J. B. Wulff

Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News

By "bailing out" first the "Bear" and then the "Mac's" our dear, somewhat panic striken government is doing its best to avoid a financial collapse like 1929. Sadly, the financial people on Wall Street want to become addicted to the Washington printing press - the one that makes money out of thin air - instead of stepping up to the plate and working together to fix this mess. We need a repeat of the probably mythical banker who was able to stem a run on his bank by visibly wheeling a wheelbarrow full of money into the bank through the front door, repeatedly. It was always the same wheelbarrow. He went out the back door, circled around and came in again and again. The panic ended for his bank and it survived. Congress is no help whatsoever. Frank & Rangle are living proof of the Peter Principle. Our much maligned President, nervous about his legacy, does not want to be Hoover II. The titans of Wall Street need to simply announce that they believe Lehman Brothers will survive and that they will continue to trade with the firm and stand ready to help if necessary, period. Then the game will be over and the players will have to close out their bets/positions the best they can. Still, giving up cocaine is not easy.

Year to Date Performance of Dow 30 Members

Long term investments in JNJ and XOM among others are especially rewarding when the dividend is considered. Currently my JNJ is yielding 8% and XOM is 6.5%. They are both in dividend reinvesting plans so my holdings are growing at that rate. What's not to like?