ArtfulDodger

Financial Czar Actions and Reform Regressions

"U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Agency"

I'll surely sleep better tonight knowing there's another federal regulatory agency watching over the nation's finances.

Fed Exit Strategy: Can Stocks Survive the Bailout Party Hangover?

Good article, JR.

Let's hope the Fed learned from the last time Greenspan snatched billions of dollars out of the economy, by raising interest rates 17 straight times (from 1 to 5 1/4), because we know what little boondoggle that brought about.

We're still staggering from that harsh blow.

Four Reasons We're Headed Even Higher

Rick:

Really good comment and really well said.

Thank you for it. I hope everyone reads it and takes note of it. After all, are we not trying to help one another with our comments---not hurt?


On Aug 31 04:22 AM rick12345 wrote:

> A well researched and well thought out analysis. It's about the most
> intellegent thing I have read on Seeking Alpha in months. As usual,
> people will tend to forget the facts of the past in a vain attempt
> to predict an unkown future. In this situation it stems from an immediacy
> to justify their present action (or in this case, inaction) with
> regard to investing money on the Stock market. If others are willing
> to invest in this market, then so let it be, but do not critique
> them for expressing an opinion. Criticism, after all, based on fact
> is readily justifiable, whereas crticism based on opinion is merely
> slander.

Four Reasons We're Headed Even Higher

Raising4daughters:

Thank you for the kind comment.

You may be right. Speaking the truth could have recently been suspended, or may be in the future. But I didn't get the memo on Immelt and GE.

Raising 4 daughters for real? I wish you well with your investing; you need it!


On Aug 31 12:16 AM raising4daughters wrote:

> Nice commentary.
>
> Are we still allowed to say bad things about GE or Immelt? Not sure
> if that right was recently suspended.

Four Reasons We're Headed Even Higher

Dear Tack:

I appreciate your comment very much.

I believe this site was created for investors/traders to help one another in what is a very tough vocation in which we all need help.

That's why I lean toward helping young and new investors---and others if I can, but I also need help to survive and sometimes thrive.

Thus, I want a variety of articles that go with my views and against them---and especially against my views, in case I've missed something.

For this reason I don't understand all the animus against any of SA's writers---no matter what their view.

I think it's more political than investing oriented, but I'm not sure. But it seems to me to waste a lot of energy.

Anyway, the best to your investing and thanks again for your kind words.


On Aug 31 11:04 AM Tack wrote:

> Artful:
>
> One of the most well-reasoned and best-presented pieces of logic
> I have encountered in the "sensitivity group" that is otherwise known
> as SeekingAlpha.

Four Reasons We're Headed Even Higher

JS and Fellow Investors:

I personally don’t spend five minutes a year trying to figure out which way markets are going and don’t really relate to doing it. I don’t really care either—for the most part. Crashes such as we saw last year are few and far apart; as a rule they simply don’t come piling on top of each other.

As I’ve written before on this site, I was once a very foolish boy (now I’m a foolish man), and back in the 1980s when the CBOT began futures trading on indices, I jumped in thinking I could predict the day to day machinations of markets. After only a few days I realized my vew was fallacious. I continued to trade for about four years, but never again grew the hubris to think I could predict market direction.

Therefore, I don’t usually read articles that predict market direction, but there are so very many negative articles on this site that I decided to read this positive one.

I will say that Mr. Schwarz’s points are valid, especially this one: The DOW was around 8400 when Geithner came stumbling out of the blocks and Obama was strafing the economy every time he wagged his tongue. The DOW dropped 2000 points before Geithner could find his tongue and Clinton told Obama to nix the negativity—this was indeed a move that had nothing to do with the economy or business. That 2000 point move was thus no more a move back to normalcy.

That said, let me also say that at this point the majority of stocks I’ve checked out recently do not fit my criteria for buying—but I’m a picky, tight son-of-a-batch. So because I can’t find something to buy doesn’t mean there’s a crash coming.

I am invested mostly in China and Brazil, with only a few US companies in my coop. The problem I see with most businesses in the states is too much debt. This came about in my view mainly because of high corporate taxes—which
are not going down.

Some companies are indeed working their debt down. Others, such as GE, have added massive amounts of new liability to their books. This is why GE’s boss, Jeffrey Immelt, is pushing for a bailout of sorts—urging the government to pass the Cap & Trade Bill which will strongly benefit GE.

Three of the US companies I own, GD, FWLT, and FLR have stable long-term contracts that guarantee them gracious earnings for years out from here. Shareholders should be well rewarded, in my view.

The other two, JCOM and GRMN, have pristine balance sheets, keep bringing the bacon home to momma year after year, and have products and/or services with potential world growth.

I have reasonable profits in all of these, but I’m not selling them, shorting them, or putting stops in on them—not matter what anyone says, unless there is drastic monetary or fiscal policy change.

I urge investors (particularly new and young ones) to learn to search and find companies of this type, buy them when they’re down (or out of favor), and give them a chance to make you some money.

You’ll be much the better off doing this than trying to pick market direction.

Thank you for this article, JS, and your work.

Preview from Europe: Profit Taking Ahead of Non-Farm Payroll Numbers

Thanks Mole. Good mole reporting!

Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News

Any worthwhile companies to invest in in Belgium, Guymar?


On Apr 29 02:42 PM guymar wrote:

> Belgium :-)

Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News

Thank you RG. Love your concise, well-written run downs!

Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News

Where are you from, guymar?


On Apr 29 09:16 AM guymar wrote:

> I live in a country with a socialist government, which has the following
> advantages:
> 1. No capital gains tax, as government is still in denial about the
> existence of capitalism
> 2. We can sell securities when the market starts going down, hence
> no fear of buying in a bear market rally.

Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News

Thank again RG for this run down of business info.

Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News

As long as the Dums run the nation, everything is going to be a crisis. They use supposed and real crises to get their policies passed and to build bigger government, which in turn gives them more power to buy votes.

You can ignore most of them, but nevertheless, they cost us all freedoms in the end.


On Apr 27 02:16 PM LJR wrote:

> Is anyone else getting tired of there always being another crisis?
> Terrorists, banks, Wall Street, GM, Chrysler on and on until now
> we get the swine flu. My solution is to try to blank it all out nd
> live as I normally would without another crisis coming every day.

Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News

RG:

As always, thank you for your reporting. Nice to have it all together.

Keep it up, please. AD

The Top 12 Brands Likely to Disappear

BeWhew! Hell is surely collecting its debts for the nation's financial gluttony of the last years.

Yes indeed, Hot Richard, it's a darn shame that MTV is not going away!

I knew a lot of brands were most likely going, but when you see it in writing, it drops a quite different bomb perspective on your brain!

BeWhew!

Added Debt Won't Rescue the Great American Ponzi Scheme

Mr. Rolfe Winkler:

You are dead right: the problem we're facing is too much debt. How can companies and nations function with this much debt hanging over them?

And what type of brain reasons that you cure a massive debt problem with more debt?

In respect to investing, I believe we're still in a time to buy cash and free cash flow and sell debt.

This I think investors should do regarding nations, too. Nations with high debt to GNP that have to print a lot of money should be sold. Or, at least investments in those nations should be held to low debt, high cash companies, and fund allocation in those nations held to a minimum.

Investors should look toward putting their funds to work in low debt to GNP nations that don’t have to print and borrow money to function.

Thank you very much for the article.