For 90 years, the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) has been committed to protecting and educating individual investors. The other day they put out a list of what they believe to be the Top 10 Investor Traps, and I thought they’d done a pretty good job of summarizing some of the major pitfalls that…
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OMG: Dow Jones Index Business For Sale!
Since 1884, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (and to a lesser extent, the DJ Transportation Average) has been the most widely-followed and broadly-used measure of US blue chip stock performance in the world. And Rupert Murdoch, who acquired the Dow Jones Company to get the Wall Street Journal, is putting it up for sale via…
Yet Another Example of Why World War III is Inevitable
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEWMwjisnDc] Sad.
Natural Gas: The Washington Generals of the Commodities Market
Yesterday the price of natural gas dipped under $3 per thousand cubic feet, the lowest level for the commodity in 7 years. With spot crude roughly 100% higher than it’s ’09 low and in an environment where virtually every agricultural, industrial and precious commodity is showing gains for the year, nat gas stands alone as a major…
Where Does the Money Go for US Consumers?
Click Image to Embiggen Source: How the Average US Consumer Spends (VisualEconomics)
China Pulls Out All the Props
In the face of the possible Panda Bear Market we discussed here yesterday, it seems that the guys who pull the levers in China have opted to prop up stocks rather than let nature take it’s course. According to Reuters, they have three viable options to consider as the central bank tightens rates: Halt New…
5 Midget Banks I'm Watching
With the breathtaking run-up in larger banks like Wells Fargo and Bank of America, many traders are now looking at the smaller, lower quality names in the banking sector for back-from-the-dead survival plays. Above is a quick comparison I’ve put together of some of the second/ third tier banks, the ones with more regional exposure…
Enter the Panda Bear: Chinese Stocks Down 20%
The Chinese stock market, as represented by the Shanghai Composite, has doubled from it’s low this year and then peaked out in mid-July. Since it’s high last month, it has given back about 20%, which is the standard measurement of what constitutes a Bear Market. I am coining the phrase Panda Bear Market to describe this…
Pick Your Favorite Recovery Shape!
Cindy Perman of CNBC’s Pony Blog has a great post up today that asks what shape the economic recovery may take. The choices range from the typical U, V, and W-shaped recoveries to some more, umm, unconventional ideas, like the lighning bolt, bath tub, square root or my personal contribution to the piece, the fabled Mickey Mouse-shaped recovery….
For New Yorkers, Neighborhoods Are Worth Protecting
I’m not normally a fan of any doctrine or restriction that stifles competition. I’m also not an ideologue and I am not interested in watching the world burn in the name of unfettered free markets. I think there’s nothing wrong with striving for some sort of balance in business for the benefit of everyone, even…
