Archive - 2009 - Blog entry

A day before the first revision to Q3 GDP is released, the Federal Reserve tells us it may not be as useful as we've been led to believe.

New flu has RBD mutation , Hacked Emails Show Climate Science Ridden with Rancor , Chavez and Uribe at each other's throats again, Gold approaches PM's Jan 2010 target , Solzhenitsyn approves.

An updated snapshot that highlights how the six primary US equity indices have performed relative to each other since their March lows via a percent change chart in addition to a weekly, daily and hourly technical outlook

The current debate in just about every financial and economic circle surrounds the fate of the dollar. Some argue that a weak dollar is great for US exports and thus investors should not worry about the recent decline. Others contend that a weak dollar will eventually be inflationary and drive up the price of necessities such as oil. Which side are you on?

Peter Boockvar, equity strategist at Miller Tabak. recently appeared on Tech Ticker claiming "it's dangerous to short this market".

In this holiday shortened week, there won't be much to gleam from market action.

Broad capital spending cuts, and curtailed production have landed machinery companies in the pits but mining equipment makers will likely be among the first to emerge from under the recessionary rubble. The reason is that commodity prices are up substantially from their recent lows, at a time when the world is running out of all those precious natural resources.

The FDIC sold 187 homes in Georgia recently. This was a public auction, but the results will not be released. The FDIC has put a lid on that information. Why?

CTV's W5 exclusive report on a groundbreaking new experimental treatment for multiple sclerosis, including the first-time the 'liberation' surgery was filmed.

???

Diane Urquhart's research has wider implications for employees and pensioners of other companies teetering on bankruptcy. If the explosion of CDS and leveraged buyouts is inducing a wave of bankruptcies, then why should taxpayers borne the cost? I say we tax the funds that are wreaking havoc on the real economy with their sophisticated financial "leveraging and hedging".

Reading through the Qs for this quarter, a picture starts to emerge of utter chaos when it comes to how banks are implementing -- or not -- the changes by the FASB to how organizations account for off balance sheet ("OBS") exposures. Let us take two examples:  Wells Fargo and PNC Financial.

Far from having good governance, most of these large funds are governed in an ad hoc fashion which provides the illusion of good governance. The claim that "Canada leads the world" on pension governance is an outright lie which ignores serious governance gaps that still remain in our pension system.

When I first came out with the PPD research (which I released for free as a public service, may I add), many were doubtful as the market was literally manipulated upward. I feel by blog's patrons were confusing the alleged "Ponzi scheme's" fundamental viability over time (and ability to avoid regulatory discipline) with the overall movement of the market and beta. As you can see below, things are not going well for this company. If one had faith in the research and rolled puts and protected shorts over, one should start seeing some decent gains. If I am right and this market is simply in a bubblicious bear market rally, any aggressive action by the SEC will drive this beta driven stock into the ground.

Yesterday, I commented on Goldman's CMBS offering through the government's leverage program known as TALF. I was very nice and diplomatic, yet despite that I still received what I would consider, inappropriate feedback. Okay, let's take the politically correct gloves off - they never fit me anyway. This deal probably flew because Goldman Sachs underwrote it. Goldman thrives off of brand name value primarily. Contrary to mainstream media inspired belief, they are not better than everybody else at everything. I posit, they are probably not better than anybody else at anything other than marketing and lobbying.