Sonia

Thoughts on the Stock Market Spin Machine

Excellent analysis - thanks for a great article!

"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..."

Could the Dow Sink Another 50% by 2012?

There has been so much negatism that I'd guess we've seen the bottom, but there are steps we can take to protect ourselves. My son, whose house is half paid for and had a 5.25% mortgage on 15 years, has refinanced at 4.8 for 30 years to reduce his payments in the event that he loses his job. With the much lower payments he could deliver pizzas and not lose his home. Make a game of "how fast can I pay off the credit cards?" Buy quality stocks in essential industries that pay stable dividends, and reinvest the dividends. When you walk a middle course between gloom and euphoria, life is good!

The Mortgage Meltdown: Is the Other Shoe About to Drop?

More trouble is coming. People who purchased homes many years ago with 20% down are now under water, even if they were not tempted to take money out with second mortgages. A friend in Ohio owes more than 30K more on her modest home than it would sell for; there are a number of foreclosed homes in her long-established neighborhood. Her income as a real estate agent is collapsing and she questions how much longer she can pay her mortgage. To stop a vicious downward spiral, the government needs to refinance all mortgages across the board at 3% interest, allowing owners to stay in their homes and young people to be able to buy. Second mortgages should be outlawed. Not so long ago, TV ads invited "get a loan to take a vacation" - the ultimate stupidity!

The Law of Unintended Consequences: 20th Century and Beyond

On Jan 05 12:17 PM Vienna wrote:


> - the unfunded medicare - it works here in Europe where live expectancy
> is higher, we always surely need to adopt it to the age pyramid,
> but this gives us a better future outlook than waiting to have nothing.
> Cost is approx. 10% of GDP for medical insurance , slightly lower
> than US what i know, but EVERYBODY is ensured here, >
> >
>A friend in England, in his 50's, waited for five years for a heart bypass under National Health. IUnable to work as his health failed in those years, he lost his house and his son had to drop out of college. 20 years ago another friend, a schoolteacher who had paid in for England's National Health all her life, was knocked down by a car; no bed was available at the public hospital,so she had to pay for treatment for broken bones at a private hospital. National health means national shortages. We don't want this here.