This page has been archived and commenting is disabled.
Open Thread
What should Zero Hedge focus on next year?
»
- 11940 reads
- Printer-friendly version
- Send to friend
- advertisements -
Contact Information:
Tips: tips [ at ] zerohedge.com
General: info [ at ] zerohedge.com
Legal: legal [ at ] zerohedge.com
Advertising: ads [ at ] zerohedge.com
Abuse/Complaints: abuse [ at ] zerohedge.com
Suggested Reading:
Make sure to read our "How To [Read/Tip Off] Zero Hedge Without Attracting The Interest Of [Human Resources/The Treasury/Black Helicopters]" Guide
It would be very wise of you to study our disclaimer, our privacy policy and our (non)policy on conflicts / full disclosure. Here's our Cookie Policy.
Interesting details of groundwork already in place (or disinformation about same, depending on how you look at it): http://tinyurl.com/x576
I hear what I see....
Long time listener, first time caller here. Before I suggest a topic to cover in the future, I’d like to thank Marla, Tyler and the whole gang of contributors and posters at ZH for teaching me more about the rigged world of finance and political puppetry than I ever learned in college or my professional life. I travelled here via the Market Ticker many months ago, and have followed practically every post and comment since.
You are all several miles above me in financial knowledge, but my frequent forays into googledom for explanations of the economic concepts discussed here has improved my understanding of the language spoken at ZH from that of ‘Charlie Brown’s Teacher’s voice’ to a point where you scare-the-hell-out-of-me with your cautionary exposes. Again, I thank you deeply.
The unflinching and irreverent way everyone at ZH strives to expose unfairness, BS and chicanery gives me hope that there aren’t yet enough good people willing to do nothing so that evil can triumph. I admire every Cheeky Bastard, Deadhead and Miss Creant among you, the genuine articles in particular. (It’s the holidays, allow me to shamelessly gush a bit; it’s the only contribution I have…)
Here’s my dilemma and suggestion for future topics: I am one of those Baby Boomers on the verge of retirement. (I’m 55, hoping to retire at 60.) I’ve done a fairly good job of paying my taxes, creating a nest egg and paying all my debts. The bulk of my retirement is in a 401k. Not good. My choices in the 401k are stable principal funds, bond funds (PIMCO) and the usual suspects of stock funds. I’m convinced by following ZH that:
- The stock market is hopelessly rigged and just waiting for me to enter and be relieved of the burden of my wealth
- The bond market is moments away from an epic fail when interest rates rise
- Inflation will eventually castrate the purchase power of my nest egg
So… How about some articles that explore economic survival scenarios for hypothetical folks at various stages in their work lives? I know some will say that there are plenty of blogs out there giving advice like this. I don’t trust any of them. I’d take the advice of this collection of anonymous and wacked-out geniuses over those buffoons with agendas any day of the week. I’m not asking for specifics, simply strategies for surviving.
Thanks again for this site and the folks on it. You are Great Americans, and I’m confident that our Founding Fathers would read this blog with pride, knowing the spirit of their defiance against tyranny lives on. I’m a Vietnam vet, and proud to have served for folks like you. I’ll go back to listening now.
Oh, I am not Chumbawamba, but I hope he writes his articles!
Roscoe
I'm convinced the gummint will attempt to confiscate 401ks and other retirement vehicles.
It's a big sack of cash waiting to be pilfered by means of redirecting your assets to your
SS account. cya.
http://www.carolinajournal.com/exclusives/dems-target-private-retirement...
Which is why I already drained my personal IRA earlier this year. And it went right into gold and silver.
Haha, bitches.
I am Chumbawamba.
ditto that - 401K is a sitting duck
Damn well said. You speak for me also. Thank you.
hey boomer, gen-x here...thanks to many of your generation (the ones that DIDN'T serve (and THANK YOU, btw, military family here going back to the original revolution...)), re-post from earlier thread, hope it helps...:
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/charting-great-world-trade-collapse#com...
Think in terms of the letter "G"...
-Grub
-Guns
-Garden
-Gold/Silver
-Guard Dog(s)
-Go John Galt
Let it implode...Get through the pain/dictatorship/"Mad Max" times...then we can rebuild and be real capitalists again.
That's my active plan and 2 cents (1913) or 43 cents (2009).
full disclosure: I worked in the financial services "industry" many moons ago, I am out of the markets, and the above is my money/mouth relationship...not financial advice, and not recommended by me for anyone...buyer beware (like anyone bothers anymore)...:)
+1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
G O D zillion
Just got back from NY. My JPM inlaw fears the carry unwind and very much Greese. Says finding money for local governments is busy. He notes they are all broke. He is very aware of Sprott report and it's scary. He did not get a bonus this year.
less politics.
less ranting/demagoguery please.
less jumping to conclusions by the TD posters (like the overnight market manipulation in ESA). really liked pointing out egregious options trading and other obvious insider trading near corporate events. those were important.
To summarize: more Marla, less TD.
The ethics and morality of supporting, participating, endorsing and playing in the diseased and dysfunctional "markets" you disparage so eloquently
PS..I would like to write a column on the ethics and morality of "investing" for you.
1)Beat the Glass-Steagall drum loudly
2)Identify the heads of all FICC divisions and/or decision makers in the securitized products divisions for the top structurers, underwriters and on the other side of the trade, sellers...during the acme of excess
thanks to The Zero for being a voice crying out in the wilderness. A schmuck like me has no chance in this market but at least I know there's a handful (?) of insiders (whatever your motivation) trying to make this mess real. Just keep pouding away at these thieves.
PLEASE FOCUS ON THIS:
SPP - Security and Prosperity Pact
http://www.spp.gov/
We in Canada believe that there is some sort of secret back room deals going on that aim to:
- Harmonize all environmental regulations between countries
- Build a super highway
- Create a common currecny the 'Amero'
I think Lou Dobbs has reported on this. Theres a lot of people in Canada worried about this.
Please digg up somethign credible!
Thank you!!!
WE Love you zero hedge!
do a martenson-like "crashcourse" graphic/video/timeline of relevant events particular to our current situation for noobs
The sidewalk is getting pretty damn close. Lots more mainstream attention after that.
For better or worse, money is a public utility, like a road system. We need to deal with it. Gold is not the answer, because those storing it, ie, banks, end up issuing paper certificates and just start the process over. If the public has to support the value of the currency, it is a public utility and we will eventually have a bottom up public banking system, comprised of local banks that fund their communities. These as shareholders in regional banks and those as board for a national bank to regulate the currency.
The law of supply and demand applies to money. The lender as supply and borrower as demand. When this relationship gets out of whack, the system collapses and everyone loses, rich and poor.
Competitive pressures combined with the eventual first hand experience with banking runs, will eliminate the problem of fractional reserve currency, UNLESS, there is a central bank and/or government prohibition of competing banks. Government intervention is the sine qua non of fractional reserve banking - and the answer is to have completely free banking...
The point is also to reduce such complete dependence on a monetary system. If people came to the realization that money really does belong to the guaranteer, much like they understand roads are public property, they will invest in more tangible assets and stronger social networks. The problem is that we have come to be far too dependent on a pervasive monetary system and are at the mercy of those controlling it.
brodix, links to get your noggin rollin:
http://www.metacurrency.org/
http://www.openmoney.org/
It would be interesting to hear how a hedge fund manager (i assume you are one) spends her day. How she makes decisions, manages capital, evaluates investment opportunities, deals with investors, etc.
I read this site because it reminds me I am not alone. Like many others have stated, there is much to learn and insight to gain here on ZH. I personally have no money in the markets, but we all know there is much more at risk than money - so much more - so I follow the money.
ZH is most certainly one of the more interesting tools I use on a daily basis. Keep up the good work ZH crew.
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, etc., etc.
Heil Obama.
Didn't read through this comment stream as it seemed to diverge significantly from your question.
Would simply like to know how one might be able to surf these events you're outlining. While political change may be possible over the long run, all of us still must exist in the short run. How do we make it through?
These discussions about living costs, 401K confiscations, further war mongering have been pretty overwhelming. While you may indeed be correct, the tone which comes across is "abandon all hope - end it now"....and I suspect that extreme will prove wanting looking back from 2036.
I agree that the most valuable thing this site, its authors, and the readers provide me is an education on just how utterly criminal and corrupt the financial "system" has become. The more information I have, the more I can prepare for my survival. More important, the more I learn, the more motivated I become to force a change.
Hanson has a great piece.
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZmViZTdjMjgxM2JjZmU1NmUzODc4OGY2N2N...
http://www.cmhc.ca/en/hoficlincl/in/camobo/upload/Introduction-to-the-CM...
^^^ Lets talk about the housing bubble in Canada.
90% of new credit is originating as MBS since 2007. This is the Canadian version of Fanny and Freddy.
Banks are not lending money, they are creating MBS which has the explicit backing of Canadian taxpayers.
http://www.spp.gov/
^^^ Some reliable reporting on the Security and Properity Pact of North America would be nice.
Rumours of a common currency "Amero"
Super highway through Mexico, middle america, canada
Harmonzing all environmental and health standards so trade cannot be restricted
Trampling all over the constitution
Someonedig up some dirt, they have gotten awefully quiet about this one for a while.... Freaks me out.
Thanks!
PS - LOVE YOU GUYS!
I've spent my christmas in North Carolina not far from WallstreetPro. All my friends up here work at a car dealership so they talk to hundreds of folks about money and financing and payments. During this trip I've heard many of the stories covered here but from the perspective of folks on the ground living this shit.
While not taking anything away from ZH I must say that the stories I've heard about what is going on at ground level are more engaging and informative han so many uberintelligent posts on the macro of well trod topics. These aren't financial professionals hypothesizing about higher economic powers, but people who are living with the consequences of what is being wrought. Little nuggets like what specifically dealerships are doing and might do to try and get financing to folks who stopped paying their mortgages cause their banks told them it was a prerequisite to a FHA refi.
We can dissect FHA programs and decision makers till infinity, but real color comes to the story when you hear how people interact with the agency. I would like to read about what happens to someone when the bank takes their home. I would like someone on foodstamps to share how they came to be on the program, what its like to actually use the thing, how does that person feel about it all and what they see as their options in the future.
As long as the posts and our comments stay at 40000 feet then its all too easy to have the conversation devolve into "gold bitches" (luv u chm) and dissertations about how goldman runs everything. So in 2010 I would like ZH to seek out and post folks who aren't financial professionals but are living with the consequences of a country and an economy that is slipping away.
+STEAK!
... double post
Making just above the median US income, IT professional, my wife is a stay-at-home Mom (the more important job), home-schooling and de-indocrination center, I volunteer...reports from the decimated former middle-class...lol
Anyone know how to get the smell of curry off your skin? Showering did nothing, even when I employed body wash and a brillo pad.
I visited something along the lines of a red light district in Mumbai, and suffice to say, I now smell of curry. Don't get me wrong, I like curry, but it's an issue because my Hawaiian girlfriend smells of pineapple and will surely notice.
Yuck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_psRb5AtpI
Try an IV of Holy Water for 24 hrs
Hey Marla
How about more international correspondents?
You guys are AMAZING keeping your focus largely on the States, and maybe it's an issue of keeping up what you do best.
But it would restore my faith in miracles to see the same kind of depth from other countries...especially getting an 'inside scoop' from say, Singapore, Shanghai, Moscow, or Kuwait City...
Oh, and. Seconding as well what (Rusty was it?) said about being able to see the replies to your own posts...adding also, a feature that shows/highlights only the replies one HASN'T viewed on a thread? (i.e., replies posted since the last time you viewed the thread)
Seeing as you asked!
Yes sir, that was me.
I hate to miss an intelligent response which may show up days after you've left a post behind. Hard to have a conversation if you're not notified you've got a reply. I imagine it should be an easy feature to turn on. Usually a standard with most comments software.
I hate missing stupid responses so I can go back and ridicule the idiot who left it :)
I am Chumbawamba.
Rusty,
That is a lady you are addressing. And what a lady...
Actually more like a bad girl, or a handful, naughty and nice. Santa had quite a time with her this year. He wanted to give her coal in her stocking because she is sooo bad. He decided to give her diamonds AND stockings because she is sooo gooood.
Bad Santa, Bad. Nasty old creature trying to bribe his way down her chimney. Bad.
HAW!!!! OK here I am a bit bleary-eyed the next morning reading this and now I'm giggling so much I can't tell if it was your comment or a little 'leftover' from last night...!!!
Santa & I reached an understanding. I keep precious gold settings and he can keep ol' diamonds. I sent one of his elves over to your place - a tall one who works out a lot and kept murmuring something about solid gold body piercings and finders-keepers for the lady who can locate them all. ;-)
How about an objective discussion of the entire field of economics. We in this country have a boogyman fear of socialized economic networking from the cold war, but obviously Marx's communism and Stalin's tyranny were two different things. Not to say communism works beyond the tribal level, but our current model of creating enormous amounts of notational wealth and destroying the environment, wasting limited resources and pillaging other cultures in order to support it, is about to crash. We have to have a system which puts value back into the larger system commensurate with what is taken out. It was great when the American middle class was on the receiving end of the big wealth transfer, but now that we are down there with the natives and just more fodder for the beast, it's not such a pretty sight.
I do think the solution will have to be some form of networked community banking system which uses a broad based currency that is understood as a public utility with all the controls implied, because one of the main factors that destroys a monetary system is issuing far more than is necessary and when money is viewed as a form of personal property, the result is hoarding and this requires excessive issuance. It's not social science, it's physics.
That must be, more variants of the Big Mac Index! The unequivocal singlemost useful (and entertaining) financial innovation of the last 20 yrs. Although it has always been just one step short of perfection - tainted Nirvana - for i'm more a filet o'fish guy.
(Belated) Merry X'mas and Happy New Year to everyone!
Concentration on NAMES of perps like Joe Cassano, who have caused almost all the bullshit.
Names on the Senior committees for Defense, Banking, and other big ticket budget busters in the Senate who truly run this country and relegating The Bamster to second rate newsworthiness. Like the Mel Watt Contributors-constituencies list, a primer on how government really works.
More bandwidth spent on NAMES of culprits like Dodd, Frank,
and the rest in government besides Geither and Bernochio.
More time spent on those from the past like Rubin, Paulson,
Cassano, Fuld, and all the rest who have dropped off the radar now that they have retired, been fired or just let off the hook without so much as a scratch.
More RobotTrader's fine artwork.
As far as the Fed "all democracy at its heart is mob rule" So which mob is gonna rule the MobMoney Wars? If we audit the Fed and kick out the 666Bankers who do we get .......the 666politicians, the authors of QE forever? btw great 2010 resource page is codenameinsight.com We need a links aggregator page like they have.
Here's another idea. What we really need--and I'm not sure ZH is the blog for this--is a regular series on the economics of the military. What money is being spent where and how.
I was just reading a snippet from an article while sitting on the pot about some dorks in Afghanistan that were under enemy fire. They wanted to call in an airstrike but their radio wasn't working or something. Finally they got a hold of someone and called in mortar and artillery fire. Over and over again the positions they called in got pounded by shells but the sniper fire kept coming. So they decide what they needed was a 500 pound bomb. Finally, a Harrier jet flys in and scoops them up, or something.
Ok, so let's look at this. A bunch of US marines or whatever are in a battle halfway around the world from home, fighting for a cause that is murky at best and a criminal enterprise at worst, expending tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars of ordinance on one battle to fend off one sniper (a 500 pound bomb for one sniper?), and finally fucking Harrier jets are called in to scoot them away to safety. W-T-F?
You know, it would have been cheaper for the tax payer for these guys to simple get felled by the sniper. He would've done us a huge favor by removing these liabilities from the American balance sheet: a group of guys wasting money killing innocent people in another country and who, should they make it out, will continue to suck at the teat of publicly financed military ventures and pensions for the rest of our god damn lives.
In order for this madness to end, someone needs to expose this foolishness to the masses. Since our media is now a lapdog cheerleader for government excess, hubris and graft, we must turn to alternative sources. Perhaps ZH is that source, perhaps not, and there are certainly many other "alternative" publications that are doing a fine job telling the story, but their audience is limited. There is an interesting financial story to be told here that would benefit from the ZH treatment.
I'd offer to do this but I'm already tapped out on time, and also this whole thing angers me. I don't want to delve into details or else I might finally fly off the handle and do something rash.
Anyone?
I am Chumbawamba.
Sorry Chumby, let's make them efficient and effective, but they cannot be killed. Sigh...
Knock off some sacred cows this year. Like Jack Welch and his role in turning GE into a Bank, setting the stage for the shellacking the stockholders have taken, because of his Prime Mover Status in lowering lending standards to ridiculously insane levels.
This guy is on TV and writing books about "Winning". Yeah, he won at the ongoing expense of everyone else in the world.
An in depth, deep background on many of the perps, like Welch, sorely needs to be done to kick these sheisters to the curb.
Oh, where every dollar goes for a leveraged buyout that 'fails' goes. Who wins. They buy company putting up 1 billion and then borrow 5 billions. Tell me the original investors don't make out like Arab oil sheiks in this ponzi scheme.
Tracking one of these, say, Linen and Things, would be a great start.
My opinion:
1. Forex markets, because that's where the major dislocations are going to come first
2. Commodities markets, because that is likely the only place that'll be safe
More focus on Asia and emerging markets would be nice.
I'm not worried about next year yet, but it would be nice if ZH had posted Katie Piper's Christmas message on their front page:
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/katie-pipers-christmas-message
Some things are more important than the bankers who stole Christmas and it's ok to shift gears once in a while and discuss stuff that is not purely financial.
Cheers,
Leo
Proposed theme for 2010. The needed/possible changes that will result in trade balance. Our national debt (personal and government) is the direct result of our trade imbalance. As we import more than we export, $'s pile-up overseas, and we have borrowed them back for 30 years. This unstable world economic system is now collapsing.
What will/may replace it? Can we get in-front of this in our thought process?
For 2010, please put together a nice timeline graphic showing the laws changed by congress that allowed the current disaster to unfold.
Please include a "drop menu" for each law on the timeline showing the key congresspersons for each law change, the key lobbist, whether or not the change in law was supported by the federal reserve and the treasury.
And finally, please include the home addresses - both foreign and domestic - for each of the individuals highlighted in the drop-menu (including federal reserve and treasury officials). A google map showing various routes to their lairs would also be appreciated.
It's time for ZH to open a Washington DC office.
Having raised the lid on the stinking secrets of finance, politics should be next.
Desperate times beget desperate acts. Somebody's going to drop the hot potato, and another is going to miss out on musical chairs. In other words, this madness is going to end badly.
Are you simply trying to discern where to keep a focus, to rifle in on the Achillies Heel? George Carlin said they're either stupid, full of shit or fucking nuts. I vote for all three!
Finance is the stuff of our human condition, and it's not healthy. They crapped in my mess-kit! I'm outta here!
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aKc0QT2U7Gc0
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/24/AR200912...
Everyone is focusing on greece and the effect that it can have on the Euro let a lone the effect it will have on financial institutions. California is three times the size and can't print dollars (whose going to have do that?) . The cycle of mandated federal funding, unions that will refuse cuts and the inability to raise taxes any further makes the situation truly intractable. The effect on employment and the knock-on effect to spending shows that it will be impossible for the economy to sustain any type of growth.
We can see the governments intention in regards to curbing exposure and slowing the printing presses by the way they have changed their attitude to freddie and frannie, NOT! Nothing has changed Japan, Europe and the US all are broke and in the US's case they are heading down a legislative path to disaster. US has to fund $3.4 trillion next year in new and short term rollover debt, good luck with that.
At the same time I think its $800 million this and next year that rolls over in the commercial and residential real estate markets. Imagine what happens to payments if rates rise, oh no!, and if banks don't want to roll over mortgages that have negative equity, oh no! . Maybe the trillion that banks now have on in reserve which have been sitting at the bottom of the grand canyon will finally make it out. If they do there goes inflation. If they don't then Goldman and JPM gets to continue to make a $100 mil a day and the collapse comes in a number of mortgage markets.
The risk to the short dollar trade is continued short covering and any geopolitical event which will bring buyers back to the dollar.
Besides that:
Long commodities, short interest rates, long CD$ AD$ play equities at one's own risk ( no idea of direction ).
Doing nothing I don't thinks is going to be an option.
Happy New Year.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aKc0QT2U7Gc0
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/24/AR200912...
Everyone is focusing on greece and the effect that it can have on the Euro let a lone the effect it will have on financial institutions. California is three times the size and can't print dollars (whose going to have do that?) . The cycle of mandated federal funding, unions that will refuse cuts and the inability to raise taxes any further makes the situation truly intractable. The effect on employment and the knock-on effect to spending shows that it will be impossible for the economy to sustain any type of growth.
We can see the governments intention in regards to curbing exposure and slowing the printing presses by the way they have changed their attitude to freddie and frannie, NOT! Nothing has changed Japan, Europe and the US all are broke and in the US's case they are heading down a legislative path to disaster. US has to fund $3.4 trillion next year in new and short term rollover debt, good luck with that.
At the same time I think its $800 million this and next year that rolls over in the commercial and residential real estate markets. Imagine what happens to payments if rates rise, oh no!, and if banks don't want to roll over mortgages that have negative equity, oh no! . Maybe the trillion that banks now have on in reserve which have been sitting at the bottom of the grand canyon will finally make it out. If they do there goes inflation. If they don't then Goldman and JPM gets to continue to make a $100 mil a day and the collapse comes in a number of mortgage markets.
The risk to the short dollar trade is continued short covering and any geopolitical event which will bring buyers back to the dollar.
Besides that:
Long commodities, short interest rates, long CD$ AD$ play equities at one's own risk ( no idea of direction ).
Doing nothing I don't thinks is going to be an option.
Happy New Year.
I find it very amusing that Zerohedge is advertising Ally Bank all over this site. The irony (hypocrisy?) is palpable.
This has been discussed numerous times.
It has nothing to do with ZH. Google places the ads based on content that they pick up. they do the same with their own gmail based on what a person is writing in their emails.
I hope this helps.
I would like to see more stories on the relationship between Politicians, corporations,lobbyists, and regulating agencies. Their is no accountability in the government and private sectors, so maybe just maybe if more people were enlightened as to how corrupt and disloyal to the american citizen the politicians are, they might rise up. That is our only hope. This has been going on in every country for a long long time.
As for Christmas , what are we cellebrating again? Santas' birthday/
It looks like, from the above replies, that "The Fed" is generally a possible focus for ZH.
But bracket the "who controls the fed" questions for now and just maintain a simple list of "audit the fed" questions. For example, "What do Primary Dealers offer as collateral?" or put another way, "How lax are Fed collateral standards?"
We should have had our fiest failed treasury auction this year.
China, and most of the other foreign countries buying our treasuries either stopped buying entirely, or cut way back, on purchases of our debt.
So, who stepped up to the plate and bought all of our debt? Don't tell me that "households" stepped up and bought it either. "Households", because of unemployment, and lack of hours worked, are having a hard enough time putting food on the table and scraping enough jack together to buy their kids Christmas presents. Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining.
It's no small wonder that the Fed doesn't want their books audited. They probably have a lot of skeletons hidden in those books.
Audit the Fed, and get rid of it, forever.
Also, Happy Holidays to all. Hope you had (and still have) a good one.
maybe discussion on arcane legal activism ala hitchens' case against kissinger?
and more soap please. merci.
And one more thing while we're at it:
How about some Radio-ZH with something else besides this damn techno/trance/rave/computerized "beats" that all sound like the same damn fxxking song.
This is all I hear:
oong tse, oong tse, oong tse, oong tse, oong tse, oong tse, etc.
I know I can't be the only one who would appreciate hearing something with a guitar/drums/bass/singer. You know, that subversive "rock and roll" stuff that all of our parents are so up in arms about.
Sorry Marla, but I've been waiting a year to get that off my chest.
Thanks for all you guys give and do!
My suggestion: Regular development of comprehensive global macro analyses. The really big, big picture.
Continue to focus on the strange and incomprehensible machinations of the credit markets. Got to know before hand when the whole thing is going to implode again. Until then, its dollars and yen and euros being dropped from helicopters!
How about we get into just LISTING the perps, their addresses would be nice as well.
But we need to list EVERYONE that is in the Council on Foreign Relations, Club of Rome, Bilderberger Group...
Clearly there is a Brotherhood, international in scope to a large extent, that needs to be exposed post haste. Their plans for Regional Gov'ts, then One-world Gov't, simultaneously implemented as a One World Religion (it is Environmentalism for those that can't see it, the Earth is more important than your fellow man, don't you know) must be exposed, and by extention, opposed.
Like others have said, the best way to follow their intentions, their actions and their plans is to follow the money.
Also, allowing us to discuss ideas for how to get around internet censorship might be a timely subject.
1. Create a Hall of Shame list: You cannot call them criminals or anti-American, but you could outline what they ought to be ashamed about. Let's start with "I gotta have $700 billion to save my friends and pension"- Hank Paulson (hey, no conflict of interest there.) then we could add "Mr. Outsourcing of the Decade" Jack Welch- hey, let's six sigma Jack to a rice paddy in China. And naturally, for the top three, we cannot leave out Alan Greenspan, (bubbles, what bubbles, madame, I am getting irrationally exuberant drinking this fine champagne...)
2. Create a Political Puppet List- the Pup List outlining which of our politicians received what in contributions from lobbyists- especially those politicians that vote against the wishes of the American people. Tie the Pup List to how these politicians vote on key legislation.
Thanks for giving voice and a venue to issues and ideas found nowhere else. I would be happy to contribute a tithe to gather and disseminate the above lists.
It's about time your dusty butts learned something.
You want to know the Truth? ...two books you need to read quickly. One has been messed with and it takes effort and skill to acquire the original meaning and text, the other is a quick cliff note and needs little effort.
''Apollyon Rising 2012'' ...and once you read it, you will know The Book to read. Now get a clue, your shits in the wind as it is.
To keep this on topic, and hoping that the request for comments are being taken seriously,rather than just "a filler"...
1) Create a comprehensive glossary for noobs (I still find some of the terms and jargon a struggle)
2) Recognise how a great civilization declines (slowly) and how the power structures collude to maintain their position.
3) Analyse where big money goes (Rothschild's and Rockefeller's are easy people to track, and pop up everywhere there's money/influence )
4) Food production - we will always need to eat!
5) Precious metals don't need explanations here, TPTB will prop up their paper Ponzi to the end, when it does blow, those people will be long gone to their hide-outs, or hanging from lamp-poles (see #3 above)
6) Bilderberg, Davos, CFR, Pilgrims, WWF, Trilateral, Freemasonary, Rockefeller (tax exempt) foundations, etc., etc., expose the controllers and their henchmen.
7) Expose the Carbon con., and all the lies that surround that great Ponzi (follow the money).
8) Understand that all the autistic "charters" here are why we have ended up where we are (money is not real)
9) Keep a focus on what is real - surviving and making the most our "three score years and ten". Life is for living!
10) Expose the fraudsters that hide among us as well as MSM gatekeepers, Keiser and Cramer are not that different, they are just opposite bookends both as bad as the other (though Stacey's hot!).
11) Most of all, inject fun with all the mischief. Who on earth wants to survive the apocalypse (when it comes) The first to die will have the least misery to live through.
Being woken from one nightmare into a bigger nightmare is bad enough. People need to be focused on some positives. Preparing bunkers, and stocking up with food and ammo should be left to the individual to figure out, not relished and revelled in (as seems to happen).
Merry CHRISTMAS! and a prosperous New Year to ZH'ers
keep this on topic, and hoping that the request for comments are being taken seriously,rather than just "a filler"...
1) Create a comprehensive glossary for noobs (I still find some of the terms and jargon a struggle)
2) Recognise how a great civilization declines (slowly) and how the power structures collude to maintain their position.
3) Analyse where big money goes (Rothschild's and Rockefeller's are easy people to track, and pop up everywhere there's money/influence )
4) Food production - we will always need to eat!
5) Precious metals don't need explanations here, TPTB will prop up their paper Ponzi to the end, when it does blow, those people will be long gone to their hide-outs, or hanging from lamp-poles (see #3 above)
6) Bilderberg, Davos, CFR, Pilgrims, WWF, Trilateral, Freemasonary, Rockefeller (tax exempt) foundations, etc., etc., expose the controllers and their henchmen.
7) Expose the Carbon con., and all the lies that surround that great Ponzi (follow the money).
8) Understand that all the autistic "charters" here are why we have ended up where we are (money is not real)
9) Keep a focus on what is real - surviving and making the most our "three score years and ten". Life is for living!
10) Expose the fraudsters that hide among us as well as MSM gatekeepers, Keiser and Cramer are not that different, they are just opposite bookends both as bad as the other (though Stacey's hot!).
11) Most of all, inject fun with all the mischief. Who on earth wants to survive the apocalypse (when it comes) The first to die will have the least misery to live through.
Being woken from one nightmare into a bigger nightmare is bad enough. People need to be focused on some positives. Preparing bunkers, and stocking up with food and ammo should be left to the individual to figure out, not relished and revelled in (as seems to happen).
Merry CHRISTMAS! and a prosperous New Year to ZH'ers
Focus on:
1)
Banks having Conflict of Interest, in commodities like oil, grain, corn, wheat, copper, precious metals, natural gas, aluminum, soybeans, lumber, cotton, etc. This would not be a problem except for one caveat: Some large banks hold loans for small and medium sized companies which have employees and workmen, conduct enterprise and endeavor to do their business, with such commodities being integral to their success or failure.
That is to say, it is a professional conflict of interest: They are bidding up cost of doing business, and competing directly against people, small or medium sized businesses, they hold loans for. Large banks, have access to data and aggregate information from customers, many are in commodities based businesses or industries. Large banks do not normally engage in commerce related to the commodities, they trade only paper units and:
Instead, large banks dip in and out of commodities markets, directly or indirectly competing against companies they hold loans for; drive up key costs and drive clients back to the banks, for more loans (ie: sometimes called rain making).
This is not only predatorial, it is unethical because of the Conflict of Interest in collecting data on small/medium sized businesses, in the assessment phase of making a loan.
Predatory Practice:
Example One: Large banks and smaller subsidiaries of banks, keep detailed data on clients they hold loans with and know how much cash the company has on hand to make payroll, in a certain quarter or bi-annually. The large bank or subsidiary may also hold the business checking account; may audit the company's records, prior to lending in the original note or loan. Holding a business account of a company in a commodity-dependent business, gives them access to updated payroll information and also cost information; updates on such basic information as how much a company spends on fuel used for manufacturing product or fuel used in the normal course of transporting employees, materials and goods to and from facilities used to process the commodity in question.
Community banks keep similar data points, and provide routine reporting, upstream, within the banking industry, and in reporting national inventories, and number of employees, size of quarterly payroll and other information, relating to companies operating business enterprise in such markets.
There are many kinds of problems and systemic risk to small businesses and intermediate sized businesses, who depend on fair value and fair markets. Note (example two) the hedging-business model, run by large banks (ie: rain making 2) is a multi billion dollar industry: Larger businesses can afford hedging-expertise, and therefore, absorb dramatically inflated costs better; not that they are welcomed (un-expected price spikes with no comparable spike in actual demand is unsettling), but they can deal with them more efficiently, and some large companies might incur the cost, or can afford, the luxury of hedging their exposure; and because of large-size revenue stream, can arrange to trade with big banks.
This leaves the medium sized and the smaller sized business more vulnerable in the United States. Some medium sized companies can also mitigate their exposure by trading with or adopting hedge trading philosophy of large big banks (can afford to pay the fees and become co-dependent upon large bank expertise). This leaves the smaller businesses especially vulnerable.
Why Are Predators Dangerous to an Economy:
To borrow a quote from an Op-Ed in the NY Times¹, Paul Krugman writes about "systemic risk" of having large banks, acting as a trade desk, not really promoting growth in our economy; not promoting health of small businesses. Krugman stops short of saying, large financial firms dip in and out of commodities, with intent to bid up the price and not necessarily to improve the economy. Even so, the truth of this intent, is self evident. If a large bank becomes needy or pressured in some way, or if they become giddy with money, they can pressure these markets up, in such way as causes distress to the smaller companies in the U.S. who cannot afford a hedging-servicing fee of large banks. This in turn distresses their ability to be successful in their business.
Essentially, it is a "protection racket." - banks charge premium fees for hedging-protection-services. This occurs, irregardless of whether large banks acknowledge this unethical practice.
"...Third, it (Fed and government's economic policy to date) shows that by rescuing the financial system without reforming it, Washington has done nothing to protect us from a new crisis, and, in fact, has made another crisis more likely."¹
Add to Krugman's article about systemic risk, the above concern about commodities market trading by large banks (who are not in that industry per se, but have loans with clients who are). It is a danger to the small business, and many medium-sized business entities, who do not want to be dependent on bank-hedging practices.
Why Lending-Predators are Dangerous (and Toxic) Economically
There is another side to commodities trading: Large banks, can in theory sell suddenly, driving costs down in a 3 month period so that a small businesses trying to sell their crop, do not get the best price and their business (which the large bank has the loan for) becomes distressed. The small business owner's family becomes distressed, and so also, the families of people who work for the small business. Soon the large banks are predators again; in the community where the small business is located. The small business has to give up. The families employed under the small business, can be depleted of wealth and home ownership. Their down payments and efforts to pay on time, also undermined.
In this large banks seeking more assets for themselves or for 'preferred' clients can distress smaller business because of the large pools of money and free money available to them at the Federal reserve window.
In this large banks are preying on vulnerability of smaller and medium sized businesses who cannot keep. In this, large banks are preying on vulnerability created by price spikes they also "predict" and foment; conversely, vacate and drive down suddenly.
Meanwhile no one is protecting the small business or the family of the small business owner. The small business defaults, because they could not sell above their costs. The small business had to take out a loan in the prior six months, to deal with sudden cost increases (which were run up because large banks were bidding the paper in a frenzy – not based on actual demand).
Transition ¦ from Systemic Risk to Social Offender:
There is obvious Conflict of Interest, that goes under-reported. There are ethics issues with large banks holding notes of loans, and after data crunching, begin to trade in paper units, only, as a competitor against those companies and small business clients it holds loans for. There is further system risk when ignoring this unethical Conflict of Interest: As we have seen, large banks bundle lots of loans for re-sale and for other reasons - while in the background, develop strategy in how to distress a certain percentage of loans, within those bundles, they just brokered and sold.
When large bank executives at Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley, get desperate, for any reason, they will quickly abandon fair play. Incentives within these firms, cause them to suborn good intentions and concern for common Americans and the smaller-business community.
An appetite for dominance over the market and over regulatory agencies, can also trigger mischievous design to hurt small businesses and take advantage of the family of the small business owner, while distressing them financially, knowing that regulatory agencies do not care about the small business or families.
This mischief can also grow into ugliness, and inability to acknowledge unethical conduct, conduct unbecoming and Conflict of Interests, which are not healthy for an economy. As this unhealthy behavior goes unchecked and is NOT regulated, they will also act to put unstable bundles and UNMONITORED PACKAGES inside American companies and competitor firms, with a design of corporate espionage, or to take those companies out to the wood shed and fuck them in the ass, unethically. (Note this last: A figure of speech in observing how Goldman Sachs and the Morgan brothers, does unethical things to its competitors.) It merits being compared to a brutal offense which is not consensual. Many try to make heroes of large banks, and some executives may even commission books, to feature the executives of large banks as heroic. But there is a dark side of abuse, which goes under-reported and is concealed from scrutiny: This dark side is the amount of disloyalty to nation and deceitfulness, that underscores the actual workmanship. The degree of deceitfulness is a type of offender behavior akin to violent crimes and non-consenting social disruption. There is actual intent, to destabilize a culture, in order to take down, competitor firms.
Systemic Risk in Community with Others:
During a declared economic emergency, and in "normal" times, some large banks act with the same mind as a marauding tribe. They go into other business and dip into funds that do not belong to them, and also perform unethical acts of abuse in industries, they operate and are willing to distress industries they do NOT operate in, with intent to hurt competitor firms, which they have prior sold Credit Default Obligations and other blunt or dishonest instruments to.
This is a problem because they act like bullies who are willing to destroy everything around them, in order to take war-like dominion over each other. In the process there is no ethic or professional ideal, which punishes their misbehavior, criminal-level-deceptions and unethical-baseboard-conduct. It is not just unethical conduct, it is moral turpitude and demonstrates appearance of actual impropriety in a professional capacity.
This is a problem because the nation is at war. Because the nation is at war, their behavior should be measured as exploitive, plus unethical, plus a model of turpitude and impropriety. These many qualities added together, result in high crime, and as such, many prominent executives at these large banks, should go to prison. During a war, they are suppose to be on their best behavior. The nation has a reasonable expectation that they will NOT act to do harm in the community, nor in the nation. Instead, they demonstrate the worst of behaviors and this is simply not acceptable.
Conclusion:
There is obvious Conflict of Interest, that goes under-reported. There are ethics issues and criminal-conduct-in-deceit related with that conflict. It is wrong for large banks to hold notes of loans, and after crunching data, pour money (from deposit base) into and out of commodities markets, trading in paper units, only, as a competitor against those companies and small business clients it holds loans for. <!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } -->
I vote Zero Hedge focus on this non-equitable involvement of large banks in commodities and focus attention on how bad this is for our nation, and for small businesses.
¹ http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/opinion/17krugman.html
Back to the main question. I think the 2010 issues were buried in the Xmas eve FannieMac announcement. Housing will crater, interest rates will rise, the federal debt is increasing financed by a group of Sprott identified unknowns called the "household sector" (an astonishing story, IMHO), and this can not go on. It is all about whether the decline is managed and orderly, or disorderly. That is the story of 2010. And yes, gold, I think, is an objective measure of the cracking up of a fiat currency, and should be owned and watched closely. ZH - keep a close eye on who is buying the federal debt and who is buying the GSE debt, and what proportions are being purchased by buyers who cannot be reliably identified. One day, those numbers will be 100% and "all."
The equity markets have to be cratered to buy more time, so add that to the list of likely events.
interest rates will rise,
didn't happen
Seasons Greetings Marla and Tyler!
Since you asked, i would love if you all could have a constant ( dedicated column maybe? ) focus on the President's Working Group-- i think ANYONE investing in capital markets needs and deserves to know the truth.
Candidates for stories next year;
- A list of the "revolving door" appointments that move cabinets members and staff positions into corporate positions and vice versa (this would be a great list later for the tar & feathers committee).
- "Senate, Won't You Buy Me A Mercedes-Benz Health Care Plan" or why my cheap Cadillac Health Care Plans will be taxed and not the senate's.
- "It's A Family Affair" or nepotism in the government.
- "Take This Shovel and Job It" an expose on stimulus jobs.
TO EVERYONE ASKING FOR STUFF.
WHY DON'T YOU DO SOME OF IT YOURSELVES AND DONATE IT TO ZERO HEDGE? DO THE RESEARCH, ORGANIZE THE INFORMATION, SEND IT IN VIA tips [ at ] zerohedge [ dot ] com. SEVERAL OF YOU COULD PICK PROJECTS AND WORK TOGETHER ON THEM. THAT WAY NO ONE HAS TOO MUCH WORK ON THEM.
THIS IS A COLLECTIVE EFFORT.
MAYBE A PERMANENT WORKING THREAD COULD BE ESTABLISHED FOR READERS TO COLLABORATE ON PROJECTS ON THE WEBSITE.
I hate to say it - but how about articles in 2010 that answer the unanswered questions in 2008-2009?
Like - who did buy all those Bear Stearns puts with a week to expiration?
Or why did AIG CDS's pay 100 cents on the dollar?
Or what happened to the folks at ratings agencies sending/getting the e-mail "Let's hope we're all rich and retired by the time this House of Cards falls."?
Or how does a Wall St company have no losing quarters for years at a time?
Or why does Wall St get to be a taxpayer-backed gambler - when did it become a right to get cheap money from the Fed to drop on the roulette table?
Sorry if those were all answered already - I must have missed that blog page.
Do we need a New Reserve Currency?.
"The Americans no longer have the means to save themselves".
http://www.business24-7.ae/Articles/2009/12/Pages/26122009/12272009_b60d...
Is it only one year that ZH has been around? What a year. Next year there will be no shortage of things for us to write and complain about.
I think ZH has done a great job and should be congratulated. This is quite an accomplishment.
One area that I would like to see more writing about is FX. We would all benefit if we had regular input from those that are actually wired into this crazy part of the financial world. I would like to see a daily (am) report from someone who is actully doing the buying and selling. This has to be from insiders.No comentators. I want someone who is wired.
ZH, good luck in the coming year. Thanks for bringing us this interesting, fun and informative site. I do think you are making a difference. I only hope that you are making a buck or two while you are at it.
b
Is it only one year that ZH has been around? What a year. Next year there will be no shortage of things for us to write and complain about.
I think ZH has done a great job and should be congratulated. This is quite an accomplishment.
One area that I would like to see more writing about is FX. We would all benefit if we had regular input from those that are actually wired into this crazy part of the financial world. I would like to see a daily (am) report from someone who is actully doing the buying and selling. This has to be from insiders.No comentators. I want someone who is wired.
ZH, good luck in the coming year. Thanks for bringing us this interesting, fun and informative site. I do think you are making a difference. I only hope that you are making a buck or two while you are at it.
b
double
got it†
I hope someone at ZH can highlight this article/blog, because he is so spot on:
An Introspective Look at the Future of America
by Craig Harris 12/26/09
http://earthblognews.blogspot.com/
Too all the gold aficionados:
Ummm... what exactly are you going to do when we (the Government backed by millions of loyal house-flippers) take your gold?
Don't say you'll rise up with your guns. You didn't in 1933. -Punks. We're going to ban private ownership of gold and give you oh, say, $500 an ounce for it. IF we're feeling generous.
Good luck.
You'll need it.
Why is the CFO dead ?
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=7399376&page=1
Can you guys look into this as no one has?
And I would like to point out he would have been in line for a nice bonus like 2.4 mil if he could have only held on.
You know what to do. Repeal the two heinous ACTS of Treason by the criminal minded Phil Gramm, of UBS, the tax cheats....
Repeal Gramm-Leech-Blieliely and CFMA ("Modernization Act").
Put the tin foil down, forget the conspiracies....do those two things....concentrate...have a clear goal....go after it....
Interesting, the GLBA, also was a "Modernization Act....Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999..
So, repeal both "Modernizations" that Phil Gramm championed,
especially the Enron loophole. Guess what? His wife worked for Enron. Phil works for UBS as a "Consultant", out of his Texas home.
Finding out how the men behind Nixon managed to get the doors open to China, setting the stage for Trade between the United States to be opened, thereby resulting in the export of millions of jobs to China.
Why was he feted for this supposed coup, when any third rate economist could see the eventual devastation this would cause to our Middle class? (In spite of the middle class being the primary buyers of the very toys, gadgets, and such that would wipe out their savings on the jeans they bought for ten bucks and a hell of a whole lot more,AND are still doing do.
Great question! What should Zero Hedge focus on next year?
Zero Hedge can be a catalyst for change----by continuing to inform us of what is really occuring, and identifying which politicians need to be sent packing next November.
Readers have made a few good suggestions---but it would take a team of many to implement them. Please feel free to step up your game---and become a contributor in one way or another.
well, i am a contributor to ZH as a commentor to posts, RIGHT?
Re: Anon #175846---- The Republicans have always favored cheap labor, regardless of economic consequences. Aided and abetted by business owners, and the American consumer. Equally important---Finding out how the men behind Reagan and Bush managed to decimate organized labor and allow the gap between the top 5% and the bottom 95% to triple in 20yrs.
It’s a interesting news,i like it.Additionally,wellcome to my website prettyboots.org ,here are so many UGGS On Sale such as:UGG Elsey wedge|UGG Elsey wedge black|UGG Elsey wedge chestnut|UGG Elsey wedge espresso|UGG Langley|UGG Langley black|UGG Langley chestnut|UGG Lo Pro Button|UGG Lo Pro Button black|UGG Lo Pro Button blue|UGG Lo Pro Button cream|UGG Mayfaire|UGG Mayfaire black|UGG Mayfaire chestnut|UGG Mayfaire chocolate|UGG Mayfaire sand|UGG Mayfaire red|UGG Nightfall|UGG Nightfall black|UGG Nightfall chestnut|UGG Nightfall chocolate|UGG Nightfall sand|UGG Sundance II|UGG Sundance II black|UGG Sundance II chestnut|UGG Sundance II chocolate|UGG Sundance II sand|UGG Ultimate Bind|UGG Ultimate Bind black|UGG Ultimate Bind chestnut|UGG Ultimate Bind chocolate|UGG Ultimate Bind sand|UGG Ultra Short|UGG Ultra Short chocolate|UGG Ultra Short sand|UGG Ultra Short black|UGG Ultra Tall|UGG Ultra Tall chestnut|UGG Ultra Tall sand|UGG Ultra Tall balck|UGG Ultra Tall chocolate|UGG Suede|UGG Suede black|UGG Suede chestnut|UGG Suede sand|UGG upside|UGG upside black|UGG upside chestnut|UGG upside mocha|UGG Roxy Tall|UGG Roxy Tall black|UGG Roxy Tall chestnut|UGG Roxy Tall chocolate|UGG Roxy Tall sand|UGG seline|UGG seline black|UGG seline chestnut|UGG Corinth Boots|UGG Liberty|UGG Liberty black|UGG Liberty cigar|UGG Highkoo|UGG Highkoo amber brown|UGG Highkoo espresso|UGG Highkoo grey|UGG Highkoo black|UGG Knightsbridge|UGG Knightsbridge black|UGG Knightsbridge chestnut|UGG Knightsbridge grey|UGG Knightsbridge sand|UGG Knightsbridge chocolate|UGG Adirondack|UGG Adirondack brown|UGG Adirondack chocolate|UGG Suburb Crochet|UGG Suburb Crochet black|UGG Suburb Crochet chestnut|UGG Suburb Crochet chocolate|UGG Suburb Crochet grey|UGG Suburb Crochet white|UGG Kensington|UGG Kensington black|UGG Kensington chestnut|UGG Roseberry|UGG Roseberry black|UGG Roseberry sand|UGG Gaviota|UGG Gaviota black|UGG Gaviota chestnut|UGG Gaviota chocolate|UGG Desoto|UGG Desoto black|UGG Desoto chestnut|UGG Desoto chocolate|UGG Brookfield Tall|UGG Brookfield Tall black|UGG Brookfield Tall chocolate|UGG Gissella|UGG Gissella black|UGG Gissella chestnut|UGG Gissella espresso|UGG Payton|UGG Payton black|UGG Payton chestnut|UGG Payton red|UGG Bailey Button Triplet|UGG Bailey Button Triplet black|UGG Bailey Button Triplet chestnut|UGG Bailey Button Triplet chocolate|UGG Bailey Button Triplet grey|UGG Bailey Button Triplet sand|There are so much style of cheap uggs for sale ,so once you go to my website you will be very surprise.