The media has highlighted federal efforts to thaw the frozen credit markets, especially now that taxpayer money is explicitly involved. But despite innumerable anecdotes about how Wall Street’s credit woes are trickling down to Main Street, many remain in the dark about how to gauge whether Washington’s efforts are working. Meet Ted. The difference between the yield on three-month US Treasury contracts and the three-month London Interbank Offer Rate (LIBOR), THE TED SPREAD SERVES AS A BAROMETER OF PERCEIVED CREDIT RISK AT THE INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL. US Treasury bills are considered risk-free investments, while LIBOR measures the rate at which banks are willing to lend money to one another; a rising TED spread indicates that lenders are demanding a higher rate of interest to mitigate elevated credit risk or are settling for the lower, safer returns offered by T-Bills. A falling TED spread would indicate that credit conditions are improving. Read More

At a time when money market funds are facing unprecedented pressures from tight credit markets and investor redemptions, it can take some pressure off when you can find stocks and bonds that generate steady returns with less risk. Read More

Since their creation in 1970, investors have depended on money market funds (MMF) to stash their cash with essentially no risk. Constrained by regulation to purchasing investment-grade short-term debt such as commercial paper (CP), there’s little room for creative portfolio construction. In essence, all money market managers had to do was make sure the net asset value of their funds remained at $1 per share. Read More

If the painful fallout from the interrelated housing, mortgage and credit crises has forced the average American to excavate and come to terms economic trends and issues that had long percolated below the surface, this rude awakening has also introduced a number of slippery terms and concepts to the general lexicon. Read More

Nibbler CLP Holdings (HGK: 2, OTC: CLPHF) reported that revenue for the nine months ended September 30 totaled $5.5 billion, a 6.9 percent increase from a year ago. Read More

During an investor presentation hosted today, Long Hauler Veolia Environnement (NYSE: VE, France: VIE) provided additional information on the company’s current condition as well as its prospects going forward. Read More

US stocks suffered another selloff today, sunk by the usual culprits: worries about a global economic slowdown and another round of disappointing earnings reports and forecasts. Read More

Cash Cow Otelco (NSDQ: OTT) announced an amendment to its existing credit facility that expands its borrowing capacity to $188.5 million. Read More

US stocks lapsed into the red today, as a number of disappointing earnings reports and underwhelming expectations for near-term growth weighed on investor sentiment. Read More

It seems everybody’s getting a helping hand. This week yet another major bank got a huge infusion of public help--$66 billion worth--to keep the doors open for at least a few more weeks. Read More