tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64425143213581190042012-02-13T07:38:52.096-08:00Money mattersclimateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comBlogger127631100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-4015905822647276012012-02-13T07:38:00.002-08:002012-02-13T07:38:52.106-08:00

Another of the blogs we read and don't link to often enough. From Confessions of a Macro Contrarian: Or said differently; When Brent flies, and WTI dies. The energy industry has the appearance that it is about to undergo a major shift in pricing structures again. We saw it lately with the spread between crude and NG blowing out. We have seen signs of it happening in Brent and WTI before,

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-19793723067329287482012-02-13T07:29:00.003-08:002012-02-13T07:29:52.177-08:00

Be on the lookout for pissed-off German bier drinkers. Via SafeHaven: Barley? Better Than Gold and Silver Over the past five years, barley, of the eighteen commodities we follow, was the top performer. Rising by 180+% it bested Gold, +170%, and Silver, +150%. But why quibble? Nearly all commodity prices have done than paper equities. And perhaps they should, as real assets require real

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-86802508089935593522012-02-13T06:52:00.001-08:002012-02-13T06:52:38.269-08:00

From the Wall Street Journal: Wall Street thinks it has tapped a new gusher. Searching for growth in a tepid economy, private-equity firms are zeroing in on the U.S. oil patch. Deal makers are excited because advances in drilling techniques such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, have made it easier to extract oil and natural gas from shale and other rock

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-16189057612878899302012-02-13T06:43:00.000-08:002012-02-13T06:43:08.205-08:00

Originally posted Feb. 12. From Advisor One: At TIGER 21 event, Soros was asked for his predictions on everything from Jon Corzine going to jail to Obama's re-election chances The wealthy investors who make up the peer-to-peer learning group TIGER 21 like to invite heavy hitters, such as Mohammed El-Erian, Carl Icahn and Jim Rogers, to their Headliner Lunches. In December, George Soros joined

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-8533567757640713282012-02-13T05:59:00.004-08:002012-02-13T06:01:56.716-08:00

The U.S. enjoyed its fourth warmest January in the last 117 years as the freeze descended on Europe, with some areas of the high plains running 10°F above the 30-year average. That began to change in the last week as a second "gate" opened to release some of the Godawful cold over the North American Arctic. Fairbanks has warmed to the 20°F range from the -51° of a couple weeks ago as warmer air

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-7632481532594150022012-02-12T14:12:00.001-08:002012-02-12T14:52:27.710-08:00

I'll lead with the Hat Tip: Finance Clippings who writes: A reasonably good account of the impact of the Black Scholes equation.  Despite the rather dramatic title of the article, the equation did not cause the market crash.For my MBA 523 students - you need to read this.  We're talking about the derivation of the Black Scholes model this week! From The Guardian: The Black-Scholes equation

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-80390144262173866072012-02-12T13:36:00.001-08:002012-02-12T13:39:39.328-08:00

From Courthouse News Service: A college student claims he was injured when a fraternity member in a "drunken stupor" decided "that it would be a good idea to shoot bottle rockets out of his anus," and did so, "but instead of launching, the bottle rocket blew up in the defendant's rectum, and this startled the plaintiff and caused him to jump back," and fall off the fraternity's deck.      Louis

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-37998636692263450832012-02-12T10:39:00.000-08:002012-02-12T14:58:51.131-08:00

The futures closed at $2.477 on Friday. The front month fell in late January to $2.231, a contract low and the lowest price for a front month since March 2002. We are betting on sub-$2.00 spot as natgas storage tops off in late spring. As the futures converge to spot with each expiration the bet is basically that prices will resolve in the direction of the cash market. The announced cutbacks in

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-72788463319053411192012-02-11T10:49:00.004-08:002012-02-11T10:49:39.807-08:00

Michael Lewis writing for Vanity Fair: Billy Beane’s sports-management revolution, chronicled by the author in Moneyball, was made possible by Israeli psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky. At 77, with his own new book, Thinking, Fast and Slow, the Nobel Prize-winning Kahneman reveals the built-in kinks in human reasoning—and he’s Exhibit A. We’re obviously all at the mercy of forces

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-28423880325439284632012-02-11T10:35:00.004-08:002012-02-11T10:35:58.245-08:00

From Hemmings: The intertwining of the automobile into the story of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby involves more than just props to illustrate the Jazz Age setting: The plot hinges on Myrtle Wilson’s death by automobile, and Fitzgerald even named one of the characters, Jordan Baker, after two American automotive marques. Also, as it turns out, automobiles lie at the heart of one of the

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-86732518166681363842012-02-10T12:38:00.002-08:002012-02-10T12:38:18.633-08:00

From Forbes: Manoj Bhargava. Photo by Eric Eggley. This story appears in the Feb. 27 edition of Forbes magazine. In one corner of Manoj Bhargava’s office is a cemetery of sorts. It’s a Formica bookcase, its shelves lined with hundreds of garishly colored screw-top plastic bottles not much taller than shot glasses. Front and center is a Cadillac-red bottle of 5-Hour Energy, the

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-25232153377734275472012-02-10T12:31:00.001-08:002012-02-10T12:31:18.812-08:00

From Agrimoney: SocGen backs corn, hogs as exodus from ags ends Societe Generale said it was "mildly bullish" on values of agricultural commodities, particularly corn and lean hogs, after flagging an end of a nine-month exodus of funds from the sector. Investments in agricultural-based exchange traded products (ETPs) stuck at $5.0bn in January, the first month without outflows since March

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-34471021712787201052012-02-10T12:07:00.003-08:002012-02-10T12:07:45.252-08:00

Via a reader. Serious analysis from Reuters: When commodities brokerage MF Global imploded, the FBI and federal prosecutors were quick to launch an investigation to pursue what seemed obvious to outspoken regulators and lawmakers: laws were broken and crimes were committed. More than three months later, it is far from clear that anyone will face criminal charges over the disappearance of

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-23762608127784848052012-02-10T11:00:00.001-08:002012-02-10T16:17:28.321-08:00

 Or not. Either way this stuff should be "last resort" only. From the Guardian: Bill Gates backs climate scientists lobbying for large-scale geoengineering Other wealthy individuals have also funded a series of reports into the future use of technologies to geoengineer the climate A small group of leading climate scientists, financially supported by billionaires including Bill Gates, are

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-66393902022932200172012-02-10T09:51:00.005-08:002012-02-10T09:51:56.944-08:00

From the WSJ's Deal Journal: Two weeks ago, S&P warned it was putting a negative outlook on pipeline company Buckeye Partners LP partly because of Buckeye’s acquisition spree. Today Buckeye responded to that idea by spending another $260 million to buy a terminal facility in New York Harbor from Chevron. CEO Clark Smith called the purchase a “milestone acquisition for Buckeye that is

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-66699510434268095512012-02-10T08:56:00.001-08:002012-02-10T08:56:08.620-08:00

In yesterday's "As Solar Soars, Climateer Snoozes (FSLR; TSL; LDK)" I was accused of ignoring the two-month run-up in solar shares with the implication my ignorance was detrimental to our readers: My laser like focus was directed elsewhere. [Dilbert strips? -ed] You tell me, is spending some time with Scott Adams more valuable than chasing overvalued shares? From May 26, 2011: Climateer Does

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-33082678312289085602012-02-10T08:41:00.000-08:002012-02-10T08:41:14.260-08:00

Eric Savitz set the standard for financial blogging when he ran Barron's Tech Trader Daily. During earnings season he would post 20 to 30 times per day, adding color and/or perspective to the flood of numbers coming out of silicon Valley. He's definitely one of the good journo's doing the blogging thing. He's moved on to Forbes, Tiernan Ray is at TTG's helm and things are popping in the Valley.*

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-75746966787930830992012-02-10T08:17:00.004-08:002012-02-10T08:26:53.424-08:00

You have to be careful with this stuff. If someone presents a complicated explanation for their technical analysis my B.S. detectors start flashing, it doesn't mater it it's Elliot Wave alternate wave counts or flipping between point-and-figure and candlestick charts to show the chart "predicted" a move. There is a fine line between genius and madness. [don't I know it. -ed] From Lock Haven

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-51487906492890388002012-02-10T08:00:00.000-08:002012-02-10T08:00:33.582-08:00

From the Harvard Crimson: Peter A. Thiel, founding CEO of PayPal and Facebook board member, discussed education, innovation, and the role of government in solving major societal problems at the Institute of Politics on Monday night. History professor Niall C. D. Ferguson moderated the discussion, which focused on the relationship between technology and economic growth in the U.S. Thiel

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-84948015399287786362012-02-10T07:28:00.003-08:002012-02-10T07:28:22.352-08:00

From Bruce Krasting: On Banknotes  There is a curious story in the Swiss press today. On the surface it appears innocuous. Paper money has been in transition for the last ten years. Most of the big issuers of paper have updated their bills to minimize forgery. The US has spent a bundle on this effort, and it too has had problems and delays with issuing the new, more complicated money.

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-62576979617210073932012-02-09T14:41:00.000-08:002012-02-09T15:07:31.577-08:00

From Foreign Policy's Passport blog: Guess it's a slow day in Jackson:  Mississippi State Rep. Steve Holland, a Democrat, has introduced a bill calling for the part of the Gulf of Mexico that is bordered by Mississippi to be renamed the “Gulf of America.” The measure, known as HB 150 and introduced to the state House Marine Resources Committee, says the body of water will have its new name

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-55139387986208950042012-02-09T13:59:00.000-08:002012-02-09T14:09:47.873-08:00

My laser like focus was directed elsewhere. [Dilbert strips? -ed] From Barron's Tech Trader Daily: Solar Soars: Deutsche Upbeat on Demand; Jefferies, Avian Object Solar energy technology provider stocks are surging today, and have risen sharply over the last month or so, with First Solar (FSLR) up 36% in that time, SunPower (SPWR) up 32%, Trina Solar (TSL) up 57%, Yingli Green Energy (YGE)

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-49057231468418975132012-02-09T13:14:00.001-08:002012-02-09T13:14:08.723-08:00

From Decision Science News: We’ve written before about the challenges of communicating risks. Can people understand the risks inherent in their savings plans, loans, surgeries, or medications? This week, researchers have published a new instrument designed to very quickly assess exactly that (www.riskliteracy.org). We introduce the Berlin Numeracy Test, a new psychometrically sound

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-6649593116335330102012-02-09T13:06:00.003-08:002012-02-09T13:06:36.733-08:00

From the Financial Times: One afternoon this week, an electric utility could buy wholesale power in Pennsylvania for a reasonable $30 per million megawatt hours. Just 200 miles south in Virginia, electrons cost 10 times more. This kind of disparity happens all the time in US power markets, creating trading opportunities. A decade after the collapse of Enron, electricity has become the

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-41225640622002500082012-02-09T12:56:00.004-08:002012-02-09T12:56:37.552-08:00

From the Psy-Fi blog: Crumbling Limits Although behavioral psychology has helped explain some of the odder effects around investment there remain many sceptics. The reason for this isn’t hard to find, because if you start out assuming that peculiar features of investment markets are caused by rampant misbehavior then you’re quite likely to find evidence to support that assumption.

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-72955557225265360272012-02-09T12:53:00.002-08:002012-02-09T12:53:44.867-08:00

Press Release via MarketWatcch: LINCOLN, Neb., Feb. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The Oglala Sioux Tribe has filed a lawsuit against brewers, retailers and distributors of alcohol sold in Whiteclay, Nebraska. The lawsuit was announced today at a news conference hosted by Nebraskans for Peace.  Attorney Tom White, legal counsel for the Oglala Sioux Tribe, said the defendants

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-65038980057296146742012-02-09T12:39:00.003-08:002012-02-09T12:39:50.771-08:00

And wheat was down 2.2%, $6.46, last I saw. From Agrimoney: World wheat supplies have been upgraded to their highest ever, after the best harvest on record last year, even as Spain joined the list of countries over which weather is threatening 2012 crops. The US Department of Agriculture, whose data are taken as world benchmarks, raised by 3.1m tonnes to an all-time high of 213.10m tonnes

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-42445544956145612292012-02-09T10:56:00.000-08:002012-02-09T10:56:27.523-08:00

 The EU is considering continent-wide fracking rules. Poland will veto. From Reuters: Poland's shale gas play takes on Russian power When Wieslaw Radzieciak took office as the mayor of Lesniowice in the gently-rolling farmland of southeastern Poland 26 years ago, the Soviet garrisons that dotted the county were a stark reminder of which superpower was in control. The signs of Russian

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-87288358172158850672012-02-09T10:30:00.004-08:002012-02-09T10:30:56.357-08:00

From Insider Monkey: The energy sector is a minefield. There are those that predict that the world will see another oil shock by the end of 2013, as the natural gas boom is threatened by concerns over fracking. Then there are the issues related to American energy independence, a feat that will likely come only with some degree of concentration and the development of new energy technologies

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-64517793994350885852012-02-09T07:18:00.000-08:002012-02-09T09:24:28.278-08:00

 That's the Reuters Counterparties' headline for this CNN Money story (our addition after the jump): Warren Buffett: Why stocks beat gold and bonds In an adaptation from his upcoming shareholder letter, the Oracle of Omaha explains why equities almost always beat the alternatives over time. Investing is often described as the process of laying out money now in the expectation of receiving

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-66735485395805503072012-02-09T06:39:00.003-08:002012-02-09T06:45:08.903-08:00

I know it's early but how are we going to top this? “The pygmies that populate the political and monetary elites prefer to genuflect to the court of public opinion in a pathetic attempt to deflect blame from their own gross and unforgivable incompetence” From FT Alphaville's "Albert the (financial) Populist".

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-53566615126963719252012-02-08T16:19:00.000-08:002012-02-08T16:19:26.118-08:00

Thanks to a reader. From the Wilson Quarterly: A peculiar experiment inspired by the Enlightenment sheds light on the age-old question of what makes us human.  Once or twice a year France's National Museum of Technology, on the nondescript rue Vaucanson in Paris, announces a special demonstration. On the second floor, at the end of a corridor of antique steam engines and jacquard looms,

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-84396785738637038902012-02-08T15:53:00.000-08:002012-02-08T15:53:46.036-08:00

From OilPrice: ConocoPhillips is an integrated energy company with assets of approximately $75 billion, and employs 56,000 people across 49 countries. They have recently announced plans to sell assets in Nigeria, Libya and three other countries up to the value of $17 billion. It is thought that the funds will be used as part of a plan to boost shareholder returns with share buybacks and

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-50844366456333173062012-02-08T10:23:00.000-08:002012-02-08T15:14:15.357-08:00

Nothing new today except for the days high price, $40.46. Here's the chart since the IPO: Splits: none The day's high is the all-time high. Previously: Oct. 2010 "Clean Energy Winners: EPA Emissions Trades" (CLNE; FSYS; WPRT; JCI) Oct. 2010 T. Boone Pickens-- Score!: EPA Proposes Carbon Dioxide Regulations for Trucks, Buses, Pickups (CLNE) Nov. 2010 Clean Energy Earnings:

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-78046081780142229062012-02-08T09:32:00.003-08:002012-02-08T15:15:09.517-08:00

You had me at Enron. From Bloomberg: EOG Resources Inc., the fourth quarter’s best-performing U.S. shale producer, plans to get a record 75 percent of its North American revenue from higher- profit petroleum liquids this year as natural-gas prices tumble, branching faster into oil than Chesapeake Energy Corp.   The company, formerly Enron Oil & Gas Co., expects to increase 2012 oil output by

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-21899575316988485532012-02-08T08:07:00.003-08:002012-02-08T15:15:45.893-08:00

The source, Debka, has been a mouthpiece for Israeli intelligence from time to time but they also have sources that won't talk to anyone else in the world. They break stories. From Debka: First foreign troops in Syria back Homs rebels. Damascus and Moscow at odds British and Qatari special operations units are operating with rebel forces under cover in the Syrian city of Homs just 162

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-12466334435678892342012-02-08T07:02:00.000-08:002012-02-08T15:13:02.351-08:00

Why is it that every story about fraudsters has something like this in the story? From Patrick Pretty.com (covering Ponzi schemes and internet crime): ...“Credit card and bank records show that Martin spent more than $1 million at a strip club and restaurants, nearly $1 million at elite hotels and another $1 million renting flight time on private jets,” prosecutors said.  “He purchased a

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-26132775911290905232012-02-08T06:48:00.002-08:002012-02-08T15:16:11.593-08:00

From CPA Trendlines: What recession? More accountants with jobs … ever. Accounting and bookkeeping services, seasonally adjusted, preliminary / cpatrendlines.com by Rick Telberg In the same jobs report that drove the NASDAQ to an 11-year peak, the accounting and bookkeeping sector recorded more people employed in the industry than ever before. The government’s calculation of an 8.3%

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-24228245825696518212012-02-08T06:26:00.000-08:002012-02-08T06:26:49.911-08:00

From TechNet: Executive Summary How can the U.S. dig itself out of the current job drought? Government policy can temporarily boost employment. The ultimate answer, though, is innovation: The creation of new goods and services that spur the growth of new industries capable of employing tens or hundreds of thousands of workers.1 Nothing illustrates the job-creating power of innovation better

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-31736309850336161062012-02-08T06:12:00.003-08:002012-02-08T15:17:34.812-08:00

As a tell on the overall market this is probably not a good thing. Bernanke has investors stretching for yield so they go to the utes. Unfortunately it is a trap for the unwary. First off these are equities which means they are: a) residual claims on the cash-flow b) the longest dated paper (what's the difference between a bond and a fund manager? A bond matures) Any uptick in interest rates

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-21249633809205102672012-02-08T05:19:00.002-08:002012-02-08T05:19:31.104-08:00

From the Council on Foreign Relations: Gordon Orr, a director in McKinsey Quarterly's Shanghai office, offers a forecast for growth in China this year: Despite food price inflation and a stagnant housing market, he writes, China should maintain a rapid rate of growth. 1. Government policies will spur consumption and investment. These moves will compensate for declining exports and a

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-38090620533919562852012-02-08T05:13:00.001-08:002012-02-08T05:13:34.231-08:00

Listen up kids, Auntie Izzy and Uncle Olivier are talking hydrocarbons. From FT Alphaville: The natural gas market has always behaved a little oddly. First, it’s always been hugely seasonal, thus responsible for many a widow-maker trade. But now investors and traders have to contend with the impact of fracking too, a process which has by and large upped production to such a degree that

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-56286338796760686812012-02-07T16:29:00.000-08:002012-02-07T16:29:08.339-08:00

Lifted in toto from Reason's Hit & Run blog: Picture of the the day, courtesy the Twitter feeds of Libby Jackson, Soren Dayton, and Radley Balko. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I believe that is the plaque at 22 Portobello Road, Notting Hill, London rather than the more famous 50 Lawford Road,

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-69447847007832125352012-02-07T13:14:00.002-08:002012-02-07T13:14:39.732-08:00

Okay, we've got wars and rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes and tribulations. Now this. From CNBC: Dr. Doom Thinks Rally Has Legs, At Least for Now On Wall Street, behind the scenes chatter has everything to do with gains in the S&P and whether the stock market is at the beginning of a major march higher. Stocks certainly started the new year with a bang, the S&P 500 gained nearly 7 percent

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-89388828049823027642012-02-07T12:38:00.001-08:002012-02-07T12:44:22.973-08:00

Via Yahoo Finance's Daily Ticker: Oil and gas company  BP recently released its annual Energy Outlook and many of its projections should be viewed with concern. According to the company, carbon emissions will increase 28 percent by 2030, a dire forecast for those trying to reverse the effects of climate change. Moreover, renewable energy sources — such as wind and solar — will contribute

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-35931381668139812272012-02-07T11:47:00.004-08:002012-02-07T11:47:45.485-08:00

From Of Two Minds: A mad scramble to avoid insolvency as Greek default becomes likely may be driving the rally in equities.   Deleveraging typically means selling assets to raise cash to meet margin calls or pay debts coming due. But there may be another twist to deleveraging that has fueled the manic market rally since late December. I am indebted to Peter C. of M3 Financial Sense for

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-4900770259588967322012-02-07T10:00:00.003-08:002012-02-07T10:00:51.154-08:00

The key to manias and pyramid schemes is to be early.* From 24 Oranges: Last Monday, Dutchman Pieter Veenstra auctioned off 245 pigeons on a Belgian website for over 1.9 million euro, including “the record-breaking hen of the Dolce Vita breed”, which I’m guessing is a huge deal in pigeon land. The bird was bought by a Chinese businessman who plans to use it to breed rather than racing,

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-39501954566458032712012-02-07T09:51:00.001-08:002012-02-07T09:51:15.836-08:00

You little capitalist you.* From Reuters: Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro painted a bleak picture of the future, saying the world was in its worst situation ever as Cuban television aired on Monday part of a six-hour event last week touting his newest memoir. The 85-year-old Castro, whose last known public appearance was at a Communist Party congress in April 2011, had to be

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-89949536008536141622012-02-07T09:38:00.001-08:002012-02-07T09:38:43.216-08:00

Eat your heart out, Barry O. -Vlad From Bloomberg via the San Francisco Chronicle: Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who pledged to develop democracy, won't participate in Russia's presidential election debates on television and will send representatives instead. Putin is seeking to extend his 12-year-rule in March 4 presidential elections amid protests in major Russian cities. Tens of

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-71555864030787486002012-02-07T08:54:00.004-08:002012-02-07T08:54:31.704-08:00

From Trust Your Instincts: I almost missed this, but in a Wall Street Journal column, Charles Schwab came out and said that the time has come for the Fed to stop pursuing zero interest rate policies and let rates increase. Mr. Schwab provides his reasons for why Walter Bagehot was correct with his 1870s observation that savers require a minimum of 2%. We're now in the 37th month of

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-41741215803022684872012-02-07T06:47:00.002-08:002012-02-07T06:47:40.946-08:00

On Dec. 7, and repeated a few weeks ago, in "Natural Gas: Hedge Funds Betting on ’Catastrophic’ Surplus" I mentioned: *When options on the futures were introduced in 1992 a buddy of mine eschewed all weather reports from the Midwest and Great Lakes figuring that the only temp that mattered was whether or not the traders felt cold at the exchange. He retired rich, I don't know if there's a

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-76626738623411068382012-02-07T06:36:00.002-08:002012-02-07T06:36:29.695-08:00

From The Telegraph: Shanghai shipping slump as IMF warns China on euro slump The shipping specialist Lloyd's List said container traffic through the Port of Shanghai - the world's largest - fell by 100,000 boxes in January from a year earlier, or 4pc. Volumes fell by over one million tonnes. The figures may have been distorted by China's Lunar Year but there has been a relentless

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-24623594676271709862012-02-07T06:33:00.002-08:002012-02-07T06:33:47.371-08:00

"Daddy, daddy, is that Bozo the Clown? No, that's Bozo the class-action attorney." From Mineweb: Was Molycorp's promotion of the Mountain Pass mine-attracting the attention of U.S. lawmakers and the international business community to looming domestic rare earths shortages-little more than hype? A plaintiff's complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Colorado accuses Molycorp CEO Mark A.

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-15515808088583110452012-02-07T06:32:00.003-08:002012-02-07T06:32:53.249-08:00

The good Professor still doesn't see enough inflation.* I am beginning to suspect there is a deliberate effort to crush what's left of the middle class. From Torque News: Car buyers likely to pay more for new and used cars in 2012 as the economy improves. Although most Americans are rooting for an improved economy, prospective car buyers may want to think twice. A new study conducted by the

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-78412587012469581772012-02-07T06:22:00.000-08:002012-02-07T06:22:06.653-08:00

To honor the bicentenary of Dickens birth I had planned to put together a post on Dickens and the commercial crisis of 1857-58 including the failure of the Strahan, Paul & Bates bank. Then I found that someone much, much sharper than I had done it back in 2008. First a quote: ...The mature young lady is a lady of property. The mature young gentleman is a gentleman of property. He invests his

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-71266983787165675312012-02-06T13:45:00.000-08:002012-02-06T13:56:27.540-08:00

Mr. Russell has been gloomy for a while, links below. From Pragmatic Capitalism: Richard Russell senses something momentous building in the markets and he’s waiting for the right catalyst.  He thinks that catalyst will be an eventual nuclear stand-off between Iran and Israel.  In his Friday note he said: “I’ve been sensing something BIG and ominous is in the offing. What could it be? Ah, a

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-7320739638890283842012-02-06T13:10:00.004-08:002012-02-06T13:10:53.400-08:00

From Bloomberg: Louis-Dreyfus Widow Chairman Ousts Men Running Commodities Giant When Margarita Louis-Dreyfus took her 13-year-old twins on a weeklong trip to Brazil for school break in October 2010, it wasn’t a beach-filled vacation. She and the boys donned coveralls and hard hats. Then they toured the ports, plantations and juice factories of their namesake company, Louis Dreyfus Holding BV,

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-91974850703978235852012-02-06T11:53:00.001-08:002012-02-06T11:55:36.806-08:00

Via Jesse's Cafe Americain: Perhaps this chart will help explain the divergence that Charles Biderman of Trimtabs sees between the official unemployment numbers and the income tax data he has been tracking. The difference amongst the three measures revolves around the treatment of workers who desire a real full time job, but have to either settle for a part time position and other forms of

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-80780308770416556572012-02-06T11:46:00.004-08:002012-02-06T11:46:41.092-08:00

This is a few days old but worth contemplating. From Real Time Economics: Hiring looks like a rabbit, but expect job growth to shift into a slower pace soon. U.S. non-farm payrolls posted gains of more than 200,000 in December and January. That pace of hiring helped to bring down the jobless rate, which slipped to a nearly three-year low of 8.3%. Can the labor markets maintain such

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-72195400254279418942012-02-06T11:33:00.005-08:002012-02-06T11:33:59.183-08:00

Cotton was recently down .08 at 98.26. From Agrimoney: Cotton growers in Australia are bracing for further rain, potentially extending the flooding which may damage up to 10% of the national crop of the fibre, besides sugar cane, soybeans and sorghum. Eastern Australia which is in some areas suffering worse flooding than in the inundations which followed storms including Cyclone Yasi a

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-65405286325404448002012-02-06T10:21:00.003-08:002012-02-06T10:21:52.206-08:00

Holy crap! Serious, serious money. From Vanity Fair: With this landmark score, the tiny, oil-rich nation joins a massively exclusive club: only five Card Players exist, and the other four are in world-class collections such as the Musée d’Orsay and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The purchase is just the latest bid in Qatar’s effort to become an international intellectual hub.

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-36669903566646343152012-02-06T10:09:00.005-08:002012-02-06T10:09:55.653-08:00

From Forbes: Peter Diamandis’ $10 million X Prize bounty sparked a boom in commercial space tourism.  You won’t believe what he wants to do next. It’s not easy to follow Grover from Sesame Street, especially when the throng of hungover Consumer Electronics Show attendees packed into the cavernous Palazzo Ballroom of the Venetian in Las Vegas endured product pitches from Qualcomm’s Paul

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-50988906814242693452012-02-06T10:02:00.003-08:002012-02-06T10:02:52.477-08:00

From ZeroHedge: ...Alas, the last thing the central planning "fools" (more on that shortly) will admit is their erroneous hubris, which in the years to come will claims millions of lives. In the meantime, we can merely comfort ourselves with ever more insightful analyses into the heart of the broken system under which we all labor, such as this one by SocGen's Dylan Grice, whose latest

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-66044260369188662392012-02-06T09:56:00.003-08:002012-02-06T09:56:59.359-08:00

 DJIA 12,826 down 35, S&P 500 1343 down 1.82. From MarketBeat: With the market apparently reaching a point of exhaustion, Tom McClellan of the McClellan Market Report believes today “is going to be the top day.” As such, he will change his stance to neutral for the short-, intermediate- and long-term from bullish. His advance-decline summation index has reached an extreme-high level usually

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-90143907018494175272012-02-03T14:50:00.002-08:002012-02-03T17:19:28.402-08:00

Via the Dilbert blog:

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-13581842812436697862012-02-03T10:23:00.001-08:002012-02-03T10:23:46.992-08:00

One of my darkest fears. From America's Finest News Source: Horrified Workers Watch As Colleague Torn Apart By Powerful Content-Gathering Engine The Huffington Post started using the turbine in earnest when the creation of actual original content was deemed cost-prohibitive.   Shocked and saddened witnesses at the Huffington Post's news-aggregation facility have

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-28938660841207329092012-02-03T10:05:00.000-08:002012-02-03T10:05:48.336-08:00

Just a quick follow-up on Dec. 29's "MF Global COO Abelow is Chairman of the EPA's Financial Advisory Board (MFG; WTF)" Here's the webpage for the Environmental Financial Advisory Board Members. No, it can't be. That would be as stupid as having the Chairman of bankrupt Kodak on the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. Incomprehensible.

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-75723967920843682512012-02-03T09:10:00.002-08:002012-02-03T09:10:31.328-08:00

I for one welcome our new nano overlords. From the University of Pennsylvania: Experiments performed with a team of nano quadrotors at the GRASP Lab, University of Pennsylvania. Vehicles developed by KMel Robotics

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-73265653303463621102012-02-03T08:40:00.000-08:002012-02-03T08:40:28.310-08:00

Get him, Maxine. From the Washington Times: Former New Jersey Senator Jon Corzine took a hit from fellow Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters of California today at a House Financial Services Committee hearing. Capitol Hill lawmakers are focusing on the collapse of MF Global Holdings Ltd. and Thursday's hearings examined "apparent discrepancies in public comments made by the company and its own

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-6629362513493422982012-02-03T07:34:00.000-08:002012-02-03T07:36:16.707-08:00

From the Washington Post: The rain that started trickling into Texas in the fall may finally be making a dent in Dallas, but the rest of the massive state is still a long way off from being out of a historic drought, and climate experts are warning against any premature partying. “It’s still a very tenuous situation,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Victor Murphy. “Water

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-2062650872321231752012-02-02T15:20:00.003-08:002012-02-02T15:20:20.117-08:00

From the American Presidency Project: ...В Resolved, therefore, That, entertaining these views, the Democratic party of this Union, through their Delegates assembled in a general Convention, coming together in a spirit of concord, of devotion to the doctrines and faith of a free representative government, and appealing to their fellow-citizens for the rectitude of their intentions, renew

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-32476363319714015832012-02-02T14:34:00.002-08:002012-02-02T14:34:57.181-08:00

From Spaceweather.com: Coronal Holes: 02 Feb 12 Solar wind flowing from the indicated 

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-31101339073334236552012-02-02T13:21:00.002-08:002012-02-02T13:24:07.525-08:00

Correcting, amplifying and updating this morning's "Report: Trump to Endorse Gingrich, Self". From the AP: In a surprise twist, Donald Trump planned to endorse Mitt Romney—not Newt Gingrich—for the Republican presidential nomination Thursday, three Republican officials told The Associated Press. Gingrich's camp had been so confident of winning the endorsement that it had leaked that Trump

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-49617800667711016122012-02-02T13:08:00.000-08:002012-02-02T13:08:04.611-08:00

Hmmm... A twofer from Economic Policy Journal: Whoa Baby, NY Fed President Owned $1.4 Million Treasury Securities that Would Protect Him Against Inflation  And: Disclosed: Fed Prez Who Owns Over $1 Million in Gold As I said, hmmm...

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-87632735192457909742012-02-02T12:55:00.000-08:002012-02-02T16:19:50.068-08:00

From Alphaville's post "CME’s farmer fund": ($26.8bm expense for CME from cleaning up MF Global damage in its full-year results, incidentally) For our non-German-speaking readers, Scheiße is "exkrement". For our non-English-speaking readers, bm is "bowel movement". [too true to be funny -ed]

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-11447610733974220692012-02-02T11:59:00.001-08:002012-02-02T11:59:48.841-08:00

We are still unauthorized agents for Long or Short Capital's End of the Universe puts, see below. From Forbes: If indeed the world is going to end in 2012, we might as well start placing bets on what finally sets in motion the end of days. Thankfully, the World Economic Forum is here to give us some data that can help us handicap our demise. I’m thinking of using this data to start an End

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-74740896824322648342012-02-02T11:52:00.003-08:002012-02-02T11:52:42.235-08:00

From Mark Gongloff at the HuffPo: Once the biggest bank in the country, Bank of America is shrinking before our very eyes. After more than three years at the top, Bank of America is no longer the nation's biggest mortgage servicer, falling behind Wells Fargo last year, according to industry newsletter Inside Mortgage Finance. Wells Fargo is now the biggest mortgage servicer in the country,

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-14375841969806420502012-02-02T11:46:00.003-08:002012-02-02T11:46:41.601-08:00

Following up on Sunday's "Goldman: Profit Margins Have Peaked". From MarketBeat: Brown Brothers Harriman While corporate earnings season has been lackluster, there’s a new worry that’s creeping in investors’ minds: margins. S&P 500 profit margins enjoyed a strong rally from the first quarter of 2009 through mid 2011. But margins declined in the third quarter and the current reporting

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-22101844282718513192012-02-02T10:17:00.000-08:002012-02-02T10:18:35.479-08:00

Let's see: Grandmother Robinson, Axelrod, Jeff Immelt, Jamie Dimon, the PGA... From NewGeography: As the probability of President Barack Obama’s reelection grows, state and local officials across the country are tallying up the potential ramifications of a second term. For the most part, the biggest concerns lie with energy-producing states, which fear stricter environmental

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-73500824755175938052012-02-02T09:29:00.003-08:002012-02-02T10:18:56.787-08:00

From the Streetwise Professor: Russia has released findings of a report that allegedly explains the loss of the Phobos-Grunt Mars probe.  It blames “space radiation” that caused a malfunction in the onboard computers: “The most likely reason, in the opinion of the commission, was the local impact of heavily charged space particles that led to a failure in the memory of the main onboard

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-45859232445931191552012-02-02T09:07:00.001-08:002012-02-02T13:23:31.218-08:00

Correction: "UPDATING, CORRECTING: "Trump intends to endorse Romney'" Original post: From Reuters: Businessman and reality TV personality Donald Trump will endorse former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, U.S. media reported on Wednesday....MORE Some of our favorite Trump posts: It Was The Donald Wot Found bin Ladin From CNN: Potential

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-86963035050324690682012-02-02T08:35:00.000-08:002012-02-02T08:48:45.434-08:00

Dear Jon, I'm sure you have a lot on your mind right now but thought I should drop you a line on this tidbit: You know the hick attorney representing the 38,000 farmers and ranchers who are suing you personally? He's Mitt Romney's Finance Committee Montana co-Chair. Your attorney's may want to ask the DoJ to expedite the criminal case against you so that in the event you are convicted and the

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-59070663826992987622012-02-02T06:59:00.001-08:002012-02-02T11:53:11.888-08:00

I've mentioned that one of my mentors, one of the best traders I've ever met (brains, guts and a bankroll go a long way in the market and in life) was also a very creative analyst. He'd while away a slow trading morning reading the help-wanted ads (Monster.com for you kids) to see who was hiring and thus expanding. On the flip side he was a firm believer in watching loading docks to spot

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-92104166327986168952012-02-02T05:45:00.000-08:002012-02-02T05:45:11.692-08:00

Natural gas at $2.354 getting you down, bunky? Looking for another game? Expand your horizons! Look at things from a different point of view! Remember November 2010's "India Orders Firms to "Scour the Earth" for Energy Supplies as President Obama Heads Over"? The Chinese approach works best if you have a blue water navy. The Indian's currently have one aircraft carrier, the Viraat. Back in 2001

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-15562469594276614752012-02-02T05:30:00.002-08:002012-02-02T05:30:15.594-08:00

The 1980's economic backdrop was perfect for LBO's. A high but declining interest rate allowed financial operators the maximum advantage when exploiting the differential tax treatment of debt and equity. Throw in the cash-flow multiple contraction from the discounting formulae and there you go. So the market responded. From Macroeconomic Resilience: Private Equity and the Greenspan Put Mitt

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-19156526281301389912012-02-01T14:31:00.004-08:002012-02-01T14:31:39.540-08:00

From The Stand-Up Economist: Econlib’s previous discussion of my NYT op-ed was sidetracked, so in the interest of bringing the focus back to the question of whether or not economists are selfish and (if so) whether economics educations makes them so, I am offering up a selected lit review. I do not claim that this lit review is complete or unbiased, but I do claim that it will make you

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-2193258072691588582012-02-01T12:44:00.000-08:002012-02-01T12:44:17.202-08:00

FT Alphaville has been on top of various aspects of this story for going on a year now. Here's a JP Morgan snapshot via Sober Look: Copper inventories shift from LME to SHFE   Copper inventories Thousand metric tonnes  (source: JPMorgan) ...MORE

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-61395174251376243982012-02-01T11:53:00.001-08:002012-02-01T11:53:25.320-08:00

From Project Syndicate: The future of capitalism is again a question. Will it survive the ongoing crisis in its current form? If not, will it transform itself or will government take the lead? The term “capitalism” used to mean an economic system in which capital was privately owned and traded; owners of capital got to judge how best to use it, and could draw on the foresight and creative

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-28732551507723269422012-02-01T11:42:00.000-08:002012-02-01T11:42:12.074-08:00

In war-time, truth is so precious that she should  always be attended by a bodyguard of lies -Winston Churchill From the Washington Post: Faced with a plummeting currency in the wake of toughened international sanctions, Iran is cracking down on black-market money changers and warning that major speculators could face execution. The crackdown comes as Iranian authorities are struggling to

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-49656065409996127322012-02-01T11:14:00.001-08:002012-02-01T11:14:13.624-08:00

First Solar IPO $20.00 Nov. 17, 2006. Top tick $317.00 May 14, 2008. Last $42.93. Yeah, that's a boom, bust cycle. From Wired: Wind Power: Plummeting natural gas prices now make this option comparatively expensive.Photo: Dan Forbes John Doerr was crying. The billionaire venture capitalist had come to the end of his now-famous March 8, 2007, TED talk on climate change and renewable

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-79982138834382891662012-02-01T07:51:00.003-08:002012-02-01T16:38:02.150-08:00

Back in June '11 First Trust ISE  was planning their Global Oil Refiners Index Fund but nothing has come of it yet, so I punch in the symbols I know. From the Wall Street Journal's Heard on the Street column: Rare is the industry that rallies on news of a bankruptcy. Oil refining is one of them. Gasoline prices have been on a tear despite U.S. demand for the fuel hitting its lowest level in

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-33210541255182504542012-02-01T07:10:00.001-08:002012-02-01T07:10:19.160-08:00

Well duh. Back on Dec. 15 we said: A reasonable target would be the bottom of the chart gap in the 130 area a ~50% move from this morning's 85.680. That wasn't our first post on cotton, we mentioned it in a climate post at 1.10 in September and again at 91.61 on Dec 30. Here's the one year chart from FinViz, the white stuff was trading 93.89 last I saw.:   From Agrimoney: Cotton prices

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-25836438517791578202012-02-01T06:31:00.000-08:002012-02-01T06:31:51.599-08:00

From VentureBeat When Facebook’s S-1 filing comes out (which could be as soon as tomorrow, if you believe the Wall Street Journal), we’ll see a lot of risks in it. The S-1 is the first and most significant document that a company fills out, and the Securities and Exchange Commission publishes, prior to an initial public offering. If it’s typical, we’ll see many boilerplate risks, such as an

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-29324971939415395122012-02-01T06:17:00.000-08:002012-02-01T06:17:02.821-08:00

...too quiet. From Condor Options: Is the Market Getting Too Quiet? The market has not been this docile in more than eight months. The short-term volatility of the S&P 500 dipped below 10% in mid-January, and the market has kept getting quieter as stocks churn flat-to-higher. The temptation when stocks get this quiet and options become this cheap is to assume that volatility will soon

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-49347944045586831982012-02-01T06:08:00.002-08:002012-02-01T06:08:19.452-08:00

And some guys are both. Remember this name. From TheStreet: Big Alternative Energy Short of 2012 Takes One Day to Work Well, that was fast.  The analyst who was synonymous with the big, and very profitable, solar stock short of 2011 made a new alternative energy short call on Monday, and it's already working. Yesterday Gordon Johnson of Axiom Capital launched coverage of shares of battery

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-48027226157337961332012-02-01T05:54:00.002-08:002012-02-01T05:54:15.239-08:00

Like Bain Capital, Andreessen Horowitz is also invested in the Kardashians, in AH's case by way of Kim's fashion site ShoeDazzle. Two from peHUB: Andreessen Horowitz has raised another whopper of a fund, the firm announced Tuesday. The VC, as earlier reported, will bring another $1.5 billion into its coffers–coffers that have already backed some of Silicon Valley’s most prestigious startups.

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-86469884397153427272012-02-01T05:30:00.004-08:002012-02-01T05:33:30.217-08:00

Continuing our traipse through feeds we read but don;t link to often enough. From Political Calculations: Did you know that the most downwardly mobile members of society are millionaires? It's true, and what's more, we have the data and math to prove it! Our featured chart today was originally produced by Veronique de Rugy of the Mercatus Institute, which is based upon data from the IRS

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-53229170137906757032012-02-01T05:17:00.002-08:002012-02-01T05:17:12.949-08:00

And the Kardashians. From Marginal Evolution: Private equity is flocking to get its share of 200,000 foreclosed homes that the government wants to sell as rentals. Rentals produce cash flows and Oliver Chang, Morgan Stanley analyst, says that such properties yield 8.1% on average calculated from 1990. Federal Reserve report also calculates a similar rate of return. “Preliminary estimates

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-73037240319144517532012-01-31T13:34:00.003-08:002012-01-31T13:34:56.044-08:00

It was only in the -65°F range. From Wunderblog: Bitter cold temperatures gripped much of Alaska again this morning, and the month of January is setting numerous records for coldest January on record for much of northern Alaska. According to the Fairbanks weather office, here are the likely final rankings for January temperatures at select locations in Alaska during 2012:Nome: coldestKotzebue

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-55138610459232327732012-01-31T11:15:00.003-08:002012-01-31T11:42:15.885-08:00

The Romney campaign could not be reached for comment. From peHUB: Ryan Seacrest has gone private equity. Thomas H. Lee Partners and Bain Capital have committed to invest up to $300 million in Ryan Seacrest Media, the investment company from the “American Idol” host. RSM will use the funds to “identify, acquire and develop innovative” media company, media content and other properties. Clear

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.com