Sorted Weekly Tweets – The Aleph Blog

Posted on 5 October 2013 by David Merkel

US Government Shutdown

To Lead Is to Negotiate http://t.co/AJTjPESgiI Elements of an interview w/James Baker describing Reagan the pragmatic dealmaker $$ Oct 04, 2013
Pig Sales Fly Blind as Data Cut by Shutdown Hampers Firms http://t.co/MHHnn29XXH Guess what? That’s the way most markets operate $$ Oct 04, 2013
Troops Forage for Food While Golfers Play On in Shutdown http://t.co/Y9HV5IpF3A “the appropriations process has completely failed” $$ Oct 04, 2013
Obama Rewrites Debt-Limit History http://t.co/BIRNHLH7Pm D&R Congresses have used the borrowing limit as political leverage w/a president $$ Oct 04, 2013
US banks fearing default stock up on cash http://t.co/tYXMlQXcIe If money markets freeze, currency will be needed to mediate exchange $$ Oct 04, 2013
Loose monetary policy needed to counter Washington gridlock: Fed officials http://t.co/AmJqqcMQPQ Fed enables intransigence of congress $$ Oct 04, 2013
Republicans Are No Longer the Party of Business http://t.co/Vwa5U0pENS Case not proven; as if the Democrats think of any biz but big biz $$ Oct 04, 2013
Frustrated Republicans Pressure Boehner to End Shutdown http://t.co/m6eSEtXQ5n Likely endgame: Democrats & liberal GOP ally in House $$ Oct 03, 2013
US Stocks Rise as Investors See Limited Shutdown Impact http://t.co/nB5WCCcsd4 Will they say the same thing today off neg mkt action? $$ Oct 02, 2013
Behind the Noise, Entitlement Reform http://t.co/Ed2ug8HoCN This is the elephant in the room; the economic problem behind all the rest $$ Oct 02, 2013
More Than 800,000 Federal Workers Are Furloughed http://t.co/GP0XdAxugH Oddly, this helps point out what true priorities of the govt r $$ Oct 01, 2013
In Government Shutdown, Few Parallels With Most Recent One http://t.co/RmJ7X3iL0Q Maybe shutdown is an alternative mode of running govt? $$ Oct 01, 2013

Companies & Industries

Twitter Look-Alike Ticker Triggers 684% Advance in Penny Stock http://t.co/hLf2VRP6Hs Big difference btw Twitter $TWTR & Tweeter $TWTRQ $$ Oct 04, 2013
Mars Repays $4.4B of Berkshire Bonds Tied to Wrigley Deal http://t.co/U5uSgTXBd8 Now Buffett has tough job of redeploying capital $$ #cash Oct 04, 2013
Twitter Sends Different Message Than Facebook in Filing http://t.co/azMDDPHVwz 32 pages of risk factors, no classified stock, refreshing $$ Oct 04, 2013
Blackstone Opens Europe Spigot as Distressed Deals Surge http://t.co/yYQl2dwhzS As EU banks get reasonable, $BX sees opportunity 4 deals $$ Oct 04, 2013
Alcoa on ?low risk financiers? and parallel metal markets http://t.co/ganjSH2aZg With low interest rates, cheaper to store metal $$ Oct 03, 2013
Beanie Baby Creator Pleads Guilty to Swiss Bank Tax Dodge http://t.co/V8PrsbKEAO He’ll make up the $$ w/a line of Ty the Jailbird dolls Oct 03, 2013
We Are Googling the New York Times to Death http://t.co/OLJ0XsSCRA Use Google 2get free access to the $NYT – broken media revenue model $$ Oct 02, 2013
OGX Upheaval Portends Deeper Bond Loss for Pimco http://t.co/m9Do3MALyM BK is tough on creditors in Brazil; long process, low recoveries $$ Oct 02, 2013
How BlackBerry blew it:The inside story http://t.co/4K7Kw4Y5bL Long article as $BBRY focuses on core biz, misses threat from new entrants $$ Oct 01, 2013
Schwarzman Says Selling BlackRock Was ?Heroic? Mistake http://t.co/G8ZKjxNOZ0 Missed out on 79%/yr returns compounded over 19 years! $$ $BLK Oct 01, 2013
BlackBerry Rare Breakup Fee Seen Deterring Bids http://t.co/uyo9Ra1zzA Watsa gets a free look, while others effectively locked out $$ $BBRY Oct 01, 2013
Why Anglo American Walked Away From Pebble Mine Gold Deposit http://t.co/QwqmjykuD9 Interesting, but only speculations on y $AAUKY left $$ Oct 01, 2013
Commodities ?Super Cycle? Is Seen Enduring by McKinsey http://t.co/Jnj1XwZNKO Marginal costs keep rising as lower costs ores deplete $$ Oct 01, 2013
Storage Wars Seize Metals Market http://t.co/WkX0fsOx3o Aiming 2end games that lock up metal in storage as collateral for loans, I think $$ Oct 01, 2013
Falcone?s Funds Sell Harbinger Group Shares to Leucadia http://t.co/2l8dSyEPKP $HRG funds sell shares 2 $LUK @ a 20% discount 2 mkt price $$ Oct 01, 2013
Of course $LUK has 2 hold onto the shares 4 a while, but still that’s a pretty stiff price 2 pay 4 liquidity $$ $HRG Oct 01, 2013

Finance, Pensions, Etc.

More Than 5,000 Stockbrokers From Expelled Firms Still Selling Securities http://t.co/E5lczvdLJP Don’t buy what someone wants 2 sell 2u $$ Oct 04, 2013
How to Look Under a Hedge Fund’s Hood http://t.co/oKy6ZQWo1q There’s more 2ask than this, but these 7 questions r a good start $$ Oct 04, 2013
Hedge Funds Used Obscure Bond Bet to Win in GM Bankruptcy http://t.co/SaLKh7sg9Q They did hard work with their brains, & won $$ #distressed Oct 04, 2013
8 Incredible Shares On StockTwits About Hedge Fund Market Wizard Ray Dalio http://t.co/tjQ9ecAF1A I added two more resources $$ Oct 04, 2013
Time to Ditch the Yale Endowment Model?http://t.co/aYWfleXE7R Similar to an article I wrote 4 years ago http://t.co/2ox3Zzdaac $$ @M_C_Klein Oct 04, 2013
S&P 500 Pension Status Continues to Improve in September http://t.co/tyL1fqCivB Rising prices for risky assets & more contributions help $$ Oct 03, 2013
Peak-population investing http://t.co/0I5s49iBBC Demographics affect inflation – goods inflation w/many young asset inflation w/many old $$ Oct 03, 2013
10 Terms Investment Pros Use to Raise Money @Reformedbroker http://t.co/cHivwK8uvh Points @ 10 buzzwords w/fuzzy meanings & little truth $$ Oct 02, 2013
Option-Selling Is Not Income http://t.co/zdiP91nKsK Well written,& it needs 2b said. Option “income” vs capital losses & opportunity costs $$ Oct 02, 2013
Eric Schneiderman, Wall Street Time-Machine Sheriff http://t.co/trSBh80ObO Dig deep enough in2 any multiparty trnsctn & u will find dirt $$ Oct 02, 2013
In multiparty transactions, u have 2b careful. Who has more info than u? How r incentives aligned? Y r u lucky one invited 2play w/them? $$ Oct 02, 2013
Student-Loan Straitjacket http://t.co/1keTvDykpV They should look at income-based repayment plans; in many cases they would pay far less $$ Oct 02, 2013
Fab Tourre Wants Another Chance to Explain http://t.co/X4H8b70hVi Did Tourre withhold mind-chging information deal players were entitled2 $$ Oct 02, 2013
Inter-dealer brokers? inside information @FelixSalmon http://t.co/cCcVMM3foF What is fraud vs making/arbing a mkt? http://t.co/6aKN6t0Abw $$ Oct 02, 2013
Top 20 Films about Finance: From Crisis to Con Men http://t.co/nDv0Rz4P4P I added on the film “The Billion Dollar Bubble” Equity Funding $$ Oct 01, 2013
Gibraltar Seen as Europe-Beater for Finance Professionals http://t.co/YzHgQRv82A Perhaps more money per hectare than any other place $$ Oct 01, 2013
Commodity Trader Didn’t Really Believe in Market Prices http://t.co/qVEC4lQB8u Citi mismarked illiquid exchange-traded ethanol contracts $$ Oct 01, 2013
This Sociological Theory Explains Why Wall Street Is Rigged 4 Crisis http://t.co/ff6NWs1GOO Technological efficient w/odd feedback loops $$ Oct 01, 2013

PPACA / Obamacare

Overwhelming Demand 4 Obamacare Shows Potential Success http://t.co/4i3Kb6P8SN Success?? Show you what happened 2me http://t.co/vlrqUxFXzr Oct 04, 2013
How ObamaCare Wrecks the Work Ethic http://t.co/3U2z8PKPwR Saw this a month ago, subsidies raise marginal tax rates 4 lower middle class $$ Oct 03, 2013
The Republicans Fighting Obamacare Aren?t Crazy http://t.co/A61poB4ArU PPACA *can* b repealed, but would take a GOP swing in 2016 2do it $$ Oct 01, 2013
Why must the American people suffer when even so many Democrats don’t want Obamacare? http://t.co/uJfncEetS7 Congress exempts itself $$ Sep 28, 2013

Civil Liberties in Cyberspace

NSA chief admits misleading numbers, adds to Obama administration blunders http://t.co/wsS2qrIW74 Politicians overstate metadata value $$ Oct 04, 2013
NSA Involvement in NIST Encryption Standards Could Make Companies Less Competitive http://t.co/RzRVSYVtiv Does NSA demand backdoors? $$ Oct 03, 2013
On NSA’s encryption defeating efforts: Trust no 1 http://t.co/afq1Fjngzv Big companies r in cahoots w/NSA, can’t b trusted, r lying 2us $$ Oct 02, 2013
NSA Gathers Data on Social Connections of U.S. Citizens http://t.co/oVIYLWdHFi The NSA endangers our civil liberties; we need to end it $$ Sep 30, 2013

Monetary Policy

Will Unconventional Monetary Policy Be the New Normal? http://t.co/nN00ta4UIM Fed is hopeless; they don’t get they r inflating assets $$ Oct 04, 2013
Aluminum Prices: Blame It on the Fed http://t.co/kgjOTbNeqd Low interest rates lead to loans collateralized by aluminum $$ Oct 03, 2013
Don?t Cry for Me, Ben Bernanke http://t.co/unN01G8N8K Developing Countries should get ready for the eventual Fed tightening, if they can $$ Oct 01, 2013

Banking

The Bailout That Never Came http://t.co/cROhzGqjYB Bailout for homeowners was half-hearted at best; 4 banks it was a warm friendly hug $$ Oct 04, 2013
Banks abandon mortgage preapprovals http://t.co/ro6NE8T5Yb Makes the purchases of homes more complex b/c likelihood of financing down $$ Oct 03, 2013
Are Banks Forward-Looking in Their Loan Loss Provisioning? http://t.co/1V6ytChwB2 I would be more inclined to think it is a “cookie jar” $$ Oct 02, 2013
The JP Morgan apologists of CNBC http://t.co/HJgOH3NGvT Media often panders 2 power or they lose access to the powerful people $$ Oct 01, 2013

Other

Duke to NYU Missteps Abroad Lead Colleges to Reassess Expansion http://t.co/1ZoHGD2CeP Have 2 make sure of a good cultural fit first $$ Oct 04, 2013
Freak Grape-Razing Hail Crushes Burgundy Winemakers? Dreams http://t.co/rxSiKaRpvl 2years of hailstorms destroy the prospects of vintners $$ Oct 04, 2013
Migrant Ship Sinks Off Italian Island, Killing Dozens http://t.co/KCYgVt0Bx8 Europe is Elysium 4 these migrants; US is the same 4 others $$ Oct 03, 2013
NFL Free-Agent Lawyer to Unlock $16B in NCAA Athletes http://t.co/nfitchpsSt Free student labor may disappear; may hit big programs hard $$ Oct 03, 2013
Moon walker demo lets wannabe astronauts feel 0.17G http://t.co/BsenBrl8ck Cool. Could b used 4physical therapy after severe leg injuries $$ Oct 02, 2013
Educators in the art of life must have chance of their own http://t.co/HxiCZUOyP3 Certain college depts survive on low paid p/t academics $$ Oct 02, 2013
Worried About Cancer? Get Married http://t.co/PQFp8Q67SD A man & a woman who get & stay married tend to take care of each other $$ #healthy Oct 01, 2013
Gangnam-Style Nip and Tuck Draws Tourists to Seoul?s Beauty Belt http://t.co/2nC182RWtV Plastic surgery becomes a tourist draw 2 Seoul $$ Oct 01, 2013

US Politics & Policy

Small town, big impact: Supreme Court case could define religion’s role in public http://t.co/oD09WqaOaT Govt Ceremonial deism may end $$ Oct 04, 2013
Who Do You Believe: The White House and Wall Street ? or the American People? http://t.co/ZIRZDU1i5p Economic Confidence continues 2drop $$ Oct 03, 2013
Bankrupt Stockton Plan Favors Retirees Over Creditors http://t.co/yZ80M5s5lz Will b difficult 2get thru BK city, unless emplyee benes cut $$ Oct 01, 2013
‘Strings Attached’ Co-Author Offers Solutions for Education http://t.co/BMF9zPqMU6 I learned the most from teachers that were hard on me $$ Oct 01, 2013
Panel Finds Planes Can Handle Use of Electronic Devices http://t.co/hCnZNFfR98 At last, the bad science crumbles & freedom increases $$ Oct 01, 2013
The most predictable economic crisis? http://t.co/XAqVj9QZ9S Implicitly, entitlement reform lies behind almost all our problems in DC $$ Oct 01, 2013
Why I Am Cancelling My Documentary on Hillary Clinton http://t.co/oKxLjUwRDZ No openness from the Clintons dooms a documentary from CNN $$ Oct 01, 2013

Replies, Retweets & Comments

2 all who follow me on Twitter, my account was hacked, & someone sent out a bunch of spam tweets & DMs that I would never send. My apologies Oct 01, 2013

@kltblom when the amount of range for premium variation is only three, it is not a workable system. Anti-selection will occur. Oct 05, 2013
@M_C_Klein I started out as an Asset-Liability Management actuary, and I have traded in illiquid securities, makes me think differently Oct 05, 2013
@kltblom Removed deduction for employer-paid healthcare. Encouraged HSAs, and try to move to predominantly first-party payer model Oct 05, 2013
@TheUncorrelated I willprobably write an article on this next week. Will sound like the one I cited b4 & like: http://t.co/Y8CA0LX9Qi Oct 05, 2013
@kltblom I’m an actuary; since the PPACA was proposed, the health actuaries I have talked with have said tht PPACA won’t work Oct 04, 2013
‘ @JonathanWeil Say run rate EBITDA for 2013 is $50M. If Market Cap of $TWTR is $12B, that is an astounding EV/EBITDA of 240 $$ #nosebleed Oct 04, 2013
@_DM0_ I can confirm that, they have taken down the slides. Pity, quickest way to absorb the material Oct 04, 2013
@Kitsune808 It is not infrequent that @BloombergNews Headlines are misleading, or quirky. They march to the beat of a different drummer Oct 04, 2013
@PlanMaestro I know, but given attention to the video, I thought I would show the PDF that better fleshes out his position. and the slides Oct 04, 2013
Thanks @onlineawards @TightTalk @valuetakes for being top new followers in my community this week (insight via http://t.co/sern3wLA13) Oct 04, 2013
“”Spain?s public debt in 2014 is expected to be the equivalent of 98.9 percent of total economic?” ? David_Merkel http://t.co/HPR50Rjijp $$ Oct 04, 2013
“Two more: 9) And for those that want to read Ray Dalio’s economic template book, it is free here:” ? David_Merkel http://t.co/QLWdRs1odG $$ Oct 04, 2013
@ToddSullivan A computer could do it anywhere by minimizing the distance of internal boundaries subject to equal popoulations. Not hard. Oct 04, 2013
@ToddSullivan We need structural reform 2 end that given gerrymandered districts. A lot of people want change, but districts not competitive Oct 04, 2013
@kltblom If PPACA were mere risk pooling, I might agree. It is a messy ugly law that ignores basic actuarial principles & will not work well Oct 04, 2013
@volatilitysmile They give us different pieces of the puzzle (insight by http://t.co/sern3wLA13) Oct 04, 2013
#FollowFriday Thanks @ReformedBroker @pelias01 @researchpuzzler for being top influencers in my community this week 🙂 Oct 04, 2013
@ReformedBroker The Baby Boomers gray, and money socked away, let finance guys play, make dough every day. Thus so many wealthy $$ managers. Oct 04, 2013
Thanks @ToddSullivan @ReformedBroker for being top engaged members in my community this week (insight via http://t.co/sern3wLA13) Oct 03, 2013
Thanks @TightTalk @BabyFreshNuggz @X9T_Trading for being top new followers in my community this week (insight via http://t.co/sern3wLA13) Oct 01, 2013
Thanks @moneyscience @TopInvestBlogs for being top engaged members in my community this week (insight via http://t.co/sern3wLA13) Sep 30, 2013
@RexHuppke You are a real man, unlike many today. You may be stupid, but at least you are taking action, rather than compromising w/losers Sep 28, 2013

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