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• The bankers are coming: Banker Plan Would Fund Super-PACs to Sway U.S. Senate Elections (Bloomberg)
• Risk Increases of Prolonged World Slowdown, BOJ’s Miyao Says (Bloomberg)
• Spain Seeks to Stem Its Banking Crisis (WSJ)
• Deadly shooting mars new Quebec premier's victory rally (NBC)
• Democrats Keep Tax-Raising Focus On Top 2% Of Households (Bloomberg)
• Merkel Swings Into 2013 Election Mode Evoking Crisis, China (Bloomberg)
• Europe’s money market funds future in focus (FT)
• Pressure Mounts on ECB to Bring Down Bond Yields (Reuters)
• Swiss bank vows to hold franc down (FT)
• Australia economy still solid in Q2 despite GDP miss, but threats mount (Reuters)
• Clinton Brings to Beijing Plea for Maritime Solution (Bloomberg)
• The End of a 1,400-Year-Old Business (BusinessWeek)

On December 20, 2010, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings had one message to everyone who cared: "Cover Your Short Position. Now."

NFLX price then: $178.05...  NFLX price now: $55.40; Return: -71.20%. And they say CEOs know their companies best...

Thanks for the advice Reed. But we'll stick with our short. But hey, when the whole CEOing thing doesnt work for you, the ECB will surely hire you as it is in dire need of people who sound sophisticated, pretend they know what they are talking about just because they speak loud and with confidence, and write long-winded essays of windbaggery, that say nothing, and end up 100% wrong.

In continuing my rant on the Apple v. Samsung verdict, I wish to make clear once again that the vast majority of consumers of Google's and Apple's products are absolutely oblivious to the business model of Google, the business practices of Apple and the shadowy aggressive survival tactics of the behemoth that is Microsoft. If I am correct in this assertion then the potential ramifications of Apple actually defeating Samsung in the patent case decided last week is also lost on most.

• Romney Promises to 'Restore' U.S. (WSJ)
• Dirty Harry Makes Surprise Appearance (WSJ)
• It has always been about the gold: Time for eurozone to reach for the gold reserves? (FT)
• EU Plan Said to Give ECB Sole Power to Grant Bank Licenses (Bloomberg)
• More attempts to marginalize Germanty: Brussels pushes for wide ECB powers  (FT)
• Justice may be blind but it has geographic limits: Apple Loses Patent Lawsuit Against Samsung in Japan (BBG)
• ECB Said to Use Greek Myth for Security on New Euro Banknotes (Bloomberg)
• Alberta deficit set to triple on slumping oil prices (Globe and Mail)
• Reid's ties to China-Nevada solar plan draw ire (Reuters)
• Bernanke may hint at QE without boxing Fed in (Reuters)
• Berezovsky loses against Abramovich  (FT)
• Spain Considers Bankia Re-Capitalization Without EU Money (Bloomberg)

Monopolies contribute to many problems - the record of evidence illustrates the potential inefficiency, waste and price fixing. Yet the greatest trouble with monopolies is what they take away - competition. Competition is a beautiful mechanism; in exercising their purchasing power and demand preferences, individuals run the economy. If we are for competition in goods and services, why should we disclude competition in the money industry? Would competition in the money industry not benefit the consumer in the manner that competition in other industries does? Why should the form and nature of the medium of exchange be monopolised? Shouldn’t the people - as individuals - be able to make up their own mind about the kind of money that they want to use to engage in transactions? Earlier, this year Ben Bernanke and Ron Paul had an exchange on this subject. It is often said in Keynesian circles that Bernanke is too tame a money printer, and that the people need a greater money supply. Well, set the wider society free to determine their own money supply based on the demand for money.

Just under a year ago, in early November 2011, the ECB specifically made it a very clear prerogative that it would not buy Italian bonds under the SMP program, or in any other way seek to lower Italian bond yields, which promptly soared to all time highs, as long as the intransigent Silbio Berlusconi, then career PM, remained in his position as head of Italy. A few days after Italian bonds soared, Silvio quietly and reluctantly stepped down, paving the way for that other Goldmanite - unelected technocrat Mario Monti to take over the reins. We are now just over two months until the one year anniversary of the historic Berlusconi ouster by a central bank (whose head amusingly wrote an Op-ed in a leftist German publication that his organization is apolitical; just as the Fed is apolitical until Wall Street darling Chuck Schumer tells Bernanke to "get to work Mr. Chairman"), and suddenly Silvio is back in the picture. As Italian daily Repubblica notes, the former PM "fears the repercussions of a conviction in the Ruby process before the vote" currently scheduled for 2013, and as a result Berlusconi would agree to sign off on a plan to reform the electoral law in the next few days on the condition that early elections will be held in November. Whether or not this means that Silvio is seeking to retain his PM throne, or merely to regain prosecutorial immunity from engaging in various questionable activities (mostly of a sexual nature) is unknown, but the fact that the Italian political theater may regain its old tragicomic luster has us smiling at the prospect of what the end of 2012 has to offer, especially since America's own presidential election will culminate at about the same time.

Beggars can once again be choosers. In other news, non-news (the Catalan bailout was announced at least two times before) is news again, and magically drives the amnesiac market all over again.

• Ringing endorsement: Lithuania to Adopt Euro When Europe Is Ready, Kubilius Says (Bloomberg)
• Credit Agricole net plunges 67% on losses in Greece and a writedown of its stake in Intesa Sanpaolo SpA (Bloomberg)
• Europe finally starting to smell the coffee: ECB Urging Weaker Basel Liquidity Rule on Crisis Concerns (Bloomberg)
• Japan Cuts Economic Assessment (Reuters)
• France’s Leclerc Stores to Sell Fuel at Cost, Chairman Says (Bloomberg)
• China Eyes Ways to Broaden Yuan’s Use (WSJ)
• Berlin and Paris forge union over crisis (FT)
• Brezhnev Bonds Haunt Putin as Investors Hunt $785 Billion (Bloomberg)
• Republicans showcase Romney as storm clouds convention (Reuters)
• ECB official seeks to ease bond fears (FT)
• German at European Central Bank at Odds With Country’s Policy Makers (NYT)

• UK is closed today
• Weidmann Says ECB Purchases Could Become ‘Addictive Like a Drug’ (Bloomberg)
• Dutch Premier Rutte Defends Austerity, Says No to More Greek Aid (Bloomberg)
• Storm Isaac forces Republicans to rework convention script (Reuters)
• Christie chose NJ over Mitt's VP role due to fears that they'd lose (NYPost)
• Ayrault warns EU fiscal pact rebels (FT)
• Is Canada's New $100 Bill Racist?  (BusinessWeek)
• Will Fed Act Again? Sizing Up Potential Costs (WSJ)
• Samsung Slumps Most in 4 Years on U.S. Sales Ban Concerns (Bloomberg)
• States may require insurers to hold more capital (WSJ)
• Wen Says China Need Measures to Promote Export Growth (Bloomberg)
• Economist Appearing On Max Keiser Show Forced To Resign (Forbes)

Here come the facts!!! Warning, if you get your feelings hurt over hearing the truth, simply move on. You may have a couple of quarters lefft.

• Australian minister says resources boom is over (Reuters)
• China dismisses reports of lost gold reserves (China Daily) - so China really did lose 80 tons of gold.
• Inconceivable: Former JPM CEO and Chairman William B Harrison Jr come out "In Defense Of Big Banks"
• Qantas Cancels 787 Order After Posting Annual Net Loss (Bloomberg)
• EU Official Says Crisis is Eroding Influence (WSJ)
• Greece Faces New Pressure on Cuts (WSJ)
• Philippines' black market is China's golden connection (Reuters)
• Hollande government responds to criticism (FT)
• LG Display Starts Touch Screens Output Before New IPhone (Bloomberg)
• Greek Crisis Evasion to Fore as Merkel Hosts Hollande in Berlin (Bloomberg)
• Stakes rise as US warned of double-dip (FT)
• Brazil’s Richest Woman Unmasked With $13 Billion Fortune (Bloomberg)

Russia continues to accumulate gold in its large foreign exchange reserves. The reserves include monetary gold, special drawing rights, reserve position at the IMF and foreign exchange. Russia’s central bank increased its gold holdings to 30.1 million troy ounces as of August  1st, from 29.5 million troy ounces a month earlier, according to a statement published on its website today. The gold reserves were valued at $48.7 billion at the end of last month, Bank of Russia said in a statement. Russia's gold and foreign exchange reserves rose to $510.0 billion in the week to August 10 from $507.4 billion a week earlier, central bank data showed last Thursday.  Russia's gold and foreign exchange reserves were $498.6 billion at the end of 2011. This means that Russia now nearly has some 10% of its foreign exchange reserves in gold bullion. 

The data suggests that relative to other tech companies AAPL is significantly overvalued. And going forward there is no guarantee that AAPL can justify today’s value by keeping up its dominance of the sector. Tech is an extremely fickle and fast-changing sector where one year’s turkey can be next year’s prize pig. And AAPL’s product lineup is still dominated by products developed under the charge of Steve Jobs — it will take a while longer to fully assess whether or not AAPL can succeed at the same magnitude over the entire product cycle from conception to sales without his leadership.

In Q2 Dan Loeb went to town to his holdings as of March 31. Of his roughly 38 different positions, Loeb cut 24 names to zero among which Cisco, Marvell Technology, Sara Lee, Google, Wells Fargo (with the Octogenarian of Omaha likely buying every share), El Paso, Abercrobmie, Goldman and many others. Of course, he kept his stake in Yahoo and added to Apple, while cutting his Delphi stake from 13.34 million shares to 11.5 million. He used the proceeds from these sales to add to new positions (latest 13F here) in new names such aws AIG, Aetna, Chesapeake, Cigna, Coca Cola, Enphase, Humana, News Corp, and Unitedhealth Group. Also, Loeb went quite optically against Bill Ackman and bought a $6.5 million share equivalent put in JCPenney. He is significantly in the money in this.  Altogether, his disclosed equity stake was at $3.3 billion as of June 30, down from $4.1 billion at March 31. Dry powder? Or more likely getting more into bonds (which he doesn't have to disclose on any filing).

Android is near 70% market share. At which point should one expect network effects to take over and push Android into the de facto mobile computing standard, much like Office is the standard for documents in the workplace?