What to do
March 9th, 2009With the Great Crash of 2008 behind us and the spectre of the Second Depression before us, I think many are scared senseless of what to do. Read the rest of this entry »
Uncovering the Scam
September 25th, 2008The Wall Street Bailout plan has rightfully stirred up a populist uprising that may shake this country’s financial establishment to the core. What is really going on? The following are my ideas, entirely unproven yet somehow resonant.
Glimpse into the Future
March 7th, 2008Alas, my final post and I guess the theme seems appropriate. Do Pigmen ever face justice? The most cynical of you would probably say no. I would agree with you if these were halcyon times, but they are not. A problem that is too large to cover up will spill over, and it will demand nothing less than a pound of flesh.
The Sarkozy Dilemma
March 6th, 2008Nicholas Sarkozy entered the French presidency amidst high enthusiasm and with a seemingly clear mandate to change France. He is finding that change is great in theory, but horrible in practice.
The Way of the Dinosaurs
March 5th, 2008The three major credit rating agencies - Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch - are clearly in the crosshairs of the credit crisis, and the desire to destroy them will rise as the monoline insurers go bankrupt. Not only do you have incorrectly rated structured finance paper, you have thousands of incorrectly-rated corporate and municipal bonds. Confidence is the key word here, and it is not anything the government or regulators can control. By any means necessary, these three credit rating agencies are probably going to go extinct as well.
Read the Fine Print
March 4th, 2008Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have skyrocketed in popularity, and there now seems to be an ETF for every imaginable strategy or group of securities. Many in the bear camp have been giddy about the availability of short and ultra-short ETFs, which now come in a variety of index and sector flavors.
Lengthy Hiatus
March 4th, 2008Dear CTB Readers
Redcoat
February 28th, 2008I was literally shocked to read the Wall Street Journal today. I experienced two surreal moments that left me stupefied.
Dirty Rotten Crooks
February 27th, 2008The federal-insured mortgage industry is ground zero for fraud, and its actions will cost you money.
Um… No thanks
February 27th, 2008In a move more telling than a Goldman Sachs downgrade or some other propaganda piece spouted by PigMedia, the chief risk officer for Citigroup resigned.
Misreading Ben
February 26th, 2008Leave it to PigMedia to distort the intentions and words of everything and anything. One of the more interesting concepts floating around is that lowering interest rates is positive for the U.S. economy and consumer.
Higher Ed Melts Down
February 25th, 2008CTB started writing on this theme with an earlier piece advertising price cuts in higher education. Some universities don’t like the idea of wholesale price cuts and continually decide to cost shift from one demographic to another. Still, it’s provides plentiful themes on the greater trends facing our country.
Obama and the Housing Debacle
February 24th, 2008It seems highly likely that Barack Obama is going to push Hillary Clinton out of the race after the Ohio/Texas primaries. It’s also likely that a fragmented Republican electorate and an anti-George W. Bush mood spells the end for John McCain.
Anudder Times bailout piece
February 21st, 2008The New York Times is addicted to a few hot-button themes. What are hot-button themes? These are agenda items that the Times always seems to continually rehash in the form of stories, analysis points, blogposts, and opinion editorials.
Another Patsie Bites the Dust
February 21st, 2008These days, I can’t help but mock the British Exchequer as an utter joke on a scale comparable only to the Japanese Ministry of Finance. Seems like incompetence has caught up with Gordon Brown, and his final straw man is about to take the fall.
Real Leadership
February 19th, 2008That’s what is truly needed and sorely lacking in America. CTB’s endorsed candidate Ron Paul looks like he’ll be entering another term in the House of Representatives, and so we must look long and hard at the remaining three candidates on both sides before deciding if Juan Carlos should just sit this one out come November.
Twenty Four Hour Re-Spin
February 19th, 2008Not a day goes by that PigMedia seems to spin and counterspin. Maybe they are being played just like the rest of us.
French Elitism
February 17th, 2008Awhile back, I explored the real reasons why Daniel Bouton remains the CEO of Societe General despite two fake attempts at resignation and despite a demand by the French President and Finance Minister.
BOJ questioned
February 14th, 2008CTB readers know that I have been deriding the Bank Of Japan (BOJ) as the world’s most useless central bank. I have openly scorned Fukui and the politicians who control him. My mockery of any uncertainty over possible rate hikes (certainty of 0) is surpassed only by my scorn for PigMedia’s attempt to warn readers of future hikes after the fact.
Howard Milstein update
February 13th, 2008The New York Times has fielded a diverse set of letters from readers. Some like his idea. Others don’t.
