dukeb

Wednesday Outlook: Commodities, Emerging Markets

XLF chart was a chuckle....too bad you didn't have a vertically flipped answer key below it!

Tuesday Outlook: Commodities, Emerging Markets

On my news ticker now: "*DJ Bernake: IndyMac Failure Was 'Inevitable,' Bad Asset Quality"

That also makes you wonder about how well the FDIC's pending "aggressive" readjustment of mortgage terms will proceed. If the IndyMac assets / loans are bad, perhaps the FDIC will only prove true the rumors that not many are actually salvageable. They might be shooting their foot while it's still in their mouth....but only time will tell.

Tuesday Outlook: Commodities, Emerging Markets

David, thanks for pointing out DGP a few posts ago!

The people who blame Schumer for IndyMac are so freakin' clueless it boggles any mind with an IQ over v1.5. If anything, he saved some depositors their butts. Go to the FDIC's IndyMac FAQs and get an education on what happens during a takeover rather than sale...you fill out forms for even properly titled accounts if your combined balance is over $100k. If you have brokered IndyMac CDs, the interest stopped the day of the takeover but you're not going to get your $ back for a bit....that's lost interest and no access to your funds. And now the FDIC has FROZEN all foreclosures at IndyMac and is pledging to rework mortgage terms to the best possible for its borrowers BEFORE it sells what's left of the institution. Well what about the DEPOSITORS who were over their FDIC insured limits and who are supposed to collect as much of those proceeds as possible from the sale of IndyMac assets? Think giving gifts to the BORROWERS on their dime is righteous? IndyMac was the FDIC & the Bush Brown Shirts exercising what amounts to financial eminent domain over a bank to further their own agenda. It's a disgrace. Schumer is akin to an honest stock analyst who says to look out. The OTC and FDIC are prohibited from foreshadowing any of their actions, so you'll never hear it from them. Blame Schumer? Pathetic.

Wednesday Outlook: Commodities, Emerging Markets

David: The comment that the ECB is "telling" the US Fed to raise rates is being drawn from the *implications* of the differing rate stances, correct? (Rather than specific communications between the ECB & Fed, which I haven't read about but would want to if they exist. Otherwise, even though I agree with your interpretation, it's just as easy to flip who's telling who what.) Thanks.

Thursday Outlook: Commodities, Emerging Markets

Yup, I bailed on several ETFs last year that just were not living up to their marketed target. (It's a real downer when you know what the price of an issue should have done during a sharp trend, but then login to find it's done nada or even worse...gone the "wrong" way.) If they were physical products, there would be forced recalls and class-actions!

Wednesday Outlook: Commodities, Emerging Markets

Amen to your Cramer comment...but that guy does understand his audience, doesn't he? (Crud between the ears calls for crud from TV. I wonder which came first.)

Wednesday Outlook: Commodities, Emerging Markets

Anybody watching/planning to watch the new WisdomTree U.S. Current Income Fund (USY) ETF? It's supposedly an actively managed money market, which might be an interesting alternative to pathetic brokerage sweeps. But it's certainly not generating much interest off the bat.

Friday Outlook: Commodities, Emerging Markets

For what it's worth, I'll buy that. Thanks for the clarification.

Friday Outlook: Commodities, Emerging Markets

I'll be the first with the GLD sword, then.

"I don't know why I said that frankly" is a completely lame self-analysis for a public technician regarding what appears to be outright disinformation in Wednesday's Outlook. (GLD: "We took a small long position today.") There's no useful information in that Crameresque confession, and unless I'm missing the joke somewhere, we deserve better. (Was it merely a tense-typo followed by change of mind, temporary insanity, or something else?)

Wednesday Outlook: Commodities, Emerging Markets

Can somebody pass a Federal law prohibiting tenths-of-a-penny pricing for retail gallons of gas? (I hate laws, but I think that's what it would take in this case.)

Thursday Outlook: Crude Awakening

Conservation is a lie. Anybody remember all those summers in the 70s when we couldn't water our lawns, wash our cars, etc.? We had to conserve water! But what's happened in those same areas since? Development. Massive development. Any savings of resources via conservation gets exploited by increased development. If you want to really help humanity and planet earth -- counter-intuitive though it may be -- waste as much food, water, electricity, etc., as possible. It will all get used anyway, but if you use it yourself, it will help prevent additional development due to "excess capacity".

Thursday Outlook: Crude Awakening

That's not a rant as much as an acknowledgment of a reality we'd rather not believe day-to-day. Politicians are elected lobbyists serving corporate interests, and the corporations have become virtual nations unto themselves, serving themselves. Their insiders profit under any circumstance by exploiting, plundering and pitting against each other those economic/demographic zones once regarded as autonomous countries. (There's no such thing as an "American corporation" anymore...what happened to Haliburton?) We are entering a period of global capitalism without any real competition to the system itself, and capitalism without competition (or enlightened regulation) is just like a capitalist without competition--never a good thing. But who would even regulate it if it's globalized?

And that's why I used to be for globalization until I was against it.

How Much Can We Blame the Uptick Rule?

cdpayne: If you are a truly "professional" trader, then you'd love the freedom to trade in either direction. If you're a condescending one-way wonder, then yes, repeal of the uptick rule will hurt. (No doubt compelling you to make "payne" the second part of your screen name.) Being "educated" is all about learning new tricks...not merely having things go your way via a bag of old tricks. (Which is actually a great way to "demonstrate your ignorance".) You are absolutely correct about "naked shorting", though, and it should be crushed. But legitimate "bear raids" like the freedom to short are something you need to learn to deal with. Otherwise, you can always fall back to the first part of your screen name and stick to "cd" investments.

Wednesday Outlook: Commodities, Emerging Markets

I'm addicted to my wife, my morning coffee, and this column.

In Defense of Jim Cramer on Bear Stearns

1) There is never any "Defense" of Cramer; he's a crock.

2) If he was doling out financial advice that can be so easily confused between a company's stock and it's liquidity, then he's an even bigger hack than most people think.