Obi-Wan

U.S. Government's Widening Deficits

For all the folks that voted for a 'tax and spend' President, you got what you wanted.....
And Congress is an abyssmal disappointment. Like someone said before, if they were working for a public company, they'd all be fired by now for their wreckless abandon and lack of fiduciary stewardship. Obama will likely find out that carrying out aspects of his foreign agenda on nukes, terrorism and rogue nations will likely not go anywhere unless China says so. They are so deep into our pockets that they've positioned themselves as our own IMF bailout fund just for the U.S. Our forefathers are probably spinning in their graves.....

Bear Market Over? Not So Fast

Hey, like that name O-B.....

If unemployment hits 10%, all bets are off. Consumers have to get back to driving this economy, and can't if they have no wages.....

4 Possible Market Scenarios

We've already hit the numbers qualifying this as the longest recession in history for the US. So, we've basically already hit #4. The question is, where does it go from here?
My own opinion is that I wouldn't discount the odds of hyperinflation. There's something to be said for 'juicing up' the global economy so much that you overcompensate and then can't pull back the reins fast enough (amok money supply becomes akin to herding cats....).
I'm actually rooting for a measured, methodical recovery rather than one that smacks of irrational exhuberance (to coin a phrase...).

More Evidence That the Market Low Is Behind Us

Remember the investing disclaimer "past results may not be indicative of future performance"......
That's kinda what you need to footnote every chart dropper with. What we see happening is unprecendented. But history is about all we have as a predictor. So time will tell, as always, whether it follows historical trends, or bucks them.
In the meantime, it's fun to watch folks fall in line on one side or the other!!

Expect More Pullback Before Rally Continues

Q1 earnings will dictate whether the rally has legs.....

Fox News Launches a Huffpo for the Right

Anything to counter the blatantly obvious liberal media is welcome. If the liberal media ever wondered why we're tired of their non-mainstream, leftist agenda and took a look at their sagging ratings and newspaper distribution, they might wise up and take more of a 'fair and balanced' approach.
If they don't care, then let them go ahead and hire Sean Penn as their primary spokesman.....he'll fix things for them.....

Consumer Spending on the Upswing

This appears as a blip rather than a trend.....several states are battling >10% unemployment, and more layoffs are surely on tap for the auto industry at least, so not sure how more unemployed can equate to more consumer spending over the short term, but heck, I suppose anything's possible....

DryShips: Not Concerned by 'Going Concern' Warning

As one analyst put it, 'DRYS could be debt free in 3 years' based on their current cash position and projected cash inflow based on some new contracts.
This is a dicey one, but one where it's possible to see pricing in the $40 range over next 12 months.
Put it on your watch list....

Should the U.S. Lose Its AAA Rating?

Ratings really don't matter that much these days. It's whether there are buyers about.
Heck, technically, our debt/GDP would say we're officially bankrupt. But who's counting??

Florida Real Estate Showing Signs of Life

Depends on where in Florida you are talking. Miami is still reeling. Tampa and Sarasota leveling off. Jacksonville showing a slight rebound. We used the opportunity ourselves to get a bargain condo on the Gulf Coast. If you have funds and patience, the opportunity is there. Do your homework!

A View of the U.S. Consumer Balance Sheet

After this ravaging of the consumers' wealth, more folks are probably going to stay on the sidelines and use an 'old world' investment option (foolishly so).....called the mattress.....

No question the consumer needed to be 'reset' too as well as the economy....

Marc Faber: 'It Will All End in Disaster'

The US economy is in desperate need of a reset. And it's getting one. But it's the consumers, who drives 70% of the economy, that also need a reset button slammed desperately. Stop spending like there's no tomorrow, stop living beyond your means, and stop voting into office politicians that are as corrupt as the business leaders who helped get us into this latest meltdown.
Sorry, but the American public needs to wise up and get off their thumbs and start taking back our country. And quit looking for instant gratification. How about instant personal responsibility?? I have no sympathy for folks who claim to have gotten hoodwinked into a mortagage that they can no longer afford because 'they didn't know what they were getting into.' What they 'knew' is that their home value would continue to skyrocket, so no worries. That's like saying 'gee, I'll borrow against my 401k and pay it back over time since I know I'll have a job forever...'.
Cry doom and gloom all ya want, and point the finger of blame at whoever ya want. Just be sure that finger points in the mirror at least once....

This Rally May Have Legs - Bespoke

I think more will become clear after April earnings start flooding the airwaves, but one thought lingers with me with all the stimulus and gov't intervention going on: can you say 'hyper-inflation' ???

Is This (Finally) the Bottom? Part II

I don't see a "U" or a "V" type recovery.....I see a "WWW" for some time.....

Dow not above 10k until 2010.

Cramer's Stop Trading! Cramer Calls a Bottom (3/26/09)

If you yell "It's the bottom!!" enough times, you're bound to be right eventually.....of course, everyone will have stopped listening to you some time before......