squawk

Despite Its Recent Run-Up, The DJIA Isn't Expensive

Re: "but this market is WAY OVERSOLD." Presume you meant to say "WAY OVERBOUGHT."

Fellow alum.


On Jul 25 01:30 PM HATEFEEBAY wrote:

> As a trader that trades nearly $10 Million a month in my home, I
> am literally buying physical silver, silver stocks and DXD against
> the DJIA. This is CLEARLY a bear rally, no forward earnings, unemployment
> increasing where revenues will shrink, the US printing money both
> literally and figuratively monetizing the debt to levels not seen
> in history, the US dollar is GONE, I want nothing to do with it and
> I am an American, a very scared one. Finance is my gig, Wharton Alumni
> Class of 2003, look me up and one that has done well even in this
> mad market, but this market is WAY OVERSOLD and it should be at 7000
> IMHO and I am shorting it because of quantifiable metrics will come
> into play and this economy will tank thanks to Obama and Company
> and all their idiotic policies. Going forward, I will not live in
> the US much longer and I have been overseas a lot and this country
> is socialism and rewarding people for not working-a very sad time
> in our country, perhaps the saddest yet. Gary

California's Pension, Education Costs: Out of Control

The bottom line is that the State of California can no longer afford certain practices of the past that now burden all of us. It's time for a change. Unfortunately, we have a State legislature that does not have the political will to change the status quo, as they have benefitted from such past practices in a significant way on the backs of taxpayers.

Bespoke's Sector Snapshot

Like the charts. You guys do a good job.

Opportunities for Tech Dividends

Not a very good writer div tree. Not only does the table at the top of the article not identify ORCL as a dividend paying stock, but you go on in the third paragraph with the following:

"Contrarily, there are few other companies that have not had any favorable dividend policy. The argument for no dividends has been that they need cash for continued innovation and growth. In this third group, the prominent ones that have not paid dividends are Cisco (CSCO), Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG), Oracle (ORCL), EMC Corp (EMC), eBay (EBAY), and Dell (DELL). Keen observer will note that majority are these companies are from hardware sector."

While I'll admit I skimmed over the last paragraph. I did so because I had already encountered two references in the article to categorizing ORCL as a non-dividend paying stock:: 1st in the table; 2nd in the 3rd paragraph in the article. Accept my apologies for skimming over the last paragraph identifying ORCL's dividend announcement.

But then I have to ask you, why didn't you clean up the article to make it consistent? Don't you think you have a duty, if you wish to call yourself a journalist, to correct the mistatements in your article, particularly when there remains such an inconsistency? Who's smart?

On Apr 03 04:56 PM Dividend Tree. wrote:

> not so smart, squawk
> I did mention ORCL's dividend announcement immediately after"Third
> Group". it is the first sentence in that para.
>
> Momintn:
> I like IBM too. It has adapted very well in last decade or so. From
> a pure hardware play to software tech and services....

Opportunities for Tech Dividends

Surprised by your article's oversight of ORCL's announcement during its last earnings call, March 23, just before publication of your article, that it will begin to pay a quarterly dividend of $.05 per share. First ex-dividend date this Monday, April 6.

Might wish to do some research on recent news before publishing articles in the future. Beyond that, good article because it highlights to the lay investor how investing in tech is increasingly becoming a dividend play as well.

Geithner's Plan Offers New Rules of the Game

Agree, William. I was just reading in today's LA Times where a Senator from NJ was quoted as saying there's always a call for new regulation in times where there's some mess, believing if such new regulation had been in place such mess would have been avoided. I had the same thought as you -- before looking to legislate new regulations, how about examining existing regulation and identify areas, where if enforced as Congress intended, either some aspect of the current mess would have been avoided, or at the very least mitigated to have a less material impact upon the health of our economy.

If one thing has been made clear from the current mess, is the revelation that many in Washington, particularly the regulatory agencies, simply weren't doing their job. Politics always gets in the way. Politicians lead the bureaucrats, so the onus is now on the politicians to create a regulatory atmosphere where existing regulations are enforced to the full extent of the law. That would be a good start before creating new legislation where the political atmosphere going forward will always create doubt as to what exent new laws will be enforced.

On Mar 27 09:06 AM William Cowie wrote:

> In Geithner's discussion of what caused the mess, he focused solely
> on laws and bureaucracies. Not a word about how existing laws were
> ignored by existing bureaucracies, the SEC for example. And the FDIC,
> as morph pointed out above.
>
> That raises a serious issue: he obviously doesn't plan to add oversight
> over the FDIC's, the SEC's and other new bureaucracies to ensure
> they do their job.
>
>

Amid Dividend Disasters, Seven Companies Announce Increases

Definitely.


On Mar 08 05:25 PM cash wrote:

> QCOM certainly seems to be weathering this storm very well, compared
> to other tech stocks. Could this be the one tech stock to watch on
> a rally?

Why Felix Should Walk Away

In CA, only purchase money mortgages (mortgages originated to finance the purchase of a home) are non-recourse. However, most, if not all, mortgages originated to refinance an existing mortgage are recourse. That's a big hook for a homeowner to consider before doing a refi.

So, it's important before deciding whether to walk to first determine whether the mortgage you gave the bank is recourse or non-recourse.

Storm vs. iPhone: Both Have Issues

Thanks for the analysis, & being a "guinea pig" for the consumer who can't decide between an iPhone on AT&T or a Storm on VZW . . . or neither.

Your article saved me the time & the pain of going through what you did, though I'd never expend the effort to do so. Your analysis confirms the conclusions I arrived at without going through the road test, or perhaps more appropriately "torture track," that you did. Kudos for your martrydom.

The iPhone is an utterly impressive device. However, I, personally, could never sacrifice a network for a device. I first studied the Storm @ CES 2009, & was initially impressed, but quickly learned, when "polling" iPhone users, that the Storm had tremendous shortcomings.

Consensus in the market, immediately after the Storm's launch was lukewarm. That should tell the consumer a lot. If one followed the release of the Storm prior to its launch, it seemed pretty clear that RIMM "pushed" the device to market in face of increasing pressure to jump start sales, that the device, so revolutionary for RIMM, had a lot of problems, that likely would be worked out over time, or in other words . . . wait for the next generation of the device.

Hopefully, RIMM is working out the kinks in the present phone's design, as well as addressing other complaints consumers has expressed abuot the Storm, such as the touchpad & the like.

To me, a smart phone has to be a phone above all else. If a phone's design makes it unnecessarily cumbersome to make a call, then it's not ready for prime time. A smartphone has to have an interface that makes for EZ input of text. It seems the Storm fails miserably in these two critical areas.

Staying away from both phones . . . for now . . .seems to be the right decision. I look forward to studying the next generation Storm, and the day VZW announces a deal with AAPL to offer the iPhone to its customers.

Fourth Quarter Sees Decline in Cell Phone Shipments

Re: "Are cell phones no longer a growth business?"

What planet do you live on, Eric?

Are California Muni Bonds Safe?

The law of supply & demand, doctor, is more determinate upon the level of rent a landlord will ask for an apartment than property tax expense apportioned to the unit.

The argument Claudio raises does have a merit in the eyes of the State Legislature, which is why the State has a hefty State income tax well as a sizeable sales tax.


On Jan 19 04:54 PM socphd71 wrote:

> Claudio: Apartment renters pay their property tax indirectly. It
> is that part of their apartment rent which the owner uses to pay
> his/her property tax.

Dennis Gartman: Go Long Infrastructure, Short Everything Else

I like to listen, read Gartman's comment, but I agree with some of previous comments, Gartman's comments cannot be relied upon longer than a day or two. He's a trader, and self-admitted is free to, & DOES, frequently changes his opinion, outlook, and hence his long & short positions of any commodity, index, currency, sector in which he holds a position.

In short, Gartman's opinion, while nice to listen to, cannot be, & should not be, relied upon for anything learning HIS view of the market at an instant in time. JMO.

What's Happening at Apple: Steve Jobs

Agree, Tom B. One need only take a look @ MSFT's relative stock performance compared to the S&P, as well as frequently quoted competitors such as IBM, ORCL to see how pitiful MSFT's stock has performed since Gates left the helm.

On the product side, you forgot to mention the sinking of MSFT's flagship product, Windows Vista. Need I say more?


On Dec 22 09:17 AM Tom B wrote:

> "In our closest example, Microsoft doesn’t seem to have missed a
> beat after Bill Gates stepped down."
>
>
> Really? think closely about what you just said. When I see Ballmer,
> I see a loud-mouthed frat boy who: 1) couldn't move the flagship
> product (Windows) to UNIX and spewed forth Vista instead 2) launched
> abortive products like Silverlight and Zune 3) Continues to bankroll
> the money-losing XBox white elephant 4) Couldn't convince the Yahoo
> board to roll over and commit hari-kiri before the Mighty Microsoft
> 5) gave us those inexplicable Jerry Seinfeld ads.

Long Term Housing Stability Is Based on Strong Borrowers

Good blog.

Zell on Tribune's Bankruptcy: No Way to Avoid It

Remember, given the US Gov't equity funding in "the banks," we, the taxpayers are "the banks."

US Bankruptcy law is designed for the orderly restructuring of debt so that all creditors are treated equitably. Of course, equity holders (i.e. Zell) will be last in line.



On Dec 11 02:46 PM swaps wrote:

> Whole Foods taking out Wild Oats, Zell taking out Tribune.
>
> American capitalism's business plan seems to be a game of musical
> chairs with someone left holding the bag of smelly fish - a mixed
> metaphor I know.
>
> But I agree with the poster above. The banks deserve to be left holding
> this mixed bag of assets after encouraging him to do a zero-down
> deal.
>
> And I bet the original Wild Oats and Tribune shareholders turned
> around and lost 50 percent of their recaptured capital in the recent
> stock market unpleasantness.