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By Gregory Taggart, April 7, 2011 9:29 am

Without comment.

Okay, with one comment: Are you kidding me?

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By Gregory Taggart, April 6, 2011 10:19 pm

I’ve been listening to Michael Lewis’s book, The Big Short, the first book I’ve read on the financial crisis of 2007-2008 (and who’s kidding whom, the crisis we’re still in). The cast of characters is beyond interesting: Steve Eisman, Greg Lippman, Dr. Michael Burry, and many others.

I went online today in search of some information on the three people I just mentioned, found a little at Wikipedia, and then found this, which lead to this, which lead me to a copy machine.

Among other pursuits, I teach Honors Thesis Writing at BYU. The projects my students are involved in are quite impressive. Can’t wait to read Barnett-Hart’s thesis to see how it stacks up.

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By Gregory Taggart, April 5, 2011 5:50 pm

Alexandre Tombini, president of Brazil’s central bank, said today that the country’s stock and credit markets weren’t up to financing all the projects planned for the country, including projects important to the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. Those markets “don’t have the capacity, by themselves, to handle the demand for investment,” he said. “Other sources of funds will be necessary.” That other source will be a new market for corporate bonds announced today by Anbima, the Brazilian Association of Institutional Finance and Capital.

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By Gregory Taggart, April 4, 2011 1:44 pm

Mark Steyn on the First Amendment.

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By Gregory Taggart, April 4, 2011 12:08 pm

At least at Fitch, Brazil is no longer sitting at the bottom of the ratings. Today, the U.S. based rating agency, upped Brazil’s credit rating from BBB- to BBB in part, says the Brazilian business magazine EXAME, because the country “has signaled that it’s serious about improving its fiscal position,” signals that include spending cuts, a modest increase in the minimum wage, and a steady reduction in loans from Treasury to Brazil’s development bank BNDES.

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By Gregory Taggart, April 3, 2011 10:56 pm

How does it compare with yours?

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By Gregory Taggart, April 2, 2011 12:28 pm

It must be a good day for a (good) story about the South Park boys’ play The Book of Mormon. Historian Kathleen Flake hits all the right notes. And the story comes with the first photo I’ve seen from the play:

Here’s what an actual Book of Mormon looks like, by the way.

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By Gregory Taggart, April 1, 2011 2:43 pm

At yesterday’s speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Sergio Cabral, the governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro claimed that

“não há nenhum atraso” em relação à Copa do Mundo de 2014 no Brasil [“there are no delays” in relation to the World Cup of 2014 in Brazil]

according to the Jornal do Brazil.

I hope he’s right, but I fear he needs to read Reuters.

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By Gregory Taggart, March 31, 2011 11:51 pm

The governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro (where the Cidade Maravilhosa is located) is in the U.S. Today he spoke at the United States Chamber of Commerce in Washington D.C. where, according to the Jornal do Brasil, he spoke of the huge amount of investment his state is attracting, claiming that more than $111 billion will be invested in the state of Rio over the next three years, some he says is more investment money per “square kilometer” than in any place in the world.

Sounds pretty good, right?

Well, then there’s that story at Reuters:

Indeed, scenes like this are supposed to become a thing of the past here. Brazil plans more than $1 trillion in construction projects this decade to bring its woeful airports, roads and other infrastructure up to date — an ambitious building boom that will prepare the country to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, provide a bonanza of opportunities for foreign investors, and secure Brazil’s place among the world’s most dynamic emerging economies.

That’s the dream, anyway.

In reality, expectations are coming unraveled — fast. Brazil’s grand infrastructure plans now seem likely to fall well short of President Dilma Rousseff’s ambitions, according to a Reuters investigation of major building projects and interviews with nearly two dozen senior political leaders, investors, government watchdog groups and others.

I’m a big fan of Brazil in general and Rio in particular. I hope the Governor is right, but that Reuter’s story is disturbing.

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By Gregory Taggart, March 30, 2011 11:59 pm

Joseph Felter and Brian Fishman, in Foreign Affairs, pose the following question:

Libya contributed hundreds of the fiercest foreign fighters to Iraq’s al Qaeda-led insurgency. Should Washington be worried that it’s now backing these guys against Qaddafi?