The Fed & Wall St Aren't The Only Money Manipulators Out There...

Posted by Colin Doyle, March 31, 2010

The smaller bills are getting to be about as valuable as pages from a coloring book anyway.

DOLLAR DOODLING! HERE

DOLLAR SCULPTURES! HERE

DOLLAR ENGRAVINGS HERE

Trade Is: LONG beards and SHORT funny mustaches.

Wonk Wonk Wonk Charlie Taxpayer...

Posted by Colin Doyle, March 30, 2010

Alan Greenspan is history's most evasive, circuitous, and dumbfounding public speaker on matters relating to the economy. It would seem the former Fed Chair has put his caustic skills to use on a new endever. Greenspan has attempted to side-step any culpability on the part of the Federal Reserve he presided over for 18 long years by publishing a paper titled "The Crisis". This is a distancing exercise by Greenspan where he defends his policies with regards to the credit crisis.

"wonk wonk wonk...hundred year storm.....wonk wonk wonk....the cost of bailouts are preferable to the cost of cleanups.....wonk wonk wonk......this is why we have a central bank."

.... at least he kept it short.

"The Crisis" by Alan Greenspan (the whole thing should be in quotes really) HERE

Trade: Long bullshit. Short common sense.

Have You Ever Heard The Curious Tale Of Darth Wasserstein The Mysterious??

Posted by Sean Doyle, March 29, 2010.

Vanity Fair has an interesting article on the secretive life and final days of celebrated financier Bruce Wasserstein.

For the article written by William D. Cohan, click here.

On a side note, I attended an appearance by Mr. Wasserstein at the 92nd St. Y in the fall of 2007. During the interview he (Wasserstein) was frequently evasive and not at all giving with information. Wasserstein's stubbornness with answers led to many awkward pauses and a rather unenlightening evening. It was so deadly boring in fact that Bloomberg TV anchor Michael McKee, who was seated just a few rows ahead of me, slept for most of the interview. It was only McKee's blissful snore that occasionally punctuated the stale unpleasant silence that followed the moderator's every question. Idiot that I am, I stayed awake for the whole damn thing.

The Trade is: Buy: Michael McKee. Short: Me

If You're Feeling Scholarly.....

Posted by Colin Doyle, March 24, 2010

Then you might want to take a look at this Harvard Undergrad Thesis by former student Anna Katherine Barnett Hart. (If you think her name is long just try reading her 116 page annalysis of the CDO market collapse.)

Hart's work was widely praised when it was submitted in March of 2009 when both the Dow & S&P where at their lowest levels of the credit crisis sell off.

Her thesis titled: The Story of the CDO Market Meltdown: An Empirical Analysis, was so well received and circulated that Michael Lewis, author of the classic Wall St. must-read, "Liar's Poker" (as well as a stack of other best-selling books), has acknowledged referencing her work for his new book "The Big Short: Inside The Doomsday Machine".

Thats right. One 22 year old kid, not even out of College, was better able to grasp what was happening at the time then most banks, hedge funds, and world governments.

Good Luck: HERE

Journal Article: HERE

Trade: Long Harvard. Short Yale.

It's a Top.

Posted by Colin Doyle, March 23, 2010

If this isn't evidence of a top in cheap money then I don't know what is. As much as I love KISS you gotta know when to jump on a trade.

Bloomberg article HERE

Trade: Double long the USD or any other bet on a rise in interest rates. Short wigmakers.

CHART THIS!!

Posted by Sean Doyle, March 22, 2010

Courtesy of Bronson Capital Markets Research:

Here is your 139-Year Total Return Index Of The Stock Market And Its-Reversion-To-The-Extreme Supercycle Oscillator!!!!

Enjoy...

IS THIS REALLY THE ZEITGEIST?

Posted by Colin Doyle, March 18, 2010

During the economic crisis I, like many other people, found myself online virtually non-stop. I was reading from as many sources as possible to educate myself on what exactly was happening to the global economy. Ironically, the search for knowledge can sometimes lead you in the dumbest directions. I have always been amused by the online conspiracy community. What amazes me is how well they can take every new development that comes along no mater how contradictory and weave it into their conspiracy narrative. I am not a denier that conspiracies can and often do exist. It would be foolish to except the world at face value and not question the motivation of powerful people or organizations. It would also be foolish to think that sci-fi enthusiasts with google and a ripped version of final cut pro are gunna make the video that uncovers the truth. One video I came across, in particular, drives me up the fucking wall. This movie is called Zeitgeist. This pretentious Final-Cut "masterpiece" is basically another Federal Reserve bash-fest. And to be sure, there's plenty to bash about the Fed. However, this movie prints more bullshit then the Federal Reserve prints money. After monotonously explaining that we live under a system of financial repression and slavery, (which unfortunately many of us do) the film goes on to offer an answer. What is it, you ask? Some vague type of new age utopia where people "cooperate" and live equally. They even have little renderings of white cloud cities with monorails, glass building, and lots of trees to show how serious they are about their utopia. Unfortunately if the creator of this masterpiece of bullshit had just looked back a little deeper into the 20th century he might have discovered a little something called communism. I just can't believe how stupid some people are. I blush watching them hold up their renderings of futuristic potamkin villages while they talk about purging the world of the artificial happiness that capitalism has fed to us through materialism, and consumption. HA! Take a moment to read the comments listed under this video wherever it might be posted, and you soon realize that people fail. They (Zeitgeist fans) are like goldfish swimming about in mindless wisdom-immune circles. These people are no more critical of this empty rhetoric now then when it was first spread to the masses oh so long ago and this despite a century of bloody communist failings. Listen, if you have nothing important to do... or even unimportant to do....AND I DO MEAN NOTHING. Take some time and be entertained by the indefensible stupidity that is Zeitgeist. I give it two thumbs.... in my eye.

IS CHINA THE BIGGEST BUBBLE IN HISTORY?

Posted by Sean Doyle, March 17, 2010

James Rikards has joined Jim Chanos in his belief that China is a great big bubble just waiting to burst.

From Bloomberg:

China in Midst of "Greatest Bubble in History," Rickards Says

From CSM:

China: the coming costs of a superbubble

UNCLE MORT SEES TROUBLE ON THE HORIZON

Posted by Sean Doyle 3/15/10

Mort Zuckerman sees further decline in U.S. housing market as likely. In this 

Bloomberg piece from last week, he advocates further government action.

USD... Not a Fiat Currency?

Posted by Colin Doyle, March 10, 2010

The US dollar is not a fiat currency. Forever I have been hearing the calls that the us dollar is a fiat currency backed by nothing.   The only way to really securely save wealth is to put it in gold or other more secure currencies. right?  Well Here is another take on the greenback... Lets say that it isn't a fiat currency and that it is backed by something.  And whats that something?  It's simple, its backed by YOU.  The productivity of the US worker is what backs the us dollar.  Once u get past the "I'm not a financial calculation i'm a human being" sentimentality it's a rather simple conclusion.  The only reason the government can take on debt or the fed can rapidly print money is because the american workforce is the most educated, dynamic, hard working, and productive commodity in the world. (for now).  Why back your currency in a precious metal all it does is sit in an expensive vault.  Back your currency in the expectation of actual labor, productivity, and innovation.  Now thats what i call currency backing.  financial Crisis's will come and go and the money supply will shrink and expand but americans will always need to work in order to survive and that collective human machine is where the usd derives value.  Are we therefore money slaves?  Yes.  Do we have the liberty to chose to not be?  ask your neighborhood hobo.

Fuld Plans Comeback!

Posted by Colin Doyle, March 10, 2010

Dick Fuld plans comeback after first round knock out in Lehman Bros. gym.

The former Lehman head is said to be training vigorously for his next big bout.  He is scheduled to go head to head with denial until the day he dies.  Surprisingly the ex-Lehman big wig is optimistic and claims his past record proves he can win this match.

IS ZOMBIE CITIBANK ABOUT TO RISE FROM THE DEAD?

Posted by Sean Doyle, March 10, 2010

Citi (C) hit a four month high today as investors now seem to believe the worst is over for Pandit's playground. Celebrated value investor Bruce Berkowitz bought more than 700 million in Citi stock, calling it "very cheap"

I Guess Mike Duke Prefers Blondes

Posted by Sean Doyle, March 9, 2010

This picture was taken by a woman in a Louisiana  Walmart and was originally posted on the website Funnyjunk

MY NEW FAVORITE CRAZY STOCK MARKET PERSONALITY HUGH HENDRY!

Posted by Sean Doyle, March 9, 2010

SO FAR NOT SO GOOD.

Posted by Colin Doyle, March 2, 2010

This network should be spending more time being everything its competition isn't.  Instead it is just a duller version of the Fox News channel with a LOUSY (nonexistent) stock ticker .  Somewhere between Dave Ramsey and Neil Cavuto I find myself contemplating the perks of primitivism.  You might as well read Mad Magazine for business news.  

Still....

 I wouldn't bet against Murdoch.  Anyone who can go from Tracey Ullman to colossal media empire deserves a little more wait and see.

AMERICAN CEO

Posted by Colin Doyle, March 1, 2010

As far as I can tell, John Thain travels from company to company negotiating handsome severance packages for himself.  Once secure in his position as CEO, Thain will then take on a leisure activity such as office remodeling, or speaking with CNBC about himself.  This will continue until he is eventually forced to step down when company board members discover Pat Batemanesque scribblings inside his black binder boldly labeled "BIG PLANS FOR NEXT QUARTER",  then its off to his next post...

God Bless Em.  We wish him the best at CIT.