Metropolis Opinion

Uncle Sam President, Mr. Bush had cancelled his arrangement because of AIG and the owner Eli Broad and Steven Udvar-Hazy out from the FORBES list Richest People and Panic Attacked are spread around the world especially in America. That is the highlight news and hot news we heard in recently. Lehman also becomes the topic as well as the AIG. Federal states decide to loan around 80 million USD to help the AIG from bankrupt.

FED intervention helps Major stocks in Wall Street rose significantly and Indonesian ISHG also got the positive impact this day.

Oil price, once more go to unpredictable, run upper $100 per barrel for October shipping but declined and rose again. We see the unpredictable oil price disturb the Net Importer from Third Countries. We cannot predict that oil price will lower than 100 USD per barrel, Indonesian Official said.

Dollar goes back to his habit after won against major currencies to make Japanese Bank of Japan enter to markets. Rupiah also declined 9600 IDR per USD last weekend closing time and today closing around 9475 IDR per USD.

FORBES launched top 400 richest people. Microsoft founder Bill Gates back again to the top with 57 million USD; and the second is Buffet with 50 million USD. The fantastic goes to 4^th to 6^th positions that belong to Wall Mart Families. AIG owner Eli Board and Steven Udvar-Hazy kick out from list because of million lost after AIG stock declined very significantly. Forbes uses the minimum wealth standard is 1.3 million USD, so only rich people who have upper than 1.3 million USD will be listed.

America-Pakistan conflict rose after American Alliance attacked Taliban in Pakistan territorial and the outspoken said that Bush decide to meet Pakistan President to calm down the conflict.

Tzipi Livni will put new record after Golda Meir James Hider 30 years ago if she wins the election to be first men in Kadima when Olmert resign from the party. Conflict between Iran-Israel rose after Iran President statement denied the holocaust on Jew in the past and denied Israel as the country.

Putin stated that Russian Military in Georgia is best move to reduce the constellation and claimed the Western Opinion that Putin decide to plan Soviet in future.

Those are hottest news that I have read from popular online magazine such as FORBES, LA Times, Reuters and Indonesian Online Newspaper KOMPAS.   

Although Lorilland Inc sales edged up from 1.05 million last year to $1.07 million this year, second quarterly report shows that their profit declined to $217 million from $239 million earlier year or declined on share $1.25 per share in the present compared with $1.37 per share last year.

Declined on their quarterly report are caused of two main reason, increasing on income sales and spin off from Loews Corporation. Income tax rate rose to 39.2 percent from 37.3 percent in year earlier.

MetLife Inc. reports second-quarter financial results on Tuesday after the market closes. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.

OVERVIEW: Turbulent markets and the plummeting dollar pummeled MetLife’s investment portfolio in the first quarter, shrinking the New York’s insurer’s profit by 37 percent.

The company’s car and home insurance division’s profit also fell during the first quarter because of more claims from insured damage. During the recent quarter, MetLife made some market moves, with a subsidiary of the insurance giant saying it will buy the residential mortgage business of a unit of First Horizon National Corp. for an undisclosed amount.

MetLife also announced plans to sell its 52 percent stake in Reinsurance Group of America Inc. to MetLife shareholders. Both transactions are expected to close in the third quarter.

BY THE NUMBERS: Analysts, on average, expect MetLife to earn $1.51 per share during the second quarter on revenue of $13.89 billion, according to a survey by Thomson Financial.

ANALYST TAKE: Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co. analyst Randy Binner said uncertainties surrounding credit and market exposures remain in the insurance industry. Generally speaking, “Market sensitivities will again affect insurance operating results, although to a lesser extent than in the first quarter,” he wrote in a research note.

WHAT’S AHEAD: MetLife continues to push itself into the mortgage business. Its deal with First Horizon includes all of First Horizon’s origination business outside of the bank’s home state of Tennessee, servicing some $20 billion in mortgages. More than 230 retail and wholesale offices across the U.S. will be transferred. Full Article »