Panus Skepticus

Is Another October Surprise in the Works?

"...almost nothing has been done to rectify the underlying problems facing the U.S. economy."

Yeah, well, as long as the financial lobbyists paralyze the Senate, little can be expected there. OTOH, Obama's executive branch did a pretty good job keeping us from falling into a catastrophic Great Depression, but it's bad form around here to say "thank you."

Foreign Real Estate ETFs Present a Better Risk-Reward Scenario

With Eastern Europe holding now toxic euro-denominated mortgages, and over 1 million unsold homes in Spain, I'm not at all sure that going overseas does anything for safety. What have you got when you combine a lot of different basket cases?

Jim Sinclair: 9 Immediate Predictions for Gold

As belligerent as the current right wing wacko's are in Israel, I don't believe they will make the miscalculation that this scenario requires. Frankly, they can't get bombers with bunker-busters to Iran without overflying Iraq, and we won't let them do that. Nor do they really know where all the nukes are, so targeting info is completely inadequate.

Noises from Jerusalem right now are intended to do a number on Iran's head. They're not supposed to freak us out here in the U.S., and we shouldn't get confused by it.

This whole Sinclair exercise smacks of Armageddon Theology, which led to Reagan and Bush II's biggest mistakes. All this fear and trembling proves is that a slight fever can be exciting. It doesn't give you any kind of roadmap to riches.

Barrel of salt required.

Paper Printing Prosperity Defined

Blame it all on Obama? Yeah, right. The bile flows freely in the State of Denial.

Get this straight: it was the Republican brand of laissez-faire that just about wrecked the world economy. Democrats are just the cleanup crew. These are the hard facts, so be a man and take your medicine.

Don't Expect Answers on the Market from the Calendar

Boy, don't believe everything you read here. John Fund blames California's collapse on the unions? How about Howard Jarvis, the father of something for nothing? Selective memory at work from the man who wrote Limbaugh's books.

And when Stratfor praises Bush for turning things around in Iraq, it begs the question of how he screwed it up so spectacularly in the first place. Them Texas Republicans stick together.

Can We Get Some Actionable Advice Please?

You don't ask Taleb or Roubini for actionable advice any more than you ask a research scientist for a prescription for an antibiotic. Wrong occupation, wrong vantage point, wrong time frame, wrong priorities. Sorry Eddy, you messed up.

Dark Clouds Gather as Obama Presidency Spooks the Markets

Let's see. Wall Streeters believe in Ronald Reagan, Milton Friedman, and lower taxes on themselves. Of course they're upset, everything they believed in is OVER! DONE WITH! TOAST!

And Mr. Butler is about as useless as a 1923 calendar.

SKF Regaining Its Old Form?

I'm going to put bids in for other short sector ETFs. The Powers That Be obviously don't want us to make money on this one. They'll keep messing with the regulations until the problem goes away. SKF is too visible a thumbs up/down on the Golden Rule crowd: them's with the gold makes the rules. This particular casino table has been tilted.

Dollar Goes Down Along with Bailout Plan

Why aren't we talking about Sweden? They've been through it, worked it out, and ultimately at a profit.

Why are we so provincial that we can't learn from other countries? Our problems are unique only in scale. Otherwise, we're not the first and only.

McCain ETFs: What If the 'Maverick' Pulls It Off?

Ah, the "culture of responsibility" takes a nosedive, as the greedy, fearful Republicans try to blame the mess on Jimmy Carter way back in the Pleistocene. Pathetic.

McCain ETFs: tranquilizers and Depends.

McCain ETFs: What If the 'Maverick' Pulls It Off?

Ah, the "culture of responsibility" takes a nosedive as greedy, fearful Republicans blame the mess on Jimmy Carter, somewhere back in the Pleistocene. Pathetic.
McCain ETFs: tranquilizers and Depends.