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Moody's poised to downgrade UK banks. The move is expected as part of a broader credit downgrade of some of the world's major banks and could be delayed until after US markets close. It is thought that British banks including Barclays, HSBC and Royal Bank of Scotland are facing a cut in their ratings by as much as two notches, reflecting the continued impact of the eurozone crisis on the global banking system. The Telegraph

C.I.A. Said to Aid in Steering Arms to Syrian Opposition. A small number of C.I.A. officers are operating secretly in southern Turkey, helping allies decide which Syrian opposition fighters across the border will receive arms to fight the Syrian government, according to American officials and Arab intelligence officers. The New York Times 

L'interminable ajustement de l'immobilier espagnol. L’ajustement du secteur immobilier espagnol semble en voie d’accélération. Ainsi, au premier trimestre les prix du logement ont baissé de 12,6% sur un an, la chute la plus importante depuis le début de la crise. La baisse totale est de 22% depuis 2008, selon les calculs de l’OCDE. Ce réajustement devrait être renforcé par les réformes financières du gouvernement de Mariano Rajoy qui forcent les banques à mettre leurs actifs immobiliers sur le marché. La Tribune 

Euro-Zone Leaders Tired of Criticism from Abroad. The state of the euro zone is the dominant theme at the G-20 summit in Mexico this week. But European Commission President Barroso has had enough. He erupted in frustration on Monday and insisted that Europe is doing all it can. Not all of the gathered leaders would agree. Der Spiegel 

Clara Jamart: “Food prices up by 25-50%”  . The price of foodstuffs is high all over the world, not just in the Sahel. Every month, the FAO produces an index of world food prices. It was at 214 points last month, which is higher than in 2008, during the food riots when it was at 200 points. As for the Sahel, contrary to what usually happens, the price of cereals hasn’t dropped after the harvests. Foodstuffs are between 25-50% more expensive compared to the average for the last five years. And it is thought that prices could increase again by 25-30% in July and August. L'Humanité 

US politicians attack 'London loophole' as JP Morgan boss explains $2bn loss. Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JP Morgan, defended the bank’s decision to locate in Britain large parts of the business that made a shock $2bn (£1.3bn) as US politicians attacked its exploitation of the “London loophole”. Giving evidence to US lawmakers yesterday[Tuesday], Mr Dimon said JP Morgan’s CIO [Chief Investment Office] operation “could have been in London or somewhere else” as he defended the bank’s British operations. The Telegraph 

PP and Socialists forge pact ahead of tense EU summit. The government and the main Socialist Party will come together to try to show the rest of Europe a united Spanish front by voting together in solidarity for the fiscal stability pact in Congress on Thursday. The move comes ahead of an EU summit starting on June 28, which is expected to be a tense affair as solutions to the ongoing euro crisis are discussed. El Pais 

Job Openings in U.S. Decrease by Most in Almost Four Years. Job openings in the U.S. decreased in April by the most in almost four years, the latest sign that the labor market is cooling. The number of open positions dropped by 325,000, the biggest decline since September 2008, to 3.42 million from 3.74 million the prior month, the Labor Department said today in Washington. Hiring slowed from the prior month and firings climbed...  Bloomberg 

China's Food Fright  . There’s no denying that the gastronomic horizons of Chinese cuisines sometimes verge on the infinite. But on factors of food quality, there’s little subtlety or nuance over the level of safety standards. In the past five years, the number of public food and drug safety scandals has hit new highs. In 2008, there was the tainted milk scandal. Then, this year’s poisoned medicine capsule case and contaminated cooking oil scandal signaled that there continue to be severe barriers to the adequate protection of public health.  Caixin 

China Manufacturing Slump May Match That of 2008 Crisis. China’s manufacturing may shrink for an eighth month in June, matching the streak during the global financial crisis in a signal the government’s stimulus has yet to reverse the economy’s slowdown. The preliminary reading was 48.1 for a purchasing managers’ index today from HSBC Holdings Plc and Markit Economics. Above-50 readings indicate expansion. The lowest crisis level was 40.9 in November 2008, when industrial production increased 5.4 percent from a year earlier, compared with a gain of 9.6 percent last month. Bloomberg 

BoE lends banks $7.86B from new support facility. The Bank of England said Wednesday it lent banks 5 billion pounds ($7.86 billion) in the first use of a facility set up late last year to shield the U.K. financial system from fallout from the euro-zone debt crisis. The BOE said it allotted the full GBP5 billion on offer in the auction and banks taking up the six-month loans will pay 0.75% interest, 25 basis points above the BOE's key rate. Market Watch 

U.K. can’t keep blaming Europe for dismal economy  . Growth is flat. The central bank is pumping emergency cash into the system. Retail sales are declining, and house prices outside central London are falling. The U.K. might have the Olympics to look forward to this summer, but not much else. Market Watch 

Europe Will Emerge Stronger Than Ever: Mark Mobius. It’s hard to be bullish with a growing chorus of voices chanting the end of the euro zone is nigh. But one influential investor thinks Europe will emerge from its debt crisis intact and stronger than ever. Mark Mobius, Executive Chairman of Templeton Emerging Markets Group, told CNBC Asia that European countries are engaged in a prolonged and necessary game of chicken. CNBC 

Friggit juin 2012 : la baisse des prix s’amplifie et se généralise. Pour le mois de juin 2012, les courbes de Friggit montrent des baisses importantes des prix de l’immobilier et cela aussi bien en Province qu’à Paris ou en Ile-de-France. Les volumes de transactions chutent également après les effets d’aubaine liés à l’augmentation des impôts sur les plus-values et à la baisse des aides à l’achat. Découvrez les mises à jour importantes des travaux de Jacques Friggit. Immobilier danger 

GEAB N°66 is available! Red alert / Global systemic crisis – September-October 2012: When the trumpets of Jericho ring out seven times for the world before the crisis. LEAP/E2020 has never seen the chronological convergence of such a series of explosive and so fundamental factors (economy, finances, geopolitical…) since 2006, the start of its work on the global systemic crisis. Logically, in our modest attempt to regularly publish a “crisis weather forecast”, we must therefore give our readers a “Red Alert”... LEAP/E2020 - Public annoucement GEAB N°66 (June 19, 2012)