Steven Hansen

If Goldman Is Selling, Are You Buying?

john,

me thinks gs is doing the government bidding. caveat emptor.

More Goldman Outrage

this type of crap continues to bog down our legal system. i have a problem arbitrating between thieves.

Mixed Outlook for Banks and Financials

John,
nothing would surprise me about the banking system. this zirp creates a very large updraft, and part of its intention was to give the banks some breathing room to get healthy.

and this recovery is mostly for the big boys. i am sure you John are picking up some of the scraps (i am finding a few myself). the little guy has had his butt fried - and is reluctant to feast to heavily for fear the rug will be pulled out from under him.

so we are left with housing as the only thing for the little guy to get back some of his wealth. and of course this is the hardest thing to fix.

Capital Constrained: Some Banks Not Paying TARP Dividends

you still have to square this with the pundits who claimed that most of the banks did not need tarp money - but were forced.

there are half-truths everywhere you look.

Bearish on Banks - Why Now Is the Time to Sell

Edward,
for sure this cannot be a good news for lending.

as the consumer loans still can be securitized and sold off, i doubt there will be much impact there. however, business loans are another kettle of fish - and this should especially impact smaller companies which provide labor growth.

what other options exist? i am at a loss.

the banks are still loaded with toxic crap, and again no one can argue this will be good for profits. is this just another weight on the banking system to ensure we repeat Japan's mistakes of the 1990's.

Key Factors Driving the Market

how about the key factor driving the market is greed. there is no good place to make money so the market is almost the only show in town. i am not a bear predicting a market collapse, but i believe the market is on the upper side of fair pricing.

overall your points seem to fairly represent both sides of the coin.

A Tale of Two Banking Worlds

this was the best connection of dots on banking i have read. i was particularly interested in the "earnings less asset sales" graph.

i realize in my last article i failed to connect the liquidity issue the FOMC stated was a concern later this year to the issues you connected together in this article.

you remain one of the most talented and underappreciated authors.

Housing's Big Picture Isn't Pretty

the issue is sales volume. the low volume makes this a buyers market. the prices will continue to fall.

Bankers & Brokers Have Learned Nothing From the Current Crisis

it is in the government's best interest to have things look better than they really are. it is the bankers best interests to have things look better than they actually are. everyone lies. good article.

MBIA: Can Litigation Create Shareholder Value?

interesting. i assume there would be a knock-on effect if they are successful (there will be more litigation).

Stiglitz Weighs in on the PPIP (And It's Not Pretty)

My concern is the clouding of FDIC books. i can understand this if the banks were taken over by FDIC, but this is not the case. This is a perversion of their charter.

i agree with the author about his concerns of PPIP. and carey_jim took the words out of my mouth. i would like to add that economically, obama is a continuation of the Bush administration. you gotta believe the smoke filled room conspiracy theories about who really runs this country.

Why Big Banks Should Be Smaller

you need to design the function of banks so that they do not fail in times of stress. banks must not be allowed to take risk. we cannot have this kind of systemic failure in the future.

and then there is the issue of size. no institution should be allowed to grow to a level where their failure endangers our economy.

Are the Big Banks Gaming the Taxpayer?

come on, let's have more congressional hearings. the average person is pretty stupid today - very few people get what is going on.

Should Healthy Banks Give Back Their TARP Funds?

if you are given tarp money, and the government is putting strings on the way you can operate your business - you have no choice but to give it back.

Will the Geithner Plan Work? Let's Hope Not!

there is a difference between fundamentals and market sentiment. i would like both to be on the same page - but they are not,

the government has thrown no money at employment which is currently the lead weight on the economy.