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Setting the bull trap
This post is a guest contribution by Bennet Sedacca*, President of Atlantic Advisors Asset Management. Long time students of the market will tell you that “the crowd is usually wrong at the extremes”. Judging by what I see, hear and read in the media, the current consensus...
6Jan2009 | prieur | 0 comments | ContinuedWords from the (investment) wise for the week that was (Dec 29, 2008 – Jan 4, 2009)
Changing the digits on the calendar from ’08 to ’09 may not have transformed the dire outlook for the global economy, but during the holiday-shortened New Year week investors appeared adamant to put the rout of 2008 behind them. Although mercifully the door has been closed...
6Jan2009 | prieur | 0 comments | ContinuedStock market performance round-up: torrid 2008 ends with guarded hope
A great deal has been said in the media about the performance of stock markets during 2008, and also specifically about the reversal of fortune since the lows of November 20. I therefore only briefly summarize the year-end performance of various global stock markets in this post. After...
6Jan2009 | prieur | 0 comments | ContinuedVideo-o-rama: Ring out the old, ring in the new
Although this is a holiday-shortened trading week, there has certainly not been a lack of video clips hitting the airwaves. A number of these review the historically brutal year that has just drawn to a close. Others attempt to cast light on the outlook for 2009, debating whether...
6Jan2009 | prieur | 0 comments | ContinuedWill Darwinism return to the markets?
This post is a guest contribution by Bennet Sedacca*, President of Atlantic Advisors Asset Management. As regular readers know, I have had a cautious, even bearish view, towards equities and credit over the past couple of years. The handwriting was on the wall and both equities...
6Jan2009 | prieur | 0 comments | ContinuedStock market internals – further headway in 2009?
As investors ring out the old year, trading volume should remain light until battle-weary traders return from the holidays next week. Not much weight should therefore be placed on market movements during this “thin” period, and the S&P 500 Index will probably not deviate...
6Jan2009 | prieur | 0 comments | ContinuedHistory repeats itself in different hues – Japan vs US
This post is a guest contribution by Asha Bangalore*, vice president and economist at The Northern Trust Company. Several questions pertaining to the Japanese economic crisis and quantitative easing have been trickling in as unprecedented economic and financial events unfold...
6Jan2009 | prieur | 0 comments | ContinuedA Far-East Fiasco?
This post is a guest contribution by Vitaliy N. Katsenelson*, author of Active Value Investing: Making Money in Range-Bound Markets and director of research at Investment Management Associates. I often start my mornings with egg, cheese and turkey sandwich at Panera Bread. This...
6Jan2009 | prieur | 0 comments | ContinuedThe 4 Biggest Investment Myths of 2008
The 4 Biggest Investment Myths of 2008 by Alexander Green, Chairman, Investment U Investment Director, The Oxford Club Monday, December 29, 2008: Issue #907 Pessimism about the U.S. economy and financial market is so thick right now you could cut it with a knife. I’ll be the...
6Jan2009 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedFinancial Fraud: 3 Easy Steps to Avoid “Bad” Investments
Financial Fraud: 3 Easy Steps to Avoid “Bad” Investments by Dr. Mark Skousen, Advisory Panelist, Investment U Friday, January 2, 2009: Issue #909 Three weeks ago, in Investment U Issue #898, I promised you a 30% return on my “Keynesian investment strategy” of buying a...
6Jan2009 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedThe Best Stock Market Buy Signal In 51 Years
The Best Stock Market Buy Signal In 51 Years by Alexander Green, Chairman, Investment U Investment Director, The Oxford Club Monday, January 5, 2009: Issue #910 Media pundits keep reminding us how tough 2009 will be economically. Nevertheless, I predict this will be a good year...
6Jan2009 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedSmall-Cap Stocks: The Most Important Trend Headed into 2009
Small-Cap Stocks: The Most Important Trend Headed into 2009 by Louis Basenese, Advisory Panelist, Investment U Associate Investment Director, The Oxford Club Wednesday, December 23, 2008: Issue #906 Yesterday we got confirmation that the U.S. economy contracted by 0.5% in the...
26Dec2008 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedI.O.U.S.A.; The Coming Entitlement Meltdown
I.O.U.S.A. & The Coming Entitlement Meltdown by Alexander Green, Chairman, Investment U Investment Director, The Oxford Club Monday, December 22, 2008: Issue #905 During the current economic crunch, top executives at Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers and other financial giants...
26Dec2008 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedThe Falling U.S. Dollar: Taking An About-Face
The Falling U.S. Dollar: Taking An About-Face by Louis Basenese, Advisory Panelist, Investment U Associate Investment Director, The Oxford Club Wednesday, December 17, 2008: Issue #902 Investing requires tough decisions. What to buy? When to buy? How much? But none more difficult...
26Dec2008 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedVideo-o-rama: Will markets bail you out in ‘09?
Only four more trading sessions remain before we close the door on 2008 – and none too soon, many investors would say. But moving from ’08 to ’09 will unfortunately not dim the lights on the nature of the investment debate. Come Thursday next week, investors will not only...
26Dec2008 | prieur | 0 comments | ContinuedVideo Interview: Roubini preaches more gloom
Nouriel Roubini, professor at Stern School of Business at New York University and chairman of RGE Monitor, is renowned for having foreseen the current economic malaise a number of years ago. He was scorned at the time by mainstream economists for being a crank, but the same people...
24Dec2008 | prieur | 0 comments | ContinuedGreenback slumped on the canvas
Bernanke & Co. on Tuesday signaled to the financial markets that they were hell-bent on pursuing an “inflate or die” approach to rescuing the ailing US economy and fending off the forces of deflation. The Fed is now inflating at a level possibly not seen before by a developed...
23Dec2008 | prieur | 0 comments | ContinuedA long, cold winter
This post features a recent Barron’s interview with Stehanie Pomboy. She is the founder of Manhattan-based MacroMavens, a firm striving to identify major macro themes - and the commensurate investment implications - ahead of the curve, while avoiding the typical overemphasis...
23Dec2008 | prieur | 0 comments | ContinuedGet Gold for Nothing!
Every now and then I like to give guest authors a chance to share their views either on the stocks that I already cover, or names that I don’t, but that I feel would benefit my readers. Some of these author’s viewpoints agree with mine, and some don’t. I feel that the more...
18Dec2008 | Shawn | 0 comments | ContinuedStock Markets: Is This It?
The US Federal Reserve yesterday pulled out all the stops in a frantic effort to save the US economy from collapse and stem the deflationary forces. The Fed funds rate was slashed from 1% to a target range between 0 and 0.25% – the lowest the central bank’s key rate has been...
18Dec2008 | prieur | 0 comments | ContinuedThe Truth About Options: Buying Puts & Calls On Stocks
The Truth About Options: Buying Puts & Calls On Stocks by Alexander Green, Chairman, Investment U Investment Director, The Oxford Club Monday, December 15, 2008: Issue #901 Readers often ask me the truth about options and the advisability of buying puts and calls on stocks. Let...
17Dec2008 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedJohn Maynard Keynes: How to Make 30% From an 80-Year-Old Investment Strategy
John Maynard Keynes: How to Make 30% From an 80-Year-Old Investment Strategy by Dr. Mark Skousen, Advisory Panelist, Investment U Friday, December 10, 2008: Issue #898 “Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influences, are usually the...
17Dec2008 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedLook Out for Lots of New Cheap Debt
Look Out for Lots of New Cheap Debt Today at 2:15pm, the Federal Reserve is expected cut its federal funds target rate to half a percent. This would bring it down to its lowest point ever. The other data coming out are confirming the extent of the economic slowdown. Consumer...
17Dec2008 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedMoney Markets With Negative Returns
Money Markets With Negative Returns Investors fleeing to the safety of treasuries and money markets funds may have to reevaluate their choices, as the meaning of “safe” is rapidly changing. Yesterday at a Treasury auction, interest rates on 4-week T-bills dropped to zero....
17Dec2008 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedThe Blob on Wall Street
This post is a guest contribution by Bennet Sedacca*, President of Atlantic Advisors Asset Management. The Blob is a morass of financial intervention that has eaten every bad financial deal too large to let die on its own. To understand the Blob, we must first understand how...
17Dec2008 | prieur | 0 comments | ContinuedWhen will this horror show come to an end?
This post offers Wachovia’s 2009 economic outlook for the US, under editorship of highly rated John Silvia. The report recognizes the extreme challenges that will confront investors and businesses in the year ahead and is aptly titled “When will this horror show come to an...
16Dec2008 | prieur | 0 comments | ContinuedInvesting in a world of intervention
This post is a guest contribution by Bennet Sedacca*, President of Atlantic Advisors Asset Management I am not sure what makes people believe that the action of turning the calendar to a new year will act as a “magic bullet” for them. I have to admit to having my own New...
16Dec2008 | prieur | 0 comments | ContinuedVideo-o-rama: Market Maelstrom
Another week and another batch of fascinating video clips about bailouts, economic woes and other crisis-related matters. As to be expected, the good-news videos are in rather short supply. A number of the more interesting clips that have attracted my attention are shared below. Some...
8Dec2008 | prieur | 0 comments | ContinuedWords from the Wise: Gone Fishing (in New York City)
I find myself in a cold New York City for a few days as the Big Apple readies itself for a somewhat more subdued Christmas than usual. Although reduced business activity is not overly visible in the shops and restaurants, one is certainly often reminded in conversation of the...
8Dec2008 | prieur | 0 comments | ContinuedThe law of small numbers
This post is a guest contribution by Bennet Sedacca*, President of Atlantic Advisors Asset Management. I have written many times that the first key to making money in the markets is to not lose, or at least to keep your losses to a minimum when you make a poor decision. There...
6Dec2008 | prieur | 0 comments | Continued