Analysis Topic: Stock & Financial Markets
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.Friday, July 11, 2008
The Real Reasons the US Banking System Lost its Way / Stock-Markets / Credit Crisis 2008
Shah Gilani writes: Unlike Dorothy in " The Wizard of Oz ," the brutalized U.S. banking system will never again return to that comfortable, cozy, and cushy capital place it once happily referred to as "home." But its "Wicked Witch" was its own greed. The curtain has finally been pulled back on the machinery, and the hot air used to pump up the U.S. banking system's version of the Emerald City in the Land of Oz .
For decades, American banks operated on a simple - and nicely profitable - business model: They took in deposits and lent out money.
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Friday, July 11, 2008
Investors Should Stay Clear of Traditional Asset Classes / Stock-Markets / Credit Crisis 2008
Originally published on May 5, 2008 on SeekingAlphaWashington continues to manipulate economic data, as it has for several years. The past few Establishment Survey reports confirm the deception of data, as many more jobs were lost than official numbers indicate. A better gauge of economic weakness, in my opinion, is consumer and mortgage late-payment and default rates, since this data is more difficult to manipulate. This is especially true for late credit card payments.
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Friday, July 11, 2008
All Broad Equity Indices Are Down / Stock-Markets / Global Stock Markets
There is plenty of bad business news out there, including with icons such as GE, AIG, banks of all sorts, municipal bond insurance companies and more.
Consumers are squeezed by energy, food prices, falling home prices and limitations on credit — and municipalities aren't apparently limiting their budget growth (and taxes) in line with their tax payers growth in income.
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Thursday, July 10, 2008
Stock Market Liquidity Contraction Points to Increasing Fear and Capitulation ... / Stock-Markets / US Stock Markets
The reason why Liquidity inflows and outflows is a critical element relative to the market rallying or correcting:
Liquidity inflows and outflows are easily understood by any corporation. When their cash inflows are positive and increasing, they have money to expand and hire. When their cash is outflowing and negative, their businesses contract and they layoff workers.
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Thursday, July 10, 2008
Paulson: Financial Institutions Must Be Allowed To Fail / Stock-Markets / Credit Crisis 2008
The Crypt is reporting Paulson and Bernanke: Economic Melt-Down "Ongoing"Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress that their agencies need greater regulatory powers to deal with the current economic meltdown in the financial and housing markets.
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Thursday, July 10, 2008
Are Dark Pools Destined to be the Next Financial Black Hole? / Stock-Markets / Market Manipulation
We can almost hear that ominous " Jaws " theme music in the background and can see that huge dorsal fin as it slices threateningly through the water - knowing full well that the real terror is hidden beneath the water's surface.
But this time around, it's not a "Great White" that's sparking our fears; it's a well-capitalized and broadly based series of secret stock exchanges known as " Dark Pools of Liquidity ," "Dark Liquidity," or just "Dark Pools."
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Thursday, July 10, 2008
Stocks Bear Market Generates Inane Mainstream Commentary / Stock-Markets / Stocks Bear Market
I am amazed at the absolutely inane commentary from the media about how great it is that we're having a bear market, as if they saw it coming ahead of time. Now they're talking gibberish about all the buying opportunities out there and how after we've reached the 20% decline level it's time to back up the truck and load up on stocks.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
USAGOLD's Annual Survey of Investment Performance- 12Months to June 2008 / Stock-Markets / Investing
Gold up 43% - Outshines Wall Street, Main St. Gold continues to shine as one of the best performing asset classes through the first half of 2008, according to the USAGOLD Annual Survey of Investments. Only the CRB index, which of course includes a gold component, outperformed gold itself over the past year. Arguably it was the latest surge in oil prices that allowed the broad measure of commodities to supplant gold from the number one position over the last month of the second quarter.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
The Decade of Zero Investment Returns, Part I / Stock-Markets / Stock Market Valuations
"...Ten years here, a decade there, and pretty soon you're losing real wealth hand over fist..."
WHAT A DIFFERENCE a decade can make! Over the last 10 years of the 20th century, anyone buying and holding US stocks made a total return approaching 18% per year.
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Wednesday, July 09, 2008
All Eyes on Crude Oil … As Usual / Stock-Markets / Volatility
All those investors on and off Wall Street whose focus is on buying stocks must have sweat through a closet full of shirts by now. The outlook for the stock market is not pretty. And when second quarter earnings season arrives, well, things could get even uglier…they say.
It’s a tough job playing cheerleader for a losing team and waiting for a turnaround, even when Tout TV is on your side. Just ask those die-hard Cubs fans about that if you’re wondering. Unfortunately, it seems to us like it could be a while before this turnaround in stocks materializes.
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Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Emerging Markets Infrastructure Spending Boom for Next Three Years / Stock-Markets / Emerging Markets
Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. ( MER ) has raised its annual infrastructure-spending estimate for emerging markets by 80%, as developing countries try to keep pace with fast-growing economies and large cash reserves, BusinessWeek reported.
Investment in infrastructure, which the firm sees as the long-term solution to inflation, will rise from $1.25 trillion to $2.25 trillion annually over the next three years. And China, the Middle East, and Russia will account for 70% of infrastructure spending.
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Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Three Ways to Protect Your Portfolio Against Stock Market Drops / Stock-Markets / Stocks Bear Market
Nilus Mattive: June wasn't kind to the stock market. In fact, the S&P 500 had its worst month since September 2002 and its worst June since 1930.
So far, July hasn't been much better.
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Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Financial Stocks Meltdown: A Picture Worth 1,000 Words / Stock-Markets / Banking Stocks
Who a few years ago would have thought FNM and FRE would lose 70+% and 80+% of their market value?
This chart comparing the S&P 500 (SPY), the S&P Financial Sector (XLE), the KBW Large Bank Index (KBE) with FRE and FNM is breathtaking.
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Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Brazil Stock Market ETF Suffers Serious Technical Damage / Stock-Markets / Brazil
Without a doubt, anything commodity-related is getting hammered today -- moreso if it is tied to oil and grains, like Brazil, which has just discovered a huge oil deposit and is a major grain exporter. Let's notice that today's weakness in the iShares Brazil ETF (AMEX: EWZ) has violated key intermediate-term support at 83.00-82.00, which represent both the August 07-July 08 trendline and the sharply rising 200 DMA. Indeed, serious technical damage has been sustained by the EWZ, which projects next into the 75.40/00 target zone.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Bernanke, Paulson, FDIC Eye Taxpayer Bailouts, More Power / Stock-Markets / Credit Crisis 2008
Even as PDCF use is waning, Bernanke Says Fed May Continue Lending Into Next Year ."The Federal Reserve is strongly committed" to financial stability and is "considering several options, including extending the duration of our facilities for primary dealers beyond year-end," Bernanke said in a speech to a conference in Arlington, Virginia.
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Monday, July 07, 2008
BIS Plan to Save the Western World By Ending Free Markets / Stock-Markets / Credit Crisis 2008
Welcome to the weekly report. This week we look at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) latest utterances and look at the chart of a hedge Fund showing unusual price action. We start with a look at some "suggestions" made by the BIS in its 78th annual report. This is probably the most important global macro-economic pointer you will see this year that shows the way ahead:Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, July 07, 2008
Central Planners Trying to Mask Imploding Credit Cycle / Stock-Markets / Credit Crisis 2008
With a collapsing credit cycle unfolding before our very eyes, central planners believe they must paint a picture that what's happening is ‘normal' and ‘ordinary', where in the end all will be well. And in spite of evidence this time around things are different, the media would like us to believe that the public thinks this is the case. What's more, the media, led by central planners , would like us to believe the investing public also thinks everything is ‘just fine', with exploding unemployment , collapsing consumer confidence , and an imploding credit cycle nothing to worry about longer-term. All this while problems associated with a collapsing credit cycle are multiplying , with new problems hitting the fan more and more all the time.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, July 07, 2008
How to Survive and Profit From the NEXT Financial Markets Panic / Stock-Markets / Financial Crash
Martin Weiss writes: Dad was probably the only advisor who helped his clients make a fortune in the great bear market of the 1930s ... and then lived to do it again in the Crash of '87. Before he passed away, he walked me through some of the darkest lessons of America's financial history. And he gave me some valuable advice to share with you when the next financial panic is near.
"When another collapse is about to begin," he warned, "they're not going to ring any bells. Few investors will see it coming, fewer still will take protective action, and almost everyone will get caught in the melee. Don't let that happen to our subscribers!"
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Monday, July 07, 2008
The 20% Rule and Stocks Bear Markets / Stock-Markets / Stocks Bear Market
From its July intraday low to its October 9, 2007 intraday high the DOW has fallen 20.5%. A lot of commentators on television and the Internet are making note of the fact that the DOW is down 20% and saying that this is "bear market territory." Some are saying that this means it is the time to buy, while others are saying this is proof that we are now in a bear market.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, July 07, 2008
Stock Market Had Worst Half Year Since 1970 / Stock-Markets / US Stock Markets
The half year report card for global stock markets was not one to be proud of. The first half of 2008 was the worst first half to a year for the Dow Jones Industrial Average since 1970, when the index was down 14.60%. The 14.44% decline of 2008 is actually the tenth worse performance since 1900. July hasn't exactly started off with a bang and US traders may be thankful for the long weekend last week. The S&P 500 closed the week down 1.19%, registering its lowest daily close for almost two years. June was especially hard for US markets with a drop of 8.55% for the S&P 500, and a 10.19% collapse on the Dow, making up most of the years losses to date.Read full article... Read full article...