Vegasjoe

Four Risks to Las Vegas Sands' Shareholders

Adelson bellied up $500,000,000 or so in March when they were teetering on the brink; the stock was at $1 so he likely has made a cool $5 billion this year.
But, corporate bookings for conferences are returning to normal so if the convention business is firming in 2010, they may cash flow enough to avoid default.
But, Jackson makes good points: the consumer is still dead, and cash advances on credit cards are slim. China's government limiting visits to once a month hurts as well.

Citigroup: Priced to Succeed

well said!


On Aug 06 09:14 AM al s wrote:

> Your comments are frightening !!!! Good Q2 earnings ? True operating
> results were a loss of mearly $3 BIL.
> Dick Parsons a leader, a good manager? Are you his PR head?
> There is over $1 Trillion off the books of crap that will come onto
> the books at year end, and oh, that little thing called massive common
> dilution.
> Yeah, C is right up there with JP Chase and other well run companies
> !!!!!!1

Who Do You Believe: The FDIC or Hard Facts?

We are nothing but a banana republic

ABC: FBI and Prosecutors 'Closing In' on AIG's Cassano

Off with his head!

Eight Companies That Are Hiking Dividends

You left out BB&T, which raised theirs as well! Their retired CEO, John Alison, should be Treasury Secretary because he actually knows how to manage and run a bank!

Ken Shubin Stein's Stocks

Let's see: I heard him endorse AXP at $48, saying it should be at $70 in May 2008; also Winn Dixie was his awful to avrage pick.

Will China Continue to Buy U.S. Debt?

China has no choice but to buy USA paper. China needs the US, and the US needs China. But, China can let its currency float more, raising its value vs. the dollar, to offset any paper losses, and with a stronger currency, they can go long all the commodities they need to spend the $700 billion on infrastructure the desperately need, and watch them spend around the world as they are one of the few with cash, and lots of it. look at the joint venture with Brazil to solidify their future energy needs. Smart money should go long China now...while the rest of the world drowns in a delationary debt spiral.

Doug Casey: What to Do in 'The Greater Depression'

That the 21st century belongs to China is an understatement becasue as they sit on $1.6 trillion of US securities, and are awash in trade surplus, they launch a true catalyst not paid for with debt, a $700 billion infrastructure package to stimulate jobs, the 20 million lost so far, and boy they could benefit from US know how in building homes near quake fault lines, factories that do not pollute as much, and an interstate highway system rivaling the USA. Why did Casey not mention TIPS? Printing large amounts of money we do not have normally results in hyper inflation sometime down the road, right?

Biofuel's Year in Review

Corn based ethanol works fine, especially with new seed generation from Monsanto, et al....But, sugar producers are laying off workers, and it is 3-5X more efficient. Obama should eliminate the tariff on sugar based ethanol, and the current subsidy of 45 cents per gallon should NEVER go to the blenders, if the blenders are directly or indirectly big oil, becasue they re conflicted. Consumers should get the credit! If you run a car of flex fuel with corn based ethanol, the credit should go to consumers, creating an incentive to go green, and indirectly bail out Detroit!

Buffett's Gamble: $40 Billion Bet on Volatility

Buffett is statistically dead according to most mortality tables by 2019. So, maybe the next CEO will go to Wall Street, bake up some tranches of this CDS crap, and sell it with a shit eating grin to governments and sovereign wealth funds all over the world.

Memo to Warren: AmEx Preferred at 15%, Warrants at $12

So the Amex wide moat has a huge leak?

@VIC: Leon Cooperman on "The Investing Climate & All-Weather Stocks"

The VIC virus caught ATLS; stock down 20%+ since recommendation.

Short Financial ETFs: Watch Out for the Fannie/Freddie Effect

How do you sell on Sunday? SKF is a buy now on Monday since it is way down; gov't has finished all socialism for now unless we become Venezuela, which is possible.

Is Wachovia the Worst Run Bank in America?

Good insight here on Wachovia: pretty well sums it all up. Remember, it really is First Union, just the jersey changed to protect the guilty when they merged/bought Wachovia, tearing up the CEO's (Baker) severance/retirement package in the 11th hour of the deal and doubling it to get the deal done. Sad thing is that many employees who have been long and loyal may lose their jobs. Many retirees who thought blue blood Wachovia was a safe, sleep-at-night, dividend paying value stock, have lost their shirts. That Enron killed SIV activity for all but banks is pathetic and speaks to the strength of the bank lobby in DC. Lastly, much of the dead real estate loans of Golden West is in non-recourse states, like California. I guess some poor old unsophisticated North Carolina bankers got taken to the woodshed in this deal! Thompson is no Hugh McColl, or Ken Lewis, for that matter.

Barron's Bets on Prudential

AIG is now a wounded duck in the core life insurance business, where annuity and life insurance purchase decisions are heavily weighted on financial ratings. Pru, conversely, has the best VA on the strreet, with the best living benefits guaranteeing income for life. Hands down for PRU. AIG's big spin-off news on 09/25/08 make it an interesting speculation.