bobbobwhite

Buffett's Betrayal

Buffett is human and as a result behaves no differently than any other very rich and very influential person who has made his fortune in business and finance by influencing the markets and gov't. He reached that certain tipping point many years ago where he crossed over the line from being just another rich man to one who finally had the great financial power to influence this country and its financial system in a substantial manner. He now has that same infuence many times over and is merely doing what got him there in the first place...using his giant bankroll to influence gov't and business policy in his favor in a way less "successful" people never could. All of his "type" does it the same way to the point where it is a distinct life pattern.

Five Reasons the Market Could Crash This Fall

The recent fine paid by B of A regarding its Merrill deal is sure proof of what you say. No foul, no fault, just a fine. All of us know what really happened but "resolving" it in this way, a corporate/gov't "deal", the slate is wiped clean and no one gets hurt or fired and everyone can now start over and play nice. Until the next time.

The wheel keeps on turning, where it stops everybody knows(but no one tells).


On Aug 04 02:48 PM SeekingTruth wrote:

> Whether the market crashes in the Fall or not, the established modus
> operandi of the markets will still be in place, and as such, it shall
> remain "The Big Casino in the Sky".
> There is and always has been far too much corruption in the markets.
> That is why there are millions of dollars of fines being paid every
> day with no admission of innocence or denial, in itself another form
> of corruption supported by the "system".
> As long as we have State supported and protected Corporate corruption,
> the markets shall remain far more treacherous to the small investor
> than they truly should be, and to an increasing degree, unacceptably
> so.
> So step up ,place your chips and spin the Big Wheel as you wish,
> you just might hit it lucky.

China's Growth: Far Less than Meets the Eye

For you mature readers and informed others..... remember all the junk that came from Japan after WW2, and how it turned it around to become one of the two top quality producers in the world(Germany is the other, not the USA)?

China is now just emerging from that "junk" product status, and I can finally state that I bought a Chinese product that could be judged as "good quality", and not the previous junk. When the overall quality standard there improves to the point where it becomes dominent, as it is in Japan and Germany now, be prepared for truly explosive growth. Where China now has the global volume-of- goods advantage over all exporting countries, it may then have quality-of-goods equality if not superiority.

In its speed-of-improvement favor, China has many advantages over the emergence of Japan, as China has computers exactly like those in the rest of the world, and build materials globally available today are far superior than they were 60 years ago in Japan. Its giant worker pool is eagerly seeking global lifestyle equality, so when the Chinese worker/social commitment aspect rises to meet the high quality standards of those computers and materials, and it is rapidly doing so, China will surely be the runaway success story of the 21st century.

As the old timey jazz singer Al Jolson used to say, "you ain't seen nothing yet". Prepare yourselves for it.

Tight Sands Natural Gas: An Ignored and Promising U.S. Energy Frontier

Something else has to be working in the "drill oil, forget NG" scenario, as "follow the money" dominates the energy business just as much as it does anywhere else in business and gov't. Obviously, there is more money to be made in the oil game than in NG at present. Oil will most likely have to be more nearly depleted and have a predictable endgame for NG to rise to the top, so to speak.

That's a few decades off yet, and as we care more about today than future planning, the transition will not be be gradually and efficiently developed over the years but approached in a hurry-up, "why didn't we see this coming", thus outrageously more costly scenario that will reek of gov't incompetance and its typical catering to very profitable special interests much more than serving the public good. Business As Usual, as always.

Why Lead-Carbon Batteries Will Deflate the Li-ion Bubble

I do not think that battery tech of any type is the answer for the ultimate vehicle. In the over 200 years of the storage battery's existence, only minor achievements have been made in storage amounts. It's physics. Electricity just cannot be stored in large amounts, and batteries do a poor job of retaining this energy at full strength for any length of time and usage. Very impractical and nearly a complete waste of time that would be much better spent on regenerative energy production systems that have their sources located within or upon each vehicle, with batteries only necessary for minimal back-up.

Sometimes, due mainly to special interests and their undue influenc on gov't, way too much money is spent on research and production that practically is not in the best interests of society.

When Goldman Might Have Failed

Too many cronies in DC for Goldman to ever go under, or even be hurt much in relation to the other WS houses. Not only many cronies presently "working" in DC, but many in "emeritus" positions from the Fed and Treasury, etc. One of those, but of course, is the infamous Alan Greenspan.

Goldman is the uncontested fair-haired boy in DC, and will stay that way for at least 4 more years, and surely longer than that if the present boys stay on to give us even more Obamanation.

Natural Gas ETF Provider Takes On Critics

I hope that our nation's impatience to rush to green energy under Obama has not left NG in the dust, as it is a valuable transition energy source as we gradually extricate ourselves from the oil habit. Yes, it is fossil fuel too, and dirty compared to green energy at its most perfect efficiency at some nebulous point in the future, but it is here now and is cheap and plentiful, and cars are easily converted to its use. It makes good sense to use it fully.

I get the thought and possibly more important, the uncomfortable feeling, that Obama actually wants to leapfrog other readily available fossil fuels and go directly to total green energy, as if that wish were possible soon. That idiocy alone would show, if it is true, that he is only interested in a glorified public image of fantastic new social direction that he will create than he is interested in the real world of people and problems, and that he would prefer to bask in the present idealized radiance of his wonderful promises that will never be anywhere near realization while he is in power.

8 'Bathwater Babies' and 4 'Dogs with Fleas' for the Week

Hill should change the name of his org to "HillbentForProfits.com". A liitle humor never hurt any biz and helped many a lot.

At this point more dog stocks are up than good ones are down. Buyer/holder beware.

Friday Roundup: Commodities, Emerging Markets

Great idea! Perhaps an ETF group for WS executive payouts, bonuses, salary increases, golden parachutes, stock options, expense accounts, misc. perks, etc? Retire in a week, two at the most!

"You made only 2000% in bonuses? I made 5000% in golden parachutes?"


On Jul 26 01:51 PM marco caricom wrote:

> You may have some good points.....but i'd be more comfortable investing
> in GS manager/banksters shares and parachutes than in GS itself.
>

The Mac vs. PC Debate Was Never Clearer

I fully expect Microsoft to eventually go the way of GM and Detroit. Mr. Softie has never listened to the consumer and continues to build only the products it wants to sell due to Bill Gates' hubris which includes his need for total mass market dominance. This worked well for a while, but then it arrived at the mostly maintenance level of today(see MSFT earnings miss today on SA)and it will continue to flounder until it fails. Times are changing for his technology and The Evil Empire has made too many people upset with its flawed attitude and products and also its deceptive to downright false advertising.

Apple is the cool kid on the block and will always pick off the upper end of the market....the only place it wants to be. The rest will have to be satisfied with Mr. Softie and its automaton's mass market products, at least for now.

Two Unique Approaches to Real Estate Investing

When the commercial market stumbles, Main Street will not be nearly as affected as it was with the housing market as most commericial real estate is not owned by Main Street. And, the country has gotten used to r.e. problems over the past few years and has been well forewarned about the commercial issue so it won't take them by surprise as did the housing crash.

I don't think it will be the huge crisis some are predicting.

Natural Gas ETF Awaits New Shares as Prices Fall

Like so many before it, UNG will eventually make geniuses of some and fools of the rest.

Which will you be?

Shorting Baidu Easier than Shooting Fish in a Barrel

I know about China, especially its grey market. A guy I know buys Tiffany knockoffs that retail at $130, targeted to the 16-25 female demographic. He has them made for $8 in China, right down to the Tiffany trademark, and sells them for under $30. Showed me one and compared it directly to the original and it looks 98% as good; few could tell the difference. He orders them by the gross and can't keep them in stock. Lots of "trade" shows, flea markets, pawnshops and the like sell tons of grey market stuff made in China. Check any jewelry your daughter owns made by Tiffany...good chance it is a Chinese knockoff unless she bought it direct from Tiffany. And even then...............who knows?

Yes, China is as bad as the Russian mafia. China cares nothing about law, patents, or legal rights. What an indictment of the communist rule there....and we are supposed to respect its growth, much of which is by illegal means? China will never get any of my investment money.

Overbought Stocks (7/21/09)

All shippers, natural gas, coal; many oils, most steels, all mining and construction equipment......all far below year ago levels. These have the most to gain and the least to lose from here, and the only sectors I would buy at today's mostly inflated levels relative to risk.

Are GLD and SLV Legitimate Investment Vehicles?

The SEC monitors and regulates USA financial institutions as lightly as humanly possible on purpose. It walks a fine line between hands-off and ultra-light regulation and still fully expects the public to consider it a proper "regulator", as any heavier regulation than it does pursue would be construed by our nation's highest business leaders as a restraint of trade that would damage our economy. That is why the SEC appears to be incompetant and conflicted, if not corrupt, in practice if not in founding theory. And, I am positive that this soft SEC standard operatiing procedure is a mandate from higher up, where so many former Wall Street exectives rule the politics of our economy.

And this purposeful insult is also the main reason for the present abuses, excesses and unfairnesses of our financial system.