jerry p's Comments RSS Syndication from SeekingAlpha.com http://seekingalpha.comuser/155734/comments http://seekingalpha.com/article/85257-will-ackman-s-plan-for-fannie-mae-backfire?source=feed#comment-208908 208908 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:27:40 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/85257-will-ackman-s-plan-for-fannie-mae-backfire?source=feed#comment-206971 206971 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:26:30 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/82141-the-time-to-buy-financials-is-still-not-now?source=feed#comment-189467 189467 Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:06:58 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/80647-nationalizing-oil-well-intentioned-but-wrong?source=feed#comment-183581 183581 Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:52:48 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/80647-nationalizing-oil-well-intentioned-but-wrong?source=feed#comment-183405 183405 Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:50:42 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/80647-nationalizing-oil-well-intentioned-but-wrong?source=feed#comment-183393 183393 Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:44:17 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/80923-crude-where-s-the-demand-destruction?source=feed#comment-183383 183383 Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:35:15 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/74205-stock-market-overvaluation-and-the-passive-investor?source=feed#comment-157266 157266 Sat, 26 Apr 2008 19:59:37 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/71284-the-real-solution-to-the-energy-problem?source=feed#comment-149150 149150
What happens to the battery packs at end of life? What is the cost and effect on the environment to dispose or recycle them? There will be hundreds of millions of these batteries.

Wouldn't there be a massive shortage of raw materials needed to create hundreds of millions of those battery packs? Raw materials supply-demand problems could make widescale use of electric vehicles impractical.

Can the current infrastrucutre support adding tens of millions of cars to the power grid? How many decades will it take to upgrade the system? Power plants and nuclear reactors aren't put up overnight.]]> Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:49:41 -0400
What happens to the battery packs at end of life? What is the cost and effect on the environment to dispose or recycle them? There will be hundreds of millions of these batteries.

Wouldn't there be a massive shortage of raw materials needed to create hundreds of millions of those battery packs? Raw materials supply-demand problems could make widescale use of electric vehicles impractical.

Can the current infrastrucutre support adding tens of millions of cars to the power grid? How many decades will it take to upgrade the system? Power plants and nuclear reactors aren't put up overnight.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/71284-the-real-solution-to-the-energy-problem?source=feed#comment-147826 147826
If the Japanese want to buy $1M of oil from Iran, and the current rate is 100Y:1USD then what difference does it make what the currency for the transaction is? If the Iranians want Yen, then the Japanese transfer $100M Yen. If they want USD, then the Japanese trade $100M Yen for $1M USD and transfer $1M USD. The Iranians can take that $1M USD and trade into Yen or Euro in 5 seconds. If the Iranians want to use that money to buy an airplane from Brazil, they can immediately trade into USD or Brazilian Real in the FX markets. It's nothing more than a few keystrokes. That Iraq-USD theory would be more believable 50 years ago when crates of cash were being sent back and forth.

The 517 trillion in derivatives is a deceptive number. The true number is closer to $120 trillion in CDS, CDO, CLO etc. Many of the derivatives in that 517 number are futures contracts, options etc. It's still a huge number and they should have been regulated.]]> Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:12:06 -0400
If the Japanese want to buy $1M of oil from Iran, and the current rate is 100Y:1USD then what difference does it make what the currency for the transaction is? If the Iranians want Yen, then the Japanese transfer $100M Yen. If they want USD, then the Japanese trade $100M Yen for $1M USD and transfer $1M USD. The Iranians can take that $1M USD and trade into Yen or Euro in 5 seconds. If the Iranians want to use that money to buy an airplane from Brazil, they can immediately trade into USD or Brazilian Real in the FX markets. It's nothing more than a few keystrokes. That Iraq-USD theory would be more believable 50 years ago when crates of cash were being sent back and forth.

The 517 trillion in derivatives is a deceptive number. The true number is closer to $120 trillion in CDS, CDO, CLO etc. Many of the derivatives in that 517 number are futures contracts, options etc. It's still a huge number and they should have been regulated.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/71284-the-real-solution-to-the-energy-problem?source=feed#comment-147340 147340
Comparing oil and gold prices makes little sense. Once oil is taken out of the ground and refined/used, it is gone forever. Gold taken out of the ground is here forever. Expanding economies require more oil, not gold. If gold prices soared to $10,000/oz, it would not affect the economy. Rising oil prices hurt the economy.

Conservation can start immediately, costs no money, and keeps hundreds of billions of dollars in our economy. Is it realistic to mandate that every car has a super battery installed and be a hybrid? Maybe if you are a dictator. Even then, it would take at least a decade and cost over $1 trillion to have those 150 million super batteries produced and installed just for autos in the US alone. These super batteries use barium nitrate, NiMH or lithium, so wouldn't there be a huge shortage of those materials? Prices would be driven so high that it would no longer be practical.

Biodiesel is being studied by hundreds of scientists and institutions across the world. If it works, it will be part of the solution. If/when it gains widespread acceptance, it will still take a decade to produce/convert cars to use biodiesel.]]> Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:09:37 -0400
Comparing oil and gold prices makes little sense. Once oil is taken out of the ground and refined/used, it is gone forever. Gold taken out of the ground is here forever. Expanding economies require more oil, not gold. If gold prices soared to $10,000/oz, it would not affect the economy. Rising oil prices hurt the economy.

Conservation can start immediately, costs no money, and keeps hundreds of billions of dollars in our economy. Is it realistic to mandate that every car has a super battery installed and be a hybrid? Maybe if you are a dictator. Even then, it would take at least a decade and cost over $1 trillion to have those 150 million super batteries produced and installed just for autos in the US alone. These super batteries use barium nitrate, NiMH or lithium, so wouldn't there be a huge shortage of those materials? Prices would be driven so high that it would no longer be practical.

Biodiesel is being studied by hundreds of scientists and institutions across the world. If it works, it will be part of the solution. If/when it gains widespread acceptance, it will still take a decade to produce/convert cars to use biodiesel.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/71284-the-real-solution-to-the-energy-problem?source=feed#comment-146594 146594
If this technology has been around and is more efficient than fossil fuels, what is holding it back?]]> Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:59:11 -0400
If this technology has been around and is more efficient than fossil fuels, what is holding it back?]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/71284-the-real-solution-to-the-energy-problem?source=feed#comment-146593 146593
Yes, there are plenty of oil reserves out there. It's costing us $400 billion in net outflow each year to get that oil. Alaska would only be a drop in the bucket. Once we drill Alaska, and we still have a huge net outflow, where do we go next?

From what I am reading, there is strong resistance to voluntary conservation, even though it would save this country billions of dollars, reduce pollution, and produce no harmful effects on the economy. Is that right?]]> Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:57:18 -0400
Yes, there are plenty of oil reserves out there. It's costing us $400 billion in net outflow each year to get that oil. Alaska would only be a drop in the bucket. Once we drill Alaska, and we still have a huge net outflow, where do we go next?

From what I am reading, there is strong resistance to voluntary conservation, even though it would save this country billions of dollars, reduce pollution, and produce no harmful effects on the economy. Is that right?]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/71284-the-real-solution-to-the-energy-problem?source=feed#comment-146397 146397
Electric vehicles will be part of the solution, not the entire solution. How long will it take to put the infrastructure into place to support 100 million electric cars? Can our current infrastructure support it? Besides, electric isn't completely green when you have to burn coal and NG to produce it.

No, we are not running out of oil. Yes, we are running out of cheap oil and it is hurting our economy. What if we could keep that $400 billion in our economy each year instead of sending it overseas? The $600 tax rebate stimulus came at a $106 billion cost to the US Treasury (aka taxpayers). We could have 4 times that amount each and every year.]]> Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:25:29 -0400
Electric vehicles will be part of the solution, not the entire solution. How long will it take to put the infrastructure into place to support 100 million electric cars? Can our current infrastructure support it? Besides, electric isn't completely green when you have to burn coal and NG to produce it.

No, we are not running out of oil. Yes, we are running out of cheap oil and it is hurting our economy. What if we could keep that $400 billion in our economy each year instead of sending it overseas? The $600 tax rebate stimulus came at a $106 billion cost to the US Treasury (aka taxpayers). We could have 4 times that amount each and every year.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/71225-clos-are-in-cdos-are-out?source=feed#comment-137097 137097 Sun, 06 Apr 2008 00:09:14 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/71245-it-s-not-the-fault-of-hedge-fund-managers-that-they-make-so-much-money?source=feed#comment-137096 137096 Sun, 06 Apr 2008 00:02:32 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/71236-reluctant-banks-let-defaulted-borrowers-stay-in-homes?source=feed#comment-137080 137080 Sat, 05 Apr 2008 22:01:58 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/68860-lehman-battered-hard-jpm-to-fire-half-of-bear-staff?source=feed#comment-127795 127795 Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:29:27 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/66730-penn-national-gaming-deal-or-no-deal?source=feed#comment-125699 125699 Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:46:49 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/67780-lost-decade-for-stocks?source=feed#comment-124530 124530 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 01:23:36 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/66631-jumbo-mortgage-risk-will-topple-the-teetering-gses?source=feed#comment-121000 121000 Sat, 01 Mar 2008 20:38:33 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/65791-shorting-the-homebuilders-as-their-stocks-surge?source=feed#comment-118866 118866
Could it be that the US is in less of a bubble than Europe? That doesn't mean that it isn't in a bubble. Prices in Spain are already starting to crash and the government there is talking about a bailout.

If the credit crunch is nearly over, then why are the banks trying to bail out the insurers? Why is the government talking about bailing out the banks? Who is willing to bail out the bankrupt government? Is there further demand for US T-bonds at 4% when inflation is at 4.5%?

Yes, the banks may win again, but how does that translate into this being the bottom for homebuilders?]]> Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:59:31 -0500
Could it be that the US is in less of a bubble than Europe? That doesn't mean that it isn't in a bubble. Prices in Spain are already starting to crash and the government there is talking about a bailout.

If the credit crunch is nearly over, then why are the banks trying to bail out the insurers? Why is the government talking about bailing out the banks? Who is willing to bail out the bankrupt government? Is there further demand for US T-bonds at 4% when inflation is at 4.5%?

Yes, the banks may win again, but how does that translate into this being the bottom for homebuilders?]]>