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Open Thread: 2011 Closes....Down
With the S&P 500 cash index closing 2011 down for the year (admittedly down 0.003181% is just 0.003181%, but it is also down), we look across asset classes and notable markets as we reflect on an increasingly intervention-driven and gap-heavy uber correlated global investing framework. UK Gilts, 10Y Treasuries, Gold, and Oil outperformed (rebased to USD terms) while Greek bonds, Copper, Emerging Market stocks, and Asia Ex-Japan stocks underperformed. The Dollar closed almost 1% higher on the year, the EUR down 2.6% versus the USD as the CRB Commodity Index closed -6.67% for the year. Japanese stocks and bonds had a tough year. US investment grade bonds outperformed high yield bonds. There is much to discuss and we open the thread for any and all discussions...
Global markets compared...(click to enlarge)...
An important grouping that many paid attention to is Gold vs TSYs vs Stocks...
Comparing Gold to other commodities...
Global Stock Indices...YTD performance...
While the S&P managed to close marginally down for the year, the sectors' performance was very diverse...
FX markets saw plenty of vol but ended with convergence as the all-powerful USD moved everything - except for the JPY which gained 8.1% YTD (and obviously swissy had the craziest of runs in the year)...
European AAA Sovereign spreads exploded and dispersed as clearly France and Austria are being priced 'differently'...

And evidently the desperate need for USD liquidity is highlighted best with the now ubiquitous EUR-USD basis swap spread...

Of course comparing VIX (actually the 3rd month VIX futures contract here) with implied correlation gives us a sense for the demand for macro protection versus micro protection...its clear that while VIX has dropped recently (as is its tendency at year-end) it is considerably elevated from a year ago and implied correlation is hugely higher signaling a demand for protection remains high as fear is still here.
but maybe security-of-the-year goes to...BTPs - certainly as much a pivot trade as any other in the latter half of the year...
But we end with the clear message that we discussed many times - the market is broken - it broke when S&P downgraded the USA and made the impossible possible...
The explosion of volatility in the financials post the USA downgrade, coupled with the markets absolute schizophrenia (risk-on / risk-off) are very clear when pictured above and below...
The S&P 500 traveled a marvelous 3240 total points close to close while amassing the 0.003181% loss it achieved on the year...
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Become a light sleeper. I can hear the EUR fall now, after lights out.
Border Collie's or Australian Shepard's are sharp sharp and great buddies also.
I am exhausted and am glad 2011 is over. If it was not for gold, silver, would have been a tougher year.
Thanks to Zero Hedge I have maintained my sanity while twirling my beads and chanting at the absurdity of it all.
Thank you Tyler for all your efforts. I do not know how you do it. (Must have a staff of at least 90 or so.)
The best all. Be safe and see ya next year for more fun, games, lying, deceit, turmoil and carnage.
Bye All!!
we should sell the dollar on rallies, and buy gold on the dips. we should buy stocks whenever it seems likely that Obama will lose to one of the GOP nutjobs, then sell stocks when it looks like he will win. buy stocks when it seems like we are going to bomb Iran any minute, and sell stocks when the economic numbers are good and there is no threat of war on the horizon. buy stocks when there is no hope at all of QE3 and sell stocks on the rumor that QE3 is already underway, and inevitable. in short take the opposite position of everyone, including the computers. when HFT causes a flash crash buy with both hands. just remember what goes up and down about the same amount is flat in the long run, but if you subscibe to channeling stocks.com you can make a fortune. START TRADING, STOP THINKING !hayoob (that's booyah backwards)
2011
The year 2011 was makred by volatility and masked in secrecy. Secrecy in policy, agenda, and cloaked with transparency. Politics follwed economics, with favor and discontent rising and falling like great waves. Nature once again rose from the deep to remind humanity that the real world has nothing to do with theory. Yet the year came to an end in the public eye as it started.
Japan's earthquake is likely to be the biggest happening of the year, if only because of the ongoing distatser that is Diatchi. Millions are still being slowly killed from the inside out in Japan, and the impact will be felt all over the globe once the implications are known on page one. It will happen when death statistics show a rise in humans. Animal stats can be ignored, infant mortality will be a different thing.
The wackos behind monetary policy are likely to celebrate a victory of central planning, as somehow the numbers have not been questioned by the PhDs. This is the crux of the problem: the people who work in the "science" of economics, the ones that would have the authority to disprove government stats, are continuing their mindless following of the system, if only because they want to keep their tenure. Many times I shun the term "sheeple" because I do not like to liken people to sheep. But in the case of those who are said to be highly educated, the term fits, because they should know better. In my opinion, PhDs that spew economics being a legit science are as good as Nazis. They should fully understand by now that economcs has not been applied to help society, which is the whole point. The education system has failed, and it came to pass this year.
Politics is a little more interesting because everyone thinks they have a say. Whereas few know economic principles, everyone thinks they know politics. The Occupy movement still was potential, but ideas of action have been hampered by ideas of community. Don't get me wrong, it is important to rebuild community, if that means feeding the homeless, etc, but we can do that once we turn the system over to ourselves. The crux of the problem is not fixing community, it is taking back the ability to voice ourselves.
This is why the Occupy movement will win or lose based on how it effectively stops corporations. If they close ports, and banks, then they will change things. If they only try to camp out at parks and discuss how to affect things, it will be a waste of time in the short term.
Finally, and most importantly, we saw the battle of imagination and reality come to the fore, only to be battered down again and again by policy makers. The end result will be that the Fed can not print oil, they do not create growth, and they are powerless. For now, due to the complacency of people to enact change, it has been an even battle. This is why inflation has tempered deflation. Only when people are hungry will they get mad, apparently, and that day has yet to come. People are waking up, but until there are millions on the street demanding change at someing other than a Diebold ballot box, there will be no change.
So now we move into 2012, a year that Mayans, Aztecs, Hindus, and Cherekee thought would be a year of change. It will be, but hopefully in our favor. Those of us who understand the coming change are prepared. We will continue to act accordingly. Others will follow. Then once we move the system away and into what we want we can change the organization of community. The goal should be to kill this beast of a system as soon as possible or else risk another 100 years of fascist policy. The choice is ours. Let's never forget that.
+ 1
Very nice
Very nice indeed.. Mr Lennon Hendrix, I wish you the very best for 2012. Your avatars always reflect the current state of where we are financially and your words always give a good vibe. When are we meeting up for some drinks bro? :) Party on man.
Wishing all here a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
Brilliant lecture by Lawrence Lessig (I came across via Jesse's):
Republic, Lost
Oh yeah, Equities are where to put your money!
Try a diversified portfolio: MF Global, BAC, NFLX, Green Mountain Coffee; Yeah!
For 2012: Chipotle, Darden, Groupon, and Morgan Stanley!
Invest in Amerika!
Timmy and the Bernank and Debt Brother O from Planet Zero want you to go LONG the stock market and Banker Bonuses!
Hey, so you'll get 0%-0.0000381% return, better than having cash in hand, right?
*cough*
Happy New Year real people!
Thanks buddy for more ideas to buy puts on LOL! Happy New Year to you too!
Many thanks to this site. With the assistance of zero hedge and xanax I can find comfort in my financial decisions.
Travis Bickel wrote:
Don't fear the reefer. ;)
I'm sure I will get junked a ton but Obama has already won the election, or more precisely it is his to lose. His last three years of campaigning and vote buying with our tax dollars will prove successful. Benny will be reappointed of course, the MSM will nominate the weakest possible opponent even if means Ron Paul whom would be great but would be played as unreasonable.
Equities will have a good year, IG and HY will also on a TR basis. It will become a good time to travel to Europe on a USD basis.
Tax reform will be a major campaign item ultimately proving that both major parties will have lied about their promises in 2013.
I will find out that I still suck at predictions with a 50% success rate.
It's not new years eve yet. Stop drinking so much.
It's 9am somewhere
22 december 2012 : 100 hundred years for the fed and the end of its "mandate"
I think you are off by a year, but you are forgiven. Happy New Year!
Happy 2012 everyone ! Now buy the freaking DIPS.
My investment portfolio consist of soup, silver and shotgun. Oh yeah, and dispel fuel and non-hybrid vegetable seeds. What am I missing here?
Meat plants.
Meat curtains...(use your filthy imagination)
Saddle horse, sawmill, water well, generator, grass, cattle, goat's and a sharp mind.
Rabbits.
Steam Engines:
http://home.earthlink.net/~dlaw70/12stmng.htm
Cannabis seeds and tobacco seeds.
Word.
fishing gear
... and a place of your own to use it.
AMMO!!!!!!!:)
Soap, toilet paper, antibiotics, and water filtration.
Can't fight, farm or hunt when you're sick.
Going long Squiggles BiTcHeZ!
KMFDM WWiii
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e6jE4Hupnc
"Happy" 2012 everyone. Party while you still can.
Walkure...I love those guys...The Naive (Hell to Go) album is a true classic!!!...You probably have it...
2011 going out like a bad case of herpes. Happy 2012 to ZH gang!
Think Japan bitchez!
Massive money printing, deflation, and radiation?
Justin Raimondo of Antiwar.com calls it the Ron Paul Effect: reactions from “the alleged dissonance between Paul’s anti-interventionism and the frothy-mouthed militarism that has been Republican gospel ever since Robert Taft was cheated out of the GOP presidential nomination by the party’s Wall Street wing.”
Here is an excerpt from Raimondo’s column today, “Ron Paul and the Future of American Foreign Policy: The Paul-haters won’t succeed”:
The American empire – indeed, the entire colossus that is our bloated federal government – could not exist a single day without enslaving the American people to the demon of debt. The obvious beneficiaries [.pdf] are those collecting the interest on that debt – the big financial institutions that buy and sell US government securities. They finance the wars, they profit from government spending, and this is the essence of the real issue of “crony capitalism” some of the lesser Republican presidential candidates babble about without understanding or acknowledging that it isn’t just Solyndra. That’s small change compared to the massive theft being pulled off by the Federal Reserve as it inflates away our savings and enriches the few.
How do we pay for our overseas empire? The same way we pay for our burgeoning welfare state: by monetizing the debt, i.e. degrading the currency by creating “money” out of thin air, and inflating the bubble until it bursts again. This has been Paul’s issue from the beginning, and it’s a powerful one: it has substantially shaped the political discourse, with the other candidates forced to jump on board the anti-Fed bandwagon.
This is the Ron Paul Effect, and it has Dorothy and the War Street Journal running scared. Here is a conservative populist who is challenging their power, and in the very redoubt of neoconservative orthodoxy, the GOP! They who have always lived in fear of the rest of the country – in fear of the day those peasants with pitchforks gather in the streets below and yank them out of their Manhattan towers – are seeing in Paul their worst nightmare come true. That accounts for the spittle on Rabinowitz’s cruel lips as she likens a gentle country doctor to the architect of the Holocaust.
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2011/12/29/ron-paul-and-the-future-of-american-foreign-policy/
RP has my vote, but at the same time I have the feeling that if he actually even makes it as the GOP condidate, he will suffer an unfortunate 'stroke'or an 'accident', because 90 percent of the establishment knows he is the first real threat to their little game since JFK.
It's interesting how many young people are coming out in support of Ron Paul. They recognize that they are being pushed into a Hobson's choice of either living modestly on public assistance, or borrowing outrageous sums in college loans which will obligate them to work long hours in a high-stress profession to repay that debt.
These young people seem to instinctively know that chronic indebtedness is the first step on a slippery slope towards slavery. It's one thing for people to go into debt to buy things that are not necessities, but when our kids must take on long-term debt just to be able to earn a decent living, we've crossed the line. If we let that become entrenched, people's rights will be controlled by the debt merchants, who increasingly use their profits to buy political power. The government has cemented their power by passing laws that student loans cannot be discharged in bankruptcy unlike other debts, and by making student loans widely available regardless of whether students have the ability to repay them.
Indeed. Remove financialization from higher education and costs will drop back to where they should be, and you could put yourself through college by working your ass off.
I've noticed a bit of a sea change. As I posted on another article, people that wouldn't consider RP a decade ago are. And you are right - a lot is coming from the young.
Re student loans .... When I first moved to the States two issues created culture shock. One was the whole black/white divide. I grew up on Fat Albert - I really did think that it was somewhat resolved. But no.
Second .... I met a girl with the same degree as me. And honestly I wondered how she had finished high school let alone graduate school. Found out she went to a private university.
It is going to being interesting in the next decade. Education is being democratized. Open MIT. Stanford has started offering online and free courses in my area: http://nlp.stanford.edu/~manning/
And so it starts. Friend on facebook just posted a pic of RP with Stormfront, Nazi members, etc. Would love to post something in response. And this person - trust fund baby - not her fault but may color her world. And this close to New Years Eve reminds me of a song ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uydDHKqlH8s
Cheers
Arka
Or they tank the economy and create a false flag
I think the odds of pulling off the flase-flag diminishes relative to the alertness, intentions and capabilities of the Oval Office Occupant (OOO).
GENIUS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-io-kZKl_BI
Predictions Subthread!
The chickens will come home and find their henhouses full of foxes
There really IS a wolf this time, a whole pack of 'em
Those who stashed the Golden Eggs will inherit the Earth
The sky really did fall
:)
Everyday is "Predictions Day" at the Hedge....
Happy New Years to all.
Cheers!
Social repulsion is more fun! Lotttttttts of drama!
How did you get picture posting privileges?
How did you get picture posting privileges?
Predictions for 2012?
To his amazement and bemusement, Ron Paul wins the US presidential election defeating the incumbent. He will win by a easy majority of popular votes, and a close majority of electoral votes. His victory will be attributed to his personal understanding of and commitment to Austrian Economic theory, and the need to have a leader capable of dismantling the crumbling empire in times of financial hardship. Paging Dr. No!
The sheeple of the US will shake off decades, if not centuries of befuddlement and ignorance to reclaim their Liberties, much to the horror of TPTWere.
2012 Oldie of the year "Tangled Up In Blue":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwSZvHqf9qM&ob=av2e
"There was music in the cafes at night and revolution in the air" - Bob Dylan
BuCKLe uP!
If we end up with a well intentioned Prez in 2013, that will require someone who will challenge both parties and houses of congress with the veto pen, forcing the idiots to finally get together and over-ride the veto, which will expose their sorry corrupt asses for the sheeple to finally see. The Presidential veto has the power to change that which has been unchangeable for the last 40 years. Gary Johnson for President, or someone who will follow his lead. Mossberg, Bitchezz Low cost, very reliable. You should probably equip yourself with an A-4 and a pistol, also. 2012, bitchezz. End the Fed, Bitchezz. Oathkeepers, Bitchezz. Did I miss anything? Bitchezz Oh, Makers Mark, bitchezz
Luv this chart porn.
So Happy Frigging New Year!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5_57PF7HwM&feature=related
just when I think that a DC critter couldn't possibly say anything more mind numbingly retarded than the last DC critter just said, one of them opens their mouths and exceeds all expectations.
this little pearl of wisdom is from GOP candidate Michelle Bachmann-
“There is a New Axis of Evil that has emerged with North Korea, between Pakistan, between China, and between Iran…and with Russia,” Bachmann said. “Russia supplied the nuclear scientists to help Iran gain that nuclear weapon.”
so the new and improved "axis of evil" is North Korea, Pakistan, China, Iran and Russia?
pardon my french but has this bitch taken leave of all her senses?
that's four nuclear armed nations, two of which have rather substantial conventional forces to boot, one of which boasts a society and industry that is capable of waging the closest thing to total war the world has ever scene, and a nation in which NATO has accidentally bombed and killed their citizens and soldiers and repeatedly violated their sovereignty for years now.
and Ron Paul is supposed to be the dangerous one in this race?
with that statement I would like to close the contest and bestow upon Michelle Bachmann the DC critter "retard of the year award" for 2011. Obama's the constitution is" just some old piece of paper" or "here in America we do big things" made it very close and he was the front runner, right up until MB said that right on live radio.
happy new year ZH, god only knows what lies ahead in 2012.
Yeah, but she can sure deepthroat a corndog.
No gagging FTW!
She's got those crazy eyes. When you look into them, they shine like little dimes but there's nothing behind them. Empty. No soul. Sociopath. She scares me.
Had to be a reason why her campaign manager left her to join with Dr. Paul.
If you look into her eyes, you can see Russia!
I find her to be more attractive when she ties her hair back. I would like to see her with a french braid for a change.
General "Buck" Turgidson: Mr. President, we are rapidly approaching a moment of truth both for ourselves as human beings and for the life of our nation. Now, truth is not always a pleasant thing. But it is necessary now to make a choice, to choose between two admittedly regrettable, but nevertheless *distinguishable*, postwar environments: one where you got twenty million people killed, and the other where you got a hundred and fifty million people killed.
President Merkin Muffley: You're talking about mass murder, General, not war!
General "Buck" Turgidson: Mr. President, I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed. But I do say no more than ten to twenty million killed, tops. Uh, depending on the breaks.
Paper sucks, you Wall Street fucks! I'll see you vampires in the sun, with my loaded silver gun. Yer goin' down in flames, from Lower Manhattan to the Thames. Your paper is I know not where, I'd rather shit my underwear! For, be there bull, or be there bear, silver is the suit I wear! (With gratitude, and apologies to Dr. Seuss.)
The only paper I own is the stuff I wipe my ass with. Market paper is worthless, because I cannot do a good job of wiping my ass with it. Gold was worth $28.00 an ounce when I was a kid. Silver was worth whatever was printed on the coin you spent. Any one think those days are coming back? All of the lying bum fucking aristocracy of the Age Of Paper Power can burn in their paper suits soonest. I won't even bother pissing on them to put out the flames. I collect gold, silver, lead, copper, real dry powder, food, tools, diesel fuel, and other useful commodities. There is a community of folks all doing the same, so skill sets and extra eyes and hands can guard each others sixes, and "break on through to the other side, break on through to the other side, YEAH " So, Happy New Year, Dip Buying Bitchez!
I hear you pal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kJ8kE5Kf3g
Feliz ano nuevo Beetches.
And I predict that William Banzai will keep us laughing all through 2012 and that we will all become wealthier and wiser being here on ZH.
And that I may get a spellchecker.
And GO RON PAUL!!!
The reason no-one can figure out the markets is because HFT are getting so fast that the trades done December 2011 won't actually be placed until June 2012.
Happy golden new year everyone.
Happy New Year one and all....
I don't like to make predictions and postdictions are a waste of time...
Trade well, live well, stay healthy....
May you all live in interesting times....
Another 2012 prediction:
Spelling on ZH will degenerate, not improve.
How hard is it to type 'the' instead of 'teh'? Morons. I don't care what country you are in.
Only 2 down so far? Half of you do it.....
Fck Yu
Uk U back, teh told me so.
Ad me to yoar lits of bad spelars.
What a Maroon!
Tottally.
http://ffffunny.com/images/9563-how-to-get-people-to-comment-on-your-post-
"Teh" is not a spelling error, it's an affectation.
Not that I'm encouraging it- there's no reason to go all 1984 Newspeak on ourselves just because we have text-messaging and Twitter. (I'm grumpy enough to refuse to use either one.)
Happy New Year to our Zero Hedge community!
An Open Thread allows me to to invite you all to gmail me at my name if you would like a link to my blog. Promise you will behave and I'll send the link! I put up two articles over the past day or two (one on the eBay/24hgold.com gold price premium widget and one on our recent bearing (with pictures) from Korea). I force Zero Hedgers to jump through the hoops to keep out the robots (but a robot got in, a spammer of some sort).
Thanks, Do! Would, but I am incapable of behaving myself.
Have a Happy Hangover Year!
+1 for not pimping your blog on every thread. Happy New Year to you, too.
Open thread? OK.
Apparently coppin' feels was not considered actionable by a certain board of directors.
Happy New Year Bitchezz!
Thanks to the Tylers for guiding me through this slow motion trainwreck. All the best to everyone here.
Figures eventually come home…
Like Music Man, Harold Hill, to follow the twists and turns of the manipulated stock markets, government reports and outright financial lies “you gotta know the territory.”
And knowing the territory is realizing that the financial headlines, by Bloomberg/FT etc., are essentially cover for the clandestine market moves by the controllers who benefit by juggling them. Each week we are treated to an explanation as to how Europe, for example, is working through its problems with supportive headlines meant to give credence to otherwise unexplainable market moves triggered by insiders using taxpayer money. Yet, by definition, Europe is in the tank and no headline can cover it up; they try every week but they can’t talk it away.
The point is that the people don’t own the government; it’s a banker-owned government. And the investment bankers are using the ignorance of the public to transfer all of the nation’s wealth to an elite few.
This means resisting the endless waves of pretend news on the train to Music Man’s River City, the singing, chattering salesmen on board…but “you gotta know the territory…”
Thank goodness for Zero Hedge; ZH gives details, of the territory… And “you gotta know the territory.”
I did something funny this year, I tried over the holidays, to educate the sheeple about whats really going on and namedropped zerohedge. The result? People are so caught up in their lives, that they just want everything to work and dont really care about what is going on until it will be far too late. Do I think the shit will hit the fan this year? No, I dont think society will revert to anarchy, however I do believe that change is coming and my goal is to talk to people who will listen and hopefully help save some lives. That is my new years resolution and if there are people who you care about, it should be yours too.
That's funny, L&L. I just gave up on trying to educate the sheeple. They either look at me like I'm crazy, or with a blank look, like a cow staring at a new gate.
Keep trying, and good luck.
(Tyler, please add "sheeple" to the spell checker ;-)
2011 was definitely rough...Lots of well timed interventions...They're mastering their craft all the way to the Market Apocalypse...
Tuesday and yesterday form a most perfect double top on the S&P and today's sell down volume was astounding.
However, multi-"X" levered bearish S&P Financial ETFs didn't seem to notice how deep the S&P Financial's annual hole is and look to be worth even less than their case when the S&P's Financials were peaking (too much baby laxitive in the cut ya tink?). Maybe the Bearish 's lever is scaled logarithmically but the forgetful tsunami elves prevented it from being shown in the fineprint.
At least the marionettes with the holes in the bottom of the mega popcorn "quarts" barking on CNBC's midway are dishing out their very expected and always obvious ridiculous predictable-ness like a steer buck in the site blinded by the headlight. They, CNBC's sexually confused boy toys, don't even know how neutered they really are or what awaits them as the world turns. (food for OWS?)
For example, of the many shit pitches the midway schleps sharted midday today, my very favorite was when one of the CNBC's carny steers, whose panel obviously had an over abundance of home builder paper, so much in fact that their store shelves were flush with product and the back room looked like a paper recycling center, tried as best they could to hide their desperation as the CNBC shill suggestively suggested ("you're getting sleepy .. the only sound you hear is me picking your pocket") that "even though" [new home] demand hasn't bottomed yet, that "would it not be advisable for home builder paper buying potentates, sitting on the sidelines (at the time they were actually dumping paper) to buy now because they might [otherwise] miss the bottom?" The panels' responses were as ludicrous (luv dat word) as the CNBC carney barker's questions.
That is the most remarkable display of chutzpa since the daze of hope and change!
Then the carny barker jinxed the market with a most hexing vexing graphic showing multi digit declines in EZ indexes "while", as the CNBC carny barker flashed his pearly whites wrapped around his fully engorged 18mm boner (and left hand tugging the Immelt under the table) with a chide the S&P looked to be finishing .20% (yep "point 20 percent) higher, after which the S&P closed below par for the year.
Shit - a 1 year treasury delivered more than that in two-oh-one-one: A most notable year of market shenanigans, fraud and extortion and the fun of listening tto the Bernanki hum with a fat greasy one eyed anaconda throttling his throat!
And that's why I don't do two shows a night folks - I just won't.
I think what bothers me the most is that both CNBC and bloomberg cater to retail investors and therefore keep idiots on the air who simply talk their own book or have hosts on that would be better served doing local news. Yes I understand that the sheeple are being led by those who control said networks, but wouldnt an honest to goodness news network be something that would put those two networks in the dumpster?
I just never understood who could sit there and watch those networks when you can just get your news from a bloomberg terminal and spare the bullshit.
A nice tune from the early 80's. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nw6LTQC_-s
They did the soundtrack (YouTube) for Real Genius (Everybody Wants To Rule the World) - for a bunch of sissies with the understanding those daze were the haze daze of digitally mastered canned compressed expanded late boomer college rock, the guitar solo is almost - but not quite Jime or Eddie or Stevie Ray / Vale - Fairly Fairy Nassity!
I almost liked it right up until Dennis Miller farted it as the theme song for his HBO series - what an ugly dried dog turd our Mr. Menace Miller has become.
BUT (and despite) no el guitaro track, most claim the best short squirt theme tune for our particular moment is CasaZaza's cover of Low Rider (YouTube), where the question is asked: "Are you the 100th monkey?".
There are still retail traders IN THIS market? Dat do beat all forms of common sense. So guessing it makes sense since seeing a presentation that included a video of a Harvard had hard and often grad (they do anything for a fist full of shekels - Israel write it's first batch of 30 Year shekel denominated debt yesterday) who explained the reason the US gets warmer in the summer is because the earth moves closer to the Sun (then why is Australia colder when it's summer on the Weimar?)
Splains a lot Lucy!
Almost half of all Americans think cavemen shared space and time with dinosaurs - ate Bronto-Burgers like Fred and Barney - and all that (still have the hots for Betty Rubble myself).
I'll raise you some prescient Depeche Mode.
The grabbing hands grab all they can
All for themselves - after all
It's a competitive world
Everything counts in large amounts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNYWr0Fypqg
Happy New Year and God Bless to all who visit this small slice of sanity at ZeroHedge. Thank You to Tyler and his staff, who sleep little and keep us informed, educated, and more knowledgable. Thank you to William Bonzai and his delicious cartoonery of buffoonery, sage wit and dark humor. Thanks to all who comment on this site...say what you mean and mean what you say...this is by far the most honest, opinionated, sarcastic, snarkey, hysterically funny, blow it out your ass site on the web. A special shout-out to JW...lets kill em, eat em, hang em, off with their heads, burn em at the stake and scatter their ashes to the four winds of heaven....that no more rememberence may be had of those rotten, stinkin mutha-fuckin CEO's, politicians and most of all the BANKSTERS...I think that covers it...:) Happy 2012!!! Sweet Light Crude and Gold Bitchez...
.. lets kill em, eat em, hang em, off with their heads, burn em at the stake and scatter their ashes to the four winds of heaven.
First we stab `em, then we choke `em, then we shoot `em, and then we kill em, eat em, hang em, off with their heads, burn em at the stake and scatter their ashes to the four winds of heaven.
To all and you too Touch Down (and, of course, Mrs Kalabasch, wherever you are) - keep it it wet, drain it often and happy new year,
http://pastebin.com/f7jYf5Wd
anonymous dumps cc numbers email addy's etc..........for stratfor clients.............
Thanks, I needed some new PM that goldman paid for. Doing gods work....
As 2011 finally prepares to die, and the Fed is seemingly working around the clock to secretly bailout Europe, it's worth repeating just how much damage the almighty wizard behind the curtain can do:
"Americans should be swelled with anger and outrage at the abysmal state of affairs when an unelected group of bankers can create money out of thin air and give it out to megabanks and supercorporations like Halloween candy. If the Federal Reserve and the bankers who control it believe that they can continue to devalue the savings of Americans and continue to destroy the US economy, they will have to face the realization that their trillion dollar printing presses will eventually plunder the world economy.
The list of institutions that received the most money from the Federal Reserve can be found on page 131 of the GAO Audit and are as follows..
Citigroup: $2.5 trillion ($2,500,000,000,000)
Morgan Stanley: $2.04 trillion ($2,040,000,000,000)
Merrill Lynch: $1.949 trillion ($1,949,000,000,000)
Bank of America: $1.344 trillion ($1,344,000,000,000)
Barclays PLC (United Kingdom): $868 billion ($868,000,000,000)
Bear Sterns: $853 billion ($853,000,000,000)
Goldman Sachs: $814 billion ($814,000,000,000)
Royal Bank of Scotland (UK): $541 billion ($541,000,000,000)
JP Morgan Chase: $391 billion ($391,000,000,000)
Deutsche Bank (Germany): $354 billion ($354,000,000,000)
UBS (Switzerland): $287 billion ($287,000,000,000)
Credit Suisse (Switzerland): $262 billion ($262,000,000,000)
Lehman Brothers: $183 billion ($183,000,000,000)
Bank of Scotland (United Kingdom): $181 billion ($181,000,000,000)
BNP Paribas (France): $175 billion ($175,000,000,000)
and many many more including banks in Belgium of all places"
http://www.unelected.org/audit-of-the-federal-reserve-reveals-16-trillio...
Well, done! xcehn.
Glad u appreciated, JR. Here's what (by one survey) worries Americans most:
Economic Collapse: 63%
Natural Disaster: 46%
Terrorist Attack: 44%
Global Disease Outbreak: 33%
Global War: 27%
Nuclear Accident: 25%
Global Warming: 22%
Fuel Shortage: 15%
Cyber War: 8%
Famine: 8%
Oil Spill: 6%
Industrial Accident: 5%
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/the-number-one-catastrophic-...
And CNBS was pumping AIG today, saying it'll only go up, due to having twelve $1 Billion or more "weather events" in 2011.
I don't know about anyone else, but with the North Atlantic Drift being killed and the jet stream all fucked up, severe weather is looking to be the norm. Add in the increased earthquakes of 7+, increase snowfall, fucked up dykes (he-he), nuclear fallout, superbugs and all the other stuff going on, I think we'll look back at 2011 as a good year.
Cheers, and Happy New Chrismanakkawanzavus!
Does that add up to nigh near 200% for anyone else? :)
"In the new survey mentioned above, those contacted were asked to select the top three potential catastrophes that worry them the most." so it should add up to 300% and I wonder where is 1/3 of the answers go!
"Fairly fucked by the fickle finger of federal fuckheads" probably wasn't family friendly enough to print....
They must have had pre packaged categories - typical pollster bovine excrement. Had those alleged to have participated in the poll been allowed to state their personal "worst nightmare scenarios" category, el numero uno would have been "an Oboma second term" with a 100%, followed by "a Romney first term" with 100%, and ending with "Kill this pollster" with 100%. followed by a runner up category "another Michael Meyers Austin Power Movie", also at 100%
Surprised they didn't ask "what kind of beetle do you fear the most: June Bug, Star Ship Trooper Brain Bugs, or John Lennon?", or "If you had to pick your favorite color of three would it be : Red, Green or Yellow?"
Yeah them polls are a usable metric - why ... why ... well .. because ... uhmmm ... err ... you can wipe your ass with the paper they're printed on!
Don't dig the thin blooded progressive scene but caught a line from a Chris Hedges sermon titled "Calling All Rebels" that went something like:
... salvation will come in the form of armed militants who will destroy all power structures including the democratic party.
Could not agree more - anyone seen the fires blazing in Hollywood today? IT HAS STARTED.
And BTW: Don't eat the yellow snow.
municipal bonds and apple did well this year, oil stocks did pretty good, basically everything i invested in made money, reggie was wrong about apple and will be wrong about apple this year as well. meredith whitney was fucking wrong about munis just like i said.
i took a bunch of shit for these calls and told everyone to fuck off, i was right, they were wrong. i also told everyone to stay the fuck away from financials and look where they fucking are. this was obvious to most folks on here nut not the dumbass masses.
htwr will be up 30% in 6 months, book it
Happy New Year, ZH and all drink up we will need it for 2012!
http://chrisinmaryville.net/so-who-is-behind-the-ron-paul-attacks.html
ron paul attacks ............
from neocon yids and who else? well, gingrich............my o my........isn't that sweet...?
@HPD: I tried to defend RP on Free Republic last night and got promptly zotted, banned, called a "RonTard", and had most of my comments removed by the Admin Moderator.
Quite a touchy group there! :-)
Thanks for being here, Zerohedge!!!
free republic is anything but free...........as long as you tow the neocon new amerikan century line over there you are ok. but forget them. they are the enemy of any thinking american. one thing is for certain. the more shit storm that comes down on paul, the more legit he is in my eyes. so we shall see. he is doing something that is pissing them off..........he had better watch his ass...........they won't make a move on him now. they will wait.......to see what happens in iowa. if he wins in iowa. all hell will break loose in the jewish pro israel press..........
GOP presidential contender Newt Gingrich, a corporate-financier sponsored Council on Foreign Relations member also was a “distinguished advisor” at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), a warmongering, Neo-Con think-tank and the architects of both the costly unending wars America has been fighting for the last 2 decades and the resulting war profiteering. The FDD is also the same think-tank from which attacks against Ron Paul are being launched via FDD “fellow” James Kirchick.
http://chrisinmaryville.net/so-who-is-behind-the-ron-paul-attacks.html
Does DCRB still think Newt would be a good choice for running mate? If so, then I have to ask why is he really trolling for/collecting all those email@'s?
Hans, a middle-aged German tourist on his first visit to Orlando, Florida, finds the red light district and enters a large brothel. The madam asks him to be seated and sends over a young lady to entertain him.
They sit and talk, frolic a little, giggle a bit, drink a bit, and she sits on his lap. He whispers in her ear and she gasps and runs away! Seeing this, the madam sends over a more experienced lady to entertain the gentleman.
They sit and talk, frolic a little, giggle a bit, drink a bit, and she sits on his lap. He whispers in her ear, and she too screams, "No!" and walks quickly away.
The madam is surprised that this ordinary looking man has asked for something so outrageous that her two girls will have nothing to do with him. She decides that only her most experienced lady, Lola, will do. Lola has never said no, and it's not likely anything would surprise her. So the madam sends her over to Hans. They sit and talk, frolic a little, giggle a bit, drink a bit, and she sits on his lap. He whispers in her ear and she screams, "NO WAY, BUDDY!" and smacks him as hard as she can and leaves.
Madam is by now absolutely intrigued, having seen nothing like this in all her years of operating a brothel. She hasn't done the bedroom work herself for a long time, but she's sure she has said yes to everything a man could possibly ask for. She just has to find out what this man wants that has made her girls so angry. Besides she sees a chance to teach her employees a lesson.
So she goes over to Hans and says that she's the best in the house and is available. She sits and talks with him. They frolic, giggle, drink and then she sits in his lap.
Hans leans forwards and whispers in her ear, "Can I pay in Euros?"
Have a Double ROFLMAO on the house!
what? they prefer USD in a Florida brothel?
Markets.....??? Markets..???
Oh.....right,you did not say free markets.
If you are playing the game and get Bitch Slapped,you deserve it.
Psstt.I know your reading ZeroHedge Weasel Timmy Giethner.
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-12-22/news/fl-craiglist-attempted-murder-20111222_1_craigslist-marine-shot-necklace
never, ever try to sell gold on craigslist. some bruthas may show up and try to fill you full of holes and then steal it from you........
can't a brutha catch a break...?
tyler's sector [fringeBloggingTM] outperformed magnificently!
Happy holidays to you slewie.
And all the best for 2012.
i'd be sparking one with ya but tonight i have to work... aaarrghghg.
End of Dec 2012 prediction
S&P 500: 1,400Gold $1,900
Silver: $44
Brent: $130
EURUSD: 1.40
US 10 Year: 1.6%
German 10 Year: 2.8%
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkmcLQJDYy4&feature=fvwrel
off you ass and on your feet. quit drinking beer and whisky and eating chips.........
let's get in shape boys and girls...........
Tyler,
Happy New Year. Both of my blackberry devices now require cookies to be enabled to sign in. Can we go back to the old ways?
Tylers>>>Salute Sirs! This is by far the most informative site on planet Earth. Thank you for all you do. All else is noise. Maybe 2012 will be less destructive than 2011. Such optimism...In my dreams...
Sweet dreams all!
MBW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr7nL2xIZqI
fed speak causes ron paul to be silenced by msm...................
someone say Fed?
http://www.calibratedconfidence.com/2011/12/ecb-swap-lines-from-frbny-sk...
2011 ends with more shackles on the economy than it started with. Regulatory micromanagement and an open - ended public debt load are combining to kill consumer activity and business expansion. I can't see how 2012 comes out good.
http://georgesblogforum.wordpress.com/2011/11/02/the-daily-climb-2/
our little buddy up north wants a new law passed. if you oppose the government you lose your citizenship...............isn't that sweet?
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s112-1698
http://vimeo.com/34349565
the japanese have been dumping radioactive waste in the tokyo bay for years...........well shazaam. how is that fresh seafood working out for you? good grief...........
Anyone get the feeling that 2011 was like watching Bernutty as the Wile E. Coyote, jumping up and down on his falling boulder trap that failed to trigger as the Road Runner ran by?....
Anyone get the feeling 2012 will be like watching him climb under the boulders and start poking them vigorously with a stick?....
IndicaTive with the stupid Avatar is a moron from B.C. that knows squat...
diebold and stealing elections and other stuff..........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEzY2tnwExs
damn.............this guy as a story to tell........i wonder if he is still above ground..........
effen vodka bitchez!
Ach du lieber!
The Hedge goes down...and when it comes back...everybody's photo is the unknown comic....
I'm off to the bunker.
I said it before, I'll say it again...We got the CRIMINALS on the run!
Remember...No prisoners! Right?
Tyler, we'll need that eye open and ear to the wind for 2012...So, don't over do it tomorrow night! My Main Man
http://www.dailypaul.com/196442/elron-voxeo-the-israeli-defense-firm-that-tallies-the-iowa-caucus
oh yeh, this is just fucking great............israeli company will tally votes in iowa.............good grief............
who loves ya baby? we got it covered like a blanket. no worries mate..........
Nice find HPD, but outrageous! The fix is on it's way.
"The way the Iowa caucus results were cooked in 2004 was very simple. Each caucus center dialed in their results to the Voxeo call center in Atlanta. At this point the data could be manipulated to guarantee a victory for John Forbes Kerry, who was trailing in 5th place going into the caucus."
http://www.bollyn.com/index.php?id=10759
Iowans can't count a few thousand votes without Israeli expert help?
john forbes kerry. now there is a real piece of work. lived his whole life pretending and letting others believe he was a irish catholic (and for obvious political reasons of course) then someone finds something out about him during his presidential run and all of a sudden, he finally has to admit...........well shazaam........i am a jew.........well darn.........i didn't know that..........honest i didn't folks.............
It really takes hubris to ignore all the debt that our government has racked up.
Ring In The New Year With Taxpayers Liable For $2.3 Million Each For Debt, Social Security, Medicare And Other Entitlements
http://confoundedinterest.wordpress.com
And 2011 in review:
http://confoundedinterest.wordpress.com/2011/12/30/2011-a-year-in-review...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVgoOVl6cb4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8XLbbpkInU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WIRdsdx-AA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpWEv9Q0XQ4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-DkyMXTo5Q&feature=related
"I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit."
Woodrow Wilson, after signing the Federal Reserve Act of 1913
Freedom. This is held to be of the highest ideals and states which mankind can achieve. It is a single-ingredient formula for receiving the blessings of the universal intelligence which knows only love and acceptance. It is what the Masters have decided was worth more than anything the material plane can offer.
So how odd that man relinquishes it willingly on a constant basis by the mere power of suggestion.
He fears for his life, because it's more important to play out the meaningless diversions until the meaningless end.
He fears for his soul, because of the Church's ceaseless ultimatum of eternal comforts or torturous pain.
He fears for his job, because one wrong step can pull the rug out from under his financial house.
He fears for his marriage, because his spouse seems truly happier "wearing his pants" although her non-fulfilment is actually more pronounced than his own.
He fears for his children, because they are the promise of redeeming his athletic, academic and social shortcomings.
He fears for his safety, because of a non-stop barrage from interested, altruistic parties convincing him they have his best interest at heart.
He fears for his reputation, because he does not understand this is the iron cell keeping him from being as a child in the cosmic playground.
He fears for his health, because he is a goldmine for the Pharma and Medical industries and the anxiety around what the "Doctor" on television tells him he's doing wrong manifests greater physical ills than whatever grave vice it happens to be.
He clutches fear to his heart, showers in anxiety every morning and quickly cedes control of all things, great and small to vipers without souls who seek only further their parasitic hold. Is it any wonder, the popularity of pointless activities that keep us all gawking at nothing? Pro Sports, Reality TV, shopping, video games, shiny Ho's, everything about Las Vegas. Watch what this hand is doing and with the other I will usurp your Constitution, your monetary base, your culture, your livelihood and your vitality. And not only yours, but every generation hence. And the laughable part is you stood by like a sea floor invertebrate, waving with the tide. You clapped for it like a trained seal. Apologies, but the satisfaction of my team winning means shit-all when held up to the light.
And what other manners of societal neurosis are we afflicted with? Allowing the wholesale invasion of migrants who despise us for votes and cheap labor? Thank the honorable memory of Ted Kennedy for helping enact the anchor baby policy, by the way. Free emergency room care which is causing mass hospital closures on the West Coast? Local police who won't/can't ask about legal status and don't want to deal with the paperwork. The result being that a drivers license and auto insurance aren't entirely necessary for them. By Odin's beard, that sounds like we've become second class citizens in our own country. And we're supposed to stand by and vote in more NAFTA and GATT-promoting globalists. Well whomever is profiting from our displacement will soon learn that it was not worth the cost.
They will ever continue to promote fear and steal our birthrights for as long as they are allowed, but the trick is most don't know that they hold the power. Instead, they honestly believe that they are relegated to serving on the Homeowners board because that is the only semblance of control in a world where they are only bit players. That is a tragedy.
So the terriers hate us for our freedom? At what point do they quit doing that because Corporate Congress in the past ten years are enacting SOPA, FISA, Partiot Act, Healthcare reform, Contracts for Israeli Wiretappers, and innumerable legislative atrocities that the black-robed tyrants rubber-stamp because the system is simply broken. They have allowed the ruination of the the Constitutional requirement for U.S. currency to be controlled by the Treasury Department (plus redeemable for precious metals) and instead a system for, by and of the International Bankers. How better to maintain a lock on a populace than by forcing them to use "company store credits" which you can debase, skim and outright create at will? And once the game is up because this fiat is ultimately meant to fail, guess who is ready to step in to offer the replacement? That's right, the same group of shadowy assholes. Such a deal.
Well, allow me to offer a consolation. Their game is over. Done. Their greed, their "growth models", the compliance of a heretofore pliable people has run its course. You cannot get ahead financially because you are not meant to. Taxes, levys, fees, compound interest, penalties, "low" monthly payments, student loans, healthcare deductibles and every other mechanism of Shylock's tribute are contrary to the inherently evolutionary nature of the world. We need not work for the system, we can work for ourselves. We may once again know the organic growth and satisfaction of making an honest living doing observable work instead of contributing to shuffling around pretend money, "selling" houses to each other or financially dry-humping victims until tender. That my friends, constitutes meaning is the real sense of the word and nobody can convince me that it's not possible. Beware those that tell you that you lack the power.
No copyrights reserved as the current copyright system is categorically invalid except to render profits to undeserving corporations.
http://culturalrespawning.wordpress.com/
@NoVolume-
Excellent post!
For all of us RP supporters, something to consider:
http://deadeyeblog.wordpress.com/2011/12/03/ron-paul-operation-briar-patch
(let the red arrows fly!)
well it is like i have always said. this voting crap is just crap. people get excited for no reason and it is all controlled. we shall see. we still have a year to go to watch this story unfold. if they try to do to him what they did to jfk, jr. then we will know for sure............he is off the rez...........
I think you're right, and I always like your posts...you seem to be a wise man.
(I like your avatar too!)
I just thought of the big bank bailout of '08 and remembered that the bailout had been pushed aside many times because of the nearing elections (tax-payers' money etc.). Personally I'm against bailouts altogether but anyway, might a simmilar situation occur again in 2012 (BofA seems to be the favorite candidate atm), remember to go ultra-short. Once again the coming elections will have an enormously bad effect on the decicion making involved during a bailout. Making quick decisions will be absolutely impossible, making everything even worse.
Just something I thought might be worthwhile remembering you of. Happy new year everyone, I'm looking forward to it!
Happy fucking new year to all!
Thanks to all I've learned here over the last year, I finally decided to sell all my DuPont stock. Ahhh hahahahahahahahahahahahaha................cough hack wheeze.....
Seriously, ZH, the Tyler's, Banzai, and all you guys commenting here are the best. While being informative, you've also taken sarcasm and made it an art form.
I have to agree on the sarcasm issue. Has my Enron stock matured yet?
Extraordinary allegations about the ESF on youtube:
youtube.com/watch?v=2ssrcD5GdPQ
This is beyond words. Is Krugman for real. Oh my God. Look out.
NYT:
Krugman: Keynes
The best thing one can do for a willful idiot is to ignore him. Therefore, I shall not click the link.
Besides, I get better economic forecasting decoding the caps from a 12 pack of Lone Star beer.
He is lost.
I don't get the sense that he is a bad person or even stupid .... oops .....but he does try to front run government policy. He was one of the few MSM commentators that was opposed to the Iraq war - that didn't work out too well for him. I don't know.
http://marshallmcluhanspeaks.com/television/1968-tv-as-an-inner-trip.php
TV as an inner trip (1968)
.
http://marshallmcluhanspeaks.com/television/1976-tv-as-an-addictive-medi...
TV as an addictive medium (1976)
.
http://marshallmcluhanspeaks.com/television/1970-making-the-news.php
Making the news (1970)
ZH - a rest stop on the highway to Hell.
Heres some food for thought;
When you make money in this country, you are supposed to pay taxes on your earnings. When you make money on investments such as gold or stocks, you pay capital gains taxes. Question; why is it that when the government prints money, thereby expanding the money supply and elevating the prices of everything, do we have to pay greater taxes on said gains if the currency they are valued in has depreciated?
Next question; Why do people who are without traditional investments not allowed to write off losses in their income due to the government inflating the money supply? If I am able to write off part of my losses, and write off other kinds of expenses, why am I not allowed to write off the loss in my buying power?
Ask these questions to you friends and family the next time they cant figure out why you are going to the store to buy shiny trinkets.
Why are some %ers granted the magical power to receive interest payments on money that doesn't exist? Ask them that one.
2012. The year of global re-structuring not only on a financial level but a cosmic level. As the Mayan's say, the ecliptic moon will pass through the center of the milky way galaxy creating the GREAT CYCLE. This event only happens everything 22,000 years. This celestial event (crossing) only happens 22,000 years! The Mayans, who inherited a magnificient system of time from a native south american tribe called the Olmecs, calculated the occurence of this crossing. The Mayans believed this crossing of celestial objects creates a new force of energy through the production of light. This "Eloptic Light" will be able to reach earth escaping the Van Allen Belt. A new light to the planet absorbed through your pineal gland will create a new sense of consciousness.
On another note: Copper futures would have been great to take a long term short position in this year. I wonder if Bruce Kovner shorted Copper this year with a masterstroke then retired?