skwestorange

Analyzing the U.S.'s Four Largest Banks

Very good articles with copious data and charts to make the point.
Fwi hits nail on its head.
Glass Steagal should be reinstated and commercial banks should be separated from investment banks.
To the commenter who is high on Citi, I wonder what gives him that confidence since the Company is being being dismembered and its earnings potential is being reduced with each divestiture. Finally, I don't think our Pols have the will to do what is right, i.e., bring back Glass Steagal and break up the combo banks. I am afraid that we are destined for many decades of pain and agony similar to Japan.

Home Purchase Tax Credit Extended: Is This Wise?

Whichever way one looks at this disastrous path we are on, it cannot but end bad in a few years. Govt. handouts are always bad and can easily be subject to fraud and abuse. I agree that any Govt expenditure should always look at the multiplier effect first.

Five Companies Worth Researching This Weekend

Applying a ten time multiple for utility companies that have revenue growth in the 1 to 2% annually is questionable.

Healthcare Profits: Assessing Company Sensitivity to Obamacare

I suspect the concern raised by the author is overblown. Other than adding more lives to be insured and saddling the taxpayer with more burden to pay for it, the health-care bill will do nothing to change status quo. After all the Congressmen and Senators want to be reelected and want the big bucks they get from Pharma companies.

Determining Potential in Health Care Stocks

I cannot understand why insurers will have trouble competing against not-for-profit companies such as Blue Cross. They have been doing it successfully for many years and in many States. For instance NJ has Horizon Blue Cross and many insurers including Aetna and UNH are competing here very successfully. Their fight with the Congress is to contain the damage and prevent medicare from expanding. I think that the managed care companies will come out very well after the dust has settled on the health care bill.

12 Indicators We're Watching

These are good indicators. What is your conclusion(s) based on these indicators for equity market and the bond market?

Planned IPOs This Week: Addus HomeCare, AEI and Vitamin Shoppe

This article will benefit from the addition of the author's opinion (get in or stay out) on the issues and why. Absent that the article adds very little to the offering info from the underwriters.

Roubini Hates Gold: Is He Wrong Again?

Don't forget that in the last couple of years Gold ETF GLD has been the culprit for rising metal prices. I recall reading that GLD has more physical gold than many (if not all) of the central governments' storage put together

Spectrum Pharma: Zevalin Has Blockbuster Potential

This chart is quite ugly. The waterfall pattern shows that the stock could hit 2 to 3 dollars before stabilizing
SK

Battery Investing for Beginners

Don Harmon: I agree some change is underway now in our society's thinking. But history suggests two things: 1) Americans will not have the desired focus for a very long time and 2) when things look better we will forget the need for EV, HEV or energy independence as we have so ably done so many times in the past. The grand culture changes of the type we seek takes a long time or John says "one baby step at a time."

You Can Spend Your Way Out of a Recession

I too am surprised to read this from McTeer whi I have always held in very high esteem. The second one "you can't borrow your way..." is not a red herring as implied. In fact the Govt needs to borrow all the money and more for many years to come to service that debt to facilitate the spending. This just don't compute. We have done great harm to the concept of inter-generational justice and forever indebted our great grand children. They cannot get out of this hole we have created for them without significant readjustment of their living standards. I agree with the commenter that said Bob you need to complete the thought and speak of the consequences.

Battery Investing for Beginners

We are talking about a culture change and it is a very very long term project. American society in general does not have the attention span required to bring about this kind of a culture change in short time -even ten years-, bar a severe event like to 1930's type depression. That may eventually happen when the food fight begins in earnest for the scarce world resources combined with the currency crisis, but it sure will be a generation or two later.

Aetna: 'Fat' Profits Nowhere to Be Found

There seems to be flaw in this argument. Usually the cost of paying out the claims, i.e., the salaries and benefits and related office costs should all be included in the claims cost. This is consistent with the cost of good sold concept. What is not included in sales and G&A. Could I request the author to review his numbers again.

Debt Growth by Sector, 1980-2009

This graph clearly shows that consumer debt which is often touted to be culprit or next crisis looming, is not the real problem. The major contributors to the financial mess are mortgage debt and debt binge by finance firms and businesses in general (excessive leverage). Pols and greedy biz community were blaming the consumer to hide their bailouts.

Loss Vegas: Short MGM

Not sure why this author thinks it is a good short now. At its current price of 13 and change, the stock is about 60%+ from its 52 week high and more than 80% down from its recent all time high. The economy world over seems to be stabilizing and so is the real estate situation in Vegas. Further, the Dubai world investment in the City center project should help strengthen the Company's finances. Objective data to support the short recommendation would be of help.