Sonia's Comments RSS Syndication from SeekingAlpha.com http://seekingalpha.comuser/324521/comments http://seekingalpha.com/article/179506-consumer-spending-and-the-temporary-income-hypothesis?source=feed#comment-818582 818582
The steep increase in transfer receipts is due to inflation. What would the charts look like if they could be adjusted for inflation?]]> Wed, 23 Dec 2009 09:27:00 -0500
The steep increase in transfer receipts is due to inflation. What would the charts look like if they could be adjusted for inflation?]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/179329-the-forthcoming-prime-mortgage-meltdown?source=feed#comment-816955 816955 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 09:22:30 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/179076-thoughts-on-the-stock-market-spin-machine?source=feed#comment-815819 815819
"I think we will see another example of the market machine spin job when the retail sales data comes out for next month. While the data would have likely been weak anyway, due to the tepid economic situation, you can bet that this batch of bad data will be written off to the blizzard that blanketed the East Coast on the last weekend before Christmas. The snow will be spun into another market excuse to write off the poor results! Keep the machine churning..."]]> Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:29:44 -0500
"I think we will see another example of the market machine spin job when the retail sales data comes out for next month. While the data would have likely been weak anyway, due to the tepid economic situation, you can bet that this batch of bad data will be written off to the blizzard that blanketed the East Coast on the last weekend before Christmas. The snow will be spun into another market excuse to write off the poor results! Keep the machine churning..."]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/179153-enforcing-credit-norms-of-a-different-kind?source=feed#comment-815746 815746 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:56:09 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/155619-consumer-credit-and-the-credit-check-hurdle?source=feed#comment-626438 626438 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:38:49 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/154973-bernanke-s-dark-kingdom?source=feed#comment-622227 622227 Sun, 09 Aug 2009 14:43:16 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/148054-the-death-of-buy-and-hold-is-greatly-exaggerated-part-1?source=feed#comment-582808 582808 Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:47:00 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/142915-when-will-housing-prices-return-to-previous-highs?source=feed#comment-545040 545040
A PA in Dallas recently took a pay cut and her husband, a computer tech, was laid off. Her income is sufficient to pay the mortgage and his unemployment to buy groceries. But if she is laid off there will be another house for sale on the courthouse steps.

Why can't the government use TARP to refinance mortgages at present appraised value?]]> Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:23:57 -0400
A PA in Dallas recently took a pay cut and her husband, a computer tech, was laid off. Her income is sufficient to pay the mortgage and his unemployment to buy groceries. But if she is laid off there will be another house for sale on the courthouse steps.

Why can't the government use TARP to refinance mortgages at present appraised value?]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/139151-credit-distinctions-revolving-and-transactional?source=feed#comment-514405 514405
Those of us who pay our balances every month and get cashback or miles are going to lose, but fewer people will be suckered into mounting debt. Card companies deluge any name they get their hands on with offers ( my grandsons in high school and my cat have all received credit card offers,) then jack up interest rates to 26%, 30%, or more, pretend to be astonished when people default on the ever increasing debt, and expect the government (the taxpayers) to bail them out.

What did the credit card companies expect the end would be? Reminds me of our banks lending money at high interest to South American countries in the '80's, then lending more every year so the countries could "pay" that interest, and more to pay the interest on the interest... each CEO hoping he'd retire before the inevitable crash. ]]> Fri, 22 May 2009 11:02:22 -0400
Those of us who pay our balances every month and get cashback or miles are going to lose, but fewer people will be suckered into mounting debt. Card companies deluge any name they get their hands on with offers ( my grandsons in high school and my cat have all received credit card offers,) then jack up interest rates to 26%, 30%, or more, pretend to be astonished when people default on the ever increasing debt, and expect the government (the taxpayers) to bail them out.

What did the credit card companies expect the end would be? Reminds me of our banks lending money at high interest to South American countries in the '80's, then lending more every year so the countries could "pay" that interest, and more to pay the interest on the interest... each CEO hoping he'd retire before the inevitable crash. ]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/137943-where-the-big-money-is-betting-big?source=feed#comment-506405 506405

On May 16 09:02 AM Ransome wrote:

> Big money is dumb money. A market is made by smart money. It is projected
> that this new and rising market will hit $200 a barrel by the end
> of the year. Dumb money moves in. Near the plateau, smart money moves
> out while momentum defies gravity for a while longer.
>
> Small molecule development is vastly different than large molecule
> development which has approximately four or more major hurdles to
> conquer not found in small molecule development.
>
> Mergers are a sign of weakness, especially in the pharmaceutical
> sector. Guarantees 5 years of internal turmoil.
>
> Gold is an inflation hedge. Did we add to the money supply or did
> we replace bad securities with good money, a zero sum game. Any chance
> the debt encumbered consumer will increase demand?
>
> Real estate: Buying five houses and managing the rentals is a way
> for seniors to survive. The price of admission is still dropping
> and they are still making people that need a place to live. Fewer
> will qualify for a mortgage.]]> Sat, 16 May 2009 10:58:37 -0400

On May 16 09:02 AM Ransome wrote:

> Big money is dumb money. A market is made by smart money. It is projected
> that this new and rising market will hit $200 a barrel by the end
> of the year. Dumb money moves in. Near the plateau, smart money moves
> out while momentum defies gravity for a while longer.
>
> Small molecule development is vastly different than large molecule
> development which has approximately four or more major hurdles to
> conquer not found in small molecule development.
>
> Mergers are a sign of weakness, especially in the pharmaceutical
> sector. Guarantees 5 years of internal turmoil.
>
> Gold is an inflation hedge. Did we add to the money supply or did
> we replace bad securities with good money, a zero sum game. Any chance
> the debt encumbered consumer will increase demand?
>
> Real estate: Buying five houses and managing the rentals is a way
> for seniors to survive. The price of admission is still dropping
> and they are still making people that need a place to live. Fewer
> will qualify for a mortgage.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/134841-credit-card-catastrophe-congress-can-t-help?source=feed#comment-487601 487601 Sun, 03 May 2009 13:20:39 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/129515-could-the-dow-sink-another-50-by-2012?source=feed#comment-456361 456361 Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:13:13 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/129052-punishing-the-savers-in-a-savings-poor-country?source=feed#comment-449466 449466 Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:35:49 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/124629-bank-liabilities-why-the-discussion-isn-t-explicit?source=feed#comment-444237 444237

On Mar 07 11:26 AM Hari Seldon wrote:

> The banks were playing what organized crime would call a Bust Out
> Scheme.
>
> During the process, the perpetrator builds up a history of good behavior
> with timely payments and low utilization. Over time, they obtain
> additional lines of credit and request higher credit limits. Eventually,
> the account holder uses all available credit and stops making payments.
> Overpayments with bad checks are often included in the final stage,
> temporarily inflating the credit limit and resulting in losses higher
> than the account credit limit.
>
> AIG would be a classic example of this. All other large banks are
> guilty as well. Small local banks are victims in the scheme.]]> Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:59:51 -0400

On Mar 07 11:26 AM Hari Seldon wrote:

> The banks were playing what organized crime would call a Bust Out
> Scheme.
>
> During the process, the perpetrator builds up a history of good behavior
> with timely payments and low utilization. Over time, they obtain
> additional lines of credit and request higher credit limits. Eventually,
> the account holder uses all available credit and stops making payments.
> Overpayments with bad checks are often included in the final stage,
> temporarily inflating the credit limit and resulting in losses higher
> than the account credit limit.
>
> AIG would be a classic example of this. All other large banks are
> guilty as well. Small local banks are victims in the scheme.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/125896-pepsico-dividend-stock-analysis?source=feed#comment-426652 426652 Sun, 15 Mar 2009 13:58:15 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/125970-stewart-vs-cramer-a-cheap-shot?source=feed#comment-426553 426553 Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:39:06 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/125955-credit-card-cancer?source=feed#comment-426535 426535 Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:28:49 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/125989-v-bottoms-and-the-twin-peaked-bear?source=feed#comment-426400 426400 Sun, 15 Mar 2009 11:04:07 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/125951-it-s-a-winter-warming-spell-but-more-snow-ahead-for-markets?source=feed#comment-425657 425657 Sat, 14 Mar 2009 12:11:20 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/124300-jon-stewart-on-cnbc-s-worthlessness?source=feed#comment-414031 414031 Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:32:22 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/123194-the-end-of-the-credit-crisis?source=feed#comment-407726 407726
Why couldn't Bank write down the loan on their books to its present value of 400K rather than 100K?]]> Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:44:05 -0500
Why couldn't Bank write down the loan on their books to its present value of 400K rather than 100K?]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/123194-the-end-of-the-credit-crisis?source=feed#comment-407691 407691

On Feb 28 12:41 PM prudentinvestor wrote:

> I'll propose another solution, which, I fear some will find shocking:
>
>
> When that house, that is worth only $300k, was sold for $500k, its
> seller pocketed a $200k "bubble profit". Seems to me that fairness
> dictates that the sellers who unreasonably profited by selling inflated
> real estate should be the first to contribute the unwinding of this
> bubble. Why not a "windfall profit tax" on sellers of real estate
> during the great bubble, just like we had on oil companies after
> the oil price spike in 1979. I'd suggest that this is more fair than
> charging the loss to those who have not participated, nor profited
> from the bubble.
>
> The treasury can create a table of "artificial inflation" percentages,
> defined by geographic area and by month/year of the bubble, and all
> real estate transactions in this area/month/year would be subject
> to an appropriate windfall profit tax, payable in installments over
> five years.]]> Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:27:44 -0500

On Feb 28 12:41 PM prudentinvestor wrote:

> I'll propose another solution, which, I fear some will find shocking:
>
>
> When that house, that is worth only $300k, was sold for $500k, its
> seller pocketed a $200k "bubble profit". Seems to me that fairness
> dictates that the sellers who unreasonably profited by selling inflated
> real estate should be the first to contribute the unwinding of this
> bubble. Why not a "windfall profit tax" on sellers of real estate
> during the great bubble, just like we had on oil companies after
> the oil price spike in 1979. I'd suggest that this is more fair than
> charging the loss to those who have not participated, nor profited
> from the bubble.
>
> The treasury can create a table of "artificial inflation" percentages,
> defined by geographic area and by month/year of the bubble, and all
> real estate transactions in this area/month/year would be subject
> to an appropriate windfall profit tax, payable in installments over
> five years.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/122634-7-signs-of-an-economic-bottom?source=feed#comment-404280 404280 How very true!

On Feb 26 04:53 AM CuriousMonkey5 wrote:

> Nobody wants people to go uneducated, go hungry, lack healthcare,
> lack medication, lack jobs, or die or be injured in war. But as far
> as an "ideal society" goes, I guess I'll have to apologize for being
> realistic.
>
> Look, secretly, in my heart of hearts, I would love for the world
> to be an ideal society. Honestly. It's a lovely sentiment. I'd love
> world peace and harmony and enough to go around and all of it. Unfortunately,
> it's one thing to have an idea, but quite another to implement it
> in the real world. And unfortunately, human nature is what it is.
> And so, I am grudgingly pragmatic. Human systems have to be designed
> around what people are, not what we wish them to be. It is unfortunate,
> but there are countless unintended consequences to simply throwing
> money at good-intentioned projects.
> ]]> Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:05:38 -0500 How very true!

On Feb 26 04:53 AM CuriousMonkey5 wrote:

> Nobody wants people to go uneducated, go hungry, lack healthcare,
> lack medication, lack jobs, or die or be injured in war. But as far
> as an "ideal society" goes, I guess I'll have to apologize for being
> realistic.
>
> Look, secretly, in my heart of hearts, I would love for the world
> to be an ideal society. Honestly. It's a lovely sentiment. I'd love
> world peace and harmony and enough to go around and all of it. Unfortunately,
> it's one thing to have an idea, but quite another to implement it
> in the real world. And unfortunately, human nature is what it is.
> And so, I am grudgingly pragmatic. Human systems have to be designed
> around what people are, not what we wish them to be. It is unfortunate,
> but there are countless unintended consequences to simply throwing
> money at good-intentioned projects.
> ]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/121799-madoff-stanford-sagas-new-twists?source=feed#comment-397771 397771 Sat, 21 Feb 2009 12:11:33 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/121694-eight-reasons-bank-of-america-is-going-to-20?source=feed#comment-397682 397682 The Fannie Mae preferreds issued in May '08 at $25 have paid NO dividends and sold yesterday at 95 cents. 'Nuff said!

On Feb 20 12:50 PM Alex Filonov wrote:

> BAC may go to $20. Eventually. Unless it goes to $0, gets nationalized
> or taken over by FDIC and sold in parts. If you wanna play BAC, buy
> preferreds, they have more chance of surviving and dividend is safer
> (but not by much)]]> Sat, 21 Feb 2009 10:37:47 -0500 The Fannie Mae preferreds issued in May '08 at $25 have paid NO dividends and sold yesterday at 95 cents. 'Nuff said!

On Feb 20 12:50 PM Alex Filonov wrote:

> BAC may go to $20. Eventually. Unless it goes to $0, gets nationalized
> or taken over by FDIC and sold in parts. If you wanna play BAC, buy
> preferreds, they have more chance of surviving and dividend is safer
> (but not by much)]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/121765-obama-s-foreclosure-plan-a-closer-look?source=feed#comment-397667 397667 Sat, 21 Feb 2009 10:13:13 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/120760-what-would-help-this-recession-vat-or-fairtax?source=feed#comment-390241 390241 Mon, 16 Feb 2009 08:30:13 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/118381-quick-clarification-on-mortgage-slaves?source=feed#comment-375669 375669 Wed, 04 Feb 2009 12:48:42 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/115568-top-stocks-to-buy-in-2009?source=feed#comment-362508 362508
]]> Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:32:41 -0500
]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/101055-my-radical-stimulus-idea-temporary-money?source=feed#comment-359102 359102 Sun, 18 Jan 2009 13:00:20 -0500