of subsidy corruption: After all, Greece was the union's poorest country at that time.

Spain, on the other hand, kept King Juan Carlos, who thwarted a coup in 1981, elected a moderate social democrat government under Felipe Gonzalez followed by a very good center-right one under Jose Maria Aznar. The nation also developed the best luxury tourism sector in Europe, together with one of its best business schools in the University of Navarra's IESE.

Today, while both countries have similar per-capita GDPs – $33,700 for Spain and $32,100 for Greece – Spain is ranked 32nd on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, while Greece is ranked 71st – below much poorer countries like Bulgaria and Ghana.

Spain's debt load – at about 55% of GDP – is less than half of its Greek counterpart. Clearly, Greece's GDP per capita needs to be sharply deflated for the country to regain competitiveness; it's much less clear that Spain needs to do the same.
 

Why Spain Won't Flinch

In addition to a budget deficit of 11.5% of GDP in 2010 – very similar to that of the United States – its banking and real estate mess (though the largest bank, Banco Santander SA (NYSE ADR: STD) is pretty solid), and its relatively low debt, Spain (also like its U.S. counterpart) also has itself a left-leaning government with a proclivity for overspending.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was unexpectedly elected on an anti-U.S. platform after a terrorist attack in 2004, and was re-elected in 2008 – both times by small majorities. Zapatero is undoubtedly responsible for much, though not all, of Spain's budget problems; he undertook two economically damaging "stimulus" packages in 2008 and 2009 and has raised public spending from about 38% of GDP when he took office to 46% of GDP today.

In fairness to Spain, the big run-up in spending wasn't due to a big run-up in poorly thought out handouts: The country moved enthusiastically – perhaps too much so – into the green-technology sector, to the point where an all-too-familiar boom-and-bust scenario played out.

Like the United States, Spain is stuck with its left-leaning administration until 2012 (both have four-year electoral cycles; Spain's is seven months earlier). However, it has one enormous advantage over the United States – a savings ratio (personal savings as a percentage of disposable income) that stood at an extraordinary 24.7% in the 2009 fourth quarter, compared with a mere 2.7% in the latest month here in the United States.

Admittedly, Spain's saving is highly cyclical, so the annual average is only about 20%. Nevertheless, the much-higher level of domestic saving suggests Spain should be able to finance its budget deficit domestically much more easily than will the United States.

With public debt also lower than in the United States – let alone in Greece – Spain's position is thus fundamentally sounder. It should be relatively easily able to navigate the current storm and ride out the current government's spendthrift tendencies – giving the voters the chance to put a more-fiscally-appropriate government in place in the next election.

That being said, investors have to acknowledge that panic can trample logic. Indeed, as U.S. investors learned all too well back in 2008, in a market panic even well-run institutions can get into trouble (not that many of the Wall Street houses of that year were well-run, but a few were).

The same is true of countries, and Spain under Prime Minister Zapatero has weak-and-economically damaging leadership, which the voters are stuck with for another two years. Nevertheless, with its debt rating still a very respectable "AA," only the worst storm should cause Spain to take the same kind of crisis-spawned battering that Greece continues to face.

[Editor's Note: With Martin Hutchinson, Money Morning readers have seen it time and again - the kind of creative, profit-focused thinking that's allowed him to succeed again and again where other experts have failed - one right after the other. And Hutchinson has pulled off this string of successes in the face of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression - a financial crisis that, not surprisingly, Hutchinson is widely credited for having predicted and warned about well ahead of time.

With his "Alpha Bulldog" investing strategy - the crux of his Permanent Wealth Investor advisory service - Hutchinson has managed to combine dividends, gold and growth in a winning formula that has developed eye-popping returns for subscribers. To find out more about opportunities related to dividends, gold, "Alpha-Bulldog" stocks and The Permanent Wealth Investor, please click here.]

iShares MSCI Spain Index (ETF) (Public, NYSE:EWP)

When the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Friday that it had filed a fraud action against Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS), the news hit the financial markets like a carefully targeted bomb.

The Goldman Sachs fraud case, which relates to the investment bank’s subprime-mortgage business, caused the financial giant’s shares to nosedive 12.8%. The fallout spread to the broader markets, too, causing the Dow Jones Industrial Average to drop 1.1% and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index to skid 1.6%.

That reaction wasn’t overblown.

Depending on how rough the SEC wants to play it, the case has the potential to shut down the cartel known as Wall Street. It could even jump-start the kind of sweeping overhaul that legal or regulatory reformists have so far failed to launch.

How the Goldman Sachs Fraud Case Could Accelerate Wall Street Reform

Technorati Tags: Wall Street reform, finance reform, Goldman Sachs, SEC, Securities and Exchange Commission, fraud, NYSE, S&P 500

Control spending: If you spend less you'll have more money available to pay down debt and save for the future. Write down your expenses for a month to see where your money is going. You might be surprised by how easy it is to find places to scale back.

Create a debt repayment plan: If you carry credit card debt, write down everything you owe and make a plan to pay it off. Start with small items you can act on right away–it will make tackling the bigger debt easier. Also, try buying with cash only. It’s a sure-fire way to prevent increases in your credit card debt.

Set up auto-savings plans: Arrange with your bank or another financial institution to have a set amount deducted from your checking account to a savings account each pay period. Of the Americans who have been able to contribute to emergency savings funds, automatic withdrawal is the most popular method, according to the Consumer Federation of America.

Boost retirement savings: If your employer offers a 401(k) plan, increase your contributions. If you don't have an employer plan, open an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and arrange for contributions to be made automatically from your checking or savings account.

Create a long-term plan: Write a list of your long-term goals, such as buying a home or saving for college or retirement. Visit the Life Events section of Smart About Money for concrete tips on accomplishing those goals.

Protect Yourself: Be prepared for the unexpected by making sure you, your family, your assets and investments are insured and fully covered. If you do not have a will, make 2010 the year you establish a life plan.

Find a financial buddy: Share your financial resolutions with a friend, colleague, or family member, and you’ll be more likely to keep them. Find someone else who wants to turn around their debt or cut their spending, and establish a mutual support system.

NEFE operates the site Smart About Money and have developed a series of articles filled with tips to help you make 2010 the year of financial freedom.  You can also find Economic Survival Tips, worksheets and articles focused on financial education related to housing, spending, credit and job change. Follow NEFE on Twitter at @nefe_org.

It's hosted by Amazon and it's filled with hundreds of personal finance books from authors like Jim Cramer, Andrew Tobias, George Soros, Peter Lynch, and Jim Rogers.

Check it out. There's still time to order before Christmas (I can say that, right)!

I saw on today's newspaper the big headline, "Mortgage Rates at All-Time Lows." Sheesh. Haven't we seen this TV show before?

Must we go down the same stupid road that got us here? I know, the credit standards are supposedly much higher now than they were in 2006-2007, where anybody with a pulse (and some even without) could get a loan for a piece of property. But I have heard random radio spots that hint that things really haven't changed much. Stuff like "no money down," "seller financing," and "no doc" loans…

I'm afraid we haven't learned a thing from our very recent past. I can't say I'm surprised.

The fundamentals of the market psychology hasn't changed: It still seeks short-term profits over long-term prosperity. Slow and steady hasn't kept the market happy for decades. It likes the hare, not the tortoise.

I also saw that gold hit $1200.

So how does one protect himself during these times? I'd suggest that you stick with the same old, same old:

• Stocks – still the best bet for long-term prosperity
• Cash – in case all hell breaks out
• Bonds – if interest rates ever go up again, they might become a little more enticing
• Gold – in case it gets worse than all hell breaking out
• Real Estate – your real inflation hedge

Depending on where you are in your life, you would do best to keep the bullk of your investable assets in stocks, some in cash, a little in bonds, very little in gold, and a bit in real estate. Note that I am not including your home in this assessment. If I did, most of us would have more than 50 percent of our assets in real estate (which might be a big part of the problem, right).

I still think the US is the place to be for innovation: IT, bio tech, medicine. But I think you may want to invest a considerable portion in foreign markets. China will not stop growing for some time. India is still going to improve. Latin America still has lots left, as does Canada, Russia, and Europe.

The world, as they say, is your oyster. Choose wisely, or else you may get one that's toxic.

In 12 years, Antoine Walker(notes) made more than $110 million playing professional basketball moderately well.

It always seems to happen.

Whatever the details, it was a big chunk of change, which, amazingly, wasn’t enough.

These guys seem to wind up in debtor’s prison or the poor house, or both. It’s a shame, in a way, to see all that money wind up gone, but at least these guys stimulate the economy, right? I mean, that money didn’t just vanish; it just moved from his pockets to everybody else’s.

I’m really surprised that the professional sports leagues haven’t really come up with a solution to this widespread problem. Why haven’t they employed the likes of American Express, Fidelity, or some of the better-known financial institutions to not only teach these guys how to manage their money, but why not even do more than that?

Don’t you see a very lucrative niche here? I guess much of this is handled by the athletes’ agents. But maybe therein lies the problem.

Why not employ financial planners? Why not, instead of giving them x percent (10 percent, is that the going rate for “talent?”) on the front end, give them 7 percent on the backend?

If I make you money as a financial guru, give me a piece of it when it’s bigger? Then, there is an incentive for both parties to utilize my services?

What am I missing here?

Is it that these guys are so toxic that nobody wants to touch them? Are the sports agents so powerful that nobody can “break in” to this aspect of an athlete’s life?

Why aren’t the players unions more involved? Or are they in on the money grab, too?

Just think what a really talented money manager could make out of an NBA star? It boggles the mind how much better off he could make not only the athlete, but the athlete’s community. And all without the extreme sadness experienced by the once highly-sought after athlete, once he is put out to pasture.

A quartet of top U.S. bank stocks rose on Wednesday after J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. reported earnings that surpassed Wall Street estimates, and the insurance sector also weighed in with gains to lift financial stocks more than 2%.

I suggest that the management at JPM horde all that cash, as the next big mortgage resets occur in 2012 (5 years after the peak of 2007, when everybody and their mother, dog, parakeet, and gerbil bought houses with no money down, poor credit, and insufficient income).

Now that many of those same people are now either unemployed or still making less money than their mortgage payment, the pressure is going to be HUGE on the housing market, banking sector, and overall economy. Let’s hope the news that the economy and employment pictures are improving, else we fall into a really nasty tailspin. Let’s also hope I’m wrong about the resets (here’s the good personal news: my mortgage from 2004 reset at a lower interest rate).

Madison presents Summer Jobs for 11 Year Olds – Jobs for 11 Year Olds posted at Kids and Money.

Madison presents Student Loan Rates Will Drop to All Time Low posted at My Dollar Plan.

Finance Tips 101 presents Car Donations ? Knowing The Facts posted at Finance Tips 101.

Ishan @ ILoveFreeSoftware presents How to Setup Virtual Fax Machine for Free posted at I Love Free Software, saying, “Having a regular fax machine is expensive. The best alternative is to use Online fax services. However, most of the fax services come with a monthly fee. In this article I explain how to setup your own free online fax service completely free. No registration fee, no monthly fee, no setup charges. Totally Free.”
Yeah, not kids and money per se, but certainly a tip I wanted to pass along. FREE nowadays is a good thing (always has been, I suppose).

Pamela Parker presents Four Deaths, Four Different Reasons to Plan posted at Legacy.

Cindy Morus, The Money Mender presents Did Your Bank Flip You posted at Mend Your Money.com.

Barry presents Learn To Survive On A $100 Grocery Budget posted at Associate Money.

Steven Chang presents The Truth About Money – Money Blog – Money Making Tips and Money Management posted at Money Making Tips and Money Management, saying, “I hope this short blog post about wealth getting and preservation will benefit your readers.”

Chris McClelland presents In the long run, college will end up hurting your savings. posted at Lucrative Investing.

Chris McClelland presents The untimely death of celebrities has turned into quite a lucrative business posted at Lucrative Investing.

Jack Schmidt presents 7 Tools For Your Money Belt posted at SectorMatic Money Journal, saying, “SectorMatic Money Site – Personal Finance | Everything for the Big Spender on a Budget. Now you can live like a fat cat, even if you’re on a money diet. Laugh all the way to the bank with Jack Schmidt and SectorMatic. It’s for you!”

jim presents What is the Average Credit Score? posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

Ray @ Financial Highway presents Debt Reduction-Financial Planning Guide Step 10 posted at Financial Highway, saying, “Debt Reduction is the first step in building wealth, here are some strategies that can help you reduce your debt.”

Bobby Leong presents Tissa Godavitarne GDI Leaderboards Home Business posted at Global Domains International Tips.

Jack Schmidt presents Put A Little Passion In Your Wallet posted at SectorMatic Money Journal.

Praveen presents Students Beware! Colleges, Tuition, Loans, and Debt – Will Education Follow the Housing Bust? posted at My Simple Trading System.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents myFICO Score Watch: Equifax Credit Score Monitoring posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Teach your kids the basics of credit and credit scores.”

Joshua presents Re-Using For The Family Budget posted at Family and Parenting, saying, “Recycling is not only good for the environment but also good for your family finances.”

Finance Tips 101 presents Tips To Help You Qualify For A Home Mortgage | Finance Tips 101 posted at Finance Tips 101.

One Family presents Southwest Airlines (LUV) – Stock Analysis posted at One Family’s Blog, saying, “An analysis of Southwest Airlines (LUV) stock.”

Nancy Miller presents The Problems of Implementing ICT in Secondary Education posted at Accredited Online PHD Universities.

josh andreson presents All Boxed Up: Types of Flash Media Packaging posted at Flash Media Packaging.
Another non-kids and money topic, but interesting nonetheless. I use flash media all the time. It’s awesome. And really cheap. I can see a day really soon where ALL your day-to-day data (including OS) is on a stick.

Jack Schmidt presents Real Estate: The Time to “Buy Low” Is Now posted at SectorMatic Money Journal.

Martin Russell presents “Conspiracy of the Rich”- A Review posted at Word of Mouth Marketing.

KCLau presents MoneyWise Interview on BFM 89.9 – The Business Station posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “was chatting with Patrick Michael on Business FM (BFM) 89.90 – The Business Station yesterday regarding some money lessons we can learn from watching the Transformers movies”

Save Money presents Revising and Simplifying My Budget (One More Time) posted at How I Save Money.net.

Chris McClelland presents Estate lessons we can all learn from Michael Jackson posted at Lucrative Investing.
It’s amazing to me how MJ’s demise has inspired all sorts of stories. I hate to think what’s going to happen to me, my stuff, and my family when I die, EVEN with a will. I guess there’s one good thing about not being rich and/or famous — nobody’s probably going to contest my will or challenge any trusts I set up…small victories…

Chris McClelland presents Your credit score may soon lead to targeted Google ads posted at Lucrative Investing.

PicktheBrain presents Top 10 Ways for Grad Students to Save Cash posted at Online Doctoral Programs.

Dan presents Kids Birthday Parties – Better at Home or Out for Theme Party? | My Dad Blog posted at My Dad Blog, saying, “This article considers the pros/cons of home birthday parties vs. themed parties like Bounce-U and Little Gym with topics spanning costs, convenience and fun.”
This is timely for me personally. I have a soon-to-be 2-year-old…last year, we had a party at a park. Happened to be the hottest day of the year (110)! It would have been nice to be able to go inside and get out of the heat. But then again, our house is too small to contain more than 6-8 people (somewhat comfortably), so our giant gathering would have had to take turns. I really like the idea of the Party Palooza type places.

Daniel Drew presents Line of Credit posted at My Business is doing well should I choose an SBA Loan?, saying, “”Lines of credit are generally paid off by opting for a permanent source of financing. In case of commercial property line of credit, the sale of the old property may help repay the line of credit”"

Ray @ Financial Highway presents Canadian Discount Brokerage Review and Comparison for TFSA and RRSP posted at Financial Highway, saying, “A look at Canadian Discount Brokers”

Brian McKay presents Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for Dependent Care posted at MonitorBankRates.com, saying, “A dependent care flexible spending Account (FSA) allows you to save money pretax to pay for dependent care in the process also lowering your taxable income.”

Billeater presents Dorm Life – Cheap College Living Tips posted at Billeater.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Balance Transfer Credit Card Tips, Facts and Traps posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “One important area of finance to teach kids about? The use of credit cards. Here is some coverage on balance transfer cards to teach your kids.”
Credit nowadays is a necessity. But I wish it wasn’t. So easy to spend beyond your means.

The Smarter Wallet presents Best Security Software For Your Computer posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “We all need to protect our computers, even the ones used by our families. Here’s how to do it!”

Banker Saver presents How Safe Is Your Retirement Fund? posted at Banker Saver, saying, “Retirement is a ways away for your kids, but it’s something they should understand early on. Investing as early as possible pays off.”

Ray presents Is A Costco Executive Membership Worth It? posted at Money Blue Book.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of kids and money using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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