PastTense

eBay Q3: Earnings Not Too Shabby, Outlook Tentative

"Bill Me later had a net charge-off rate of 11.5 percent as bankruptcy and credit write-offs increased."

If eBay's management weren't incompetent, they wouldn't be offering something with this kind of charge-off rate.

The Flip Side of Energy Reform: Destroying Oil Demand

I disagree with the comments as it applies to gas stations: small, fuel efficient cars means a driver buys less gas when he goes to the gas station, not that he makes a lot fewer visits to gas stations. And at gas stations, gasoline sales are basically a loss-leader or break-even proposition--gas stations make their profits selling beer, cigarettes, and convenience store items.

GE: Still a Bargain

The concerns one has are solely about the finance unit: this could well turn out to be a black hole.

Silver Wheaton: Growth Coming from Every Direction

I don't understand this stock: why are the companies who have made these $4/ounce deals with SLW going to remain satisfied with such low royalties? Won't these deals run out fairly shortly and have to be renegotiated to much higher payments?

Is the Digital Magazine Coming of Age?

The OP didn't really address the important issue: will people pay to read these?

Dow Breaks 10,000 for 26th Time While Gold Shines

To be fair you not only have to consider the value of the Dow now vs 10 years ago; you have to consider the dividends you have received in the intervening 10 years (and the Dow pays out a lot more in dividends than the S&P 500 or QQQQ).

Cash: An Embarrassment of Riches

"In the meantime, I don't see any signs that equities are overpriced"

Well then you need to start looking at corporate earnings: compare the PE ratio for the S&P 500 now vs other times.

BubbleOmics: Oil's Fair Price Won't Go Down

The supply of oil is inelastic in the long run too--and in fact going down: this is called peak oil. For articles about this see the the Oil Drum:
www.theoildrum.com/

Smart Guys on Wall Street: The Trillin Theory

No. I think everyone at those firms knew there was a possibility that everything would blow up. But they ran the numbers looking at solely at their own personal financial situation: exactly how much salary and bonuses they would get vs how much they would lose if their stockholdings in the firm went to zero.

As it turned out everything turned out beautifully for them anyway: they got the massive salary and bonuses were times were good, and when times were bad the losses were transferred to the Federal government (or actually the average taxpayer and future generations) and now they are back to making the big bucks.

Portfolio Building with TIPS ETFs: Is Now the Time?

The problem with TIP is that it is based on the Consumer Price Index which substantially understates the true inflation rate.

Norway: Fiscal, Monetary Policies Going in Opposite Directions

"Guidelines limit government withdrawals from the oil fund to its estimated return which is around 4%. Next year will be the second consecutive year that the guideline is violated."

Compare this to the United States, for the example the money the Federal treasury received from the North Shore oil. What happened to it? Not 4% was withdrawn, not 10% but 100% went into the general expenditures. There is a strong bipartisan consensus in the U.S. of mortgaging the next generation, a philosophy quite in contrast with the Norwegian view.

So I think the Norwegian kroner deserves its high value.

JPMorgan Q3: Significantly Beats Estimates, Profits Surge

Lots of us think banks are going to suffer vastly greater loan losses than the phony numbers they publish.

Don't Give Up on Stocks Yet

The stock market looks more and more like a casino; and casinos are just not a good place to make money--or even keep the money you have.

Will Cheaper Laptops Snuff Out Netbooks?

If you can sell cheap laptops at $399, then someone should be able to sell cheap netbooks for a couple hundred dollars--so netbook prices will be coming down too (and netbooks might even be "free" (as the cell phone companies call it--where you spend almost nothing for the netbook and get locked into a cell phone contract for a couple thousand dollars for the two years of cell phone service).

While I am a strong believer in bigger screens for myself, perhaps you should why so many people like smartphones--with everything very small.

Real Cost of the Baucus Bill is $904 Billion

I think the real cost is substantially less. Consider an individual who is now too sick to work and can't afford to go to the doctor --vs that same individual receiving health care and who can now go back to work and pay taxes...