J. Crighton

Oil Producers: Lower CDS Spreads, Higher Equity Prices

I agree with red.

Should You Invest Based on Google Searches?

A novel idea if you ask me.

Crude Oil ETN to Close Down

I never understood what was so bad about DXO and the other leveraged funds in there first place.

Yes I read the perspectus and many other things (articles on SA for example) which warned against holding a position longer than, less than a day or a couple days at the most. And I chose to do the opposite, since at the time DXO had just come off of its 52-week low (along with oil) and the panic was just begining to subside.

I personally bought some shares when the stock was at $2.96 and sold when it was just over $4.00. My only regret is that I wasn't able to throw anything into the position when I first noticed it at $1.93. And fortunately I've been out of it since. I took a calculated risk and it paid off for me.

Ah well . . . to all good things.

Will Electric Cars Count as Three to the EPA?

I prefer to let the higher cost of gas influence what people buy. If you can afford to drive a vehicle that has 20 mpg when gas is at $4+ then hey more power to you. If not, then you need to balance the vehicle you need with what you can afford. But why think that far ahead . . .

But a side thought. How exactly does letting EVs count as more than one actually do anything positive? Since the standard for mpg is just an average doesn't that overwheight the EV's effect allowing for more low mpg vehicles to be produced?

Clunkers and Home Buyer Tax Credit: All the Same Thing

"HUD created the opportunity for a buyer to use the $8,000 as a down payment provided that the borrower obtained an FHA insured mortgage. FHA can insure up to 97.5% of a purchase price. This means that the equity of $8,000 could have been used to finance a 100% purchase."

100% ?? Why does that sound familiar . . . nope . . . can't place it. Can't think of why this wouldn't work out either . . . nope.

Sigh . . . have we learned nothing? I ask.

Study: Shift Computing to Where Power Is Cheapest

If I were using 38 MILLION a year in electricity I'd start think about generating my own to help deflect some of that cost. Ouch.

It's All About Taxes

It would be one thing to feel be taxed on something and actually feel you got your moneys worth, I just don't see that happening with healthcare if the government gets involved.

Sluggish Wages and Employment

I think the July unemployment numbers (to be released on August 7th) are going to be a bit of hit, maybe not the "shocker" that the June report was, but it's still going to be ugly.

August 7th is right around the corner and so is the next drop. At lest in my opinion, but what do I know.

An Increase in Minimum Wage = A Decrease in Hours

If a persons skill set is determined to be worth only $6 an hour by the market, legislating a higher ammount of pay is not doing the individual any favors.

Businesses / employers only have few options availible to them: reduce hours for some or all employees, layoff or terminate some employment, both of these options don't benefit the employee, plus they have the double effect of forcing the employer to do the same level of workload with less employees. This is true whether in recession or not.

Of course the employer could simply raise prices on goods produced or the services provided, but thats going to put the business at a competitive disadvantage. Say you have two identical yet competing business, one cuts costs (or at least holds the line on the expenses) and retains current prices but the competitor business opts to raise their prices. On average, which business do you think has a better chance at survival? Which business is more likely to gain market share from its competitor?

But what about the other employees, the ones who had previously either demonstrated a slightly superior level of skill or ability and had been paid at above minimum wage pricing? The value of that extra effort (or skills, etc.) has now been de-valued.

Edward Jones vs. Leveraged ETFs: Positioning or PR Move?

The irony of this story to me is that my advisor at Edward Jones had actually recommended DXO to me earlier in the year.

Own to Rent: The Beat Goes On

mold is at least somewhat usefull (penicillin for example), this just sounds like a bad idea to me.

Unbelievably, the No-Doc Loans Movement Gains Steam

"Lord, can we please learn something from all of this!"

Sir, you ask too much.

(That was meant to be a sarcastic joke by the way)

I can't fathom how No-Doc loans can even still be legal anymore.

Dow 6,787,047?

Or another world war wipes out the production base of many of our competitors.

Increasing Taxes in the U.S.: Accepting the Inevitable

Why not do both: Raise taxes (or at the least equitably tax people, none of this progressive taxation bs, everybody pays whatever percent of income and limit deductions) AND reduce expenditures (cut some of benefits offerred). Then maintain the levels until all debts are paid off.

I can't fathom why we haven't declared war on Debt when we seem to declare war on just about everything else: poverty, homelessness, drugs, and so on.

Boston Fed: We Don't Understand Foreclosures

Or we could just continue to throw money at the problem, I know I know, that hasn't really worked much before . . . but MAYBE if throw an unimaginably large ammounts of money at the problem it will work out this time.

I like previous posters idea about reducing the principal balances by 10% although I would adjust it to all private mortgages not just the ones currently owned by the Gov since the problem isn't sole contained to the gov't owned mortgages.

Admitedly the pp solution would be a bit more do-able since the Fred & Fan mortgages are essentially owned by the gov the gov can do as it pleases, almost.

I figure that and throw in say a six month period or so where the gov't stops all with-holding taxes to throw some cash into the working part of the populations wallets to help pay the bills etc.