another recommendation for the blog "Market Memorandum"

GPB has been doing a great job at his Market Memorandum of covering the swathe of sovereign bonds deals that have suddenly popped up all over the continent (and beyond, for that matter). This is one (just one) of the dude GPB's specialties in life and he knows the field backwards.

Here's the link to the latest overview post, but check the main page for the multiple reports already there and waiting for you. Great coverage of this new fashion in local finances, and recommended reading.

Also, as an added bonus I'm happy to say he's dumped the crappy dark template he was using and now has an easy-on-the-eye format.

Financial reporters: Never believed me about how bad they can be?

OK, read somebody who used to be one.

Buy the man a Gillette

Guillermo Parras-Bernal at his quickly-becoming-must-read blog Market Memorandum wrote this today:

"...The real purpose of this blog is to tell people who have little or no idea how markets work how the media reports market events. And how bad or good (in my opinion) they do that."

Oh, I like. I like. I very, very like. As regular readers know, this is one of the themes regularly revisited here. The problems that can come between the real, raw story and the end user (that's you...and me) are manifold, but include things such as lapdog subservience at the altar of business, over-deference to the rich'n'famous, deliberate political bias in the reporter's writings, errors of omission that skew the story away from reality, "favouritism" (and that's putting it as gently as possible) and more....and more.

So who better to tell us about the ways of LatAm business journalism than someone who worked in Latin America as a biz journalist for over 10 years? Put Market Memorandum on your radar, people. Here's the link again. Thus ends the OttoPump.

I wondered where he was

Guillermo Parras-Bernal* was a Bloomberg journalist I used to speak with (or spar with depending on the subject) quite regularly in my real job, but then kinda suddenly he kinda disappeared on me....kinda. Well the good news (for me at least) is that he's suddenly resurfaced as a blogger.

This is good news for you too, methinks. GPB is a smart watcher of LatAm affairs and his English language blog is well worth your time. As from today it's on the links list over there on the right. Any of you that don't just come for the snarky gossip and really do want to know more about what's going on down here would be wise to add his blog to your list.

Here's the link to his blog, named Market Memorandum. Use it. In fact, why are you still here at my cheesy blog? Go on.............go.........................now.

*crazy name, crazy guy