Mowog

Rubin's Teflon Finally Wears Off

I'm waiting to see whether Rubin will get a position of power in the oncoming administration.

Citi's Achilles Heel: Foreign Depositors

Citibank's business seems good in Japan. They struck a sweet deal with the Japan Post ATM system, so you can acccess your Japanese Citi account anywhere there's a post office and the fees are reimbursed. They also pay interest monthly, unlike most Japanese banks that only pay interest in Feb and Aug.

Citi's Desperate Straits

C screwed up in Japan last year for financial activities it wasn't authorized to engage in, which indicates some serious high-level ignorance. Yet they do have a comfy arrangement where you can use Japan Post's ATMs to deposit/withdraw without a fee (well, it's reimbursed). They're the only bank in Japan that I'm aware of that has a full and usable English interface. I'd buy more C but I've little in my account and next year might possibly kill them, even with yet more Mideast money flowing in earlier; however, with oil trading under $60, there's less Mideast oil money available to save Citi from itself again.