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YTD Global Trend Status: Emerging Markets and Resource Exporters

EWA, EWC, EWZ, those are good investments.

Book Review: Getting Off Track by John B. Taylor

This crisis displays the very best and the very worst that democracy has to offer. We'd better find a peaceful way out of this mess, acceptable to the majority. Other options are unthinkable.

China, Energy and Banks: Obama Courting Disaster

This is economic warfare and every Chinese politician, bureaucrat and business leader has read The Art of War by Sun Tzu, and puts his principles into practice. This enemy will not be as easy to defeat as the Japanese were in the 90's.

Four Ways to Invest in Brazil's Growth

I think the ETF's of commodity countries like Brazil, Australia and Canada are very good picks. They are all weighted towards commodity producers and banks.

Southern Copper Corp: An Interesting Way to Play the Commodity Rebound

It appears on the magic formula screener.


On Mar 27 09:02 AM Albert Meyer wrote:

> Great company. Second largest copper reserves in the world, behind
> Chile's Codelco. Pays all compensation in cash only - no stock options,
> no dilution, no games. CEO comp in 2007, $1.4 million. Distributes
> profits liberally. Power plants are being built in China and India
> at a healthy rate; more than 1MW per week being added (fact check
> this). China added 80GW in 2008, 1.5 MW per week. Creates demand
> for copper. Cash cost of production, net of by-product revenue, $0.50
> per pound, but in some quarters in 2007 and 2008, by-product revenues
> exceeded cost of production. Net margin in excess of 20%, ROE 35%+.
> Totally transparent and shareholder-friendly company, strong balance
> sheet, great margins, etc.

Gold Testing Downside Support

Many people have a prediction but nobody has a clue where gold is going. Maybe it is better to study the gold miners, where at least you have a chance to make a strike. Otherwise you buy a bar and shine it every night while you watch TV.

Gold Testing Downside Support

I could buy toast with the Dollars in my account but I'd rather have the Dollars just now.


On Mar 25 10:23 AM GMiki1 wrote:

> One would think. But investors might not be that smart. THe market
> may well rally, but the dollar is toast.

Why I Think Paul Krugman Is Wrong

Why was Lehman allowed to fail and Goldman Sachs wasn't?

Will Americans Learn That a House Is Not an ATM?

It goes away back to junior high days when we played marbles in the playground, ringzies and potzies. There was always a fast talking grade eight guy there with funny hair who was capable of taking all our marbles - crystals and cats eyes included. He's still there on the make, trying to steal all the marbles.

Apparently Libby from AIG was a former CEO at Allstate, during a time when the company did its best to screw policy holders out of their rightful claims from their Allstate policies. They were denied their claims and we've heard this before about claims denied from HMO's. There are no shortage of reports from people denied claims for no good reason. AIG knows about this, Libby knows about this.

Meanwhile Elliot Spitzer says we should forget the bonuses and address the real scandal: "Why are AIG's counterparties getting paid back in full, to the tune of tens of billions of taxpayer dollars?"

Speaking of GS, why was Lehman - a competitor of GS - so easily allowed to fail? Bear Sterns is also gone. Kind of clears the field for Goldman, doesn't it, with all that TARP and AIG money burning a hole in their pocket. Follow the money and a lot of it goes straight to GS.

In Defense of CNBC (Sort Of)

I wonder if the GE spots on Mad Money are scheduled well in advance or if Jeff calls Cramer at the last minute and says, "Hey, we are in a pickle here and I gotta go live and calm people down." There is a serious conflict of interest here and people should be aware of it.


On Mar 14 05:09 AM Rick the Banker wrote:

> YOU HAVE TOTALLY MISSED THE POINT
>
> It is not that CNBC were bullish on some stocks that went down it
> is that they could not be bothered to do basic research before making
> their bullish projections. They weren't and still do not question
> the statements of any of their Corporate CEO guests. They have become
> nothing more than a cheerleader but sell themselves as professional
> analysts.
>
> Both Reuters and Bloomberg are guilty of the same thing. For example
> I had a conversation with the head of Reuter Europe in January of
> 2008 and asked him why they had not covered the foolish lending in
> the sub prime market before it was too late. First he said that nobody
> knew and further it was not their business. The conversation turned
> decidedly cold when I pointed out the many analysts were highlighting
> the problem two years earlier and they simply were refused access
> to the networks. It ended when I asked where or not Reuters had an
> obligation to report actual news or just spread corporate public
> relation statements.
>
> Stewart hit my belief spot on. If the financial networks advertised
> themselves as knowledgeable financial analysts they should do serious
> analysis. If they want to advertise themselves as just another public
> relations channel for corporate messages than they can continue as
> they are.
>
> Rick the Banker

Supress the urge to bottom fish: "Rallies led by financials... are suspect by definition."

There is no meat to this story, only fish bones. Shame on you Santoli.

Treasury: Still Going Nowhere

This is really quite a weekend. Bernie Madoff forgot to pack his pyjamas when he headed off to court the other morning, the Chinese are drilling for oil in Cuba, and nobody wants to work at Treasury.

Treasury: Still Going Nowhere

Well, the only way out of this mess is to take a page from our military's handbook and hire private contractors for the job. Nobody wants to clean toilets and peel potatoes, so KBR will do it for a price. The Treasury could put the job out for tenders and maybe they could get a stink bid from somebody with talent.

Of Oil and the Bull Game

So we sail a boat into the South China Sea as a distraction, but this China/US relationship is really governed by the 1.5 trillion of our bonds that they have and a few trillion more we are hoping to sell them to help us back on our feet.


On Mar 15 11:14 AM john s. gordon wrote:

> fireb -
>
> one of my canadian friends who is a drilling engineer was visiting
> cuba a couple yrs ago & described to me how the chinese-owned
> onshore drilling rigs (cheaper to create & operate than offshore
> rigs) are tapping undersea oil pools using horizontal directional
> drilling. the product crude is sent to venezuela for refining.<br/>
>
> now these rigs are surely visible to u.s surveillance assets, but
> there is no mention by anyone in government about the chinese presence
> in cuba.