Financial Crisis

[jcon]

@ Naam:

[cloudhopper]

2 years.... this thread..... two. t.w.o. Do you see the initials for ''world order'' in there? Yes, it's a conspiracy. A conspiracy to waste 2 years of your life, that is.

I do hope that all of you have improved your situations (financial or otherwise) in this time frame. In two years a person could:

a) help a lot of people,

b ) fall in love,

c) spend time with family,

d) get super-fit,

e) build something,

f) get pretty darn good at a hobby,

g) make a shit-ton of cash,

f) have a whole ass-load of fun,

g) laugh. A lot. For 2 years.

.....and the list goes on. Hopefully, this section of TV is doing relatively well on those fronts as it's not like we're in the "general", aka "I-hate-myself-and-everything-around-me" section.

It's been a great ride thanks. Nice list - checked em all off. Well OK except for d).

I don't know what's gonna happen man but I'm gonna have my kicks before the whole shithouse goes up in flames. J. Morrison

And up in flames it's going to go IMO jcon

[flying]

Flying - Satriani rocks the guitar with style. He's good at what he does so thumbs up! Anybody who is good at what they do deserves respect.

Sorry I hijacked he thread for 1 page.....

He sure does jcon....Always like Satch since the beginning

Not a hijack at all & I actually have done all the things on the list except super fit is no longer an option.

There was a time but it took pretty much all my time. My hobby is tied to it so it continues but not at the *super* pace

Your post is a good reminded though & I will say when it all broke loose I was overly worried.

These days I just watch with more of an awe like watching a train wreck.Life will of course continue.....

Even now with the US Federal government possibly shutting down in 11 hours.....You have to admit it is as someone said like watching folks argue over their bar tab on the Titanic

After all they are in reality arguing about what? A one week extension? Sheesh

Edited April 8, 2011 by flying

[AlexLah]

Did someone just say: Train wreck?

Remember......

.....

....

[ronz28]

See a video on capitalism and the financial crisis at:

http://www.goldmansachs666.com/2011/04/first-we-need-some-goldman-sachs.html

[AlexLah]

The president of the most glorious nation in the universe said he regrets an earlier vote made in 2006.

Snip:

White House spokesman Jay Carney on Monday said President Obama regrets voting against an increase in the federal debt ceiling in 2006 as a senator from Illinois.

At the time, then-Sen. Obama joined 47 other senators to vote against raising the nation's borrowing limit — a vote he said signaled "leadership failure" by the Bush administration. Senators narrowly passed the measure by a vote of 52 to 48.

Mr. Carney said the president has since come to view that position as a "mistake."

"He realizes now that raising the debt ceiling is so important to the health of this economy and the global economy that it is not a vote that, even when you are protesting an administration's policies, you can play around with, and you need to take very seriously the need to raise the debt limit so that the full faith and credit of the United States government is maintained around the globe," Mr. Carney told reporters.

[flying]

Saw a funny US pie today

[Naam]

Saw a funny US pie today

if covering 55% of current budget by revenue looks "funny" then how does 14% revenue coverage vs. total debt service look?

[jcon]

Saw a funny US pie today

if covering 55% of current budget by revenue looks "funny" then how does 14% revenue coverage vs. total debt service look?

"better than 13%?"

[flying]

Saw a funny US pie today

if covering 55% of current budget by revenue looks "funny" then how does 14% revenue coverage vs. total debt service look?

What I find funny is all the talk about the upcoming meeting to once again raise the debt ceiling.

Of course when Obama was a Senator he voted NO & now claims he made a mistake as now he needs everyone to vote yes on his watch.

But the Republicans say no way will they vote to raise it unless massive budget cuts are attached & rightfully so IMO

But what I find most incredible is the threats by the current administration.

They are saying Armageddon much the same as Hank Paulson promised when begging for the bail out back when.

The usual is cited....Loss of credit, stock markets crash etc but the main one they are now harping on is they will have no choice but to cut Social Security, Medicare......Of course no mention of cutting what they should cut 1st like govt size & the stupid waste of $$$ & lives in foreign excursions like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, nor mention of the money wasted recently in the humanitarian bombing of Libya<sic>

Edited April 12, 2011 by flying

[12DrinkMore]

Wanna job????

Unwinding the securitized mortgages...

http://www.wealthdaily.com/articles/60-minutes-the-next-housing-shock/3037

Job Requirements: Be able to hold a pen and write fast

Job Responsibility: Sign "Linda Green"

[12DrinkMore]

duplicate post

Edited April 12, 2011 by 12DrinkMore

[midas]

Here is a new story from Rolling Stone that ( still ) makes me wonder

why Americans aren't out on the streets with pitchforks ?

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-real-housewives-of-wall-street-look-whos-cashing-in-on-the-bailout-20110411?page=2

And here is my selection of diegetic music for this story

[12DrinkMore]

The Fed Rescue Program Too Bizarre to Be True: Michael Lewis

http://www.bloomberg...hael-lewis.html

"We decided not to release any more details," said one Fed spokesman, "because frankly, the American public is too stupid to understand them." Instead, to prevent another pesky Freedom of Information Act request of the sort that led to its first brave disclosure, the Fed has offered physical access to its building.

A team of Bloomberg investigative reporters, led by Kram Namttip, was allowed to spend a day examining what remains of the collateral collected by the Fed during the crisis. What follows is a brief summary of their findings. To wit:

-- A vault in the Fed basement filled with young women, who claimed, in broken but excited English, they had been repo-ed by the Italian government.

If Italy has weathered Europe's sovereign debt crisis so much better than its fellow deadbeats, here is why: the Fed's nervy decision to extend credit to the Italian government against its prime minister's social assets.

Relaxed Fed

"That the Fed relaxed its policy and made no distinction between the 16-year-olds and the 18-year-olds indicated just how severe they felt the crisis was at the time," says Merkle Stewart, associate professor of finance at the University of Louisiana at Bogalusa.

"Then again, they may have calculated that as the girls came of age, their value might actually rise, with less risk, at least outside of Italy." A Fed spokesman declined to comment, except to say, "They told us they were 18."

[churchill]

FLASHBACK: In 2001 Address, Bush Said The National Debt Would Be Paid Off In Ten Years

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/13/bush-sotu-debt-flashback/

[churchill]

Politicians should not be in control of spending - They lie to get elected and then screw us all /

Burning The Candle At Both Ends: Raising the Debt Ceiling, and Extending QE-2 Indefinitely

http://gonzalolira.blogspot.com/2011/04/burning-candle-at-both-ends-raising.html

[flying]

Politicians should not be in control of spending - They lie to get elected and then screw us all /

Burning The Candle At Both Ends: Raising the Debt Ceiling, and Extending QE-2 Indefinitely

http://gonzalolira.blogspot.com/2011/04/burning-candle-at-both-ends-raising.html

Good article thanks

[churchill]

Countries need to borrow - Companies need to borrow - People need to borrow

which counties in the world have a balanced budget ?

How much is the US,EURO, JAPAN ++Debt ?

So who is lending all this money ?Where is it coming from -

As interest rates rise how can any of the above afford their loans ?

[Naam]

People need to borrow

i don't borrow, i lend!

[brahmburgers]

Here is a new story from Rolling Stone that ( still ) makes me wonder

why Americans aren't out on the streets with pitchforks ?

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-real-housewives-of-wall-street-look-whos-cashing-in-on-the-bailout-20110411?page=2

I read it. Well written report which underlines the fact that the US gov't is always shoveling tons of money in to the trough of the already rich. Actually, Thai gov't is similar in that way (they're great at copying Uncle Sam - look at Thai drug laws, note-for-note identical to US laws). Both governments spend lots of money on stupid things. Whenever they purchase a product or service, they inevitably pay ten to twenty times more than what you or I would spend for the same item(s). Example: the Thai gov't found a warehouse with some old rotten fruit. Did they hire some tractors to dump the stuff in some trenches, and bury it in the backyard? No, they declared it a 'hazardous waste site' (again, copying the US), and paid their friends hundreds of millions of baht to dispose of it, as if it were plutonium.

[ronz28]

Banker Baby

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDmJcDvaBGU&feature=player_embedded

[midas]

this doesn't sound too good ?

Doubling Down To (DXY) Zero: Has The Fed, In Its Stealthy Synthetic Bet To Keep Long-Term Yields Low, Become The Next AIG?

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/did-fed-its-stealthy-synthetic-bet-keep-yields-low-become-next-aig?page=1

[midas]

this doesn't sound too good ?

Doubling Down To (DXY) Zero: Has The Fed, In Its Stealthy Synthetic Bet To Keep Long-Term Yields Low, Become The Next AIG?

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/did-fed-its-stealthy-synthetic-bet-keep-yields-low-become-next-aig?page=1

Has anyone seen the documentary " Inside Job " ?

It showed how Alan Greenspan and others very strenuously defended keeping an unregulated derivatives

market and I could never understand why because at the same time they were acknowledging

the severity of the financial crisis ?

But maybe this explains why ...................

" it appears that far from being worried about hedging its SOMA book synthetically, the Fed may well have be constantly doubling down on its risk exposure in the form of off-book derivative contracts in order to "pin" Long-Term rates (read the 10 Year) by constantly selling Puts on Long Dated Treasurys at opportune times when there is no incremental buying of the underlying security, yet when, as the CDO and upcoming ETF debacles have so well demonstrated, the price of the derivative actually impacts the price of the underlying! "

Any thoughts ?

Edited April 17, 2011 by midas

[ronz28]

this doesn't sound too good ?

Doubling Down To (DXY) Zero: Has The Fed, In Its Stealthy Synthetic Bet To Keep Long-Term Yields Low, Become The Next AIG?

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/did-fed-its-stealthy-synthetic-bet-keep-yields-low-become-next-aig?page=1

Has anyone seen the documentary " Inside Job " ?

It showed how Alan Greenspan and others very strenuously defended keeping an unregulated derivatives

market and I could never understand why because at the same time they were acknowledging

the severity of the financial crisis ?

But maybe this explains why ...................

" it appears that far from being worried about hedging its SOMA book synthetically, the Fed may well have be constantly doubling down on its risk exposure in the form of off-book derivative contracts in order to "pin" Long-Term rates (read the 10 Year) by constantly selling Puts on Long Dated Treasurys at opportune times when there is no incremental buying of the underlying security, yet when, as the CDO and upcoming ETF debacles have so well demonstrated, the price of the derivative actually impacts the price of the underlying! "

Any thoughts ?

Yes, where did the Fed get the authority to do off book transactions? Pure Zerohedge speculation or is the Ben Bernanke not being so totally transparent. I suppose the Ben Bernanke could get some buddy bankers to manipulate the market for him since they are mostly all on the same team.

[PCA]

this doesn't sound too good ?

Doubling Down To (DXY) Zero: Has The Fed, In Its Stealthy Synthetic Bet To Keep Long-Term Yields Low, Become The Next AIG?

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/did-fed-its-stealthy-synthetic-bet-keep-yields-low-become-next-aig?page=1

Has anyone seen the documentary " Inside Job " ?

It showed how Alan Greenspan and others very strenuously defended keeping an unregulated derivatives

market and I could never understand why because at the same time they were acknowledging

the severity of the financial crisis ?

But maybe this explains why ...................

" it appears that far from being worried about hedging its SOMA book synthetically, the Fed may well have be constantly doubling down on its risk exposure in the form of off-book derivative contracts in order to "pin" Long-Term rates (read the 10 Year) by constantly selling Puts on Long Dated Treasurys at opportune times when there is no incremental buying of the underlying security, yet when, as the CDO and upcoming ETF debacles have so well demonstrated, the price of the derivative actually impacts the price of the underlying! "

Any thoughts ?

Yes, where did the Fed get the authority to do off book transactions? Pure Zerohedge speculation or is the Ben Bernanke not being so totally transparent. I suppose the Ben Bernanke could get some buddy bankers to manipulate the market for him since they are mostly all on the same team.

BB (compared to AG) is doing not such a bad job I dare to claim, similar to Obama. I mean what can they do worse than their predecessors?

The US$ is a tricky vehicle, just like a thai p...y until they get exposed: it wasn't me

[midas]

this doesn't sound too good ?

Doubling Down To (DXY) Zero: Has The Fed, In Its Stealthy Synthetic Bet To Keep Long-Term Yields Low, Become The Next AIG?

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/did-fed-its-stealthy-synthetic-bet-keep-yields-low-become-next-aig?page=1

Has anyone seen the documentary " Inside Job " ?

It showed how Alan Greenspan and others very strenuously defended keeping an unregulated derivatives

market and I could never understand why because at the same time they were acknowledging

the severity of the financial crisis ?

But maybe this explains why ...................

" it appears that far from being worried about hedging its SOMA book synthetically, the Fed may well have be constantly doubling down on its risk exposure in the form of off-book derivative contracts in order to "pin" Long-Term rates (read the 10 Year) by constantly selling Puts on Long Dated Treasurys at opportune times when there is no incremental buying of the underlying security, yet when, as the CDO and upcoming ETF debacles have so well demonstrated, the price of the derivative actually impacts the price of the underlying! "

Any thoughts ?

Yes, where did the Fed get the authority to do off book transactions? Pure Zerohedge speculation or is the Ben Bernanke not being so totally transparent. I suppose the Ben Bernanke could get some buddy bankers to manipulate the market for him since they are mostly all on the same team.

BB (compared to AG) is doing not such a bad job I dare to claim, similar to Obama. I mean what can they do worse than their predecessors?

The US$ is a tricky vehicle, just like a thai p...y until they get exposed: it wasn't me

i guess that is a matter of opinion...........

"Overall, the economy appears likely to continue to expand at a moderate pace over the coming quarters. As the inventory of unsold new homes is worked off, the drag from residential investment should wane. Consumer spending appears solid, and business investment seems likely to post moderate gains,"

and

"At this juncture, the impact on the broader economy and financial markets of the problems in the sub-prime market seems likely to be contained."

[AlexLah]

Thank you so much for the positive news Midas.

Reading that, it really felt like after experiencing weeks of cold weather and heavy rains, the sun was finally becoming visible again from behind the dark clouds.

The road we traveled for the past few years, full with potholes, crossing unstable bridges and not knowing what to expect after the next turn, I can see where this path is leading us to as the view is now unobstructed and the weather is finally clearing up.

Please join me in this glorious moment and feel the excitement that comes from realizing that we have made it!

Please sing with me the following song and go see your family and friends and hug them while saying: WE MADE IT!!!!!

The happy days are here again!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjJZudJ3xos

[ronz28]

Happy days didn't last long with the new negative outlook on U.S. debt by the rating agencies this morning unless you have your bets in against the dollar or with gold/silver.

Edited April 18, 2011 by ronz28

[ronz28]

Happy days didn't last long with the new negative outlook on U.S. debt by the rating agencies this morning unless you have your bets in against the dollar or with gold/silver.

Even precious metals fading to down now. Only thing working is bet on volatility as TVIX is up 12.95% this morning now.

[midas]

Thank you so much for the positive news Midas.

Reading that, it really felt like after experiencing weeks of cold weather and heavy rains, the sun was finally becoming visible again from behind the dark clouds.

Oh no Alex ......i am far too angry to sing that

I am more in the mood for this ............