Sunday, May 10, 2009

"INFLATION IS THEFT"

There is no conscience in politics. Economic policies may be changed, reformed, and readjusted because they are ineffective, unproductive, and unpopular, but rarely ever because they are immoral. Debt may be a grievous bondage to an honorable man, but it may be a “national bond” which, in President Roosevelt’s words, “is owed not only by the nation but also to the nation.” Surely, politicians have a code of laws to observe and obey, but honesty in matters of debt and money is not one of them.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig6/sennholz6.html "Inflation IS Theft" 2005

http://mwhodges.home.att.net/nat-debt/debt-nat.htm TOTAL DEBT UPDATED

Saturday, May 09, 2009

"TRANSFER OF WEALTH FROM TAXPAYERS TO BANKS"

http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/244222/%22The-Greatest-Boondoggle-in-History%22-Banks-Buoyed-at-Taxpayers

BEND OVER AMERICA

While much of the focus is on the stress tests and banks' efforts to raise cash, the real story is Geithner's Public-Private Investment Program (PPIP), says William Black, an Associate Professor of Economics and Law at the University of Missouri - Kansas City.

The PPIP is the "greatest boondoggle in the history of the world," says Black, a former bank regulator who was counsel to the Federal Home Loan Bank Board during the S&L crisis. As occurred during the S&L era, Black says the PPIP will allow banks to exchange "trash for cash" and turn "real losses into faulty gains."

If the goal of Tim Geithner and other regulators was "to rip off the American taxpayer for the benefit of the least-deserving wealthiest people you can imagine, well - mission accomplished," Black says.


If can't beat them join them?

D

IS US $$ HEADED FOR TEST OF 80.00? She looks broken


Higher yields, broken dollar, higher gold....foiling FED manipulation?

YIELDS HAVE BROKEN OUT DESPITE FED ACTION


AMERICAN BANKER

http://www.americanbanker.com/ offering free trial. SOme important well done banking sector stories here.

Friday, May 08, 2009

SWENLIN ON WEDGE

http://www.financialsense.com/editorials/swenlin/2009/0508.html BAsically a call that, well nothing is 100% but likely we are close to resolution here, more than likely to downside.

Swenlin seems to think this will be brief and rally will then continue.....figure attack of 200 EMA at least.

One of the stronger bear mkt rallys Ive ever witnessed, but for now still IN a bear market. Nothing is for certain, but IF a NEW BULL MKT has commensed....there should be plenty of time to enjnoy the rise, though early on is the most dramatic. This would surprise me to some end, but some of my TA pointed to the possibility, I could never confirm it. And there are missing components that would make this one of a kind.

D

AM DATA

UNEMPLOYMENT ROSE TO 8.9% (from 8.5%)

Previous data was revised down addt'l 30,000 !

Todays number of 553,000 will be trumpeted as WONDERFUL, a SURPRISE....BETER THAN EXPECTED.......there are 75,000 GOV jobs in here some temp for "CENSUS".

Take out these temp census GOV jobs (is private sector improving?) and you get another horrible number of 628,000....add back the 30,000 that somehow SLIPPED by last report and you get 658,000.

I smell something unsavory....call me not impressed.....wages FALLING....jobs in delcine.....home values tanked, banks STIFF on lending......demand for credit plunged......but we're in recovery?

D

US DOLAR INDEX CRACKING and ALT A LOANS

Currently AM 83.60
BDI at Resistance http://investmenttools.com/futures/bdi_baltic_dry_index.htm

Bank Stress tests that instead of market value for paper the BANK sets the value.....this is what was given to "regulators" to make their ASSumptions....thought you'd like to know.


ALT A LOANS
Subprime (bad credit mortgage) loans have certainly been generating a lot of attention, and worry, among investors, economists and regulators, but those loans may be only part of the threat posed to the housing market by risky lending.

Some experts in the field are now concerned about the so-called Alt-A mortgage loan market, which has grown even faster than the market for subprime mortgage loans to borrowers with less than top credit.

Alt-A refers to people with better credit scores (A-credit) who borrow with little or no verification of income - so-called alternative documentation.
But some people in the industry call them “stated income” loans, or worse, “liar loans.” And these almost no-doc loans were an important part of the record real estate boom of 2004 and 2005 that has recently shown signs of turning into a bust.

Standard & Poor’s estimates that the Alt-A market has gone from less than $20 billion in home loans in the fourth quarter of 2003 to more than $100 billion in each of the last three quarters.
Overall, new Alt-A mortgage transactions totaled $386 billion in 2006, according S&P’s estimates - up a drastic 28 percent from 2005.

By comparison, bad credit home loans reached a whopping $640 billion in 2006, according to trade publication Inside Mortgage Finance.

WE ARE BEING SET UP WITH STRESS TESTS AND GOV IS LOSING ALL CRED.

Beware ALT -A

Could it be we've just entered the second half of the credit crisis?
Just as 2008 was the year of subprime woes, this one will go down as the year of Option ARM resets (or adjustable rate mortgage resets). With billions in Option ARMs resets in 2009 and 2010, this crisis is about to unleash a fury no one's prepared for.
It won't be as bad as subprime, of course. It'll be worse.

WHat is ocurring now my friends is an attempt to use the MEDIA, propaganda, lies and misrepresentation and cheerleaders to PROP up the paper assets STOCK MKT and HOUSING........be careful out there.

D

BREAKOUT IN THE 10 YEAR NOTES


Can't monetize the debt fast enoough?

Thursday, May 07, 2009

WHAT'S WRONG WITH AMERICA?

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York resigned Thursday, days after coming under attack for his continuing involvement in a company regulated by the institution.

Stephen Friedman received a waiver to remain on the board of Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500), the Wall Street firm that became a bank holding company amid September's financial frenzy, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal on Monday. He also holds a substantial amount of shares in the company and continued to buy more even after Goldman came under the Fed's supervision.

DAMN them all......who is looking out for the little guys?....I told you it doesn't matter what party, or who's in power....the rich get richer...the connected stay connected...WTF gave this idiot a "waiver"?

I'm telling you, THEY are stealing us blind, us the taxpayer has been lied to, cheated...and SOLD OUT to the banks, the same one who screwed us....still screwing us!

D

WEDGIE IN PLAY, WOOL OVER WHO'S EYES? NEWS UNFIT TO PRINT


*AGAIN PLEASE click ON CHARTS TO ENLARGE
Auction of bonds ...well it didn't go so swell.....
"The auction is big news because now it's showing that maybe the Chinese don't want our bonds. If the cost of capital for the United States becomes more expensive, then the recession is going to take that much longer to get out of," said Joe Saluzzi, co-manager of trading at Themis Trading in Chatham, New Jersey.
"Mortgage rates will go higher, which will make it less attractive to buy a home again. So, it's back where we started."
The U.S. government's plans to help finance its burgeoning budget deficit with more longer-term debt ran into trouble on Thursday with a dismal reception for its sale of 30-year long bonds.
The $14 billion auction met below-average demand from investors, who bid aggressively to force the government to pay a higher yield.
and so will FLOODING the planet with worthless paper.... BUT ex BEAR Jeremy Grantham thinks stocks can "go to the moon" into end of year......."stocks are more senitive to stimulus than economy".....maybe he's right......and then he goes on to tell enjoy it while it lasts, after that's over a decade of pain.....FWIW
and this PLAEEEZE..been leaking news out for days!!!!! who's in Grant's tomb a better kept secret.
The results of government stress tests on the ability of the 19 largest banks to weather a deep recession will be released at 5 p.m. and are expected to show about half of the banks need more capital.
CSCO reported last night, hyped as it was....stock was up in AH, the NAZ sank today, when CSCO can't move the NAZ..usually trouble for tech.
PAL (N American Paladium) has FINALLY woken up and has spurted higher from $1 base....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Consumer borrowing plunged in March at the fastest pace in 18 years as Americans put away their credit cards and hoarded cash amid the worst recession in decades.
*But other reports were trying to make you believe consumers had risen from the dead......is that what you read into that?
The Commerce Department last week said that the personal savings rate edged up to 4.2 percent in March, marking the first time in a decade that the savings rate has been above 4 percent for three straight months.
Households have been spending less and saving more as they seek to replenish nest eggs in the face of massive job layoffs.
C
onsumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of total economic activity, fell 0.2 percent in March, ending an otherwise strong quarter. Consumer spending grew at an annualized rate of 2.2 percent in the first quarter, according to government data.
OH boy stress test results at 5PM...they already leaked most of the stuff....does it really matter what they say? it's the reaction in the markets.
D

NOT A JOKE

OUT OF ONE SIDE OF MOUTH

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is citing a host of government programs for budget cuts, saying that "these savings, large and small, add up."

The president went before the cameras Thursday to discuss his proposal for roughly 120 budget cuts totaling $17 billion — a sum that would be only about one-half of 1 percent of the $3.4 trillion budget that Congress has approved for next year. (LOL!!!!)

He said he's entrusting budget director Peter Orszag to follow through with the cuts. But there already have been indications that he'll meet some resistance in Congress.

Obama acknowledged that "none of this will be easy." But he said he's determined to cut in half the projected budget deficit in half within four years.

OUT OF OTHER SIDE OF MOUTH

WASHINGTON (AP) — In twin strokes, President Barack Obama is calling on Congress to award generous budget increases to domestic programs while proposing relatively modest cuts to wasteful or obsolete programs that just won't seem to die.

Obama's promised line-by-line scrub of the federal budget has produced a roster of 121 budget cuts totaling $17 billion — or about one-half of 1 percent of the $3.4 trillion budget Congress has approved for next year. The details were unveiled Thursday.

White House budget director Peter Orszag said the president's plan for program cuts is just a start and that a lot more needs to be done to dig the government out of its fiscal hole, especially curbing the growth of the Medicare and Medicaid health care programs for the elderly and the poor.

"But $17 billion a year is not chump change by anyone's accounting," he said. (REALLY?)
Those savings are far exceeded by a phone-book-sized volume detailing Obama's generous increases for domestic programs that will accompany the call for cuts.

And instead of devoting the savings to defray record deficits, the White House is funneling them back into other programs.

Friends do you see how we are so screwed?

D

CLAIMS AM DATA

The improving trend in initial claims supports the claim that the pace of layoffs is slowing. Unfortunately, the pace of hiring isn't picking up.

With employment considered a lagging indicator, though, the improving trend in initial claims is apt to take precedence for the market, which has embraced the idea that the economy has bottomed out.

Anyone else cheering this data? Can we claim the worst is over? Personally I would pray so....continuing claims continue their upward march.....we arent even close to 300,000 per month...then we cheer.

With pomp hype and cicumstance we could see the 200 EMA's in play....will "smart" money who made EASY money cash out or continue to ride this thing? Will that fabled "sideline" cash feel left out and rush into an overbought market?

D

TOTAL CREDIT MARKET DEBT as % OF GDP back to 1920's


*always click to enlarge charts
Relevant to my long previous post this AM....here is debt as % of GDP going back to last Depression.....look where we are in this cycle! Can a trip back to THE NORM be halted from these EXTREMES?
http://money.cnn.com/2009/05/07/news/economy/warren_report/index.htm?postversion=2009050703 "CREDIT CRUNCH ALIVE AND WELL!" This does NOT jive with mamoth rally IMHO
D

HEADED DOWN THE SLIPPERY SLOPE AND GOV ROPE-A-DOPE


http://american-armageddon.espacioblog.com/post/2009/03/28/the-debt-binge-consumer-debt-outstanding-and-total-us-debt-and This IS an IMPORTANT READ, please take time to understand what you are looking at.
You can see the "long term averages" and you can SEE where we were at in 1980 the last setup for the GREATEST ECONOMIC BOOM IN HISTORY, the stat of the longest running BULL MKT in history.
Here is ANOTHER IMPORTANT READ.....if you want to understand it will take a huge effort to disect and sift thru the good, bad, ugly and pure BS.
"I think America's in this retail deep freeze," Beemer said. "I think we're going to see it go on for months and months and months."
Meanwhile, only 24.2% of consumers said they feel they have extra cash in their paychecks due to the U.S. government stimulus package, while 73.7 % said they did not.
The stimulus package includes a tax credit that will be paid to many workers in the form of less withholding tax taken out of paychecks, though at $400 annually for single workers, that amounts to only $7.69 a week.
The survey was conducted May 1 through May 3.
WHAT we have is MINIMAL GOV STIMULUS that is effecting the REAL ECONOMY and REAL PEOPLE....what we do got (great English huh?) is expanding GOV and EXPANDING BAILOUTS that DO NOT go directly into the REAL ECONOMY where the BLEEP it is needed!!!!
WHat happens when the GOV spending is increasing at an alarmingly high rate and the economy is SHRINKING by about as much? GOV tax reciepts are WAY DOWN.....so we have a GOV and FED (boy look at their balance sheet now) that is trying to PRINT and TALK their way out of this mess.....the GOV is trying to create the economy....but what it is doing is STARVING it from being able to recover and it is sucking the available monies right away from those also needing it.
I have all my monies in a TREASURY MONEY MARKET (basic MM's are NOT INSURED) and I am basically getting NO INTEREST....NADA!
REAL economies grow from INVESTMENT and MANUFACTURING, and it takes the money from SAVINGS......in a world where the need for monies for DEBT are so dramatic.....the demand so immense; how can interest rates be sitting so low? (though off THE LOWS)
New paper is printed to buy the old paper......WTF is that? OBAMA has taken the BUSH spending batton and out it on steroids......the GOV is competing with the private sector for credit and winning.
WHY isn't our GOV living within its means as we have to? YOU got A coming in you dont spend B to the infinty power.
How do th ebanks out of thin air be declared SOLVENT when the huge amount of paper issued at price X is now in the shitter? SO allowing the honest BANKERS to tell us what that crappy paper is now worth and all of a sudden they show huge profits?
IS THAT SO? hasnt some of the major profit drivers of the banking system been destroyed? IS it off consumer loans? corporate loans? mergers and aquisitions? IPO's? then what?
What is happening now is ANOTHER attempt to REFLATE deflating assets....real estate, stock markets....how? printing it to health.
WHat you can do is not buy into the myth and get OUT OF DEBT PAY IT DOWN....get LIQUID as possible.....try to ride this out.
If Banks arent loaning monies from savings of depositors what then?
My friends we need investment in the PRIVATE ECONOMY, NOT THE GOVERNMENT which is getting bigger, and invading our COnstitutional rights and lives by the minute.
The FED GOV has promised, guaranteed, bailed out equivalent to 89% of our total GDP!
Should we actually recover.....IMHO an INFLATION of extroadianry proportions awaits us.....but DEFLATION is the enemy now.
In 1930 the TOTAL CREDIT MARKET DEBT was 265% of GDP, we rose to 350% this time around......the object is to HEAL and RETURN to the norm....man we couldn't be farther away!
And like I said....just pulled this off
White House: Obama seeks hike in domestic spending- AP
In twin strokes, President Barack Obama is calling on Congress to award generous budget increases to domestic programs while proposing relatively modest cuts to wasteful or obsolete programs that just won't seem to die.
Give the money to the PEOPLE MAN....let US decide where to spend it!

Duratek

STRESS TESTS

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Bank-stress-tests-show-some-apf-15161516.html?sec=topStories&pos=main&asset=&ccode=

= crock of pooo.

What are the value of the paper they hold if it isn't marked to market? WOULD they say ANYTHING negative which would cause a panic? pure BS!

http://seekingalpha.com/article/134482-why-this-rally-is-unsustainable?source=hp_mostpopular rally sustainable?


D

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

BEARISH RISNG WEDGIE?

IT GOT TO BREAK ONE WAY OR ANOTHER SOON!

CSCO earnings off 24% after close...but beats street HAA. Same old game

Markets are still in bearish config, and it's approaching the 200 EMA (exponential moving avg)
which is normally good resistance for any rally.....sure it can pop over it.....but this rally is getting long IMHO come a long way.

STRESS TESTS (sure) and FRI employment numbers ......if you care to beleive them..

D

ROUBINI ON "BEAR MARKET RALLY"



From April 21st on Bloomberg

D

ROUBINI IN MARCH ON ECONOMY AND BANKING CRISIS

CURRENT BDI CHART


Does not validate US STOCK RALLY IMHO. WHERE IS the pick up in raw material demand to make THINGS?

D

CLOSEUP OF CURRENT RALLY


Tuesday, May 05, 2009

BERNANKE SQUEAKS

BIG BEN TO RESCUE BALD MF

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090505/ap_on_bi_ge/us_bernanke
WASHINGTON – Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress Tuesday the economy should start growing again later this year, his most optimistic assessment of the country's financial health since the recession struck with force last year.
But Bernanke warned that even after a recovery gets under way, economic activity is likely to be subpar. That means businesses will stay cautious about hiring, driving up the nation's unemployment rate and causing "further sizable job losses" in the coming months, he told the Joint Economic Committee. **another 2 sided mouth conversation, friends,what does he see that we dont see? KNowing thathe didnt see THIS coming (EBOLI ECONOMY) and LIED months into it...."this wont leak into economy,,,its contained"
WHY believe this connected insider now? Here's your rally and recovery you paid for out of this air..
D

BULL OR BEAR MARKET. NO NEED TO GUESS


OUT OF WOODS YET?

Oil lingers above $54 on economic recovery hopes (not on demand P/u but on HOPES)

HUGE SWISS BANKS SAYS WORLD ECONOMY CONTINUES TO "WORSEN"

UBS 'cautious' after $1.7 billion loss
Swiss bank says outlook for the firm is cloudy as global economy continues to worsen.

ZURICH (Reuters) -- UBS remained wary on its immediate outlook as it braced for the full impact of the recession after confirming it had posted a first quarter loss on yet more writedowns and client withdrawals.
Despite a strong rebound in stock markets in recent weeks, UBS (UBS) said the global economy has continued to deteriorate and its home market Switzerland will not be spared. The Swiss economy is set to contract by up to 3% this year.
"The markets continue to be unsettled, and we remain cautious on the immediate outlook for UBS," the world's largest wealth manager said in a statement.

Services data AM and Thursday will be?

Banks: The financial sector will remain in focus as investors await the release of the results of the U.S. government's so-called stress tests on banks, which are due out Thursday.
At least 10 of the 19 big banks under review -- including Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500) and Citigroup (C, Fortune 500) -- may need to boost their capital, according to published reports.
Although, the number of reported banks that may need to boost their capital requirements has been fluctuating in the run up to the release of the results.

I will repeat, we are still in a BEAR MKT, and when the trend reasserts itself, MANY will be caught offguard and taken down with it.

D

Monday, May 04, 2009

SOME CHARTS

http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=$SPX&p=W&b=1&g=0&id=p94532429432
Notice during BULL CCi can stay overbought for a year....but during BEAR MKT past and this one notice what HAS happened when CCI weekly reached area its at now.....

http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=$SPX:$VIX&p=M&yr=10&mn=6&dy=0&id=p95359378420&a=147023883 this one measures fear/price....see my annotations. MACD wants to signal ,aybe its over at same time ratio has come right back to that channel underside....curious. dbl bottom at 16 was hint of ST bottoming.
http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=$INDU&p=D&yr=0&mn=6&dy=0&id=p78179678834&a=158245127
a move to 200 EMA not unusual. LAST ONE BEARISH RISING WEDGE? http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=$INDU&p=D&yr=0&mn=3&dy=0&id=p29735166432&a=166742532 still intact...breaking up and over nullifies it....so odd when you see price stop like that.
http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=$CYC:$CMR&p=W&yr=8&mn=6&dy=0&id=p74150163626&a=147023766 this sector (buillish?) has had monster move. D

THE VANISHING NEWSPAPER

http://ettlin.blogspot.com/

Sunday, May 03, 2009

IS THE WORST OVER?


EVERY major end to THE BEAR and SEEDS of economic recovery in the past (I am aware of) has been with the ability to GOOSE,JUMP START AND GROW CREDIT EXPANSION......is it different this time?

The ability to do so has been SO impaired, what we have witnessed from 660 SPX has been short covering....I mean the little guy has been short cicuited or unemployed.

401K contributions and wall street bonuses have been decimated. Ability to draw value from your home near eliminated.

Tightening credit standards have excluded MANY from new money.

Credit cards are chock full.

Mark to mkt end has only put a vail over REAL MKT VALUE.

ALt A loans not in mix nor talked about in MEDIA. Commercial loan defaults JUST beginning their turn at ugly cycle putting MORE stress on banks.

Consumer sentiment may have risen with rally, but it IS coming from lowest point in history.

Stock Market has never proven it knows anything. The economy began to weaken in 1998 yet mkt highs were in 2000.

It is ALL about credit/debt expansion to what 350% of GDP total credit market debt (290% in 1930) in the past when this has POPPED it RETURNS US to MEDIAN trend.....what is current TOTAL CREDIT MKT DEBT? I think still over 300%.

If not THE bottom, what kind of bottom? DID THE SPX PE's OR DIV yields reach levels seen at prior MAJOR CYCLE BOTTOMS? NO

ALL BOTTOMS GET TESTED? usually....dont ya think this one will? 2nd MOUSE here if enterring with more gusto will be unltimate winner.

NO QUESTION...my thinking was failed and masked by my own BIZ experience of despair....had I had only game face on.....SNDK at $5 HNI at $7 DOW and friends under $10 were NO BRAINER TRADES. UYG near $1 a no brainer. There is BIG talk of recovery...I ask you why then UYG under April highs, but supported by 50 EMA and do I see another wedge?

Friday, May 01, 2009

COMPARE MARCH 2009 RALLY WITH 911 RALLY


Notice how 911 rally after capturing 200 EMA was then stopped when approaching it from under right before it began steep decline into 2002 lows, we also had a VIX that fell to below 20!
*click to enlarge
D

BEAR MARKET RALLIES

Weekend Commentary

YOU SHOULD keep in mind that recovery rallies that occur during extended bear markets are often very impressive. If the rallies were just run of the mill they would not do their job. These rallies will last just long enough to lure in the most that think the worst is over and they let their guard down.

And when these rallies fizzle, and those that jumped back in deny their is trouble brewing in the air, that's when the PRIMARY BEAR TREND reasserts itself with a vengence.

Folks this is a nasty Bear MArket, values will most likely be driven down to never before seen values, with yields near 6%, and SPX 500 PE ratios in single digits......I am sorry to say I do not think we have gotten to the end, and I know the yields and PE's have not met their goals.

The avg person is not trading these markets, the avg person may be reading my blog along with some seasoned traders, but the avg person has been holding this whole time.

The feverish demand for stocks usually met at bear bottoms has been mostly absent here. I think the rally from MArch is most like the one after the 911 panic subsided. I mean WHAT could be worse than the terrorism and pain we felt after being attacked?

I dont remember, but I do know that rally ended and new LOWER prices came after in OCT 2002. And then again in 2003 we came close to the lows, TESTED and didnt look back.

IMHO at LEAST the lows get tested my friends....at the least.

Our problems are deep and wide. Long TERM int rates manipulated lower, even with threat the FED buys its own Bonds...have only risen since....10 yr back above 3.10 % which means mortgage rates will rise......not what was intended....but we KEEP BORROWING TRILLIONS.......there is no spending control iN GOV....

You ask yourself.....or anyone....how ya doing...is it getting better....are the programs taking hold...fixing the problems?

This is the WORST economy in my 50 yr lifetime.....so I wont presume to know how it ends, or improves....I can say I dont see it yet.....and its PRESERVATION MODE for me

D

ZERO HEDGE

http://zerohedge.blogspot.com/2009/05/shooting-shoots.html always a good read

Watch the wedge develop, catching shorts TOO short and way oversold market at MArch lows ignited this. End of mark to market and abuse of the data have fed this, as has the playa's and suspect that important stimulus money is not being loaned but gambled.

D

CHINA WITH FIB


Thursday, April 30, 2009

Contrarian Indicator?

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/04/blog-traffic-reading-complacent/ Blog traffic

First 100 days? How aout OVER EXPOSED?

Market at interesting juncture here, I will come up with a decent chart by tomorrow to show what I am lookin gat, take care,

D

WHEN THE LEVEE BREAKS or Baltic Dry INdex and who cares


"The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) is a number issued daily by the London-based Baltic Exchange. The index provides "an assessment of the price of moving the major raw materials by sea"

Friends, raw materials is what goes into making THINGS.....the BDI RISES when DEMAND FOR THINGS causes increased purchasing of the stuff to make things.....do YOU see a VAST improvement here?

Baltic Dry isn't a Latvian deodorant or an Estonian cocktail. Rather, it's a number issued daily by the London-based Baltic Exchange, which traces its roots to the Virginia and Baltick coffeehouse in London's financial district in 1744.

http://www.slate.com/id/2090303/ by Daniel Gross

The BDI is a good leading indicator for economic growth and production. After all, it doesn't deal with container ships carrying finished goods. It deals with the precursors to production: bulk carriers carrying building materials, cement, grain, coal, and iron. Unlike stock and bond markets, the BDI "is totally devoid of speculative content," says Howard Simons, an economist and columnist at TheStreet.com. People don't book freighters unless they have cargo to move.

SPX 200 EMA is around 965 and sure we could carry to there, sure this rally if gotten in early was a money maker......but the jury is still out to if the BEAR has been defeated....IMHO all I can tell is we are bouncing from news driven by the thinnest of premises.

I'm in retail and I cant wait to be proven wrong and stubbornly pessimistic.... watch UYG still below recent high near $3.90 and VIX now below 35....

Duratek

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

FED COMMENTS AND GDP

Federal Reserve policymakers said at the end of a two-day meeting Wednesday that while the economy is still receding, the pace of decline "appears to be somewhat slower" than the last time they met in mid-March.

NEW YORK – The Fed confirmed what Wall Street has already concluded: The recession is starting to ease.

Gross domestic product contracted at an annual rate of 6.1 percent, much steeper than the 5 percent forecast by economists polled by Thomson Reuters.

Investors were encourage by a rebound in consumer spending (loss of 6M jobs really?), which accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, and a drop in business inventories. (BIZ adds inv when possitive about economy)

"BETTER THAN EXPECTED"
Better-than-expected earnings have been boosting the market as well. Media conglomerate Time Warner Inc. said its first-quarter profit fell 14 percent on deteriorating ad sales, but the results were better than expected.

Meanwhile, Citigroup, which has also received large amounts of federal aid, is trying to figure out how to retain workers. Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit has talked with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner about the possibility of paying special bonuses to keep demoralized workers from getting scooped up by competitors, a person familiar with the matter said.

TNX (10 yr note) could be ready to explode its 200 EMA is 31.23 near high of the day....leading to higher int rates. (EOD 30.96)

SPX 200 EMA is 953.80 (EOD 873)
TRANS 200 EMA 3489

I note this rally is coming on declining volume.

UYG (long financials) has yet to really break out. April high is $3.90 (EOD $3.56)

http://financialsense.com/series2/perspectives2.html Perfect storm series

GDP DATA THAT SPURS A RALLY? Buyer Beware

Highlights

First quarter real GDP dropped at a 6.1% annual rate in part because inventory contraction sliced a whopping 2.8% off the change. Real final sales, excluding inventories, fell at a 3.4% annual rate. Inventories count, though, as the lower levels reflect sharply lower production.

The business data in GDP were terrible. Investment in software and equipment fell at a 33.8% annual rate. Nonresidential construction spending (offices) fell at an amazing 44.2% annual rate. Both of these categories will continue lower. Businesses remain in retrenchment mode even if the rate of decline might slow.

Residential construction spending continued to plunge, and was down at a 38.0% annual rate.
Government spending fell at a 3.9% annual rate as state spending and defense spending contracted. This was another factor in the overall weaker GDP number compared to estimates.
Raw Data Available At: http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdpnewsrelease.htm

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

SIDEWAYS

CLICK TO ENLARGE CHART*
Month of April has consisted of sideways action, so is this digestion of rally or inability to move above Resistance zones and trading area is about to give way?
I think I can safely saythis is bear market rally, what I cannot say 100% is that it is done. But I do have some parameters set up that should tell us soon enough.
FED rah rah meeting is usually bullish to non commital, when done true trend will resume.
D

LOOK For The RISE In Consumer Confidence


REASON TO CHEER

Home Prices Post 18.6 Percent Annual Drop in Feb.- AP
A widely watched housing index shows home prices dropped in February, but for the first time in 16 months the decline was not a record.

GOTTA love those silver linings....

D

Monday, April 27, 2009

TIME FOR CAUTION

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2009/04/technical-indicators-scream-caution.html

The divergences continue as the rally loses steam and gets older and Bird Flu scare aside, the market is ready to retrace at a bear minimum, some of the gains off the lows.

There is SCANT REAL DATA of any uptick in the REAL ECONOMY, lending standards have stiffened, millions have lost jobs and no longer putting into 401K's, IPO's scarce, investment scarce, Gov and FED programs have had little effect.

Many think bear has been put asleep, but I have no technical data, in fact it is much alive. We have yet to challenge the 200 EMA......when this rally fades, see who steps up to plate, sure isnt avg Koe.

D

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

ACTION JACKSON

Despite todays TRIPLE DIGIT rally, when compared to yesterdays 90% NYSE downer, it was weak.

Usually after a 90% down day you will get a few days of rally, and if today was selective of what is to follow, I do not think the decline is done.

Geithner speaks? big deal. The COVER UP continues.

D

ROAD TO DISASTER

THE GOLDMAN CONSPIRCAY

MASSIVE COVER UP AND FRAUD

Crimes Suspected In 20 Bailout Cases

Tuesday, April 21, 2009Los Angeles Times
In the first major disclosure of corruption in the $750-billion financial bailout program, federal investigators said Monday they have opened 20 criminal probes into possible securities fraud, tax violations, insider trading and other crimes.The cases represent only the first wave of investigations, and the total fraud could ultimately reach into the tens of billions of dollars, according to Neil Barofsky, the special inspector general overseeing the bailout program.The disclosures reinforce fears that the hastily designed and rapidly changing bailout program run by the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve is going to carry a heavy price of fraud against taxpayers -- even as questions grow about its ability to stabilize the nation's financial system.

Barofsky said the complex nature of the bailout program makes it "inherently vulnerable to fraud, waste and abuse, including significant issues relating to conflicts of interest facing fund managers, collusion between participants, and vulnerabilities to money laundering."The report said little about who is under investigation and how the fraudulent schemes work, but investigators are already on alert for a long list of potential scams. Such schemes could include obtaining bailout money under false pretenses, bilking the government with phony mortgage modifications, and cheating on taxes with fraudulent filings.



Former Bank Regulator Wm Black was interviewed on PBS recently, he says the reason Bank execs have not been replaced is if they did an honest man might try to get to bottom of the issues, abuses and they DON’T WANT THAT!

WHY did $12 B go thought AIG directly to Goldman Sachs? And on top of that GS had a huge SHORT on AIG and got paid for that too!?

How can the banks be reporting “better than expected results recently” prompting CNBC clowns and ADM officials to quip,,,,,” the worse may be over, proof its getting better”

What they forgot to tell people was an NEW accounting change for GS took DEC figures (and they were bad) off the reporting qtr. And now the banks are free to mark their holdings to a value they see fit vs Mark to Mkt. WHY would FASB do away with mark to market acct? Because it would show most banks INSOLVANT as we speak.

NO oversight? Of a TRILLION $$$?? Who is that stupid? OH our elected officials. DIDN’T READ THE DAMN BILL? Who is that stupid or lazy? OH our elected officials.

If the American public doesn’t wake up now when will they and get mad?

Monday, April 20, 2009

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Bank of America Corp. managed to avoid a loss in the first quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations and providing further evidence the banking sector might be improving.
But the bank also took a hefty $13.4 billion provision for loan losses and its shares fell 55 cents, or 5.2 percent, to $10.05 in premarket trading.
The Charlotte, N.C.-based company earned $2.81 billion after paying preferred dividends, or 44 cents per share, compared with a profit of $1.02 billion, 23 cents per share, in the year ago period. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected profit of 4 cents per share.
The higher-than-expected earnings could take some pressure off Chief Executive Ken Lewis who has faced calls from some shareholders to either give up his job as chairman or be ousted.

*good thing mark to mkt is gone.....wow cant beleive a profit.......hmm guess profits arent what they used to be

* Large Corporate Leasing Company (whisper) is going to downsize here......I thought idea was to loosen lending....what gives

D

Thursday, April 16, 2009

INTERACTIVE MAP OF JOB LOSSES

http://www.slate.com/id/2216238/

WHERE IS THE SUPPORTIVE DATA?

More Lousy News on Housing *(briefing.com)
Last Update: 16-Apr-09 08:53 ET
Expectations for further glimmers of hope on the housing front took a hit this morning. The March housing data were not pretty.


Starts dropped 10.8% to a 510,000 annual rate from 572,000 in February. The level is not as low as the 488,000 dismal January number, but still the second lowest of this cycle.
The March level is well below expectations of about a 540,000 level and below the three-month average of 539,000 the three prior months.
Housing permits gave no indication of an imminent upturn. Permits fell 9.0% to a 513,000 annual rate. This is the lowest level of the current cycle and below the 547,000 average of the three prior months.
There is no reason not to take the data at face value as an indication that housing remains in a deep slump and that sporadic signs of stabilization have to be viewed with caution.

DECAY CONTINUES

Historic real estate failure
The second largest mall owner in the U.S. files for bankruptcy protection. » More than 200 malls


Suicide bomber kills 16 and wounds 50 at base in western Iraq we wont leave as scheduled.

Number of child abuse cases surge as U.S. economy flounders fabric of society crumbling

New jobless claims fall to 610,000; continuing claims hit 6 million good news bad or bad news bad news

BUT I suspect TRADING PROFITS (rally) have led to JPM earnings "surprise"....off we go

D

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

WILD EYED OPTIMIST


WASHINGTON – The Federal Reserve said Wednesday there are some faint signs the steep plunge in economic activity that began last fall is starting to level off.
The Fed's latest survey of business conditions nationwide found five of its 12 regional banks reporting a moderation in the pace of the economic decline.
Several regions "saw signs that activity in some sectors was stabilizing at a low level ... (but) overall economic activity contracted further or remained weak," the Fed said.

2 INTERVIEWS WITH EWT ROBERT PRECHTER

http://www.acrotec.com/ewt/ewt2.html

5 REASONS GIVEN FOR "LIGHT"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090415/pl_politico/21259 NO HUGE SELLING PUSH has showed up so unless soon....just a correction to rally not officially dead yet

D

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

AFTERNOON UPDATE

I have been seeing some divergences on my charts that said rally needed some rest, with Goldman Sachs NEWS out this AM (earnings) the negative tone so far may be worthy of note.

Prices had peeked out of my downtrend channel.....but now have fallen back into that channel.

CNBC and friends continue to trot out the BOTTOM CALLERS...............it ain't gonna be that easy folks......this is the mutha of all bear markets, IMHO

Let's see where prices find footing.....8,000 on DOW seems less important as prices bob up and below.

D

FOCUS ON ECONOMY IS "OUT OF FOCUS?"


I sure hope his "VISION" is a lot sharper than his photo.......but let's ALL heave a big sigh of relief as BEN, little Timmy G and Big O tell us worst is over.....
WASHINGTON – Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday there's been "tentative signs" that the recession may be easing. But he also warned that any hope for a lasting recovery hinges on the government's success in stabilizing shaky financial markets and getting credit to flow more freely again.

BDI AND NEWS ALERT

WEAK recovery still here.

CNBC NEWS ALERT..and such a surprise to all of us...."March retail sales shows SURPRISE DECLINE!??"

D

Saturday, April 11, 2009

MASSIVE CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND COVER UP

BILL MOYERS: Yeah. Are you saying that Timothy Geithner, the Secretary of the Treasury, and others in the administration, with the banks, are engaged in a cover up to keep us from knowing what went wrong?
WILLIAM K. BLACK: Absolutely.
BILL MOYERS: You are.
WILLIAM K. BLACK: Absolutely, because they are scared to death. All right? They're scared to death of a collapse. They're afraid that if they admit the truth, that many of the large banks are insolvent. They think Americans are a bunch of cowards, and that we'll run screaming to the exits. And we won't rely on deposit insurance. And, by the way, you can rely on deposit insurance. And it's foolishness. All right? Now, it may be worse than that. You can impute more cynical motives. But I think they are sincerely just panicked about, "We just can't let the big banks fail." That's wrong.
BILL MOYERS: But what might happen, at this point, if in fact they keep from us the true health of the banks?
WILLIAM K. BLACK: Well, then the banks will, as they did in Japan, either stay enormously weak, or Treasury will be forced to increasingly absurd giveaways of taxpayer money. We've seen how horrific AIG -- and remember, they kept secrets from everyone.
BILL MOYERS: A.I.G. did?
WILLIAM K. BLACK: What we're doing with -- no, Treasury and both administrations. The Bush administration and now the Obama administration kept secret from us what was being done with AIG. AIG was being used secretly to bail out favored banks like UBS and like Goldman Sachs. Secretary Paulson's firm, that he had come from being CEO. It got the largest amount of money. $12.9 billion. And they didn't want us to know that. And it was only Congressional pressure, and not Congressional pressure, by the way, on Geithner, but Congressional pressure on AIG.
Where Congress said, "We will not give you a single penny more unless we know who received the money." And, you know, when he was Treasury Secretary, Paulson created a recommendation group to tell Treasury what they ought to do with AIG. And he put Goldman Sachs on it.
BILL MOYERS: Even though Goldman Sachs had a big vested stake.
WILLIAM K. BLACK: Massive stake. And even though he had just been CEO of Goldman Sachs before becoming Treasury Secretary. Now, in most stages in American history, that would be a scandal of such proportions that he wouldn't be allowed in civilized society.
BILL MOYERS: Yeah, like a conflict of interest, it seems.
WILLIAM K. BLACK: Massive conflict of interests.

COMING BLACK SWAN EVENT?

http://zerohedge.blogspot.com/2009/04/incredibly-shrinking-market-liquidity.html

THEFT OF AMERICA



Intro to Moyer interview to a song....we done got bought and sold out!

D

MOYER BLACK INTERVIEW....PONZI'S ALL



FRIENDS....TAKE IT ALL IN.....THIS IS YOUR FORUM TO DISCUSS THE NOST HISTORIC CRISIS IN OUR LIFETIMES....THOSE IN CHARGE WERE THE SAME ONES THERE AS IT WAS HAPPENING>>>>THERE IS TRUTH AND THERE IS SMOKE.....THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE AND MAKE YOU MAD!!!!!!!!

D

FRAUD IN OUR FINANCIAL SYSTEM

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04032009/watch.html INterview by Bill Moyers with William Black.......and you were angry before?

TEA PARTIES coming up......time to stand up and "we're not going to take this anymore" or will things never change?

A BIG RIGGED PONZI SCHEME NOTHING MORE! I'll keep talking about it, I'll keep trying to keep you safe.

HAS THE MKT BOTTOMED? I personally don't think so, nimble traders DO trade the market so off huge oversold 6500 print...if no collapse there, a worthwhile play....maybe some companies have put their lows in....some countries may outperform, the US isn't only investment vehicle.

MOST LOWS get tested.......looking for maybe 2nd mouse.

From DYLAN RATIGAN INTERVIEW

NEW BULL MARKET...OR SUCKERS' RALLY?

Blodget: Last question. You've been right in the middle of this meltdown day after day, interviewing the smartest people, etc. So is this a new bull market, or is this another suckers' rally?

Ratigan: Suckers' rally. No question. That's not an indictment of the judgement of the market. That's just my perception of the ability of the banks to function in a timely fashion, the ability to create meaningful amounts of jobs in the immediate future, and the as-yet unrecognized meaningful losses to come in commercial real-estate and other asset classes... We've gone through a transition where things were getting bad in a freefall, and now they're just getting slowly worse. So it's a transition from jumping out a plane without a parachute, and now, after a year of free-fall, we've pulled the parachute, which feels a hell of a lot better than the freefall... I think we're dealing with a problem that has a few years in it, not a few months.

D

Friday, April 10, 2009

TORI PRAVER


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009_swimsuit/models/tori-praver/ In a world of pain and gloom......there is Tori.....sorry to digress....but Im not all work and no play!!
D

LEMMING RALLY?

http://safehaven.com/article-13052.htm

SAT MORNING POST ON FRIDAY

When all else fails.....I was wondering if thru it's normal sources of STIM have the FED resorted to buying directly SPX futures with the funny money? Is not the higher financial prices good for their I mean our investments from the bailout?

The avg JOE is NOT buying.....he is struggling, looking to PULL OUT IRA MONIES to survive and to which would or could put enormous pressure on stock prices as this before had not been done in ANY meaningful manner.....but I think drawing out retirement funds even if as loan to self is escallating in a big way....I have seen it from those in my own company who have inquired to do so.

The greatest credit/debt bubble of ALL TIMES as part of the K wave, most assuredly has burst and I think once we begin the process of credit contraction, intervention in this cycle will be all but impossible.

If the gov is not knowing where ALL the money is flowing, it is safe to expect a portion is going directly into the stock class. HOW DID WFC achieve "RECORD QTR EARNINGS?"

No improvment on the job front, how is it that the "little people" will now run out and spend it up again and purchase homes/debt on top of it all?

Is the FED/GOV setting us up for a now greater bull mkt the world has ever seen, or an implosion of the likes non has ever witnessed. With world demand drying up...US imports collapsing....is it odd car sales in China hit a record?

DID the recent suspension of mark to market acct, further dilute efforts to deal with the pain and confuse the issue of realizing the losses, the values and exactly what the banks hold and their ability to lend? IS there a line at the bank doors for this money?

AS we try to regain our balance from the real estate collapse.....right around the corner is commercial real estate collapse......I wonder if mkt will rally into end of summer.....then realize they got jobbed.Does anyone expect a V shaped recovery here....so far that is what it is....

My good buddy MATTY'S reply, one of the very smart knowledgable people out there.

>>So think of the average hourly union or laborer or person at your work….think how they must be pinched…when you play that out you realize that the BUBBLEVISION people are fucking clueless.
· Unemployment will continue to rise and stay high….many corporations like CAT will not blindly just bring back workers…we will do it more efficiently and smartly with less labor. Shit CAT Joliet still releasing hourly and management Operations headcount…another 26 yesterday and 140 more by mid-May…I expect unemployment to peak at 11-12% with a new floor at 6-7% The days of 5% or under in my humble opinion are GONE. Small businesses will be slow to hire back until they see the evidence it is for real…with a potential for 1% growth average for 3-4 years we will as a nation scrape the bottom and flatline and many will still feel it is a recession albeit we will be growing.
· I believe many will use 401K money to get them through tough times….with over 55% of people in “THE MARKET” they will use any bounce for an opp to regain some money and pull it out. The average American 401K balance is sub $60,000!!!! So who is really RICH HERE??? With an older society and many boomers retiring and devastated over the past 9 months in “THE MARKET” you think they are going to keep their money in “THE MARKET”???
· I no doubt believe that the GOVT is goosing the market…they need to change psychology in a major way and if the DOW was in the 6,000’s you think people would want to go and do anything? The human psyche is BIG IN THIS GAME OF “THE MARKET”; but I believe Russell is correct in that no matter what the government does, the BEAR WILL RUN ITS COURSE IN DUE TIME UNTIL IT HAS KILLED EVERY SHEEPLE OUT THERE.
· This is a traders market for at least 2014….until the market bottoms for good…..INVESTING IS DONE.
· I am really pissed about Obama….this was not the CHANGE I thought and TIMMY G and the CLINTONISTAS in the ECONOMIC area are fleecing the little guy again. THE STRESS TEST IS BS…STRESS TEST THIS! THE BANKS ARE STILL INSOLVENT AND MARK TO MARKET JUST KEEPS THE “ZOMBIE BANKS” ALIVE JUST LIKE IN JAPAN. ADDITIONALLY THE PPIP IS JUST ANOTHER WAY TO “DA BOYZ” TO USE LEVERAGE (JUST WHAT WE DON”T NEED), TAKE UNECESSARY RISK AND TRANSFER IT TO YOU AND ME WHO PAY THE TAXES.
· GET GOLD, GET A GUN, and STOCK FOOD UP…I AM NOT BEING DOOM AND GLOOM HERE…THINGS WILL GET WORSE AND THINGS WILL GET REALLY SCREWY OUT THERE….with the ability to protect your family, have eats when there are disruptions and have bullion to protect your portfolio, I believe you will be able to survive it…we are only in the 1st third of this….2010-2013 will make your head spin in my estimation.<<

My ending comments

This is a wonderful TADERS MKT, onemust be able to separate personal experience and emotions to do well…..….…….preserving your stash is OK too.

I mean WHY SCREW the saver, I am a natural saver…..we get nada…..I also hated Bush, but don’t care for direction O is taking us…..take care buddy. This is the 1st REAL rally this bear…..I don’t know where it ends, but do feel 2009 shows us another new low….

Duratek

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

TO THE EDGE


*Click to enlarge. Above may show we had wedge breakdown and price has risen back to test that break near SPX 842. VIX has now fallen back to below 39 and is close to showing its hand in its own wedge pattern.
In any Bear you have winners and losers….Banks JPM, CS, And GS all doubled off March lows or better…BAC C languish though off lows….UYG STILL under $3.
Other huge winners I had tracked SNDK, HNI, WFMI, SSO…..this rally could potentially last 4-6 months…. The moves in some of the stocks seem not likely to see those prices again…..and yet if all we had to do is print money for prosperity….why EVER have downturn?
TRYING to RIG a mkt (ending mark to market and uptick rule etc) eventually will no longer work…….anything possible, did THEY buy more time with historic efforts for THE DAY of reckoning? Or this rally already on borrowed time? VIX has begun to finally falter hear losing 40 and now 39 leaving door open for hope…at what price VIX say bear in monthly hibernation? I think we are DAYS from finding out.
This is easily the best rally since bear began, and so far there is no 100% evidence it is done. IN 200 bear we had a 5-6 month rally after 911 selling. MANY stocks may have already put in their lows, no GUTS no GLORY......6500 even 7000 now shows was worth the gamble....LTBH HERE? eventually yes, I prefer to see TEST of lows.
D

Thursday, April 02, 2009

DEVIL IN THE DETAILS

Factory orders up 1.8 percent in February- AP
Consumer loan delinquencies rise in 4th quarter- AP
Rite Aid 4Q loss almost doubles due to large writedown- AP
World markets surge as US data boost recovery hope

PRIOR FACT ORDERS REVISED DOWN FROM -1.9 to -3.5 that’s puts the AMAZING 1.8% “surprise” in perspective.

World markets are SURGING......huge bear mkt rally continues..approaching 90% plus up volume, so it is what it is.....the road back down when begins will be sickly.....

I will be out of town til next Wed, all take care......bounce from lows WAS worth playing though with tight stops...... I willl reasess position when I return

Of note is the UYG (long financials) not rallied above 50 EMA yet today....and BDI (baltic dry index) has turned DOWN again, shows NO p/U to speak of or nor does it hint it even has a Sharks sense of smell of a new bull or otherwise.

Duratek

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

APRIL FOOLS

The MA'S are supportive of the rally so far. The VIX holds above 40 and some other technical data suggest longer term and IT have not changed, but the rally may not have run out of gas with G20 meeting and hopes of end to "mark to market"....we'll just let the banks price their holdings...today showed strong 84% up volume. But the tragic story of this financial quagmire is far from over IMHO.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

WE THE PEOPLE



TAKE BACK THE COUNTRY

MESSAGES FROM 4th QTR GDP

http://www.contraryinvestor.com/mo.htm

"THE QUIET COUP"

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/print/200905/imf-advice?x=65&y=6

Intro by Ron Smith to above

Tuesday, March 31, 2009 Ron Smith




“Overborrowing always ends badly, whether for an individual, a company, or a country. Sooner or later, credit conditions become tighter and no one will lend you money on anything close to affordable terms.” – Simon Johnson.

This quote comes from an article in The Atlantic by Mr. Johnson, a former chief economist for the International Monetary Fund. In it, he lays out a strongly put argument that the current economic crisis has revealed some very unpleasant realities about the United States, most importantly how “the finance industry has effectively captured our government – a state of affairs that more typically describes emerging markets, and is at the center of many emerging-market crises.”

We are, says Mr. Johnson, under the thumb of an unholy alliance between Wall Street and Washington that created an oligarchy that has run amok, frighteningly similar to how the oligarchs in Russia and other emerging markets have acted in more localized crises.

*You can sit back and take it...as they lean forward....and take it.

Duratek

Monday, March 30, 2009

MARKET ALERT

Today was a 90% down volume day, friday was around 85%. What this may be telling us is the desire to sell stocks may not have been satiated at the March lows, and that lower prices may be needed to get the job done.

As we have seen 90% downers tend to come in groups....sometimes interrupted by 2-7 days of rally.....

D

WHO IS RIGHT?

Timmy Geithner (SEc of TRES) " the danger is in doing TOO LITTLE, not TOO MUCH"

OR

Peter Schiff

President Obama and the majority of our leadership on both sides of the aisle are confident that the right mix of monetary and fiscal policy can restart the spending party that defined America for a generation. And as the bleary-eyed revelers wisely reach for a cup of black coffee or stumble into a rehab center, Obama is pouring grain alcohol into the punch bowl hoping to lure the walking zombies back onto the dance floor. Europe and Asia fully understand that Obama will ask them to lend the booze.Washington is telling us that our problems result from a lack of consumer spending. Therefore, the solution is for government spending to pick up the slack.

However, if Americans are too broke to spend, then how can our government spend for us? The only money they have is taken from us through taxation. To postpone immediate tax hikes (adding interest for good measure), Washington plans to borrow more from abroad. However, if our foreign creditors refuse to pony up, much of the money will simply be printed instead.

THIS FROM USATODAY.COM

By Christine Dugas, USA TODAY
The current financial crisis is all-inclusive; our path to prosperity or even simple financial stability seemingly obliterated.

With every furlough, layoff or stock market drop, Americans of all ages and backgrounds are seeing their incomes dwindle, bills pile up and financial options disappear.

The number who are suffering has increased by 3 million the past year, according to a recent Gallup-Healthways survey. Some 37% of us said we were worried about money last week. Last year, 3.2 million consumers contacted the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, up from 2.2 million in 2007 and 1.4 million in 2006.

"What's happening to families is a perfect storm," says Bob Manning, a finance professor at Rochester Institute of Technology.

**
Is the BEAR MKT RALLY OVER? I think a close BELOW SPX 800 (more importantly on weekly basis) might signal so.

The horse isn't NEAR the water....in fact may not know how to swim.....where in the ANALS of history is the disease a cure for THE DISEASE?

Duratek

SPX 800 IMPORTANT?


Sunday, March 29, 2009

THE FAULT LINES EMERGE

http://www.europac.net/externalframeset.asp?id=15824&type=schiff

A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. -- Thomas Jefferson (Thanks P for inspiration)

You can take THAT to the bank.....or can you?

D

Saturday, March 28, 2009

GOV PLAN TO STIMULATE WILL BACKFIRE



More detail on Schiff's contentions.

Gov deficits as far as the eye can see, gov spending usurping consumer spending and saving, gov penalizing saving when that is exactly what is needed. Coercing MORE DEBT? when the DEBT BUBBLE HAS BURST? ONLY GOV HAS THE ANSWERS? certainly not the bald headed bubble minded dumbasses we have running things....

D

PETER SCHIFF WAS RIGHT!



Gather friends and family to watch this to get the truth and see we ARE HEADING DOWN WRONG PATH!

D

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

WHERE IS THE " GREAT UNWINDING?"


BDI AND HOW DRYS I AM

Not quite the rally from a 90% decline drubbing from highs.

Shipping Stocks: DryShips Posts $1.02B Loss it had been moving up last few days.....

D

DURABLE ORDERS SURPRISE?

Durable Orders Jump in February (what good is any of this with such HUGE DOWNARD REVISIONS?)

Last Update: 25-Mar-09 08:53 ET briefing.com
Like some other data of late, the February durable goods report turned out to be better than expected. Specifically, orders for durable goods increased 3.4% (consensus -2.5%), breaking a six month streak of declines. Excluding transportation, orders rose 3.9% (consensus -2.0%).

The January numbers, however, were both revised noticeably lower with total orders down -7.3% (prior -5.2%), and orders, excluding transportation, down -5.9% (prior -2.5%). Taking these revisions into account, the February data ends up being much closer to expectations.
The latter point notwithstanding, the February data still don't look as dour as the prior month when declines in orders and shipments were seen for just about every industry grouping. Notably, new orders for machinery increased 13.5% in February. Computers and electronic products orders were up 10.1% and defense aircraft and parts orders were up 32.4%.
Nondefense capital goods orders, excluding aircraft, jumped 6.6%, which is a hopeful sign for business investment. However, it is too early to read too much into this one month increase, which could be more of a temporary bounce after a -11.3% drop in January and a -5.9% decline in December.
Unfilled orders declined -1.3% and inventories dropped -0.9%.
Total shipments fell -0.5% in February, following a -5.2% decline in January, so the business investment component of GDP can still be deemed to be on the poor side of things.

THE GREAT UNWINDING

*chart courtesy Ned Davis Reseach (click to enlarge)

IMHO FED and GOV action cannot reverse what has JUST BEGUN to unwind, reaching % heights not even seen in last Great Depression, some of the methods now being used may prolong and or make matters worse.

PUMPING the real estate bubble in 2003 worked as housing had yet to rise in parabolic fashion, consumers hardly held back last mini Recession in 2001, which as TECH Bubble deflated....last Bear was to bring us back to norm and reset ourselves for the next expansion.

Instead we PILED on MORE DEBT, and now day of reckoning is here. But most do not see the FED as the problem, no we need to make Geithner's powers such as he would be KING? He was at FED during the period of our discontent.....and was architecht of the favortism going on now for Goldman Sachs as $12B was funneled to them from AIG....no one sees that FOX is in the HEN HOUSE.....No one sees the reshaping of the financial world and WHO comes out ahead and WHY!

Did not the FED or GOV SEE the Real Estate explosion? No ONE saw the condo's going up overnight in Miami? The CRANE's in Shanghai? or Dubai? THE RAMPANT speculation that was ALLOWED?

Maybe the GOV has to take over spending when others will not, but we are losing more and more the ability to operate in a free market system and have a say so in how our futures unfold.

D

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

$10 TRILLION AND COUNTING

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tentrillion/view/ OK, I wont mention anyone.....like BUSH....

D

WHY THE FED MAY FAIL


I NAME YOU KING GEITHNER

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090324/ap_on_bi_ge/bailout_bernanke_geithner use crisis to expand thepower of gov, and I feel SO GOOD about power to rule shifting to a few...

KRUGMAN BLASTS BANK RESCUE PLAN

http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=4&islist=true&id=3&d=03-24-2009

SMELL THE ROSES, SMELL THE COFFEE, BEND OVER

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/26793903/the_big_takeover/1 re post of some TRUTH, if you missed it, don't 2nd time around. This article should enlighten, make you MAD AS HELL, and show you how we the taxpayer are getting screwed and bent over and the architechts of our destruction get paid.

45% of SURPRISE HOUSING DATA that helped spark HUGE RALLY was "foreclosure sales" also helping figures was weather pattern for comparison between JAN/FEB.....but it got reported as if turnaround was guaranteed.

5 90% UP VOLUME DAYS IN LAST 10 trading days is unprecedented!

IMHO, and it's a good one, maybe first since Bear started in OCT 2007, this IS a bear mkt rally, NOT a NEW BULL MKT only BULL is what CNBC and media/gov/FED are feeding us.

CALLS vs PUT buying is at some of its WILDEST extremes......AAII poll shows dramatic reversal of bull bear per cent....it didn't take much.

VIX ended day above 42....http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=$VIX&p=W&st=2000-01-01&id=p83054640202&a=163869814 VIX TELLS A STORY

D