CoverIsBetter

Cramer Does It Again with CIT Call

They know nothing!
They know nothing! They know nothing! They know nothing!..

If he has to be a dork 9 days out of 10, to get to say what needs saying when we need it, fine.

Homebuyer Tax Credit: The Moneypit Is Alive and Well

I agree with 'LivingForDividends';
A small tax credit, which you get as a deduction for buying a home, is a pittance compared to all the other bailouts.

Correct me if I am wrong, but writing $8000 off of one's income is not going to be a tax refund of $8000.

Stephen Roach on Charlie Rose

The hollowing out story is compelling. It is hard to ignore the social stigma associated with entry level white collar work that has emerged since the collapse of the tech bubble.
I can remember when you had to be a high tech worker to get into a night club. You couldn't buy a drink without a Cisco or Novell Netware certification.
Today, you have to have, or a be a personal trainer. You have to have a refined taste for MMA, ultimate fighting, and all things violent beyond the imagination of my 'Hip to be square' generation. This is being reinforced in our American born youth, with every desk job we ship overseas. Nobody with a social conscience will enter white collar America without a 15 pound sledge hammer, compliments of Donald Trump apprenticeship or 7 years of college.
So there is a hollowing out, at the middle and bottom. This is a drastic departure from where we were 15 years ago, that is not good. Opportunities have moved off the radar of those who most need them, and destructive alternatives have moved within arms reach.

E*Trade: Very Undervalued

Shank-a-potomus!

Municipal Bond Fund ‘Swan Dive’

If you averaged down on the funds about six months ago (estimated) this "Swan Dive" is not going to hurt so bad. Like, Goochy said, this is a long term investment.
That said, I dumped all of my EVN shares this AM, because I just can't put up with erratic "swan dives" while licking my wounds in the real estate market at the same time. I will be back to Eaton Vance however. 8% dividend tax-free + share price appreciation = winner to me.

U.S. Housing Market Has Likely Bottomed

I want so badly to be optimistic, but I just can't. What is "reservation demand" again? I have an ECON degree but missed that concept.

Sequenom: Heads Roll, Investors Struggle to Find the Bottom

People on main street are always saying how we need to clean house, "fire the bastards" in charge. Well, this ought to satisfy that firing urge. All those vigilant little people in the supermarket checkout line will cheer that the solution to bad management is finally realized ;-)

Another story reported 3 or 4 additional unnamed employees were let go too.

Why E*Trade Is a Must Buy

Your gut will only get you so far ..

ETrade got the marketing right. Babies with cell phones.

Chart of the Day: Wells Fargo's Construction Loans

Wells has 1/4 of the total mortgage market now. So do they really have to fear how they perform compared to the "nation"? They are the Nation mathematically. Can't they invoke "too big to fail" or whatever to get TARP or like help if needed?
Stumpf has already hinted that Fannie and Freddie need to step up into the bigger loans to free up some capital for the banks.
This is a problem for the "nation" to help solve to rescue 25% of the mortgage market.

Citigroup Makes a Good Move: Preparing to Buy Out Uncle Sam

Is this $5 billion for buying out the government, the same that will come from the bond auction mentioned here today : ftalphaville.ft.com/bl...

If so, this should not affect share dilution for the common stockholders, right?

Why I Predict No Economic Recovery

I would like to provide a link that states why I disagree with your solution to our problems : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/....

Do I like to face the truth? Heck no. Free trade and capitalism just mean more globalization, more outsourcing, and a ghetto for my work and social life.

How the Fed Has Failed Us

This is one of the best S@ articles to date. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

You have a fresh and needed set of critiques, not seen here.

I graduated college 1992, right into a war and a recession. And it has been a complete lost generation for any of us who have actually tried to earn a living since. All we have learned is how to reward a fraction of a percent with big web sites or inheritances, and globalize into smithereens the rest.

I'll never forget the crusty old baby-boomer at the lunch table in 1990-something telling me, "don't look at stocks, you have mutual funds taking care of your 401K". I would love to force him to sit through lunch with me now. To do anything other than go all to cash in a 401K for the past 5 years was a losing proposition.

I am so thankful you mention the 401K carnage that happens with job shifts. This opens the doors to more commissions, more entry-level account reps who lose your money learning the job, or just fee you to death managing and moving the money around.

Thanks again.

The Fed may not need to spend the full $1.25T it pledged to buy mortgage-backed securities, Richmond Fed's Lacker says this morning. Lacker warned the Fed may need to hike rates even while unemployment remains elevated, saying the Fed shouldn't be held hostage to unemployment.

"hostage to unemployment"?

I thought the whole purpose for creating the FED was to sustain employment and control price levels?

Reappointing Bernanke Is a Mistake

Thank you for saying some things that really need to be said.

IMHO - the collapse of the real estate bubble did not have to take the carnage it took. You bolster my stance on this, by reminding us that the FED raised rates way too high at way too fragile a time.

"raising rates all the way up to 5.25% in June 2006"

Just as this was happening, I was getting flyers from my local NAR saying "real estate in Fairfax never goes down". It was not long after that, the bank was recalling my line of credit.

Thanks again for venting this suppressed fact. They never should have suffocated the market for money when they did.

The Facebook 'Death Star' Moves Through the Web Universe

How do you get rid of a "Friend of a Friend" on Facebook? I can remove somebody from my Friends list, but I cannot remove them from my Friends Friend Lists and this means they can see my postings and pictures and stuff.

I guess this is a lot of like life.

oops.. wrong site for this question