Archive - Aug 2009 - Blog entry
August 31st
Time to Clean House at Pensions?
Submitted by Leo Kolivakis on 08/31/2009 20:11 -0500Provincial finance ministers should conduct a thorough performance, operational and fraud audit using independent industry experts on every major public pension fund in Canada. Some of these funds are hiding much more than others, but they all have secrets they want to keep from the public and they all game their private market benchmarks to reap big bonuses at the end of their fiscal year.
Another confirmation of Chinese not-so-miracle growth
Submitted by Vitaliy Katsenelson on 08/31/2009 14:54 -0500Electricity was not the only economic statistic not controlled / calculated by the Chinese government that showed that the 6% plus GDP growth in the first six months of 2009 (at a time when the global economy was sliding off the cliff) was an accounting miracle.
Six reasons why natural gas is better investment than oil
Submitted by Vitaliy Katsenelson on 08/31/2009 11:06 -0500Six reasons why natural gas is better investment than oil
Swiss "Black" Accounts – A Trillion Dollar Problem
Submitted by Bruce Krasting on 08/31/2009 08:25 -0500A respected Swiss publication puts a number on the size of Black accounts. $1 Trillion. Far more than anyone has suggested so far. Where did all this dirty money come from? The recent resolution with UBS is just the tip of this iceberg.
Good morning, worker drones: This Week In Mayhem
Submitted by Project Mayhem on 08/31/2009 05:01 -0500Project Mayhem reviews the most important financial and geopolitical news of the past week and takes a look at the week ahead.
Iraqi pawn to check the Chinese king?
Submitted by jester on 08/31/2009 02:39 -0500Was the invasion of Iraq intended to create a new pawn on the global chessboard, one that could be used to place the Chinese king in check? The Iraqi oil reserves were meant to be a means to an end, not an end in themselves.
August 29th
Investor Sentiment: 4 Charts Are Now 1
Submitted by thetechnicaltake on 08/29/2009 20:10 -0500This should be another time saving moment for our readers as we measure several levels of investor sentiment with one unique indicator.
The Alternative Fuel Vehicle & $300 Oil
Submitted by asiablues on 08/29/2009 18:35 -0500Pickens: Oil Will Reach $300 a Barrel
"Oil legend T. Boone Pickens, now CEO of BP Capital, says oil prices will continue to rise… So, 10 years from now, the price of oil could well be $300.”
DPJ set to win Japan election; may demand Seppuku bonds
Submitted by Project Mayhem on 08/29/2009 16:00 -0500Japan's ruling party for the past 50 years is set to lose the elections tomorrow. The opposition has threatened to demand payment from the United States in yen.
Big Deals and Big Balls on Wall Street - The "Pony" Trade
Submitted by Bruce Krasting on 08/29/2009 09:35 -0500A 'secret' conversation reveals some thinking and practices on Wall Street. Shocking!
Federal Reserve Finds No Documents at FRBNY Responsive to Bloomberg FOIA Request, Court Grants Emergency Stay Application
Submitted by Res ipsa loquitur on 08/29/2009 09:15 -0500August 27th
Overhaul or Tweak Pensions?
Submitted by Leo Kolivakis on 08/27/2009 21:59 -0500If Senator Kennedy were alive today, he would be spearheading the health care debate as well as the pension crisis. And he wouldn't be tweaking anything, but going for an overhaul of the entire system to ensure everyone retires in dignity and security.
What's C Worth?
Submitted by Bruce Krasting on 08/27/2009 21:04 -0500What is C's market cap these days? Bloomberg and Yahoo can't agree. I am confused too. There is a ton of shares outstanding that are not included in the current float. Buyers of the stock today are looking at 8 billion shares that would love to get sold.
Long Live The Bubble King!
Submitted by PragmaticIdealist on 08/27/2009 15:42 -0500With the recent reappointment of King Bernanke, it is appropriate to revisit the key tenets underlying Bernanke-nomics and how they are likely to destroy America, if not the world.
I take a look at a speech made before the National Economics Club circa 2002 and conclude nothing has changed.
US Treasury Inspector General on Agency MBS – Don’t Buy It!
Submitted by Bruce Krasting on 08/27/2009 11:00 -0500The Inspector General of the US Treasury has some negative things to say about the GSE MBS. Who looks silly? Who looks smart?










