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So, here we are. More than two years into what started out as a credit crisis, one plus year after the Lehman collapse and a question that pertains to the one of the central workings of the equities market cannot be answered. At last evening's Market Technicians Association Educational Foundation...
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My interview with the CEO and Chief Economist of STP Advisory Services includes her libertarian perspectives on the virtuous circle, the risks in the Fed's exit strategy, key consequences of financial innovation, and the next global financial crisis: public debt . Dr. Trimbath is also the author...
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My interview with the assistant editor of the Financial Times and author of "Fool's Gold" includes key aspects of financial innovation, the consequences of a reluctance to lend by financial institutions, the utility qualities of the financial services industry, and the transitional nature...
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There is considerable talk (much of it rather regressive) about the future of the financial system. In one camp are the advocates of a return to basic banking. Think George Bailey and “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Paul Krugman, John Bogle, and Meredith Whitney appear to belong to this group...
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Let me start by saying that on many levels, I agree with Paul Krugman. I read his blog regularly and find his work to be of significant value. I also share many of his political views and leanings. But when he makes the market efficiency argument, he has entered a space where he is wholly unqualified...
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Billionaires are now Slumdog Millionaires because: A. The credit markets remain frozen B. The US economy is falling off the cliff C. Corporate earnings are headed substantially lower (<$50 S&P 500 operating earnings) D. The socialist programs of the Obama administration threaten capitalism as...
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As the alternate universe of derivatives continues their great detoxification unwind, financial assets struggle to comprehend a world in transition to a new financial and economic order. In the process, fixed income markets remain frozen while equity markets lurch from one end of the prospective economic...
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Today's earnings report from Hewlett-Packard raises the question posed in this blog postings' title. To help shed some light on the subject, consider the corporate results produced thus far re 3Q08. Compiled each week from data published in the Wall Street Journal (and produced for subscribers...
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If you are looking for a reason why stocks are plunging, here's one major reason. Today, at 10:30 AM and then again at 2 PM (both eastern time) announcements re settlement of the massive Lehman Bros. credit default swaps will occur. According to one trading desk source of mine, the equity markets...
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Today, the House of Representatives has dealt a huge blow toward stabilizing the financial markets and avoiding a world economic crisis. The less than perfect Paulson bill would have accomplished that goal in numerous ways. One of them, which has been least understood and grossly underappreciated by...
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As the world listens to Messrs. Paulson and Bernanke argue for support of their three-page $700 billion manifesto, I wish to focus your attention on a central aspect of the credit crisis – the scale and scope of the credit derivatives octopus. To illustrate, consider this: If scientists can “identify...
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Rules Matter. If the NFL changes its rules of play, does that not have an effect on the game? So, why would a rule change by the FASB or the SEC or a law by Congress not have the same game changing effect? When the FASB said that illiquid and opaque assets should be valued at their last sale (or whatever...
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commentary from this week's "Sector and Styles Strategy Report*: Back on February 11th I wrote a report titled “What are the Sell Side Analysts Smoking?” The commentary and report focused on the excessively optimistic outlook earnings forecasts for 2008 by bottom up analysts. Excessively...
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commentary from this week's "Sectors and Styles Strategy Report : “Of all the newfangled financial creations that have caused problems this past year, arguably the most nerve-wracking are derivatives traded over-the-counter…” Economist August 8, 2008 And the beat goes on....
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It hardly instills deep confidence in our government officials when, after nearly a year, its prime modus operandi is to react to the latest financial crisis with yet another 11th hour solution. This is one of the longer term implications of the bailout plan for Fannie and Freddie. For all the near term...