jafdc

Safe Haven Investments: Imminent Danger and Opportunities

This guy is an idiot. How does this get to be one of the 'Most Popular Articles' on Seeking Alpha? Someone needs to work on their algorithms.

Russia Looks Better on Paper Than in Real Life

LETRX is an open-end (and load) mutual fund, not an ETF. So far as I know, RSX is the only ETF available (and a pretty good deal when Russia is going up). There is no inverse Russia fund except EEV, an ETF that tries to return twice the the inverse of EEM (i.e. all emerging markets based on the MSCI index). (Also EUM tries to return the inverse of EEM, but since the expenses are about the same it is smarter to put half the amount in EEV and keep the rest in cash.) Keep an eye on ProShares, Rydex, and Drexion, though, to see who comes out first with an inverse Russia fund.

Russia Looks Better on Paper Than in Real Life

LETRX is an open-end (and load) mutual fund, not an ETF. So far as I know, RSX is the only ETF available (and a pretty good deal when Russia is going up). There is no inverse Russia fund except EEV, an ETF that tries to return twice the the inverse of EEM (i.e. all emerging markets based on the MSCI index). (Also EUM tries to return the inverse of EEM, but since the expenses are about the same it is smarter to put half the amount in EEV and keep the rest in cash.) Keep an eye on ProShares, Rydex, and Drexion, though, to see who comes out first with an inverse Russia fund.

Recognizing an Abnormal Market

Roger- This sure sounds like panic to me. So why not just go to cash? You can't win, but you can't lose either, and you live to fight another day. -JAFDC

Diluting the WSJ

Thank God for the Financial Times (except for their pricing policies).

On Being Rich

In America, the 'rich' are traditionally those who don't have to work for a living; those who do have to work think of themselves as being 'middle class'--albeit, above $100,000 or $200,000 or whatever, admittedly or proudly 'upper' middle class. To accuse such people of being 'rich' is insulting and offends them because it seems to devalue their work and success by putting them in the same class as those universally despised and envied creatures who have inherited wealth and do nothing except perhaps by choice. We could perhaps labor to establish a distinction between the 'rich' and the 'wealthy', but that is not current usage and anyway why add insult to injury? Why not just show respect for the hardworking upper middle class by calling them that while raising their taxes? As for the truly rich, there should also be an annual 1% capital tax on assets over $5 million or $50 million or whatever.

Barton Biggs Talk

Thanks for the memories. I am reminded of Barton Biggs, "well fed and maximum bullish," predicting the rise of Asian stocks just before the Asian debt crisis in 1997. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. But why do people give him their money?

Inverse (Short) Market Cap ETFs

How about the Rydex short and ultrashort ETFs. They are supposed to have lower expenses (.70 v .95) and maybe more accuracy.