Monday, April 02, 2007

Market Recap

The major indices ended the session slightly higher. There was noticeable strength in the last 2 hours of trading which is an encouraging sign from a bullish perspective. April is historically the second strongest month of the year for equities, even more so in the 3rd year of the Presidential cycle.

A lower than anticipated manufacturing number put a lid on the markets early on though, the number does indicate economic expansion albeit at a slower pace.

Commercials have increased there net long positions/decreased short positions in recent weeks.

Utilities and energy are leading the way while tech and financials are lagging.

As expected New Century filed for bankruptcy. I expect companies like Countrywide to benefit tremendously as some of the weaker lenders go bust. People will still get mortgages and that means more business for the survivors in the mortgage lending industry.

Is the ethanol craze going to be replaced by the biobutanol craze ?

With Microsoft and Google bidding for Doubleclick, there are other names that could potentially be taken out in the online ad placement niche.

PRE MARKET

The markets across Asia are mixed with India dropping nearly 5% after an interest rate hike. The European markets are mostly green.

Private equity continues buyout spree with purchase of First Data.

Xerox is acquiring Global Imaging Systems for 1.5 billion.

The major US indices are expected to open higher this morning. I expect the mergers and acquisitions announced to have a positive impact on todays market.

Friday, March 30, 2007

MARKET RECAP

The Dow and Nasdaq were up modestly. The S&P was off fractionally. Today was an action packed session though the final numbers do not reflect it. Up 70 on the Dow at one stage, than down 100. The bulls fought back with the help of quarter end window dressing to bring the markets to break even.

The US decision to impose trade sanctions on China was the impetus for the 100 point drop.

The stand off between Iran and the UK continues to bear down on the markets.

Rising income and consumer spending dampens any hopes of a rate cut.

Corn futures plummet as farmers plant crop in record numbers in part due to ethanol demand.

PRE MARKET

Most Asian indices are up moderately. The European markets are bullish.

Consumer spending is up more than forecast due to higher gasoline prices.

The US is considering imposing economic sanctions on China to deal with trade deficit.

The Chinese economy is expected to continue to expand at a mind boggling pace.


The markets are set for a higher open. I expect the momentum from yesterday to continue.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

MARKET RECAP

Today was a strong reversal day in the markets. We has a strong gap up open followed by a sell off that lasted until the final 2 hrs of trading. From there we had a strong rally into the close. The final hour or two are the most important and judging by todays action I think we continue moving higher.



The chart shows, the Dow bouncing off the area from where it previously broke out. ( Around 12,300). The same is true for the Nasdaq and the S&P. The sell off till the final hours offered a very safe long entry point. I believe in the coming week we will test the previous highs ( Dow 12,511 , Nasdaq 2,460, S&P 1,440) .

On another note Bernanke is scheduled to speak tomorrow. Considering he failed to trigger a rally last time round, maybe this time he'll be more successful.

Dell shares drop in after hours on reports of accounting 'misconduct'. Define 'misconduct' ....

Oil prices continues rising amid continued tensions in the Persian Gulf. Are we going to finally get to $100 per barrel ? That could be the dagger in the heart for market bulls.

Economic growth expected to be subpar. Where's Goldilocks ? Hello ! Anybody !

PRE MARKET

The markets in Asia and Europe are a stream of green arrows.

4th quarter GDP growth was better than expected.

Jobless claims came in lower than expected.

US Steel is buying Lone Star Technologies, an oil field pipe maker, at a 39% premium.

The indices are expected to open higher. Judging by the strength in overseas markets, I expect US equities to put in a decent rally.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

MARKET RECAP

Helicopter Ben was unable to save the markets today. Red all across the board save the precious metals. Gold has been moving up and two of my miners - GRZ and KRY had absolutely phenomenal days up 50% and 28% respectively. They were my plays on what I like to call 'Hugo ain't crazy' . Both are Venezuela based gold mining companies that were waiting on environmental permits. GRZ got theirs today hence the crazy price movement. I backed up the truck on a few Venezuela plays a few months back due to concerns that Hugo Chavez was going to nationalize companies and screw over shareholders. Nationalize he might, but screw over he won't. The market overreacted and I took advantage by buying VNT, HNR, TX, GRZ and KRY to name a few and hence the portfolio profited handsomely. Bottom Line: There is always money to be made in market overreactions.

Sometimes trading the market feels like this....

PRE MARKET

The Asian markets are red save China which has been on a tear as of late. Europe is a sea of red as well.

The investigation of Beazer homes for mortgage fraud was the big after hours news yesterday. I wonder how many other home builders will suffer the same fate.

There was a $5 spike in oil after hours after rumors of an Iranian missile strike against a US warship. Oil is still trading up a buck. Whoever planted these rumors made a killing I suppose.

Orders for durable goods increased less than expected. I think its obvious by now that the economy is slowing.

Today, Bernanke is testifying before Congress on the US economic outlook. Bulls will hope he paints a rosy picture of the economy. I expect he will. The indices are opening lower but I expect a Bernanke rally .

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

MARKET RECAP

Consumer confidence dropped , the housing data is soft and the markets ended significantly lower.

Inflation is still an issue. Maybe Bernanke will drop rates to ease inflation.

Goldman is raising a fund to buy out the entire market. Maybe they'll pay a 50% premium.

Over 2 million homes are expected to be lost to foreclosure over the next few years. Maybe I can finally buy that ocean front penthouse on South Beach.

Crude oil continues to move higher. Is a confrontation with Iran priced in ?

The economic picture is getting worse. In the short term however, I believe the markets will continue trending higher. Bernanke is speaking tomorrow and we all know how he rallies the markets. I expect early weakness followed by a Bernanke rally.

PREMARKET

This morning the markets across Asia are mixed. Europe is generally positive .

Home prices across the nation have fallen for the first time in 6 years a study shows. I'm shocked that the fall is only 0.2%.

Lennars 1st quarter profit tumbles 73%. Things are only getting worse for the home builders.

Consumer confidence data will be key to the markets movement today.

Monday, March 26, 2007

MARKET RECAP

Buy the dip. That appeared to be the theme of the day. From being down over 110 points to down only 12 on the Dow while a 20 point dip on the Nasdaq ended with a gain of close to 7 points. The S&P too closed in the green from a drop of 13 points. I guess all's well that ends well. Like I stated earlier today, the markets will find a way to make good news out of the housing slump. The indices appear to be firmly in an uptrend once again.

The bottomless Housing market

New home sales fell 'unexpectedly'. The market has reacted by dropping sharply. I hardly believe the fall in new home sales was unexpected. The housing market is in a recession. Anyone who believes that housing has bottomed obviously has their head up their bottom (ass). We will not get a housing bottom till the current 8 month supply of homes gets down to below 4 months. In other words, atleast half the homes for sale on the market need to get sold. The problem we are having in housing is 4 fold. First, there is a huge glut of inventory which in part was caused by the excess speculation in housing. Secondly, less and less buyers can actually qualify for a mortgage due to tighter lending practices. Thirdly, there are less people actually interested in buying homes than ever before. Speculators i.e flippers are out because houses are not appreciating. First time buyers are out because prices are still too high. Other buyers are out because they are scared of a housing market crash and prefer to sit and wait it out. Lastly, builders who are sitting on cheap land which they purchased before the boom are still building because they want to squeeze every last drop of profit. These 'greedy' builders are only adding to the inventory problem.
The markets across Asia are mostly up with the Shanghai Composite at all time highs. The European exchanges are mainly in the red.

Crude Oil prices are rising to 3 month highs on tension between Iran and the UK.

New home sale numbers will be announced at 10am EST.

The US indices are expected to open higher. The Dow is on a 5 day winning streak. If this can continue remains to be seen. I expect the new home sale numbers to have a positive effect on the market. If the numbers are good than all is well with the economy and if the numbers stink, than we should expect a rate cut soon or atleast that is how I perceive the market to react.

Friday, March 23, 2007

PRE MARKET


The markets are mixed across Asia and Europe this morning . The Dow and Nasdaq are looking to open moderately higher.

Home resales across the US declined for the first time in 3 months. Not a big surprise there.

Yahoo is on a roll with its new Panama Program. Is the new pair trade short Google, Long Yahoo ? It was the other way around for most of last year.

Oil prices continue to head north.

Genentech reports flat sales for the 1st quarter. Shares drop.

Nike reported some soft sales yesterday evening but saw global growth.




Thursday, March 22, 2007

MARKET RECAP

Stocks drifted along today without any clear direction. Looks to me like the markets are still digesting yesterdays gains.The Dow finished in the green which is a good sign for the bulls while the Nasdaq was off a few points. The S&P 500 was also fractionally down. Motorola's dismal outlook was the major factor in keeping the Nasdaq down.The midcaps and the oil sector lead the way while banking and housing were weak.

The 'Godfather' of private equity, the Blackstone Group is going public. Sign of a market top ?

Palm got crushed today after analysts rejected buyout rumors. I happen to think Palm will do well in the coming years. Their new Treo is an impressive device and should help sales tremendously.

More buyout rumors. This time its Rackable the maker of a sleek brand of servers. The stock is trading not too far from its IPO price from 2 years ago. A price below $20 reflects a bargain in my assessment. Its also a heavily shorted stock which can cause it to rocket upwards.

Big wall street firms are battling to save their intellectual property. Their "research is ``in the throes of being Napsterized"

PRE MARKET


The bulls are back in the drivers seat. The strength across the board in Asia and Europe has been spectacular.

Initial jobless claims have dropped to a 2 month low.

Motorola dropped a bomb. Apparently the KRZR is not selling well.

Bernanke and company are still worried about growth and inflation. The fact they dropped any hint of rate increases i.e. tightening meant the bulls were off to the races.

I expect today will be another bullish day across the indices. We should be able to carry on from yesterdays momentum and the strength in overseas markets.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

MARKET RECAP


The market surged to the upside after 2:15pm ET following the Fed decision to leave rates unchanged. The tone across the board was very bullish and strong volume accompanied the up swing. The Dollar dropped sharply against major currencies while commodities rallied including big moves in Gold and Oil.


I started the day biased to the bearish side via my numerous double inverse ETFs- QID, SDS, DXD, MZZ and TWM. Following the Fed announcement and gauging the bullish market reaction, in the space of 4 minutes I proceeded to sell all those inverse ETFs while adding to the double bull ETFs- QLD, DDM, SSO, MVV and UWM. My best performing longs included SNDK, MU and OXPS. My Euro and Gold positions did well too. The portfolio finished the day considerably higher with a large factor being the post 2:15 switch from the bearish to bullish ETFs. On a day like this, its best NOT to argue with the market. I can be bearish or bullish but ultimately, one needs to follow Mr. Markets direction to make money. How much upside we have is anybodys guess but, todays strong bullish action suggests, we may still have room to move up.

MARKET ALERT

The indices are breaking to the upside after the Fed announcement. I believe the Dow, Nasdaq and S&P have plenty of room to run to the upside. I am selling my double short ETFs and adding into the double bull ETFs.

PRE MARKET


Markets across Asia and Europe are very bullish.

Shares in Morgan Stanley are surging after the company reports profits exceeding all estimates. Trading gains played a big factor. Could they have been short February 27 ?

FedEx reports first drop in earnings in three years. Winter storms and slowing US economy to blame. Shares are tumbling pre-market.

Could this be a contrarian indicator for a big rally ? Merrill Lynch survey shows investor bearishness at 7 month high.

Based on the price movements in the US and overseas markets, it appears the bulls are making a comeback. Today will be an important one for the markets with the FED decision being announced at 2:15 ET. Rates are expected to stay the same. I believe the reaction of the markets after 2:15 ET will be crucial.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

MARKET RECAP

Once again the bulls ruled except for a slight hiccup around midday, stirred up by King Hals weak profit forecast.

The S&P 500 had its best 2 day gain since last August.

Solid housing starts announced today were the major factor in the market advance.

Palm was up on takeover speculation. The new Treo smartphone has been getting rave reviews and appears to be a product that can put a dent in the Blackberry.

Oracle and Adobe are two companies that are reporting solid profit growth after the bell. Shares in both companies are up in after hours.


The FED announcement is tomorrow. Rates are expected to be kept unchanged. It appears the bulls have the upper hand for now but, we all know that a 2 day 180 point rally can be wiped out by the likes of 400+ and 242 point drops that we have seen in the last 3+ weeks.

MARKET UPDATE

The bulls are running wild today. The home construction news was a boost to the market though I hardly believe that the bottom in housing is in.

In retrospect I feel foolish selling a good chunk of my ultra bull ETFs - QLD etc while adding to the ultra shorts QID etc. Miraculously despite my fund being biased to the bearish side I am actually in the green today with gains in GLD - gold ETF while some of my long positions have been running wild such as SNDK and COGT. I figure if the FED continues to pump liquidity into the system, gold will benefit and thus GLD is a good hedge to my ultra short positions.

On days like these I am Jacks smirking revenge .....


PRE MARKET

Housing starts have been stronger than expected which is boosting the futures.

ICSC-UBS store sales shows increases in part due to warmer than expected weather but, warns that high gas prices are hurting the consumer.

The Asian markets are relatively strong this morning but Europe is considerably weak .

The Fed starts their 2 day meeting today in which they are expected to keep interest rates the same.

I expect the US equity market to open higher but weaken throughout the trading day.

Monday, March 19, 2007

MARKET RECAP

We had a fairly big up day on all indices. However the volume was unimpressive and we were pretty range bound the last few hours, suggesting that there was plenty of distribution in process. I sold off a big portion of QLD, SSO, UWM, MVV and DDM positions while adding to QID, SDS, DXD, MZZ and TWM. I did not trade any of my individual stock positions.

Apart from some mergers and takeovers, there was not any significant market moving news out today. The M&A activity along with short term oversold conditions were the likely impetus for todays rally. Tomorrow will see some important economic data such as ICSC-UBS same store sales, housing starts and the red book.

PRE MARKET

The Asian markets put in a very strong performance. Europe is equally strong.

There is no market moving economic data of any significance expected out today. I expect US equities will play of European and Asian strength.

There is more takeover news from Europe. The potential target being ABN Amro. I expect this news to boost stocks of big banks today.

South American companies are getting into the buyout act.

I am playing for strength in the US equity markets today. The direction of the overseas indices suggests we will have a moderate to strong upside day.

Friday, March 16, 2007

MARKET RECAP

All the indices finished in the red. In all it was a rather lackadaisical day in the markets despite or perhaps due to option expiration. The last few days have seen low volume which I expect will change next week.

Here are a few of my thoughts for the week.

  • The PPI and CPI numbers have confirmed that inflation is still a problem. This limits the ability of the Fed to cut rates anytime soon.
  • The subprime blow up is increasing pressure on Bernanke to cut rates. With inflation still being a problem, Ben is in one hell of a tight spot.
  • The housing market is nowhere close to bottoming with a record 4 million + homes on the market. Add this to tightening credit and decreased demand and you figure it will only get worse.
  • Treasury Secretary Paulsons remarks about subprime being contained don't inspire any confidence .

UPDATE

Gold has been acting well today.

The Euro is poised to break 2 year highs versus the US Dollar.

Crude oil is rallying today after weakening the last few days.

DBA is an ETF that I really like. Its a commodity ETF composed of the softs such as corn, wheat and sugar excluding energy and metals. In a commodity bull cycle the softs tend to outperform in the latter part. Energy and the metals have outperformed in the last few years. I expect the agricultural commodities to outperform here onwards.

PRE MARKET

The markets are mixed in Asia while the markets in Europe are red all across the board.

US consumer prices are up sharply, making it a lot tougher for the Fed to cut rates.

Industrial production was up 1% which was higher than forecast and a good sign for the economy.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

RECAP



Optimus Prime vs Megatron . Bulls vs Bears.

Like I expected, we closed in the green on the major indices. There was some concern over higher than expected PPI numbers and a weak Philly Fed Survey . To their credit the bulls held their ground and we were in the green for most of the day.

The mortgage lenders were on fire today . Stocks like LEND and NEWC were up over 60% and 90% respectively.

Old Alan expects subprime fallout to spread to broader economy. No shit. Here's a good article courtesy of Minyanville explaining how subprime affects us all.

Tomorrow is the all important CPI numbers. Based on the PPI, the CPI numbers will come in above consensus, showing us that inflation is still a problem and rate cuts will be harder to come by. Added to it being option expiration tomorrow, we could be in for a roller coaster in contrast to todays laborious action.

PRE MARKET

Strength across all boards in Asia and Europe with most markets up over 1%.

Big jump in PPI shows inflation is still an issue and limits the ability of the Fed to cut rates.

ICE makes an offer for CBOT. Expect strength in exchange stocks today.

I expect the US equities to play of the strength of the world indices. There will likely be initial weakness due to the higher than expected PPI.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

MARKET RECAP



A very volatile day in the market. Option expiration is on Friday and volatility is taken to extremes on days like this. Today was a great trading day. Based on yesterday and the overnight indices across Asia and Europe, weakness was to be expected during the early part of the session. The market did pierce its March 5th lows that I had mentioned however, this temporary break of support brought in the buyers and a strong rally unfolded. This rally in all likelyhood is a result of market participants trying to pin the indices to certain levels ahead of expiration. In addition, we were at oversold levels from a short term perspective. I do believe we will head lower in the weeks ahead. But I do think we may see a rally all the way to Fridays expiration. Key economic data such as PPI and CPI are being released in the days ahead which will result in increased volatility.

The homebuilders were the big winners today. Looks like an oversold bounce and short covering to me.

The story being told to support the rally is that the subprime mess is not as bad, as originally feared. I do not think this is the case. I do not believe a bottom is in for housing or the mortgage sector. What we had today, was an oversold bounce along with the volatility of option expiration week and an effort to 'pin' the price of indices and stocks to certain levels.

MARKET UPDATE

We got the bounce that I had mentioned about pre market. Looks like we are rallying into the close. A very good day for anyone trading both sides. Short in the morning would have made you a ton. Long after the reversal would have added to the gains. I love days like this .

Here is a very good piece explaining how the mortgage process works and what happens when things go wrong.

ALERT

Dow could not hold 11,973. 11,700 is the next area of support.

PRE MARKET


Its been a rough day across Asia . Its not any better in Europe either.

US current account deficit shrinks on lower oil prices and a cheaper dollar.

Lehman net rises and their mortgage risk is hedged through a credit-default swap index. I'd like to know who the seller of the swap is . In other words, who is holding the bag ?

General Motors finally profitable but misses estimates on mortgage losses. No surprise here since, GM is heavily exposed to the mortgage industry, through their GMAC finance unit.

Treasury Secretary Paulson believes economy is healthy and housing has bottomed.

We could be in for a rough day especially if the Dow 11,973 level does not hold. The futures are indicating a lower open. If the above mentioned level holds, we could get a strong bounce and a nice rally into the close.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

MARKET RECAP

This will be the bulls best friend the rest of the evening.


The markets opened weak and got progressively weaker throughout the day. We closed near the lows which is a bad sign and a taste of things to come tomorrow. We may very easily test the Dow 11,973 lows of March 5th tomorrow. Support at these lows will be an encouraging sign from a bullish perspective. A break will be very bearish.

The following factors played a key role in todays market slump.

I expect weakness in Asia and Europe overnight and I expect continued weakness in the US equity markets tomorrow unless, we test those March 5th lows early and rally into the close.

MID DAY ALERT

The indices are breaking down to plunge through day lows. Energy is holding up but all other sectors are being decimated. We could either bounce of these levels or face further selling in the last 2 hours. The financials have made a big U-turn today from the earlier postive news of Goldmans earnings . The sector is firmly in the red and Goldman is gone from being up 6 points to being slightly in the red.

PRE MARKET

Retail sales were weaker than expected . Major indices are lower as a result.

The Asian indices are mixed while Europe is in the red .

Goldman Sachs earns record profits on trading gains. Keep in mind this is for 3 months ended February 23. Could they have lost money trading on February 27 ?

I am looking for weakness in the markets today.

Monday, March 12, 2007

MARKET RECAP

Pending bankruptcy and halting of New Century Financials stock gave the market early jitters.


A slew of mergers and acquisitions gave the market hope which the bulls were able to ride through the middle all the way to market close.

Is KKR telling us something by their acquisition of Dollar General ? Telling us that they expect worsening economic conditions that will force all of us to shop at dollar stores.

Asset managers were the biggest winners today while builders were the biggest losers.

All indices were strongly in the green. But volume was exceptionally light. Just take a look at the Qs . Lightest volume in 15 trading sessions.

Light volume is an indication traders are on the sidelines awaiting key economic data such as retail sales and business inventories being released tomorrow.

I expect tomorrow to see heavier trading volume. As to which side the market will lean, I do not have a clue. If retail sales are weak, the market could drop as fears increase over a possible recession or atleast, a bigger than anticipated slowdown. On the other hand we could rally strongly because, traders believe a rate cut will be imminent.
Asia is all green . Europe is a sea of red . I am biased to the short side unless we break last weeks highs on strong volume. There is still a lot of concern about the subprime mess .

Friday, March 09, 2007

RECAP

We got of to a flyer today with a big gap up open . From there on it was pretty much a fade the gap story. We recovered at the end to finish 15+ on the Dow , less than 1 on the S&P and slightly red on the Nasdaq.

Fed Governor Susan Bies made the headlines today, with her remarks about the subprime melt down only being the beginning. I'm on the same page as her. The mortgage and real estate industry will only get worse from here. In related news, over 500,000 homes could be added to current inventory based on, the rise in defaults and foreclosures. You also have Bernanke taking a hard line on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. You can be sure that the Fed and company are very worried about the mortgage/real estate situation. They may not act like its a big deal but, deep down inside they know its a problem and in their subtle and not so subtle ways, ( case in point Bies) they are acknowledging its a serious issue that must be reckoned with.

China is forming a fund to invest its $1 trillion in reserves. Lets hope they don't use the proceeds to short the US equity market.

Wasn't it barely a year ago when AMD was the darling of Wall Street ? My, how times have changed . All that talk about AMD eating Intel for lunch and now this. On a personal note, I think AMD is a buy at current prices .

Smartmoney has my favorite sector tracker tool. Steel was tops for the week. Year to date Tires are up a whooping 33.59 %. Starting Jan. 2nd you could have invested in the tire sector and be done for the year.

Why India's mind boggling growth could come to a screeching halt . Maybe this is a good contrarian play.

Is the volatile market wrecking havoc on Goldman Sachs ?


Option expiration is next week. Could make for good volatility. I am confident the Dow will trade somewhere between 5,000 and 15,000 next week. I hope I am right.

PRE MARKET WATCH

Stocks are expected to open higher after February employment numbers came in line with expectations . The numbers however were the lowest since January 2005.

The trade deficit slid nearly 4% in January. A weaker dollar and a curbing of the US consumers appetite, for relatively more expensive foreign goods, played a part no doubt.

Overseas markets are mixed.No big gainers in Asia but India was down over 1%. Europe is a mixed bag as well, with a lack of clear direction.

My take: The markets will open strong, drift throughout the day and finish weaker on profit taking ahead of the weekend.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

RECAP

Strong start to the day as expected by the strength across Asia and Europe. Weak close.
The rumors of New Century Financials pending Chapter 11 bankruptcy soured the bullish mood.
I think Tom Brown is a very brave man. But, there is a very thin line between being brave and being downright foolish. Right now the only mortgage company I would bet on to survive the subprime melt down would be Countrywide . All bets are off when it comes to the other lenders. I wouldn't even count on Freddie and Fannie making it through.

Traders appear to be anxiously awaiting tomorrows job numbers . We could see weakness if traders decide to go cash for the weekend.

I cut back some long positions as I sensed weakness later on in the day. I added to my QID , DXD , SDS and MZZ positions. Took in some TWM as a precaution . Judging by the down, up , down , up trend of this week I expect tomorrow to be a red day. As I mentioned before, neither the bulls nor the bears appear to be pressing their advantage.
The US markets are poised to open higher after significant gains overnight in Asia and green indices all across Europe .

Economists are forecasting stronger US economic growth .

Retailers had a lackluster February. 'Unseasonably cold weather' to blame. If the market rallies from here I do think retailers are a very good buy though.

The European Central Bank raised rates from 3.5 to 3.75%. Euro is going to show strength as a result.Long FXE.

Job losses fell but are still showing weakness .

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

MARKET RECAP

We were making decent progress till the markets took a dive in the last hour. Kind of tells you how many people want to be long. Homebuilder D.R. Horton CEOs comments that '2007 is going to suck' probably played a large part. Perhaps the moderate to sluggish economic growth around the country as revealed by the Fed beige book also played a role. Nonetheless, I expect tomorrow to be a red day all around unless, Blackstone buys the S&P 500 at a 30% premium.

The oil sector did really well today. As to how long this strength will last I have no idea. Its notable that the oil sector has the least correlation, to the overall markets.

The Bank of England and the European Central Bank will meet tomorrow to decide interest rate changes. A rate increase by the BOE or the ECB would likely have a bearish effect on the overall markets.

These were the big hedge fund losers in February. The guys ( and gals) who got caught with their pants down so to speak. Question: How can you be a hedge fund without being hedged ? Seems to be the case these days with Amaranth, Red Kite and so on.

The mortgage blowup has spread beyond subprime. Reminds me of a memorable Dennis Gartman quote " When they raid the house of ill repute, the good girls and the piano player also go to jail".

MARKET UPDATE

We have no clear direction today. The indices have been bouncing around all day. Red one minute, green the next. The Bears are shell shocked from the drubbing they took yesterday. Meanwhile, the Bulls are still in recovery from the massacre from last Tuesday through Monday. Neither side wants to push their advantage. I will pay attention to the markets 2:30 EST onwards to get a sense of where we are heading. In periods of indecisiveness it pays to be fully hedged or in cash. You do not want to be caught leaning the wrong way as a lot of bulls learned last Tuesday (and many bears learned yesterday).
Paulson is in Asia. Trying to calm things down I suppose.

Look whose back ! Is he going to keep doubling down to regain his losses, like he did last time around ?

Asia is mixed but Japan is down. The US markets tend to correlate strongly with Japan so we could see some downside. Europe is mostly in the green .

Expect the bull prepare for the bear.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Remember the Bull



The bulls took over and never took their foot of the pedal . My stock today was NYX. I had almost forgotten I had this in the portfolio till it took of after 2pm. Short squeeze or whatever it jumped nearly 6 points. The indices closed near the highs of the day so I expect more upward momentum tomorrow unless ofcourse, we have a sea of red in Asia and Europe.

MARKET UPDATE

The bulls are going great guns. The indices are at a daily high. Can we go higher from here or will the bears crash the party ? On a personal note the portfolio is soaring. NTRI,TZOO, BLUD and GOOG are all up over 2%. QLD, DDM and SSO are adding to the green. Will add some SDS, DXD , MZZ and QID for insurance.

RALLY

I expect nothing less than a strong rally in the US markets today. Asia is a stream of green arrows. India up over 2 % , China up nearly 2 % , Japan up 1.2%. Europe is very strong too and the momentum, should carry across the Atlantic.

The Yen has seen a big decline which should help us plenty since, it was this 'unwinding' of the carry trade and subsequent appreciation in the Yen, that was a big factor in the stock market plummet.

The economic data released today has been pretty crappy. Lets see if that puts a lid on US equities. Productivity is down and same store sales stink.

Greenspan is at it again . Now there is a 1/3 chance of a recession. Hmmmm. How does Mr. smarty pants figure that out. 1/3. Why not 2/5 or 1/6 or 30% or............

Will bad debt from the sub prime mortgage fall out be limited ? Paulson certainly thinks so. I do not.

The plan today is to expect a rally. Nothing less than 100 points on the Dow, 25 on the Nasdaq and 15 on the S&P 500. And we have Bernanke speaking . Will he spark of a huge rally ?

Monday, March 05, 2007

GOING FISHING




I am going to find some issues to go long today. There is too much doom and gloom out there. Picking some high beta names. Some NTRI, a bit of BLUD, a little AKAM, a pinch of CELG and a topping of HANS. I think I'll toss in some TZOO and a helping of GOOG for good measure.And I'll close out that blasted AAPL short position for good measure. Maybe we'll rally, maybe we won't. But if we rally I think I may outperform. If not I will just dump 'em all.In a bear market its best to position for a rally before the actual rally because, once you spot the rally its usually too late.
Slowdown in the service sector. What do you expect ? Tightning of credit leads to reduction in demand, which equates to an economic slowdown. Add in the real estate slump and the inability of consumers, to use their homes like ATMs and you have a recession dead ahead.

More on the subprime blowup . And people couldn't see this coming ? Seriously, if you could breathe, you were entitled to a home loan. With all those marginal consumers getting home loans and equity lines of credit, an accident was waiting to happen. And this is far from over. The worst is yet to come.

Oil prices extend decline. Makes sense since global growth is slowing, based on the economic data we have seen and oil prices are likely to pull back, with a reduction in demand. However I do not see oil prices falling below $40 over the next 12 months.

Is he going to be the poster buy for the leverage buyout excess of the 2000s ? With a cover on Fortune the chances are pretty high.

This could go a long way in displacing the US as the world's technology leader. If the brains no longer want to come here, the chances are the next great technology companies, will be conceived in Bangalore, rather than Silicon Valley.

The restatements continue.Lucky for me I am short RIMM. Could all these restatements be a result of option related expenses or could fradulent accounting be playing a part ? I wonder.

Friday, March 02, 2007

California Dreamin


Wow. That was one wild week. Lots of opportunity to make money. Even more opportunity to lose money. With that close today you could smell the fear. Nobody wants to be holding going into this weekend. I can't blame them. As for me I'm going back to Cali for some R & R. And work on some market 'strategery' as Dubya would put it.

Our boy Bernanke is scheduled to speak today at 11pm EST. I would look for a slight rally.

Now Poole says there could be a recession. Then in Greenspan like fashion, he hedges his bet and says the central bank does not forecast one. Hmmmm.

Goldman , Merrill and Morgan Stanley 'almost' junk ? Not surprising considering the majority of their profit comes from trading , derivatives and other 'higher' risk activities.

The plan today is to play for a rally but stay alert for more downside. I am leaning towards a green finish on all indices but, there is the possibility of a selloff in the last hour of trading as traders fear holding over the weekend, in these volatile conditions. Than again Bernanke could spark of a major rally.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Paulson Says U.S. Economy Is `Healthy' and Job Market Is `Firm' . Hmmmmm. What else what he going to say ? The economy is 'unhealthy' and the job market is 'wobbly' ?

Some insider trading news. What else is new ? I would suspect anyone with an IQ of over 100, has a less than a 1 in 10 chance of being busted for insider trading. With those kind of odds can you blame them ?

Countrywide sees a rise in delinquent sub-prime loans. Wow. Big surprise there (Not).

Greenspan does a 180 on a US recession. Way to hedge your bet Alan ! Now either way he is right.

SHOTS FIRED



The bears did a Tony Montana on the markets this morning but now the bulls are trying to answer back. A pretty wild swinging day. I would think a short term bottom is in and we rally for a week or two till resistance which is Dow 12450-12500 or so.
I have lightened up the portfolio on QID, MZZ, SDS and DXD the double inverse indices. I have added QLD, DDM and SSO - the double bull indices into the mix. Have not lightened up much on the stock holdings yet because I still expect a rally. Still holding gold and the Euro via FXE. Looking to add more Yen as a hedge.

If we end in the green today, the excitement will likely spill over onto tomorrow. The first shots have been fired but the war is not over yet. I believe a change in market direction from bull to bear is on the horizon.

Wednesday, February 28, 2007




The bulls might need to start humming to this "There's no easy way out" ( after a 400 point drop) "Theres no short cut home"



"Thinking about how it used to be"
Lets see what the last 2 hrs bring. Will the Dow close above 100 ,will we see 50-80 or will we see a sell off ? I put stops on some DXD, MZZ, QID and SDS positions in case the market runs up and continues the momentum tomorrow. I added into NYX judging the strength throughout the day. Pullbacks on NYX have been on lighter volume which is a factor to note. Right now I am trying to balance my longs and shorts to see what direction the markets take. I do not want to get caught leaning too much in one direction lest I get burned. The key is too find stocks showing relative strength and go long and to 'hedge' by finding relative weakness and shorting those.
Good to see the markets are flying. This allows me to sell some of my longs and short some more RIMM and AAPL among others. Good to see BWLD is up after a serious decline this morning . There is some serious big money buying in NYX per this WSJ money flow indicator . I'm loading up here on SNDK and MU because I believe the chip sector is bottoming and will lead the way once we recover, in 3 to 6 months or so. I do think the market will recover over the coming weeks but, I also believe yesterdays drop was a warning that this bull market is coming to an end. Serious declines like the one we had yesterday usually signal a change in trend and since the preceding trend was bullish I do believe the coming month will be bearish.

UNEXPECTED ?

Funny how so many are calling this decline unexpected. We have had eight straight months of gains. The S&P 500 hasn't dropped 2% in the longest time ever and yet people are astonished by the decline yesterday. I blame it on complacency. Everyone else seems to be blaming it on the computers. When all else fails just blame the damn machines. The market didn't fall..it was just a glitch in the system. LOL

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

MARKET MELT DOWN ?

What a truely disgusting day in China. Disgusting if you were long that is which thankfully I am not. Imagine if the S&P, Nasdaq and Dow all fell 9% in a single session. We'd probably see people jumping out of windows. Depending on how we close today I might take a dip in some QLD, SSO, DDM and MVV for a bounce tomorrow. Sold a small part of my QLD, DXD , MZZ and SDS today. Thinking of adding more to NYX, WFMI, PNRA and BWLD longs. My GS short has made my day. Down (up for me) over 4% on heavy volume. If Goldman breaks 200, the next stop is 180. I am looking for a bounce to 210 and maybe I will short some more.

Monday, February 26, 2007

AAII sentiment index is at 71% Time to hit the short button. yawn.

Lets see if the Nasdaq can close below 2500 and the S&P 500 below 1450. This might give some strength to the bears. But as usual the bears tend to over play their hand , get burned and run for cover pushing the indices to record highs. Will it play out again or will we get a meaningful retreat ? I guess the days ahead will tell.

Friday, February 23, 2007

Did you know Morgan Stanley owns $102 Billion in real estate assets worldwide ? I had no idea.

We have some dangerous airports nationwide .

How is Google v Microsoft going to play out ?

Buffett betting on housing .

Are Russian banks a winning bet ?

The breaking of the diamond cartel .

Breaking down the carry trade.

Inside the mind of a corporate raider.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Thank you Paulson

And the shit continues to hit the fan .

"The high end of the market is still very weak" . If the high end of housing is weak, the low end can only be worse.

Will rising oil prices hurt consumers pockets ?

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

An unexpected increase in inflation sends gold prices soaring .

So much for a WFMI pullback. Stock is flying after hours on news Whole Foods is buying out fellow organic producer Wild Oats. I don't usually average up into my positions during an extended bull market so I will likely sell WFMI when it reaches the overbought level and wait to buy it during weakness, in a bear market.

NYSE Group Inc (NYX) is a momentum stock which I am glad I got into last Friday. I felt the pullback was overdone and it looks to continue its upward momentum atleast temporarily.I don't like chasing momentum but will buy during pullbacks when I feel the previous trend is ready to resume and NYX fit the bill nicely. Look at the large volume on Friday which suggested the current turnaround. I expect resistance at the 50 day moving average around $98 and I will be keeping a close eye on this level.

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Here is a chart of CMG from around last May till the end of July. Notice the incredible upward surge in the days leading to earnings with a huge gap up from 59 to 66 on earnings day. CMG tops at 67.77 which has to date not been bettered and than fade's down to 48 by the middle of July. Now look at this chart . Again a nice upward surge in the days leading up to earnings followed by a big gap up and than a fade . The worrying point to note is the failure to break above the previous peak at 67.77. Could CMG be a good short here ?

Whole Foods Market

I took a miniscule position in WFMI a few weeks back on a breakout from its downtrend line. Earnings are expected this evening and I expect a gap down open tomorrow where I will add to my position. I am trying to get WFMI to a position equal to 5% of the entire fund. Currently I hold a position of close to 1/2% of the fund. When trying to build a position I follow a 10-20-30-40 where I buy 10% of my intended position and follow up by adding 20% next, usually at lower levels and so on. If you do your homework correctly and a stock approaches your buy price, any level below that price is a steal.

Gold breakout

Gold and GLD are breaking out . I would expect a test of $730 and more. $1000 gold is a distinct possibility this year.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Things to Ponder

Is the carry trade good for now ?

HP beats yet again. Can it continue to beat ?

Will central bank governor's testimony hinting at rate tightning have an affect on the Australian market ?

Huge drop in earnings. No forward guidance. New CEO . Could there be trouble brewing in Home Depot ?

Is Jetblue 'dead money' for now or do I smell opportunity ?

Monday, February 19, 2007

NEWS AND VIEWS

A quiet day today. US markets are closed. A whole lotta green arrows in Europe . Asia is green too except for our friends in Singapore who don't seem to be 'getting' with the program. The FTSE and Nikkei among others, are at fresh 6 year highs and did I mention that the Shanghai Composite has doubled, in the last 8 months ? Things could not be rosier or so it seems.

What do we have here ? Goodness its Sirius and XM trying to merge. Is this a merger of idiots or are these two collusus of negative cash flow, actually going to accomplish something positive ? Either way I do not see satellite radio as something that is sustainable in the future. To me the future is digitally imported internet radio. SiriXM or XMius or whatever they call this behemoth is going to be history in a decade. Kaput.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

REAL ESTATE MARKET RECOVERY ?????

I read this article pertaining to a potential recovery in real estate by mid year. With the excess inventory - market has 400,000 homes more than it can handle according to one economist,I seriously doubt we will see a bottom in real estate till atleast 2008 and more like 2009. Many regions such as Florida, Arizona and California have inventories of homes exceeding a 10 month supply, with 4 months constituting a normal market. And that 10 month supply is in the face of declining home buying activity. So with slower buying, the supply is probably closer to 12-14 months. Not to mention the fact that builders are still building homes and this additional supply, will only further depress the markets. According to research from the past 100 + years, the average real estate decline from peak to bottom lasts close to 3 years. By all accounts we peaked in late 2005. Based on this analysis, we will probably bottom out in late 2008. Than again, it could take longer considering the amazing run we had between 2001-2005.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Apple is having an amazing day up over $7 on over 110 million shares traded. Reminds me of the last time AAPL moved up big on huge volume, January 10 2006. Steve Jobs spoke at MacWorld and gave a rosy outlook on Apples future and AAPL was off to the races up from $76 to $81 and later peaking at $86.40 on January 12. AAPL was in the 50s by June. I think a short position over the next few days and holding it till the summer will be very rewarding.
The market appears to be gradually slipping away from the grasps of the bulls. The Nasdaq has failed to close at new new highs since November 24 which is over 6 weeks. While the Dow did close at new highs the week before New Years it was on very light volume.The S&P has failed to make new highs since mid December and appears to be topping. In these 3 indices there has been a noticable lack of volume on up swings while a surge of volume accompanies most down swings. To me the first trading day of the year was the most telling with the Dow advancing upwards to 12630 a gain of almost 170 points for the day before reversing, going negative for a while and than finally rallying enough to close up 13 points. The huge volume that day indicates that this could likely have been the peak of the current bull market.

Monday, January 08, 2007

ECONOMIC AND TECHNICAL INDICATORS.

Having spent the better part of the day, sifting through economic and technical data to give me a better idea of where we are headed, I just wanted to post the more relevant of these indicators.

The NYSE New High/ New Low ratio is currently at 89%. Any reading above 85% is bullish while a reading below 20% is bearish. A drop below 70% is considered bearish. We have had a bullish reading since mid October with the indicator rising to over 95% at times over the last few months . We have cooled off a little in recent weeks though we can still cool off a lot more. So while this indicator is very bullish for now, the better part of this rally could be behind us and we do need to keep an eye out especially for a drop below 70.

The NYSE 30 day advance/decline oscillator is currently at 165 having spent the better part of the fall in the 200+ territory indicating an overbought and therefore potentially bearish environment. Below negative 200 would be considered oversold and therefore bullish and we are not even close to those levels. Hence a sharp pullback in the market, may not be a bad thing to create an environment of oversold conditions and hence, a better risk to reward ratio going forward.

Now to one of my favorite indicators , the AAII sentiment index ratio. Many pundits are screaming that we are in times of extreme investor pessimism and others are calling it a time of extreme exhuberance. So you be the judge. The indicator is currently at 63% and though not at extreme bullish levels, we are more bullish than bearish as a whole. A reading above 70 indicates bullishness and below 30 is bearish. So we are a whole lot closer to bullish than bearish and this indicator has been moving upwards in recent months.

Mutual Fund cash levels are at historic lows of 4.4%. I hear a lot of commentators talking about all the excess cash sitting on the sidelines waiting to be deployed in the equity markets. This indicator however tells me that mutual funds are holding less cash than at any time since the 2000 market top. This indicator looks very bearish to me and I do think it is a fairly useful gauge of future market performance.

Can the market continue going higher ? It definately can. But I do feel we are at a level where the risk outweighs the reward. I do feel that cash sitting in a 5% money market account will outperform the indices this year.

Friday, January 05, 2007

WEEK 1 2007

1 week down (almost) 51 to go. Where does this put us ? What strategy does one pursue in the coming weeks ? How does one preserve capital yet maximize gains and etch out absolute returns in the double digits ? If I were not looking for double digit returns I would not hesitate to switch to the money markets at 5%. Iceland is offering me 13% for my money. The Chinese Yuan is a safe bet assuming the continuation of appreciation vs the US Dollar. The Euro has broken overhead resisitance in recent months and is heading for all time highs vs the USD. It looks to be a good safe haven for capital. I like Gold too in the form of Goldtrust Shares as it settles along support.

Job growth rose unexpectedly which has dampened investors expecting a Fed rate cut.If the economy continues to show strength , a rate raise would not surprise me. When was the last time the Fed lowered rates into a rising stock market ? I don't know but all I do know is that when the Fed does decide to cut rates, it will be to the backdrop of investors fleeing the US equity markets.

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

BULLS, BEARS AND BOB (Nardelli)

According to this study the 2006 shopping seaon was unimpressive and yet the markets are in bull mode due to CEO Bob Nardelli resigning from Home Depot and Walmart seeing better than expected December sales after reducing forecast the previous month. So in essence Walmart set the bar so low that they had to beat it no matter what. Add in a better than expected manufacturing index ISM number of 51.4 and a less than expected 0.2 fall in construction.

So lets examine all this. Could Nardelli have resigned because he sees a slowdown in HDs earnings ? He gets out before the shit hits the fan with a fat severance package. I'd be shorting this surge in HDs stock price in the coming days. I seriously doubt Nardelli would have quit if he saw good prospects down the line.

Walmart had already lowered its outlook for December after a drop in same store sales for the first time in 10 years in November. The fact they beat December estimates is nothing to cheer about. The question is how did all the other retailers do ? We will find out tomorrow.

On to the ISM manufacturing report. Up 51.4 from the Novembers 49.5. FYI Below 50 indicates a contraction in the manufacturing economy and above 50 correlates to expansion. A rise looks great but lets look at the history of the ISM for the last 8 years. Sure looks to me that the index peaked in 2004 and is showing a slowdown. It is highly likely we could see numbers below 50 in the coming months signalling a recession. One item to notice is that last time round the markets peaked in January of 2000 yet the index was positive and only started signalling a recession in August.

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
2006 54.8 56.7 55.2 57.3 54.4 53.8 54.7 54.5 52.9 51.2 49.5 51.4
2005 56.3 55.6 55.3 53.8 51.8 54.0 56.4 53.5 58.0 58.1 57.3 55.6
2004 62.9 62.2 62.3 63.0 62.9 61.5 61.5 59.6 58.0 56.8 56.9 58.6
2003 52.8 49.9 46.4 46.5 50.0 50.5 52.3 55.5 54.4 57.2 60.6 63.2
2002 49.1 53.2 55.0 54.4 55.2 55.8 51.2 50.9 51.3 50.0 49.2 53.1
2001 41.4 41.1 42.6 43.1 41.9 43.9 44.7 48.3 47.7 40.5 45.0 46.7
2000 56.7 55.8 54.9 54.7 53.2 51.4 52.5 49.9 49.7 48.7 48.5 43.9
1999 50.6 51.7 52.4 52.3 54.3 55.8 53.6 54.8 57.0 57.2 58.1 57.8

Constrution has pretty much been covered by all segments of the media. By now we all now that housing construction is down , sales are down, price appreciation has turned into depreciation and huge inventories of unsold homes glut the market. What does a less than expected fall in contruction mean ? That the housing market has bottomed out ? Highly unlikely with all the inventory glut. Real estate is a cycle like another other commodity or market for that matter. In real estate its usually the 15 year cycle where the market peaked in 1990, fell through the early 90s before bottoming around 1994-95 and then based till 1997-98 before rising and peaking in 2005.So its highly unlikely we will bottom in real estate especially after such a fantastic runup of 100-200% in many parts if the country. I would not expect a bottom till 2008-09 at the earliest. So much for new home construction and the home builders for now.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

CONTEMPLATIONS, REFLECTIONS AND CLAIRVOYANCE

Looking at the past year, we've experienced ups and downs in the market. We started off strong, stunmbled in May recovered in August and had a very strong rally into the close of the year. With the Dow hitting all time highs and the S&P 500 not too far behind , 2006 was a great year for those long the equity indices. In individual sectors and stocks we have had a mix of good and bad.

First with the good. RIMM had an exceptional year. A nice 100% gain though one could have made more if they traded it through highs and lows. CRS was positively on fire through the early part of the year and one of my big winners (until I was stopped out). TIE was another rocket in the same group as CRS and I sort of regret passing TIE over for CRS. It was a toss up between TIE, ATI and CRS and I choose the slowest horse. Oh well, a 70% gain isn't so bad though I missed out on a 150% plus on the other 2. Speaking off ATI. The chart says it all. How could I have missed it ? What a Monster !! Speaking of monster the energy drink, here is a chart of HANS. I got stopped out early in the year with a small profit. I hated what happened next though I did manage to get short in the $180-200 range and ride it down to $120-130 pre-split . NTRI rocketed upwards with no stopping it till May and than recovered nicely for another big run which ended in what looks like a double top as evident from the charts ( May and December peaks). ZOLT was one hell off a stock and though it closed the year badly, it made a lot of people very rich. ERS could well have been the stock off the year if people had been smart enough to get off in early May. 600% gain in 5 months . Spectacular !! Than another huge potential gain for anyone going short. WOW !! Just look at the charts.

Now to the not so good. Does anyone think GOOG's best days are behind it ? This is one stock that is all over the place. How is someone supposed to stay long or short a stock like this ? AAPL another totally unpredictable stock. Great for trading though. Look how RACK got decimated midyear though it pulled through at the end. NETL was downright ugly. Look at this crazy stock IFON . Jan though April downtrend, huge spike in April till early June and than total collapse through July before a couple of run ups and than a reversal to a downtrend. Great for trading by the seat of your pants. A killer in most ways though. This was a pretty crapy year for EBAY till the lows in June July. YHOO had a pretty terrible year. It was a year that had it all. The good, the bad and the ugly.

Friday, December 22, 2006

ECONOMIC HEADLINES

RIMM misses by penny
NEWS corp sends Direct TV to Liberty
PERSONAL spending up in November (Playstation 3 and Wii effect?)
TOYOTA forecasts record sales
ARIZONA is fastest growing state
GODFATHER of the Merc

Happy holidays. I am off to enjoy mine.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

HEADLINES AND ANALYSIS

LEADING index up
GDP revised lower
FEARLESS forecasts


The market is evidently slowing as the data suggests. Yet analysts are overwhelming bullish about the coming year 2007. The 'soft-landing' theory is still in play and is mostly likely fully priced in to the markets. Any deviation from this theory and evidence of a hard landing may lead to a a fleeting exit from the equity markets and potentially a large drop in the indices. We have had an extremely bullish run from the June lows- nearly 1800 points on the Dow, almost 200 on the S&P 500 and over 400 on the NASDAQ. A big portion of this move came during the typically bearish months of September and October while we have had a rather mellow November and December. While January is a typically bullish month, we could see a market pullback especially if the data continues so suggest we are in for something more than a 'soft-landing'. For now I continue to be bearish equities in general with short positions in several leading tech stocks - GOOG, AAPL, RIMM and AKAM to name a few.
I am long energy for now as well as metal producers. I also have index shorts in anticipation of a broad market pullback.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

HEADLINES

THAI turnaround unleashes rally
CAUTION on FedEx
ARE all hedge fund investors really rich ?
ANOTHER tech buyout
BIGGEST innovation surprises for 2007
MORTGAGE applications drop

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Monday, December 18, 2006

START TO ANOTHER WEEK

SOARING current account deficit
IS it me or does this happen every week
RISK free trade ?
YET another buyout
COULD buyouts spell trouble ahead ?
SURVIVING the Real Estate Bust ( which hasn't even happened !@!)
HANS (makers of Monster) a potential takeover candidate ?

Saturday, December 16, 2006

FINANCE HEADLINES

BEIJING and Washington sign nuclear reactor agreement pact
INFLATION MIA ?
US will be eclipsed by China - Jim Cramer
YAHOO playing catch up with Google
DOLLARS biggest gain in 4 months
ALL time high for Dow
GOOD times ahead ?

Friday, December 15, 2006

ARTICLES OF CONFLICTING INTEREST

REAL estate market going to hell
FIRST time buyers getting back in real estate
RECESSION ahead (Merrill Lynchs David Rosenberg courtsey of Bill Cara)
BIGGEST Japanese takeover ever