A full trading day after the release of the Fed minutes has brought us some reasonably significant changes in market levels. S&P –1.5%, Gold – 3.5%, Crude –1.5%. Apparently, the confirmation that it is on hold surprised the market. (link)
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A full trading day after the release of the Fed minutes has brought us some reasonably significant changes in market levels. S&P –1.5%, Gold – 3.5%, Crude –1.5%. Apparently, the confirmation that it is on hold surprised the market. (link)
…
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The Good News
Social Security (SS) has released estimates for both payroll tax revenues and benefits paid for April. The results are adjusted for the 2% payroll tax reduction. (The Treasury pays SS monthly for the shortfall.) The numbers tell a…
Everyone makes mistakes. The best thing one can do is face up to the facts and acknowledge the error; fix the problem to the extent possible and do what is necessary to avoid repeating the mistake. Ben Bernanke’s inability to admit his (and his pr…
Ben B’s speech got a big cheer from the stock market. I think Obama was cheering too.
Two views:
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Other Pests
If you live in America, you know it has been unusually hot. During the week …
On January 25th we got word from the Fed that ZIRP would be extended until at least 2014. Bernanke’s guarantee of another two years of cheap-cheap money has lifted the market’s animal spirits. Since the Fed announcement (33 trading days), the S&P g…
These two articles point in a bad direction:
China’s 2011 total trade surplus was $183B. The surplus with the USA was $270B; the US was 150% of China’s total surplus. China imports lots of “stuff.” Crude oil is high on that list. I…
Slimy
Just saying the words, “Pink Slime” gives me the creeps. I’m not pleased to learn that I’ve been dining on this swill for the past sixty years. The US Department of Agriculture has made an interesting response to the public outcry about s…
I’m sure that everyone will be glad that executive compensation at Fannie and Freddie (F/F) has been cut. These are public companies that exist at the whim of the taxpayers. As such, the compensation for the folks pulling the levers at F/F should con…
When the federal government guarantees a student loan, that loan is subject to accounting treatment that was established by the 1990 Fair Credit and Reporting Act (FCRA). It should come as no surprise that the FCRA methodology is not “fair” at all….
Three weeks ago (Link) I put on a short EURUSD position at 1.3115. It worked for a few hours, and then went south. I sucked wind and damn near got to where I had to cut it at a loss. Today the market got back to where I entered, so I dumped it. While I…