Prudens Speculari

The Krona, Aussie Dollar, and Euro.

2009-12-10T10:25:00.029-05:00

The currency shares Swedish Krona, ticker FXS (chart above) looks eerily similar to the last time it topped out back in spring/summer 2008.

The currency shares Aussie dollar, ticker FXA, (chart above) also known as the commodity currency tired to take out it's summer of 08 highs and failed. Off the lows this one has been the stongest so easier game might be found with the Cdn $ or the Euro.

Speaking of the Euro, the currency shares, ticker FXE (chart above). Could this test the lower bounds of the channel near 130 and ultimately the 110-115 area? The upsloping trend line (green) has been broken, a break of 145 and things could get nasty quickly here.

Elsewhere, did you per chance catch former Federal Reserve Chairman and current window dressing economic recovery advisor to the White House Paul Volcker's comments to a business crowd in Britain the other day? You can read them here as hey were absolutely priceless, not to mention spot on.

The former US Federal Reserve chairman told an audience that included some of the world's most senior financiers that their industry's "single most important" contribution in the last 25 years has been automatic telling machines, which he said had at least proved "useful".

Echoing FSA chairman Lord Turner's comments that banks are "socially useless", Mr Volcker told delegates who had been discussing how to rebuild the financial system to "wake up". He said credit default swaps and collateralised debt obligations had taken the economy "right to the brink of disaster" and added that the economy had grown at "greater rates of speed" during the 1960s without such products.

When one stunned audience member suggested that Mr Volcker did not really mean bond markets and securitisations had contributed "nothing at all", he replied: "You can innovate as much as you like, but do it within a structure that doesn't put the whole economy at risk."

I love it. An ATM machine is your most significant contribution. Don't you just love the comment from the 'stunned audience member? Only a banker could be stunned by Mr. Volcker's comments. Only a banker could still be that oblivious at this point, content to suck on the crack pipe of their own hubris and self import. Well, okay politicians too! Only a banker could still be drunk on the kool aid of their own brilliance and oblivious to their role in the debacle. They just don't get it. Truly unfathomable. I have a hunch when the mood turns they will. Most likely by high tailing out of Dodge with a crowd of pitchforks close behind.

Now you must take all this in proper context as Mr. Volcker is simply a figurehead with no real say or influence. How I wish I were wrong on this count but facts are facts, he is a titular quota filler, nothing more. Cement heads Summers and Geithner are in charge or in the least carrying the water for their masters on Wall. St. Lord Blankfein, Duke Dimon and Sir Mack are in charge but don't take my word for it. Lord Blankfein still claims the bankers are doing God's work so who's to argue with Lord Lloyd.

Regarding my comments on Dubai World the other day and the debt implosion there, I omitted one very important aspect. Besides the fact that there is absolutely nothing to worry about with this happening its that Dubai still has debtors prisons for those that cannot pay their bills. How is that for the irony of ironies that a country with human rights record and laws that would make Vlad the Impaler blush and will jail any and all, 'cept royals, that stiff their creditors, now has the nerve to do just that, stiff everyone on a global basis. Remember now I have no sympathy for the moron bankers who lent these clowns the money but the irony of that situation was omitted in my haste to post. These 2 groups, Dubai World alongside Wall, Bay, and Lombard St. bankers, make fitting bedfellows. They deserve one another as a match made in hell. Ahhh my friends, you just cannot make this shit up if you tried.

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 2 units Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $12.06
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerging Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 2 units Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.65
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Long 1 unit Direxion Tech 3X Bear ticker TYP @ $10.68
Long 1 unit US Dollar Bull ticker UUP @ $22.52 stop @ $21.97
Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71

Sign of The Times

2009-12-07T14:47:00.009-05:00

Regular readers know I have been a vociferous critic of the rampant lawlessness in our capital markets. My previous posts Trust, Crisis of Confidence, Shock and Awe All Right and Sandbagging all can attest to this.

Back on May 20 ,2009 in A Few Thoughts I said the following;

"I have not commented on the GM situation and the absolute raping of the SECURED bondholders by this current administration, and before you say it, if you think the prior administration would have been any different then you deserve the pablum being fed to you. The fact that the union VEBA is getting, by all accounts 70-100 cents on the dollar even thought they are subordinate to the secured debt in question is absolutely staggering. This outright and brazen theft, which is what it is, boggles this simpleton's mind. How to restore confidence to the markets in 1 easy lesson huh? Pathetic if it were not all so illegal but what would the law have to do with anything anyway since rules haven't been enforced in years. The hammer and sickle are waiting to be stitched to the flag shortly."

on Nov 11 this year where in a piece called Sandbagging I said this;

"and yet again another block of the foundation of our financial system, trust, crumbles away. I have commented before that trust is the most crucial element is capital markets. People have to be able to believe that the information they are being provided is legitimate and untainted"

The bankers and their ilk care not a whit when rules of law are skirted in their favour. The lawlessness, the duplicity, the double dealing that have overwhelmed our capital markets suit them fine when works in their favour but boy does it hurt when it doesn't.

So, it is with great pleasure that I read today this article out of the Times of London whereby the bankers seem to be getting a serious dose of their own medicine. It seems they object, no, they strenuously object, to having their interests superseded. (or more likely in this case, rendered moot, but I digress)

The article reports that:

"Bankers are furious that two defaulting Saudi conglomerates that owe $20 billion (£12.2 billion) appear to be favouring local banks over foreign creditors. State-owned Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC and Standard Chartered are all understood to have exposure to Saad Group and Ahmad Hamad Algosaibi & Bros (Ahab). Dozens of other Western banks are also owed money, including Citigroup and BHP Paribas.

Bankers suspect that the two family-owned businesses, which defaulted over the summer, have privately reached agreement with local Saudi banks over restructuring their loans while leaving foreign banks in the cold. One senior banker told The Times yesterday: “Local banks appear to have been given preference.”

They are furious. They are so furious, they have dispatched a Lord Davies to represent their interests (might I suggests a couple of Sirs and maybe a Duke as reinforcements!) What?!! No TARP? No TALF? No flow through a la AIG? No redemption's at par? What the F$^% !!

Where the hell is Bob Rubin, King Henry and Neel Cash n Carry when you need em' (Mortimor where in hell is Beeks? with apologies to Ralph Bellemy)

I would love to hear what the Saudis tell his Lordness upon arrival.

Remember that toxic, purportedly triple A paper you foisted on us?
Remember those RMBS and CMBS mezzanine loans you peddled us?
Remember those recapitalization deals for financials like Citi you let us participate in?

Well... whenever we complained, (post mortem) you kept repeating over and over again caveat emptor. So a reciprocal caveat emptor to you. Oh, and how do you say...ummm...sucker in latin?

No readers you cannot make this up. This is the natural evolution, or should I say devolution of things, a downward spiral if you will. You can argue against it all you want but the fact remains rule of law regarding our capital markets went out the window a long time ago.

Do I agree with what is happening? Of course I don't but when the gloves are off the gloves are off. By the way, yet another tell in this market.

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 2 units Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $12.06
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerging Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 2 units Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.65
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Long 1 unit Direxion Tech 3X Bear ticker TYP @ $10.68
Long 1 unit US Dollar Bull ticker UUP @ $22.52 stop @ $21.97
Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71

Random Thoughts

2009-12-04T09:53:00.017-05:00

I know the big, big, big, news today is the drop in the unemployment rate to 10%. I am not trying to be a stick in the mud but if this is all they can rally the market (+130 on the Dow) on this euphoric news, then you had better watch out below.

Funny how the touts and pumpers have nothing to say about GS rolling over here and not participating. Hey, on second thought, what about every shills favourite tech/consumer/global/defensive play AAPL? No love for it either? Hmmm. Funny how no one is talking about AXP's little pullback? yesterday.

Side note, boy do I want to short some BIDU here (chart 2nd from top).

If you have not had a chance to catch Sen. Jim Bunning from Kentucky absolutely pulverize Fed Chair Zimbabwe Ben Bernanke yesterday, please take a moment to do so as it is must see TV. You can catch it here.

There are lots of little tells appearing in this market. Yes, I realize many of you are sick and tired of hearing the same old same old from me. That's completely fine. Just do me a big favor and don't complain when you don't have a chair, as the music has stopped playing and you can't get off the dance floor.

Housekeeping notes;

Tuesday of this week I was stopped out of BBBY at $38.42 for a loss of almost 3/4 of a pt on 1 unit short.

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 2 units Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $12.06
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerging Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 2 units Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.65
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Long 1 unit Direxion Tech 3X Bear ticker TYP @ $10.68
Long 1 unit US Dollar Bull ticker UUP @ $22.52 stop @ $21.97
Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71

Back from Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T09:04:00.029-05:00

I hope everyone out there had a safe and joyous Thanksgiving holiday ! We are all truly blessed and have much to be thankful for every day. My apologies for my lack of posting as my wife and I have had a house full of family.

The news that has everyone's angst up is from the Middle east that Dubai World cannot pay its bills. The news broke Thanksgiving day and most are probably fully apprised of it by now. This news was a shock only to those that worship at the alter of the Fed and their all-knowing omnipotence. Too funny.

Couple of interesting notes on the subject of Dubai. First that the debts are equal to their GDP, that is if you EX-clude the off balance sheet items. Boy, was Enron a trailblazing maverick or what. Secondly did you notice that Art Cashin was at his post, on the floor of the NYSE on Black Friday morning (I saw him on CNBC). Forget what Art said that day and let us take special note of the fact that he was in on a day most take off. This is a big tell for me. Lastly, the implicit government guarantee of Dubai World debt everyone believed in and which we now learn this morning is worth about as much as a name dropping, D list, celebrity from the bottom of the Hollywood bucket.

Yup, markets sure are rational aren't they. They always foresee everything. Yes the music is playing so one must get up and dance. With others money of course !!

Have you been paying attention to the yield curve over here, in particular the short end.

Here's the gig and it's simple. It is the bond crowd vs the equity crowd. Regular readers know which one is Paris Hilton and which one is Albert Einstein and right now the Einstein crowd (hint: bonds) is scared witless. You think the Paris Hilton crowd (equities) has even taken a moment to wonder why this is. Keep watching short rates as they continue to drop.

Further, I urge you to punch up 1 month, 3month, 6month, 1year, and 2year yields. Please note that 1 yr notes have broken their old lows in yields. As I said before, why so scared, what do they see that the polyannic stock boyz don't. Remember the equity boyz ride the short bus for a reason, they dance not because they want to or because they can. They dance simply because the music is playing. Kinda like that really drunk girl at the wedding. Gee where's Chuck Prince when you need him.

Back to the Dubai story and this implicit guarantee which really is not there and is just a carrot one can use to pound toxic waste, garbage debt paper down the throats of those lower on the financial food chain. Ya just gotta love global Frankenfinance !

I all has really just become one big, global Charade !

Cha - rade [shuh-reyd; especially Brit. shuh-rahd]
–noun

1.	charades, (used with a singular verb) a game in which the players are typically divided into two teams, members of which take turns at acting out in pantomime a word, phrase, title, etc., which the members of their own team must guess.

2.	a word or phrase acted out in this game.

3.	a blatant pretense or deception, esp. something so full of pretense as to be a travesty.

I kinda like #3. But I can be a bit particular.

Let us look around and count the ways we see.... charades.

AAA rated mortgage backed securities = charade
AIG counter party guarantee = charade
FASB rule changes for bank accounting = charade
Greenhouse gas climate change = charade and outright fraud.
Acorn = too funny, kinda like psychedelic charades or charades hippies
U.S. econ. numbers, re:unemployment numbers but take your pick = charade
Stimulus job creation numbers = charade or rather outright farce
Housing market recovery in the face of rising delinquencies = charade
Commercial real estate = more like a game of Marco Polo for now but charade no less
Chinese auto sales in the face of declining fuel consumption = charade
FDIC $250,000 deposit insurance guarantee = charade
FHA solvency debate = charade
and now Dubai debt = charade

Next up we have the IMF. Regular readers know I am not a big fan of blood sucking entities like the World Bank and the IMF (Int'al Monetary Fund) but sometimes a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while. It is along this vein that the comments by a Dominique Strauss-Kahn managing director of the IMF were that all that more shocking.

About a week ago at the CBI conference of business leaders, Strauss-Kahn had the following to say;

another huge call on public finances by the financial services sector would not be tolerated by the “man in the street” and could even threaten democracy. "Most advanced economies will not accept any more [bailouts]...The political reaction will be very strong, putting some democracies at risk," he told delegates.

But don't you worry over incidentals like the above, things are so much better than a year ago. Keep repeating this to yourself to make sure you don't let any doubts about it creep in.

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 2 units Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $12.06
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerging Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 2 units Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.65
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Long 1 unit Direxion Tech 3X Bear ticker TYP @ $10.68
Long 1 unit US Dollar Bull ticker UUP @ $22.52 stop @ $21.97
Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

Defending the Golden Boy, Geithner

2009-11-20T08:06:00.040-05:00

I woke this morning to catch a news piece on the Post Office and how it appears they will need a taxpayer bailout as well. Do we laugh or do we cry. What really caught my eye was a quote from Illinois congressman Danny Davis who had this to say on the subject;

"It's just not generating the money that you need in order to keep operating," he said.

Davis said he was open to cutting Saturday service - perhaps on a rolling basis, so that certain communities would lack Saturday delivery once or twice a month - as well as loosening the health benefit requirements. He also backed a government bailout for the embattled agency if that's what it takes to keep it afloat.

"We've bailed out a lot of things, and I think the Postal Service is probably as important in one sense as some of the other places where we have put public money," he said.

Added Davis: "I'm not afraid of spending public money to keep money flowing."

Don't you just love these guys in congress. They just don't get it. Either too stupid or too arrogant, take your pick.

Moving on may readers have written me asking, "if you hate CNBC so much, why do you watch?" Well, for one, every so often they get a guest on that is truly worth listening to. On a daily basis Art Cashin and Rick Santelli are absolute must sees but for the most part, one needs to know what the other side is thinking or preaching. Intel so to speak. Besides, CNBC is guaranteed to get you laughing your ass off at least a couple of times a day with a comment or quip from one of the many boobs and boobs in chairs. (hat tip to Mike Morgan on that one!)

I was lucky enough to catch the Squawk Box show this morning on CNBC and the discussion between "what's it like to be a billionaire" Carl Quintanilla, and MIT biology grad Joe Kernan. Included in this was their esteemed guest, former Fannie Mae CEO Daniel Mudd. Yes, in case your were wondering, he is the son of famed newscaster Roger Mudd but I will not get into the boyz club network in this post.

Rather today, I will focus on Joe Kernan's ridiculing of congressman Kevin Brady from Texas due to his grilling of Wall Street's 'golden boy' Treasury Sec. Geithner. It seems many within the "get with the program" crowd feel it their moral obligation to defend Geithner. At least they know where their bread is buttered or in the least have been told so.

I find it perplexing how Tim Geithner's role as president of the New York Fed somehow escapes the immense faculties of our MIT alum and CNBC anchor. What part of- the New York Fed directly supervises the banks in its jurisdiction, outfits like Bear Stearns, Lehman, Goldman et al., ergo Geithner was responsible-do you not comprehend Joe?

Not to be outdone in the discussion, Mudd, who succeeded Franklin Raines at the helm of Fannie Mae, who when asked, shockingly admitted that he too supported the work done by Geithner. Wow ! Now thats a shocker! And for Anderson Cooper over at CNN, this is what you call tea bagging.

Quick Quiz Time. - So after so aptly taking the reigns (no pun intended) over from Raines, Mudd, who was fired after the taxpayer bailout, has resurfaced as ....

a) grill boy at Arby's
b) valet attendant at Caesar's Palace
c) senior economic advisor to the President
d) CEO of fund manager Fortress Group

The correct answer is d, CEO of fund manager Fortress Group but you do get a special acknowledgement if you said c, senior economic advisor to the President because you can bet your ass he was on a short list for that job. Just keep recycling the same old vipers and thieves, this way the charade continues.

As if all this is not enough to make one puke all over one's self, we get that cerebral heavyweight Kernan, doing his part, reciprocating this mornings' all around circle jerk, remarking to Mudd how he and no one else at Fannie could have seen this all coming. First class journalism or first class tea bagging I know not which. Acutally I do but I like asking rhetorical questions.

Here and now, today, if the captain of the Titanic had miraculously survived, today he would be lauded and then promoted. Sadly this is how far we have fallen with our standards as this is how our system works now.

Ahh, but I am too harsh. I am too critical. So be it, but can we finally put an end to the question of, why (the lamestream financial media) won't they ask the serious questions. the answer seems patently obvious, they have no conscience, no moral obligation to anyone or anything other than themselves. Simply beholden to covering thy ass and ingratiating thy self with anything higher up the food chain. Yet more proof of what I said the other day regarding a 'get rich or die tryin' environment.

Lets leave this on a positive note. Anyone notice how Dylan Ratigan, now at MSNBC, has seen the light. I guess my post 3 Cheers for Dylan Ratigan wasn't too far off mark. Well done Dylan, just don't stop digging. It's all there in front of you and you have the public forum to do it with. Be a patriot and continue to do the right thing, we will all be better for it !

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 2 units Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $12.06
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerging Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 2 units Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.65
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Long 1 unit Direxion Tech 3X Bear ticker TYP @ $10.68
Long 1 unit US Dollar Bull ticker UUP @ $22.52 stop @ $21.97
Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

Japanese Equities

2009-11-19T09:48:00.024-05:00

Japan Smaller Capitalization fund, ticker JOF (chart above).

MSCI ishares Japan, ticker EWJ (chart above).

Japan Equity fund, ticker JEQ (chart above).

Many market watchers, much smarter and well versed than I have opined that Japanese equities are cheap based on many metrics of valuation. In many cases trading at or below book value offering the best values globally in the equity arena. I do not disagree as on a relative basis they are much cheaper than most elsewhere.

The problem is, as we all know, the markets can remain irrational far longer than you and I can remain solvent. Japanese equities continue to be in a secular bear market, only interrupted briefly by cyclical bull markets the return the oversold nature to equilibrium. That said, the 3 benchmarks I readily follow to gauge Japan seem to have enjoyed their run off the March lows (coincidence?) and look to have rolled over once again as they have done so often in the past.

Yes I know the 'we're smarter over here in the U.S.' crowd deny we are heading down the path of Japan, but it looks to be a spot on sequel to me. Funny how the same ones who say we're not making the mistakes of Japan, were the same ones who didn't see sub prime coming, didn't see the housing bubble, yet we continue to seek them out for counsel and prognostication.

Regular readers know I believe we are headed down the Japanese path, where ZIRP (zero interest rate policy) leads to POAS (pushing on a string). What this means is you can lower rates to nothing and yet still no one borrows. This is how you end up with multiple lost decades. People who need the money cannot borrow due to their credit risk and people with worthy credit risk are smart enough to know not to borrow. Catch 22 so to speak for the money shylocks.

I understand that a Goldman, JP Morgan or a Morgan Stanley will continue to borrow, or rather take, taxpayer money and ride the roulette wheel, fully confident there is more where that came from, courtesy their concubines in congress and the senate. But this will happen for only so long before even the most Prozac ridden, Ritalin addled, American idolized among us wake up from the stupor and say... What the f@%#& !

As my notes above indicate, is this the canary in the coal mine we should be paying attention to. With the high frequency algorithm traders absolutely dominating our markets, price is all that matter, until one day it doesn't. So lets pay attention to Japanese equities and see if they tell us something.

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 2 units Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $12.06
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerging Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 2 units Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.65
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Long 1 unit Direxion Tech 3X Bear ticker TYP @ $10.68
Long 1 unit US Dollar Bull ticker UUP @ $22.52 stop @ $21.97
Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

Do Birds of a Feather Flock Together?

2009-11-18T10:09:00.049-05:00

I have bitten my tongue for far too long regarding the all around good guy, smartest guy in the room (apologies to Hank Paulson) Oracle of Omaha, as his minions call him, Warren Buffett. So today I stop. I write this knowing full well I am about to criticize one who many think walks on water, but whom I feel deserves to be taken to task. The news this morning compels me to do this.

Let us put aside the fact that he will only do interviews with, the soon to be chief NASA scientist, CNBC hostess Becky Quick. Two short career advancement points for all the aspiring, make-believe financial journalists out there jockeying for position within the mainstream financial media. Your first order of business to make sure you marry your executive producer as this ensures job security and your second, no less important move, is to cozy up to an octogenarian who is wildly popular in financial circles who will only do interviews with cute blondes, but alas I digress once again.

Here we have, who many call the greatest investor of our generation, a man who via his holding company Berkshire Hathaway has amassed quite a fortune and whom yet, is directly involved with some of the integral parts of the financial crime wave that has swept our financial markets.

Moody's

Buffett has an interest in the ratings pimp, eerrr, excuse me, purveyor Moody's. You remember Moody's, it's the rating agency where Wall St. thugs like Goldman, Merrill and others went to get absolute toxic shit rated as triple A. They paid handsomely for this, which Buffett had no complaints about and did this so they could sell it to the zombie fund managers who oversee your pension fund, but not before they would simultaneously short the same piece of toxic shit they sold you pension fund of course as a hedge, right Charlie Gasparino?

Why has no one called Mr. Buffett out on this one. Could it be Buffett didn't know about what Moody's was doing? Or could it just possibly be that birds of a feather flock together.

Heck, let's not pass judgement just yet on Mr. Buffett. The Moody's debacle is just one piece of evidence and could very well just be an outlier.

Goldman Sachs

Buffett stepped up to the plate with Goldman Sachs when they were on deaths doorstep, investing money into this indispensable cog of American society. Goldman mind you was the one, whose chairman Henry Paulson undetered by being told no in 2000, succeeded in 2004 in having all manner of broker-dealer leverage limits lifted, thus allowing sky's the limit gambling in derivatives.

But wait you say, wasn't it Mr. Buffett the one who called derivatives weapons of financial mass destruction?

So why would Mr. Buffett invest in a company who did business in a product he publicly loathed and claimed could cause widespread financial harm? Further to this, why would Buffett himself buy derivatives for the Berkshire portfolio?

Good question. Maybe we send forward that to Ms. Quick.

Or maybe Mr. Buffett is just one of those do as I say not as I do types. You know the type, kinda like an Al Gore, that love to tell you and I to be green, to be environmentally friendly but then get on their private jet, but not before transiting the ride from the airport in a 4 SUV motorcade, to go to their 15,000 square foot carbon footprint minimalist home, dammit again I digress.

But heck, lets not pass judgement just yet on Mr. Buffett. The Goldman fiasco is just one piece of evidence. Or is that two now? I forget.

Fannie Mae

This is the same Warren Buffett that was aggressively trying to buy over $3 billion in tax credits from taxpayer lavished Fannie Mae with - now this might come as a shocker so you may want to sit down - Goldman Sachs! I am at a loss for words on this one, but the words that do come to mind are criminal and syndicate.

Yes I know buying tax credits from an insolvent, yet we continue to throw money down a bottomless pit GSE, is a deal only a real dyed-in-the-wool, Ivy League MBA could appreciate. Just for kick lets say you or I try to pull that one off!! Might I suggest some heavy duty lobbying to the likes of Mssrs. Dood, Frank, Conrad and Jefferson, (ooops... strike Jefferson as he got caught already but the other 3 are good to go) as a precursor.

But let's not pass judgement just yet on Mr. Buffett. The Fannie Mae scam is just one piece of evidence, or is that 3 now? Hey wait a minute! Naaah it's Warren Buffett for crying out loud. He wouldn't.....

Mr. Buffett has no qualms feasting on the leftovers of congressional generosity and this is whom we laud as a leading light in all things finance. Think of how many companies Buffett has a stake in who have been the beneficiary of taxpayer funded bailouts. Hmmmm let me count;

Goldman Sachs
Wells Fargo
General Electric
American Express
Bank America
US Bankcorp

to name just a few.

So given all this, the Moody's debacle, the Goldman fiasco, the Fannie Mae scam, the bail my stock out portfolio, what does the congenial, ever likeable, benevolent one do? He does want any self-respecting public citizen of the year does, you join hands with your partners in crime in a public relations campaign of generosity called the 10,000 Small Businesses Initiative. I would simply call it a 'Feed them Cake' campaign, but I can be a little harsh at times.

Quick side note, anyone know the over/under on how many times CNBC will run this Buffet, Goldman humanitarian story today? Just curious.

Yes, dear reader we now get to witness the Buy your Salvation trade. Let this be a lesson to all that one cannot loot the land without making a small token of charitable appreciation to the masses. Steal 10's upon 10's of billions of dollars and you simply buy your salvation with $500 million. I have said it before and will say it again, when you steal a million and the fine is $10k or even a $100k, even a 2 bit city college undergrad can be as smart as a Harvard Endowment Fund MBA and figure out it's a fantastic trade, conscience be damned.

So Buffett worshippers will undoubtedly find fault with much of this article. They will point to his goodwill, his track record, his good nature. They will most assuredly point to my conclusion that his investments in enterprises like Goldman and Moody's does not make him a criminal. To which I would counter, if I invest in an business that I think is legitimate but then I discover it is illegitimate am I guilty if I reap the benefits of such. If I finance a fraudulent enterprise am I then fraudulent.

In the least, how much of an investor am I if as the most visible market player on the planet, who can get any CEO to tremble in his boots when I call, I don't know the duplicity, corruption and outright fraud that is taking place at and within my investments.

If Buffett is so lily white. so esteemed why is he keeping the company he is keeping via these investments?

In closing I would humbly counsel the small businesses of this great country who do most of the employing, to hang tough. I would also counsel them to politely tell the Oracle and Goldman to shove their $500 million up their collective asses. That way Ms. Quick would have yet another reason to go visit Howard Marshall, eeeerrr, excuse me Warren Buffett once again for another "exclusive".

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 2 units Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $12.06
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerging Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 2 units Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.65
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Long 1 unit Direxion Tech 3X Bear ticker TYP @ $10.68
Long 1 unit US Dollar Bull ticker UUP @ $22.52 stop @ $21.97
Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

Have We Lost Our Way?

2009-11-17T08:17:00.022-05:00

Over the past weekend I was doing some reading and came across an article "Goldman pays Junior CDO's Before Junk Senior Classes" via Bloomberg. Step back for a moment and 'forget the legality of it' because legal or not Goldman does not get the short end of the stick in deals and focus on the foundation, that of right and wrong.

Buried deep within the financial alchemy of it all is a clause that lets one party supersede another. Oh its legal all right, but is this what our capital markets have become.? Make the bill (in congress) or the contract so convoluted, so opaque, that you need a team of lawyers fluent in latin just to read it let alone begin to understand it, and one wonders why we have to graduate as many lawyers as China graduates geologists. Helloooo!

I read recently the former University of Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler operated with a handshake agreement. Yes you read that correctly, no contract. A handshake! How far we have come, or is it regressed? You wanna try operating with a handshake agreement with a unit like Goldman Sachs, but of course they're just doing God's work.

It is easy to sit back and do nothing but complain about what is going on around us. Asking what has this great nation come to? But there comes a time when one gets to, the apex as it were, where complaining morphs into something more. Are we there yet? Who knows as it is hard to time when the mood rolls over from anger and frustration and into something worse.

I have been sitting here watching and listening to this developing Galleon insider trading situation. The details continue to come out and it does not seem to be ending anytime soon. Hedge Fund valet boyz and girlz, senior executive at IBM, former CEO of Advanced Micro (AMD) just to name a few.What I find interesting is something a friend asked me the other day regarding the subject, "why are they winding Galleon down if the charges are in regards to approx. $20 million in trades when the fund(s) are worth 3 billion?" Can they not just pay a fine, and this has to go down as the all time best line, "neither admit nor deny wrongdoing!", Kinda like JP Morgan did after raping and pillaging Jefferson County.

Now I am no Christopher Cox, he being the former chief eunuch at the SEC, but it seems to me a good question, why wind down the fund? So what could this signify? Is this just the tip of the iceberg? Is the dollar figure a low ball one? Are there bigger names involved?

Have you noticed how the SEC and the feds go after bottom of the totem pole pikers like Cioffi and Tannin from Bear Stearns. Absolutely hilarious if it were not so insulting. Here's a hint Mary Shapiro, stop wasting your time with a a couple of Ferrari owning street hustlers like Cioffi and Tannin. Get some onions, stop wasting resources chasing down the couriers, runners and lookouts while the drug kingpins sit comfortably ensconced in their palaces.

Here's another hint Madam SEC Chair Shapiro, the list of guys you can commence arraignments for are thugs like Mozilo, Raines, Dodd, Conrad, Mudd, Syron, Blankfein, Geithner, Paulson and Greenspan. Is this enough of a start for you? Or do you need more?

Buy hey, who am I kidding. You don't want the truth. We don't want the truth, or as Col. Nathan R. Jessep in the movie A Few Good Men would say "YOU CAN"T HANDLE THE TRUTH ! "

Yes unfortunately we can't handle the truth. We don't want the truth, as we would rather live in a complete fantasy land. I can assure you that this charade absolutely cannot and will not go on forever. Or alas maybe I am wrong and it can go on as we might just be gallactically stupid a la Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway.

Quick side story time.

Once upon a time, circa 1999, back when I was a retail broker back in my previous life I had a conversation with a rookie broker, excuse me, developing I.A. (investment advisor) as you are not allowed to call them rookies as that is demeaning. Kinda like giving a trophy to placing 13 out of 15 contestants but yet again I digress.

Anyway in this conversation we were discussing the market, in particular tech stocks and their valuations, if you could call it that. I was counselling him in the arena of risk and the potential danger some of these issues could inflict on a portfolio and a young broker's career. Seeing as how I was not getting through I offered the following analogy.

If someone told you it was going to rain for 40 days and 40 nights. What would you do or could you do? Well, you could build an Ark or not build an Ark. Now if you built the Ark and it did not rain what are you out? Labour, materials, your time (we can assume you needn't insure it nor get a permit for it!) Now if you don't build the ark and it does rain..... well, you're dead.

Back to my point about trust. How can markets function under this type of environment? How can a participant make a decision with any amount of confidence? A wizened trader/friend often comments that confusion breeds contempt. So does this start to explain how this market rises on basically fumes and vapor (re: lack of volume)

Has this become a 50 Cent market, that some have called a 'get rich or die trying" environment for hedge fund valets and pension managers?

I have no idea what is coming down the pipe for us whether it be for our markets, our nation or as a society, but might I humbly suggest that one be prepared for all outcomes, both good and bad. (hence my side story about the ark !)

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 2 units Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $12.06
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerging Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 2 units Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.65
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Long 1 unit Direxion Tech 3X Bear ticker TYP @ $10.68
Long 1 unit US Dollar Bull ticker UUP @ $22.52 stop @ $21.97
Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

Getting Longer FAZ

2009-11-13T15:14:00.008-05:00

The time has come for me to add a 2nd unit to my long FAZ position here at $20.11 and sit tight.

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 2 units Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $12.06
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerging Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 2 units Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.65
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Long 1 unit Direxion Tech 3X Bear ticker TYP @ $10.68
Long 1 unit US Dollar Bull ticker UUP @ $22.52 stop @ $21.97
Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

Long the Dollar

2009-11-13T09:33:00.009-05:00

The time has come for me to punt the U.S. dollar on the long side once again. It (the dollar) seems to have digested its recent trend line break out by backing and filling, frustrating those that jumped in as the break occurred.

Therefore I am punting long 1 unit of UUP here at $22.42 with a stop at $21.97

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 2 units Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $12.06
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerging Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 1 unit Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.09
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Long 1 unit Direxion Tech 3X Bear ticker TYP @ $10.68
Long 1 unit US Dollar Bull ticker UUP @ $22.52 stop @ $21.97
Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

Punting TYP and more TZA

2009-11-12T14:56:00.007-05:00

I am prepared to punt 1 unit long of the Direxion Tech 3x Bear ticker TYP here at $10.58

I am also prepared to add a 2nd unit long of TZA here at $12.67

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 2 units Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $12.06
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerging Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 1 unit Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.09
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Long 1 unit Direxion Tech 3X Bear ticker TYP @ $10.68
Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

Sandbagging

2009-11-11T10:58:00.018-05:00

The dollar and the market seems to be the topic de jour. Karl Denninger over at the blog Market Ticker had a couple of excellent posts, which his regular readers know is commonplace at his blog. The first post yesterday's FedSpeak Translation - There is No Recovery and today's Strong Dollar Lies both deserve your attention.

Please focus on the charts in his post which are overlays of the U.S. dollar and the broad based S&P500 index. I agree with him in that this is no recovery at all it is simply a mirage. I also agree that the currency is a reflection of the country in question. I was counselled many years ago, by a very wise chap, that the thermometer of a country economically was its currency.

You can agree or disagree with KD but the one thing he will do is make you think, which is more than I can say for the mainstream financial media. His post did just that with me, it got me to thinking. In particular about something I have oft written, that if one were inclined to wearing tin foil, one might easily come to the conclusion that people in charge are sandbagging us. That they know what the remedies for our dilemma are yet are purposefully and with premeditated calculation doing the opposite, thereby sabotaging the economy. As in a game a chess where you make a move that elicits your opponents next move. For those that don't play chess go see Law Abiding Citizen to see what I mean)

That snakes like Geithner, Bernanke, Paulson, Summers, Blankfein, the Fed governors et al know what the correct remedies and solutions yet refuse to implement them. Could it be that someone or somebodies stand to gain enormous by this. Whats that phrase again?.... Oh yeah, follow the money!

In the aftermath of the tech bubble it was widely reported that approximately 22% of us held tech stocks. In the aftermath of the housing bubble it is reported 64% of us own our own homes. (I could stand to be corrected on this one so take it with a grain of salt). Where am I going with this? Okay, how many of us own dollars.

The story regarding the whistle blower from the IEA (Int'al Energy Agency) that oil production statistics are manipulated by the U.S. seems to be gaining traction. To which all I can say is really? Maybe kinda like the unemployment numbers. Of course not, they're sacrosanct. No politician would do that? Would they?

And yet again another block of the foundation of our financial system, trust, crumbles away. I have commented before that trust is the most crucial element is capital markets. People have to be able to believe that the information they are being provided is legitimate and untainted, Zales (ticker ZLC), Apollo (ticker APOL) anyone?

Sure, you're absolutely correct, they're just one off circumstances. Lets just ignore the FASB changing the accounting rules for banks on non performing loans and now changing the rules for commercial real estate, but I digress.

Let me step further and get a couple of things straight here....

The state of California is on the verge of bankruptcy,
The state of New York is on the verge of bankruptcy,
The City of Houston is on the verge of bankruptcy,
The City of Detroit is on the verge of bankruptcy,
Unemployment is 10.2% if you believe the government, and if you don't, well then its closer to 20%.
Commercial real estate is comatose
The largest pension funds in the country, like Calpers are an unfunded shambles.
The taxpayer, via King Henry and his merry band of thieves and thugs owns GM, AIG, Citi and bushel upon bushel of Fannie and Freddie paper backed by next to worthless mortgages.

And yet in the face of all this evidence I am supposed to buy stocks? Because they are going up. All yet in the face of this evidence the manager of that growth/value/small cap/large cap fund in your IRA or 401 k is buying stocks. Not because he wants to but because he has to or pink slip she a comin'. Again because they are going up. Isn't that what Chuck Prince did, dance just because the music was playing.

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 1 unit Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $11.35
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerging Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 1 unit Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.09
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

The Dollar

2009-11-05T15:51:00.013-05:00

A couple of very interesting developments have occurred on the UUP, which is the U.S. dollar bull fund. The down trend line was broken to the upside back on Oct 26th on better than average volume. Next up, we have since backed, filled and tested that break out area, and today have blasted off that area with monster volume. For what it's worth, volume today was the highest in UUP's history and this speculator is paying attention to it.

I am also paying attention to the lacklustre volume in all the major indices tracking shares. The SPY's, the IWM's, the DIA's and the MDY's all experienced lower volumes today as the cheerleaders rejoice. The one exception is the QQQQ's which had heavier volume, attributable to Cisco, who knows, who cares. I only am noting that 4 0f the 5 index tracking shares showed significantly lower volume on today's rally.

Ahhh what the heck, maybe this is just all useless drivel and one should just stop thinking and simply buy the dips like Bill Miller over a Legg Mason likes to do with pensioners money. (or maybe not!)

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 1 unit Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $11.35
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerging Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 1 unit Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.09
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

Some Golds

2009-11-03T10:25:00.030-05:00

Goldcorp, ticker GG weekly view (above)
.
GG daily view (above)
Agnico Eagle Mines, ticker AEM weekly view (above)

AEM daily view (above)
Kinross Gold, ticker KGC weekly view (above)

KGC daily view (above)

Royal Gold, ticker RGLD weekly view (above)

RGLD daily view (above)

Regular readers know my affinity for gold. I believe gold is money. Gold is also peace of mind. Gold is insurance. Gold also cannot be turned into a collateralized piece of toxic garbage, (though many would vehemently argue an Ivy league MBA with a large enough carrot ($$$) dangled in front of his/her nose by Goldman Sachs may very well succeed)

When I place a bet with a bookie, I want to make sure he can pay if I am right cause you can bet your ass I will have to pay if I am wrong. So unlike AIG and all the other assorted fictitious wanna be playaz, gold is the ultimate bookie. It always pays!! It always honors it obligations. It always pays its claims, it always cashes its withdrawal slip.

That said, and this is not new news to regular readers, I am extraordinarily concerned with gold here.

Yes I know the gold bulls are pounding the table and rightly so. Forget for a moment that buy, buy buy Jim Cramer is bullish on gold. The difficulty I have is that we are in a deflation depression and every time in history every inflationary or hyperinflationary scenario was immediately preceded by a deflationary depression.

The current mantra is to de-leverage, (in spite of Wall St. trying in vain to lever up with their government via taxpayer sponsored back stop) and pay down debt. Wealth destruction is vastly outpacing money creation by the Fed and Treasury.

I fully accept the argument that gold can and should go to $1200, $1300, $1800, $2200 or even much higher. The issue I have is that gold may do this, only it may do it via a scenic detour down thru $720 or $770 first. I know the bulls don't want to hear this but the fact remains it could do it, all without damaging the longer term picture.

I bring this up because the average market participant cannot sit thru this type of event, emotionally nor financially. I bring this up because the bullish gold drums are being beaten quite loudly. This is happening in the face of a massive negative divergence between gold and the gold stocks which continues today, ( re: my post Gold and the Buck) in which bullion is making new high yet the stocks, as measure by GDX and $HUI are not.

I continue to remind speculators that in a healthy gold bull market, the stocks should be leading the bullion not the other way around which is exactly the scenario we have currently. Now this may correct itself with gold shares busting to new highs but I humbly counsel that you can ignore this if you wish but it could very well come at a high cost.

I have hi-lighted some of the leading gold stocks (above) along with some comments on their current state(s). I would also encourage some of the gold bulls to consider how they would analyze their charts if they didn't know what they were looking at was a gold stock. Just a thought.

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 1 unit Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $11.35
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerging Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 1 unit Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.09
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

Just a Couple of Facts

2009-10-30T09:41:00.022-04:00

In what can only be termed keeping the faith, after quite a day on Wednesday, CNBC along with Bloomberg were out in full pom pom mode.

First up we get this "breaking news" video of Tyler Matheson of CNBC in which he has taken it upon himself, given the egregious sell off in the indices, (DOW down 119 mind you) to do an informal survey of a 1/2 dozen or so TOP Wall St. strategists.

The survey shows the market HAS NOT peaked for the year there's almost universal agreement there" that the market will be higher by year end.

See it and hear it for yourself here.

Next up we get Bloomberg pouncing on the wonderful rally Thursday, (Dow up 200) with this beauty of a piece in which a couple of critical thinkers had this to say;

“The fourth quarter will be the Waterloo of the bears,” said E. William Stone, who oversees $102 billion as chief investment strategist at PNC Wealth Management in Philadelphia. “We are in economic recovery both in the U.S. and globally, so you will eventually see revenue growth because you are seeing the recovery hold.”

“The stock rally is not over yet,” said Jeffrey Kleintop, who helps oversee about $247 billion as chief market strategist at LPL Financial in Boston. “The stock market can celebrate. This news is an important confidence boost, in particular to individual investors.”

Never fear dear reader as its only the funds in your IRA/401k that critical thinkers like this are managing. Heads they win tails you lose.

Yesterday was without question a wonderful rally for the bulls, with the Dow up 200, just remember to note a couple of small overlooked facts by these purported objective analysts quoted above.

The volume on the Spiders, ticker SPY was 25% higher on Wednesday's down day (248.7 million shares) vs Thursday's up day (198 million)

The volume on the Naz, ticker QQQ was 40% higher on Wed. (143.5 million) vs Thurs. (85.1 million)

The volume on the Russell ishares, ticker IWM was 13% higher on Wed. (84.9 million) vs Thurs. (73.6 million)

The volume on the Diamonds, ticker DIA was 24% higher on Wed. down day (17.17 million) vs Thurs. up day (12.92 million)

But why let a couple of innocent little facts like lacklustre volume get in the way of a good pump. Further why let the inside days that the QQQQ, IWM and MDY experienced yesterday prevent a celebration.

I want you to consider this thought if only for a moment. Wednesday's big down day unleashed lots of concern, lots of palpitations, lots of worry. What better way to embolden the bulls, what better way to squelch the skeptical bulls, what better way to humiliate the bears than to reverse course immediately, gun the market up shaking loose all the worry warts who had trailing stops and make look stupid (remember Art Cashin said looking stupid is the biggest fear on Wall St. more so than losing money !!) those that sold and then missed the next day rally.

Yesterday was what some call "the hook", where participants will now ignore and be desensitized to the next sell off expecting the recovery rally soon after. The tech bubble was full of them, until it wasn't any more.

Ahhh heck, none of this means anything other than the ranting of a delusional perma bear, right? Just remember to be consistent and keep calling me such, even when I do get 'pounding the table bullish', which I will. Odds are when I do that, most won't have the nerve to come out of their house, let alone buy stocks.

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 1 unit Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $11.35
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerging Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 1 unit Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.09
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

Guilty of Sedition

2009-10-28T10:10:00.037-04:00

U.S. Steel (X) daily chart above. My apologies as for some reason my notes cut off on the above chart. It should read,

"Does this chart of U.S. Steel tell us all we need to know about the economy?"

Nucor (NUE), daily chart above.

Transports i-shares (IYT) daily chart above.

Noteable Noteables

IBM - gapped down last week. Yesterday in the face of a further $5billion stock buyback, near all time highs mind you, barely finished up on the session.

RIMM - breaking July lows.

GDX - failing to make new highs as GLD has. Note SLV has not made a new high either. By the way, I see Jim Cramer likes gold, does that make anyone out there nervous as all hell.

RGLD - the undisputed leader of the golds failed to make a new high.

AA - Gap and crap still intact.

INTC - the same as AA though tech is still the go to pitch for most fund managers.

GS - has Stephen Friedman, that stock picker extraordinaire sold his position yet? (52,600 GS shares @ $76.66)

GMAC -needs another $3 billion, is this just a bad dream. Yup, keep poring money into that winner, just what every prudent businessman would do, right? Sorry I forget the politicians run that baby now, in that case expect $5 bill.

Financials

The big banks and financials have simply become gambling crack houses. I will exclude for the moment, but have not forgotten the pension funds with their market losses and unfunded liabilities. With taxpayer money as their backstop they are gambling on markets and assets pure and simple. I call it gambling and not speculating because when you do it with someone else's money and never suffer the consequences it is gambling, heads they win, tails, you and I lose.

To use a blackjack metaphor, there is an enormous hand of double down going on by many of these institutions. Trading, as they like to call it as it is coctail party inappropriate to call it gambling, accounts for the lions share of their revenue as all other arenas have dried up. This has to stop right now.

As I have said before like children playing a pee wee soccer game, all participants chase the ball, or in their case, the same trade. This is now being facilitated via the dollar. I cannot say this any more succinctly, WHERE ARE THE ADULTS? Are there none in Washington who see this grand heist of the century? Are there no patriots in power who see this for what it is?

Sedition

I have read and listened to how Time writer Joe Klein has accused the Fox News channel of being guilty of sedition, which is absolutely comical, but since we are on the subject lets talk about sedition.

Yes Mr. Klein, let's talk about the those who are really guilty of sedition. They reside in Washington and Wall St. and the Treasury and the Federal Reserve. I have said before that the policies, the remedies, the fixes we continually get from our elected and unelected leaders are so perverse, so counter productive, as to lead me to believe they have designs to see the republic implode.

They saved us from armageddon you say? Prevented us from falling into the abyss.
Really ?
How?
By papering it over with money they don't have?!
With FASB suspension of accounting rules by a shocking 5-0 vote?!
With trickery and gimmicktry?

I have previously counselled on numerous occasions that the answer to it all is to do NOTHING, absolutely nothing !

Let failures go under. The dead must not be kept on life support.
Stop the bailouts. Stop the handouts.
Immediately close insolvent institutions the minute they are discovered.

Am I such a simpleton as to make DO NOTHING the answer?

Or is the answer so sophisticated that only the 435 house of representatives and 100 senators, most of which are lawyers, are only qualified to figure it out? With the advice and counsel of their trusted lobbyists of course. How else could a house representative vote for a bailout bill that was opposed by his/her contituents by a 99 to 1 margin only to be charged after the fact by King Henry and the clowns!

But back to Mr. Klein and his accusations of sedition. You want sedition charges Mr. Klein?

How about you try starting with a government agency responsible for supervision who aids and abets fraud. Like the obfuscation and obstruction that the Office of Thrift Supervision did with IndyMac. When banks that a freshman accounting major knows should be closed and are not leading to exponentially larger losses due to this is akin to knowingly letting the cancer spread from the foot to the calf and then to the thigh and now having to amputate the leg.

Or how about you try with Goldman looting the treasury in broad daylight via a pass thru from AIG to the tune of $13 billion on derivatives that were worth a pittance of that !

Or how about former head of the NY Fed who was DIRECTLY responsible to regulate the banks activities in that district (re: Bear Stearns, Lehman, Merrill) yet does not. Is that not sedition when it threatens our economic viability. No Mr. Klein, in our system, that person is not charged with sedition, rather he is promoted to Treasury Secretary !

Or how about a Fed chairman who refuses calls for details (from elected officials mind you!) as to who has borrowed from the Fed and what was posted as collateral for said loans and yet REFUSES to answer these questions. In what can only be termed the height of hubris, then he goes to court to prevent it.

Is any of this not sedition Mr. Klein?

I am no defender of Fox News Mr. Klein but I would humbly suggest you aim your charges of sedition at more appropriate targets.

Just wanted to get that off my chest.

Housekeeping notes;

Yesterday I was stopped out of 1 unit of UEC at $3.09 for a loss of just over 1/2 pt on 1 unit.

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 1 unit Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $11.35
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerging Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 1 unit Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.09
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

Art Cashin

2009-10-26T14:58:00.011-04:00

No mattter how many times I get to hear Art Cashin it never gets old. I mean here is a cat with 50 years experience. Seriously, this phrase gets tossed around haphazrdly but this dude has truly forgotten more than most on CNBC will ever know.

This recent interview with Mr. Cashin is must viewing. even considering Bob Pisani was conducting it and who would do well to ditch his incessant dining with hedge fund traders and just follow Art Cashin around all day with a pad of foolscap and a pen as he would learn more in an hour with Art than a lifetime with the Canali wearing, cupcakes from Ivy league row.

The classic absolute classic line of this interview is wherer Mr. Cashin's line of;

"people actually risk money not to be thought stupid."

I have often said this but as usual Art Cashin does it in a way that only he can! I want to re-read that quote again and again so it burns into your brain so you can remember that this is the mantra of the guy or gal managing that growth fund in your IRA account or that balanced fund in your 401k. It is the foundation for the mindset of the vast majority of Wall St. and Ivy League MBA programs. You would do well to understand this as then things will start to become clearer, most especially (and I say this yet again), as to why we find ourselves in the pickle we are in.

Housekeeping notes;

Monday Oct 19 of last week, I was stopped out of my TWM position at $26.40 for a loss of just over a pt. on 1 unit long. My apologies for not posting that properly at the time.

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 1 unit Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $11.35
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerging Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 1 unit Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.09
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Long 1 unit Uranium Energy ticker UEC @ $3.60 stops @ $3.09

Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

Could it Really be This Simple

2009-10-23T12:03:00.037-04:00

My niece, who has recently entered the work world from college brought the following article, out of the New York Times by a Calvin Trillin entitled Wall Street Smarts, to my attention.

In the piece Mr. Trillin proffers via his friend, imaginary or not, such a simple explanation for the Wall St. debacle that many would dismiss it as almost too juvenile to even consider. but maybe just maybe he is onto something.It is a quick read which in no way should diminish the enormous amount of sense the writer makes. You can click the link above and go straight to it.

I offer my Congratulations to Mr. Trillin for his simple yet clever explanation of the issue and as readers know all too well simple everywhere and always resonates very well with this cat! Maybe it could be this simple !

This now leads me to this next piece, compliments of the Temple of Mut blog, which was brought to my attention by W.C. Varones blog. (thanks indeed)

The article Vote? What Vote? I don't Need NO STINKIN' VOTE! details the hubris of yet another of the privileged few who believe they were born with a better pot to piss in and the politicians are their exclusive property, there to do their bidding. And the voters? Hell, they're just an inconvenient little nuisance.

Only a mindset like this could permit a statement like the following;

'A key backer of building San Diego a new $432 million City Hall argued against a public vote on the project Thursday, saying the general public won’t be able to understand it.

“There’s less than 1 percent of the citizens in the United States of America that understand the complexity in how to put these kinds of projects together, so why would we want to ask the other 99 percent?” said real estate mogul Malin Burnham.'

This quote comes from real estate mogul Malin and sums up succinctly how the politicians, the bureaucrats and the elite of this country view the masses. The tip toe around it, they never come out and say it, but if you have a room temp IQ, which I do, you can hear it..... "let them eat cake".

Didn't the last person to utter that have a date with a guillotine? My memory is kinda spotty lately.

So in putting these 2 seemingly unrelated pieces together you get one big game of Baffle em' with Bullshit, on a scale so grand as to make Charles Ponzi himself blush. Yes, make the deal seem to be so intricate, make it so convuluted and opaque that you need to be sitting in a marble chair with the thermostate set at 55 degrees to even begin getting a handle on it, thus convincing the boob on the other end, (Jefferson County et al. anyone?) sophisticacy = intelligence.

Time out while I flashback, in my former life as a broker, to an Italian client of mine who has passed on, (rest his soul) who had very little formal education but who managed to do quite well by anyones standards. One day I was explaining some fixed income investments to him, and before I could even get started he emphatically interrupted me and stated with no hesitation that if I could not show it to him with a pen and pencil on a scrap of paper in front of him he wanted nothing to do with it.

You want to talk about the type of man that should be running our public finances at all levels! Work ethic, humility and street smarts, at least enough smarts that allowed him to stay out of the clutches of the cash'carry thugs on Wall St. and K Street.

Now how do you think a man like this, lets say had fallen victim to either a momentary lapse in judgement or a stunning exhibition of baffle em' with bullshit, would react when he finally realized a baffle em' with bullshit fraud had been pulled on him?

Exactly !!

Now imagine how 'Mr. Market' will react when it finally awakens to a similar realization, that being the MBA hawkin', formulae talkin', buzzword droppin', Dr. Frankensteins has bamboozled. Just as Mr. Trillin over at the Times described. Can you say "no bid".

I don' t even want to consider how 'Mr. John and Jane Q Public' will react to a similar realization, don't even want to consider it!

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 1 unit Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $11.35
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerging Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 1 unit Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.09
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Russell 2K ticker TWM @ $27.50 stop @ $26.40
Long 1 unit Uranium Energy ticker UEC @ $3.60 stops @ $3.09

Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

The Music is Playing..... Are you Still Dancing?

2009-10-23T09:38:00.012-04:00

I want to bring your attention to a chart of the S&P tracking stock the Spiders, ticker SPY. (chart above). I have adjusted the chart to a color function which will show the up days as black and the down days as red. Just as, if not more importantly, the volume is also color coded for you.

As my notes indicate notice how the volume expands on the down days (red) and contracts on the up days (black). As Art Cashin always says "volume equals validity" and as I was always taught, it takes a lot of volume to put a market up and a mere lack of volume to put a market down.

Further if you look at the entire volume trend of the market since the lows in March, it has been steadily declining. This can only go on for so long. I realize I am the ultimate simpleton focusing on such uselessly mundane items like lacklustre volume. It is much sexier to focus on how cheap the market is against metrics like 'operating earnings'.

Oh yeah, just in case you forgot, operating earnings is the funny little thing concept that got popular in the tech bubble to justify valuations which excludes write offs. You will never hear any of these cheer leading, book talking, stock selling shills on CNBC give the reported earnings because the hair on your neck would stand up.

You can listen to the stock jockeys on CNBC, the purported experts everywhere and always touting that buy stocks. The same ones who were singing the same song back at Dow 14,000, 13,000, 12,000, etc. All the way down.

I would also remind you, as I have blogged before on this, that both Intel (INTC) and Alcoa (AA), have gapped and crapped on their earnings. Both are now below where they were prior to the earnings release.

IBM and Goldman Sachs(GS) both ran up prior to their earnings release and have both since gapped down lower.

Rising unemployment
Rising foreclosures
Rising commercial real estate vacancies
Rising bankruptcies
Rising credit card delinquencies
Rising debt to income ratios
Rising government hubris that more heroin (credit and debt) will fix the addicted patient (this could be the most dangerous of them all)

Ignore these little nuggets of facts and subscribe to the hope and fantasies of the vested interest parties (politicians for votes, Wall St. and NAR for commissions) at you own peril.

This has been an extraordinary rally, the type dreams are made of with the SPX trading just shy of 1100. I would counsel that one think back to how they felt back in March when the S&P was trading under 700. My guess is you were saying things like, if this sunavabitch ever gets back up to (fill in your number here) I am out of this shit. Am I close? Did it sound something like that?

I would strongly urge you to ask yourself how you will feel if you sit tight and we ride back down to 700. I have counselled many friends and associates (who have asked and believe me, given the buoyant run many have stopped, which is standard operating procedure in rallies) that selling into this strength might be an opportunity we might not see again for a very long time. Its too bad I cannot bring over some Japanese retail momma san and papa san investors from the late 80's who might be able to offer one some counsel on their experience with the Nikkei since then. In case you are not aware the Nikkei was just shy of 40,000 back in 1989 and currently stands at 10,300. And yes, you are reading that correctly it is not a typo!

Speaking of how you feel. Think back to 1999-2000 when the tech bubble was frothing over. Was anyone talking about gold, crude oil, commodities? I thought so. Think back to the surrounding circumstance of that era. The "story" on tech stocks and stocks in general was phenomenal and no matter what the naysayers had to say, of which I was one, stocks powered higher and higher, defying all logic and reason. Eventually it ended.

The first leg down of the markets in this return to equilibrium if you will really roughed up the individual stockholders or what was left of them after the tech bubble. The current rally that CNBC rams down your throat, is very similar to the relief rally the market experienced in 1930 after it's first leg down. Like the rally in 1930 drew in the professionals who thought the coast was clear to buy stocks, this relief rally will take care of the professional investor once again. Back then they were called trusts and today we call them mutual funds. These along with pension funds and various hedge funds are the ones buying today, on your behalf mind you, for they have nothing to lose as they get a pink slip more quickly for missing out on a rally than sitting though a decline.

So yes dear reader, loathe the banks, loathe the private equity boyz, loathe the insurers and whatever else has benefited or is about to benefit from your benevolent administration, (republican or democrat mind you!), you most probably own em' anyway. The irony of this is almost too much to bear.

The point here what all my mumbo jumbo about how you feel is this. This current rally, no matter how much the vested interest, commission chasing, my livelihood depends on a vibrant stock market shills and hacks repeat over and over to you, is not how major, true blue, bonifide, lasting bull markets are born.

Rather they arise out of abject pessimism. Under the environment where you have to be loonie toons to buy them. Where people swear off stocks for good. Where the employment ranks on Wall St. plummet. Where applicants for broker licensing and CFA designations plummet to nothing. Hey, kinda like we saw at the bottom of that energy market back in 1999-2000. That flush out decimated both the skilled and unskilled labour in that field and what the economics didn't do time did, as those who did survive and stick now are passed on or retired, hence the massive shortage of skilled labour in the field as things recovered.

It took some serious onions back in late 1999 to buy gold in the mid 300's or crude as it was trading around $12. You would have been flying in the face of legendary performing names like Nortel, JDSU, Qualcomm, Razorfish, Foundry, etc, etc... Surely you remember how Microsoft's market capitalization was larger than the entire publicly traded gold sector. How many paid attention to that type of extreme? Few I can assure you.

It is of course possible that this was and continues to be the start of a new mother of bull markets. I just do not see the parallels regarding sentiment, participation a general swearing off off or revulsion to stocks for good by the public, which generally occurs at MAJOR bottoms.

CNBC and that NASA employment candidate Dennis Kneale did me a huge favour the other day, as they were discussing the number of bank failures. Mr. Kneale was emphasising how few there have been to date compared to the prior S&L crisis. To which I say; "my point EXACTLY!"

How can you come out of the mother of all credit and debt bubbles and have only, what, a hundred or so bank failures? How many home builders have failed so far? How many loaded to the gills with commercial real estate insurers have dropped? You can count em' on one hand which just fails the smell test on a true bottom, for me that is.

Wall St. like Vegas, needs a constant flow of sheep to shear. Please don't fall victim to the virus that affected many like the legendary Chuck Prince, former CEO of Citicorp who said so memorably back in July of 2007 the following;

“When the music stops, in terms of liquidity, things will be complicated. But as long as the music is playing, you’ve got to get up and dance. We’re still dancing".

Everyone always thinks they are smart enough to find that chair when the music stops. Please take care of yourself and make sure you have a seat when the music stops because none of the shills on CNBC ever will.

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 1 unit Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $11.35
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerging Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 1 unit Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.09
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Russell 2K ticker TWM @ $27.50 stop @ $26.40
Long 1 unit Uranium Energy ticker UEC @ $3.60 stops @ $3.09

Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

More is Always Better

2009-10-21T14:51:00.008-04:00

Been listening to a lot of banter about extending the home buyer tax credit by the bought and paid for shills on CNBC and the shill of all shills the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Heck with extending it, why not triple it, just like a relative of mines ex-wife who used to think, if the recipe says 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in the apple pie is good, then 10 teaspoons should be ten times as good!

Yes my readers more must always be better. Bless her heart, she was very intelligent but just not that bright(there is an enormous difference there), which would make her eminently qualified to run the Fed, the Treasury and better yet the House Financial Services committee.

In the "More Green Shoots' department, we got news today that 23 yes 23 states reported higher unemployment in the month of September. But why would we let such a lagging indicator, yeah right!, get in the way of a good, market wide, pump and dump scheme.

So just in case you think I am exclusively focusing on such lagging, mundane, useless indicators like rising unemployment numbers I thought you might find this piece on deserted shopping mall interesting. Again the complaints will most surely come that I am focusing on yet another useless indicator, vacant commercial real estate.

Before I forget I want to take a moment to wish a very Happy Birthday to Jr. Deputy Accountant blog which turns 1 today !

For those that do not have this one on their daily reading list Jr. Deputy is one of the best out there, one which I visit multiple times daily. She is to the Federal Reserve and its regional governors as the slave was who walked behind the Caesar (Marcus Aerelius I think) reminding him how mortal he was.

Happy Birthday again Jr. Deputy.... you go girl !

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 1 unit Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $11.35
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerg Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 1 unit Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.09
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Russell 2K ticker TWM @ $27.50 stop @ $26.40
Long 1 unit Uranium Energy ticker UEC @ $3.60 stops @ $3.09/$3.18

Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

Nothing Has Changed

2009-10-20T12:22:00.035-04:00

Much thanks to Karl D. over at one of the best blogs on the net, Market Ticker (which is a daily must read for me and should be for you as well) for bringing to my attention the following news that can only be classified under the file Preposterous.

The news (via the WSJ) is that the IRS is investigating over 100,000 suspicious claims for the first time home buyers tax credit. As if that was not enough, (yes dear reader it gets worse) and in what can only be termed as the inmates are running the asylum, we get this further story, (again thx to Market Ticker) of a 20 yr old buying a home with 3.5% down FHA loan.

Without question, Tejada's loan is toxic--to her and to the taxpayers who are backing the loan. Her house cost $155,000. Tejada's loan was apparently made on a micro-down payment of just 3.5%, the minimum down payment to qualify for an FHA loan. On top of this, however, she got an additional government backed loan to make improvements. Her total loans amount to $183,0000. In short, she was immediately underwater on her new house.

The monthly payments on her debt amount to $1328. Her income is $2470, leaving her with just $285 a week to live on. She's paying 54% of her income to make the mortgage payments. She earns that income by holding down one full time and two part time jobs. Obviously, this woman has a strong work ethic. But it also means her income is precarious. With unemployment still rising, she obviously should be worried about losing one of her three jobs. A loss of one of them would likely leave her unable to make the debt payments.

Tejada appears to be using imaginary numbers about the value of her house. She says that when she bought it, the house was just a “box” with no kitchen or bathroom. Now it is "gorgeous". She claims the renovation has increased the value of her home from $155,000 to $255,000.

"I bought my house for $155,000. And now, after all the fixing, after all the remodeling, my house is worth $255,000. So just within a month period, I made a $100,000," she tells Market Place's Scott Jagow .

and finally in an pseudo tribute to former make-believe real estate magnate Casey Serin we get this doozy:

Tejada sees her house as an investment rather than a home. And she is planning on buying more homes, despite the fact that her income is already strained by her debt. This three bedroom house is just her "first house" and is "a little too big for me." This is the opposite direction house buying traditionally moved in, with young people buying a small fixer-upper or renting and moving into larger homes as their incomes and family size increased. Tejada has started big.

I had to re-read the article twice to get it to sink in. Nothing, and I mean nothing has changed. I agree with Karl that it's laudable that she is willing to work 3 jobs but this does not take away from the fact that we are on the hook via FHA for a loan that only an absolute imbecile would make. So what are we left with, complete imbeciles in charge or pervasive criminal fraud that has infected all arenas of public finance. Now don't even get me started on the likes of Chris Dodd, VIP mortgage customer at Countrywide, and Barney 'Fife' Frank as they sit idly by cashing banking lobbyist and donor cheques.

Ya think the boobs and boobs over at CNBC are gonna cover this story? Ha ha ha that is tooo funny! Of course I jest as covering a story like that would take real journalists who dig up clues and fact check leads, which coincidentally seems to be only be done with SNL skits anymore but yet again I digress.

All kidding aside the boobs at CNBC are far too busy fawning over Paulson's thug of an attache named Khaskari, for those interested phonetically it is pronounced cash and carry, which coincidently I think is the Goldman Sachs mission statement, no?

The irony of the name of the individual, Cash'carry, co-ordinating the heist of the century by the bankers, of the U.S. public treasury is, not lost on this writer. You just cannot make this shit up dear reader, you really can't! To listen to Sir Khaskari, believe me if we had a monarchy he would have been knighted by now, is to know all that is wrong with us and why we as a nation find ourselves in the pickle we're in. To listen to Cash'carry is to know what a true boot licking yes man looks like, walks like, acts like and talks like. After listening to him you can see the mold from which grovelling, trough suckling, leeches move up the food chain in the hierarchy of government. Mark my words he will be a senior government official, mark my words.

Back to our new homeowner with her new taxpayer funded loan, excuse me, I meant FHA loan. I recall the new FHA chief recently as saying the FHA is solvent and doesn't need any bailout money. I also recall a recent Ken Langone interview in which he stated that if heads of public traded companies made the same comments government officials are making they would be in jail.

And yet in the face of all this, people continue to ask and wonder why I am so bearish on stocks and the economy.

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 1 unit Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $11.35
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerg Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 1 unit Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.09
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Russell 2K ticker TWM @ $27.50 stop @ $26.40
Long 1 unit Uranium Energy ticker UEC @ $3.60 stops @ $3.09/$3.18

Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

Long Some FAZ

2009-10-20T12:00:00.006-04:00

I am wish to get long 1 unit of FAZ, the Direxion financial 3x bear etf here at $18.99

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 1 unit Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $11.35
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerg Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 1 unit Direxion Financial 3X Bear ticker FAZ @ $19.09
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Russell 2K ticker TWM @ $27.50 stop @ $26.40
Long 1 unit Uranium Energy ticker UEC @ $3.60 stops @ $3.09/$3.18

Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

Getting Short (y)

2009-10-20T11:37:00.009-04:00

The time has come to test the short waters yet again, a basket of shorts if you will, by getting long 1 unit each of the following:

BGZ @ $19.24
TZA @ $11.25
EDZ @ $5.95
FXP @ $8.22
SRS @ $9.72

I will post stops later today. Actions today have a little something to do with the U.S. dollar.

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Direxion Large Cap 3X Bear ticker BGZ @ $19.34
Long 1 unit Direxion Small Cap 3X Bear ticker TZA @ $11.35
Long 1 unit Direxion Emerg Mkts 3X Bear ticker EDZ @ $6.05
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Xinhua China ticker FXP @ $8.32
Long 1 unit Ultrshort Real Estate ticker SRS @ $9.82
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Russell 2K ticker TWM @ $27.50 stop @ $26.40
Long 1 unit Uranium Energy ticker UEC @ $3.60 stops @ $3.09/$3.18
Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

Oath Keepers

2009-10-20T08:21:00.029-04:00

Back on February 3rd of this year I wrote a post entitled 'The Constitution'. In it I specifically said the following:

"I got to thinking about our current predicament and the potential unrest that could result from it. Articles like this, US Military Preparing for Domestic Disturbances detailing military preparations for unrest got me to thinking as it should everyone.I hope the military members realize the significance of the oath of enlistment they took upon entering military service which reads as follows;

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

I then went on to say:

"I understand the military must take orders from the President which is defacto the constitution as we all know his oath is to the Constitution first and foremost, but it is clear their allegiance is to the Constitution, which is the people and the flag.

What I most certainly do know is that they have no allegiance protecting the current crew of lying, bribe taking, thieves, thugs, tax cheats, and scum that wander the Halls of the House, the Senate and the Cabinet.

I truly hope the families who have brave sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, bothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, cousins, and grandchildren serving realize where their duties and loyalties lie and make sure they remind them in case they have forgotten."

I bring all this up because I came across a piece out of the Las Vegas Review-Journal entitled Oath Keepers pledges to prevent dictatorship in the United States. The article describes the group called Oath Keepers as:

"Launched in March by Las Vegan Stewart Rhodes, Oath Keepers bills itself as a nonpartisan group of current and retired law enforcement and military personnel who vow to fulfill their oaths to the Constitution."

Please note this is not some group of crystal meth hippies but rather ex-law enforcement and military personnel. You may be thinking that either way these guys are loonie. Well, you are entitled to you opinion, but I am sure there where many who saw what was coming from men like Mao, like Hitler, like Stalin, like Pol Pot. Men like Marshall Tito, like Idi Amin, like Fidel Castro... (shall I go on?) and were called tin foil hat conspiracy loons as well.

According to the group's founder Stewart Rhodes,

"Oath Keepers is not preaching violence or government overthrow, Rhodes said. On the contrary, it is asking police and the military to lay down their arms in response to unlawful orders."

Please note carefully that last line. They are asking police and military to lay down their arms in response to unlawful orders. I care not whether you are democrat or republican as their policies only differ as to who is cashing the cheques and arbitraging their influence and none of it benefits you and me, it only benefits them.

I can hear you already. Crazy am I? Well if I'm 'so off the reservation' how do we have what we have in this country today.

Banks who should be BK doubling down at the casino with taxpayer money (re:Goldman Sachs).

Car dealerships closed arbitrarily. Explain to me how viable businesses in this country can be closed (auto dealerships) arbitrarily. Without rhyme or reason, unless of course your name might be Mack McClarty and you might be uber-connected to the current czar, but again I digress. You say you don't care. Well, you most surely will when your hot dog stand, your bakery, your hair salon is targeting for closing by decree!

Remember that Chrysler dealer in Florida who simply asked what the rationale was for his dealership being closed. He didn't ask for a bailout. He didn't ask for welfare. What he did ask for was that someone provide him with the metrics (which is a synonym for facts) by which his dealership was slated for closure. As far as I am aware he has not received any answer.

Remember the GM unsecured bondholders being leapfrogged by the politically connected unions in the debt hierarchy. Shock and Awe all Right!

This type of shit is not supposed to happen here. We're supposed to read about this in Honduras or Venezuela. Not the United States of America.

So where does this leave us. Well to start, as the saying goes, when men lose everything they start to lose it! Dennis Gartman used to say, most often regarding unrest in 3rd world nations, that men who have homes and jobs don't usually pick up assault rifles. I am quoting Dennis from memory but it might behove us to think of the flip side of his comments.

You can be most assured that politicians NEVER do what is right, they only will do what will get them re-elected and keep them in the swill that is the public trough and that which they have become accustomed to and feel entitled to. Further they will do what they need to preserve and protect their station in society, at your expense if need be, history bears this out repeatedly, and as Santayana said aptly "those that don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it".

So to the many out there who have family members serving, be it in the armed forces, national guard, or local law enforcement, I ask you this:

Please remind them to re-read the Constitution.
Please remind them to repeat their oath of enlistment.
Please remind them where their loyalties lay.
Please ask them to read the article on the Oath Keepers.

For as Thomas Jefferson once said;

"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people; there is liberty. "

Good speculating to you all and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Russell 2K ticker TWM @ $27.50 stop @ $26.40
Long 1 unit Uranium Energy ticker UEC @ $3.60 stops @ $3.09/$3.18
Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41

Nothing Like a Harvard MBA

2009-10-19T13:01:00.010-04:00

Harvard

I came across this piece in Bloomberg entitled 'Harvard's Bet on Interest Rate Rise Cost $500 Million to Exit in which the details of the debacle that is the Harvard endowment fund are coming to light.

Back on February 17 in a piece I penned a piece entitled 'It's Sir to You' I took CNBC to task, what else is new right?, over their incessant recycling of the same old guests touting the same old lines. In that piece I said the following:

"Watever you decide over there at CNBC just keep on recycling the same ol' same ol' guests with the same ol' same ol' lines of thinking. You know the crew, Bill Gross, Mohommed El-Erian, Paul McCulley, Bob Doll, Vince Farrell, et al. More importantly, do not dare ask Mr. El- Erian any questions pertaining to the mushroom cloud above the Harvard endowment lest you impair your advertising revenue stream via Pimco, the authority on bonds.

Don't get me wrong the 3 boyz of Pimco are extraordinarily bright, BUT... they are not immune from criticism, they are not immune from having their ideas challenged, they are not immune from talking their book, and above all they are not immune from being wrong. The markets have a nasty habit of doing that to people, making them wrong to the point of embarrassment. The trick is the ability to STOP BEING WRONG before your reputation and account are left in tatters."

My point here is this, how many times has El-Erian been on CNBC? A dozen, 2 dozen? I have lost track. Has any of the boobs and boobs in chairs over at CNBC even broached the subject with them. Now I understand Pimco is a major advertiser with CNBC and I can understand their reticence to ruffle the feathers of such a prized customer but El-Erian was the lead manager of the endowment from around early 2006 to December 2007. Is this not financial news for these purported journalists or are questions like this exclusively the domain of 'idiot bloggers' like myself?

And while on the subject, wasn't the purported 'smartest man in the room' Larry Summers over at Harvard when this debacle was being concocted in the lab. Yes, dear reader, the same Larry Summers advising the Commander in Chief all things economic.

Yup, brilliant when I succeed, unpredictable, once in a lifetime, Haley's Comet type excuses when we fail. oh yeah where's the taxpayer when we need em'.

An Ivy League MBA from Harvard can summed up in one easy sentence. Masters in Bullshit and Alchemy. With men like this in charge and orchestrating the band Heaven help us.

Earnings

It sure looks like Intel is pulling an Alcoa. Remember my comment the other day on Alcoa regarding its gap and crap and is trading right back where it started prior to earnings. Well, don't look now but INTC closed at $20.49 prior to its earnings release, gapped up to $21.26 the next morning and finished the day Friday at $20.18.

Nothing to worry, just more green shoots.

Did you catch the piece by Audit Integrity's list of top candidates for bankruptcy. Well, it seems da boyz over at Hertz are none too pleased with Audit Integrity's work, so much so they have filed suit. As many of the events of the past 18 months have shown us, there is a lot you can do on Wall St. and get away with but the one thing you absolutely unequivocally cannot do under any circumstances is holler sell!

A friend of mine forwarded me this quote from a commenter named SteveNYC over at the Zero Hedge blog regarding the Hertz/Audit Integrity brew ha ha in which he said;

"The Hertz transaction was a classic PE rip-off.

1) Ivy League boys at Carlyle, CDR etc. pickup the asset, leverage the guts out of it, and get it to a point of "performance" in order to sell back to the public.

2) Ivy League boys at Fidelity, Vanguard etc. managing 401k money buy the IPO stock from their mates at Carlyle, CDR etc. as a "solid investment" to add to their portfolios.

3) All of "the boys" cash out on the transaction, while the public is stuck with the swill, without any say (except by ticking the box on their 401k selection paper that says "Growth Fund") at all.

Nice job if you can get it."

Beautiful comment SteveNYC, absolutely spot on.

Good speculating and please remember to never forget that "an investor is a speculator who made a mistake and will not admit it".

Open Positions:
Long 1 unit Ultrashort Russell 2K ticker TWM @ $27.50 stop @ $26.40
Long 1 unit Uranium Energy ticker UEC @ $3.60 stops @ $3.09/$3.18
Short 1 unit i-shares Russell 2K ticker IWM @ $61.70 stop @ $63.80
Short 1 unit Vornado ticker VNO @ $68.30 stop @ $70.71
Short 1 unit Bed Bath ticker BBBY @ $37.75 stop @ $38.41