Companies & Industries

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• Ackman Makes Big Bet on Fannie, Freddie http://t.co/PdkKSwbUUq Depends on whether the government will sell it off cheaply if at all $$ Nov 16, 2013
• Maersk CEO Says Balancing Supply of Ships to Demand Is Years Off http://t.co/OVUJsS0gpO Will take 2+ years 4 the shipping mkt 2 normalize $$ Nov 16, 2013
• GE To Exit Retail Lending, Refocus on Industrial Businesses http://t.co/krR5qVddsY I recommended $GE do that 8 years ago @ RealMoney. $$ Nov 15, 2013
• Freddie Taps Reinsurer to Offset Loan Risks http://t.co/aeHzuaIwWV Would b a little skeptical of $ACGL ; financial reinsurance is risky $$ Nov 14, 2013
• An iPhone Tester Caught in Apple’s Supply Chain http://t.co/Skt16fbqbo Very difficult to assure fair dealing w/high demand 4 labor $$ Nov 12, 2013
• Amazon, Postal Service to Start Sunday Package Deliveries http://t.co/TMHg1BIrdP USPS lives at the pleasure of Amazon $$ Nov 12, 2013

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Rest of the World

 

• They’ll Pay You to Live in Switzerland! http://t.co/nAhFS0MOO2 Minimum income plan may replace other safety nets, sounds like a disaster $$ Nov 16, 2013
• Spain Free-for-All Pitting Apollo Against Blackstone http://t.co/8ggvCGBNv3 Global demand 4 vacations in Spain support lodging prices $$ Nov 16, 2013
• China Leadership Pledges Expansion of Economic Freedoms http://t.co/yJhlS8bKyl More kids, more freedom w/real estate, SOEs get taxed more $$ Nov 16, 2013
• Japan’s Lenders Roiled by Credit for Criminals http://t.co/KadKx16r6I Many Japanese banks lend to the Yakuza, embarrassing them & govt $$ Nov 14, 2013
• Secret Israel Housing Boom Defies Settlement Discord http://t.co/PGfpjFKRsP Settlements keep growing w/tacit assistance of Israeli govt $$ Nov 14, 2013
• Terrifying Charts For Saudi Arabia http://t.co/jbVyUlDfHQ Fascinating charts showing possibility of falling oil revenue 4 Saudi Arabia $$ Nov 12, 2013
• CIA warily watches for threats to US now that 87 nations possess drones http://t.co/Dew0nwV1xx drones from Israel & China compete vs US $$ Nov 12, 2013
• Banks in Sweden Told to Reduce Market Reliance for Mortgages http://t.co/Lecx4QO08V Not sure that basing off of kronor deposits is best $$ Nov 12, 2013
• Gold Vault Opens in China as Bullion Goes From West to East http://t.co/BVhFqCNSrG If you didn’t trust fiat currencies u would buy gold 2 $$ Nov 12, 2013
• Bloomberg Is Said 2Curb Articles That Might Anger China http://t.co/eP0LbI1rHm @Bloomberg hides articles critical of China from China $$ Nov 12, 2013

 

Obamacare

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• Obamacare Is Whatever Obama Says It Is http://t.co/5vVzcjcFpv Other presidents would be impeached for taking the law into their own hands $$ Nov 16, 2013
• Obamacare’s Creative, Or Illegal, Rule-Making http://t.co/QgUi9mG0gw Obama was critical of Bush’s signing statements & this is worse $$ Nov 16, 2013
• Sebelius Drops New Bombshell: Employer Plans Will Also Drop Workers From Coverage http://t.co/sDQxErpTiw “Substandard” plans of employers $$ Nov 14, 2013
• ObamaCare Questions Nobody Asked http://t.co/GXw5PmNxEy Laws must fit a culture; Americans don’t have a high degree of “social trust” $$ Nov 14, 2013
• Hope Is All Obamacare Has Left http://t.co/M5MzuvG1Od Tactical retreat 4a time comes to mind, but are they humble enough to consider it? $$ Nov 12, 2013
• Rieder: An empty pledge comes back to haunt Obama http://t.co/TG1LjSM7wm Obama promised people they could keep their insurance & doctor $$ Nov 12, 2013
• The Obamacare Debacle Should Have Obama And Biden Seriously Considering Resignation. http://t.co/eqoNgu841Z Nice thought, but not likely $$ Nov 12, 2013

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Central Banking

 

• Bank Regulation Dominates Yellen Confirmation Hearing http://t.co/wzXnBemjwI Given all of the regulatory failures of the Fed this is fair $$ Nov 16, 2013
• Yellen Rejoins QE Debate as Hearing Gives Critics Forum http://t.co/OJgjwPqfxS Pursuing policies that have never worked as if reasonable $$ Nov 14, 2013
• Central Banks Risk Asset Bubbles in Battle With Deflation http://t.co/sseHM2iFPU Imbalances r growing. Which way will policymakers err? $$ Nov 13, 2013
• White House Takes Lessons From Bernanke Close Call http://t.co/d7AOphMltK Works 2manage approval process 4 Yellen, given unpopular policy $$ Nov 12, 2013
• Race to Bottom Resumes as Central Bankers Ease Anew: http://t.co/CEE1QS13kL Everybody aims 4advantage; as a result no one gets advantage $$ Nov 12, 2013
• Yellen’s Confirmation Hearing Likely to Stir Up Other Fed Issues http://t.co/eIgTuaYvnI Incompetent Fed gets 2 spread incompetence via DF $$ Nov 12, 2013

 

Financial Markets

 

• Moody?s Lowers Ratings of Four US Banks After Review http://t.co/3F6tQyzmm9 $GS $MS $JPM $BK will not b bailed out, thus ratings fall $$ Nov 16, 2013
• Bid Wars Wane in US Housing Markets on Supply Rise http://t.co/1R2LH3qOHq Note: we never eliminated the housing glut; reality returns $$ Nov 16, 2013
• O?Shaughnessy warns on crisis in long-duration bonds http://t.co/wHmJB6pt9Q Really depends on how strong economic growth is from here $$ Nov 14, 2013
• Rules Force Banks to Innovate for Survival http://t.co/y3guFfxVdj! Same old thing — Returns on assets r low, so lever up 4 high ROEs $$ Nov 12, 2013
• Pension Terminations May Spike in the Near-Term http://t.co/UjIqJ3ipiD DB pensions will continue 2 shrink; no reason y it should speed up $$ Nov 12, 2013
• Nonbank Mortgage Servicers Rapid Growth Alarms Investors http://t.co/bE7WrXxmk5 Independent mtge servicers grow & have compliance issues $$ Nov 12, 2013
• Group Pushes for Bigger ‘Tick’ Sizes http://t.co/xgkRDHnwfG Very dumb; deregulate tick sizes,& let markets compete 4 business $$ Nov 12, 2013

 

Politics & Policy

 

• In Blow to Coal, TVA to Shut 8 Units http://t.co/9xOAXI25PE Coal has issues in the short run, will provide power to the world 20+ yrs out $$ Nov 16, 2013
• A Nuclear Cleanup Effort Leaves Questions Lingering at Scores of Old Sites http://t.co/mm6KzJ47BO Long article; radiological waste maps $$ Nov 14, 2013
• Bad idea: Firms Get More Wiggle Room on Soured Deals http://t.co/B1sakHXSQc Goodwill should b rigorously tested & written down frequently $$ Nov 12, 2013
• Patty Murray, Democrats’ Budget Leader, Faces a New Test http://t.co/bq430FlJgT A lot of theater here; whatever cuts spending wins $$ Nov 12, 2013
• No state has all of its employee benefit plans funded at an acceptable earnings rate, as well as rainy day funds, highway, funds, etc $$ Nov 12, 2013
• State and local government austerity is over http://t.co/4usGgnZDGI Jobs r growing, & so is investment. Only problem: underfunded plans $$ Nov 12, 2013

 

Other

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• Woods Makes Caddie?s Beef Jerky Golf-Bag Accessory at $54-Pound http://t.co/5RsL9zX1qu At the Merkel house we r planning on making jerky $$ Nov 16, 2013
• Silicon Valley Nerds Seek Revenge on NSA Spies With Coding http://t.co/YkemYyJRLu They double the length of encryption keys; Nyaah, NSA! $$ Nov 16, 2013
• StreetEYE – Tops on Twitter http://t.co/n5X0euq6IP Interesting ranking of those who share on finance on Twitter $$ Nov 12, 2013
• Focusing too narrowly in college could backfire http://t.co/sqAMID8KyG Narrow degrees presume too much about the future; be prepared $$ Nov 12, 2013
• Record Number of Foreign Students Flocking to US http://t.co/PCwwPyeE6o This rescues a wide number of incompetent colleges $$ Nov 12, 2013
• Strange Doings on the Sun http://t.co/HdgxOoAbz4 We do not understand the Sun well; sunspots r few, & magnetic poles puzzle. $$ #humility Nov 12, 2013
• Baby Boom in Stronger States Signals US Birth Recovery http://t.co/DPrkEofea8 No surprise, the US has always been more optimistic w/kids $$ Nov 12, 2013
• I Am The One Who Blogs: TRB Turns Five http://t.co/xQuhAHQB9D @reformedbroker is one of the heroes of financial blogging; I salute him $$ Nov 12, 2013
• When enough people do power poses, it will lose its impact, and will cease to give confidence. http://t.co/sp0j1bAO8n Nov 11, 2013

Cato Conference / Hard Currencies

• R. David Ranson #catoonmoney argues that easy monetary policy has not created faster economic growth http://t.co/fUxhAJfL2F $$ Nov 14, 2013
• PANEL 4: THE CASE FOR A NATIONAL MONETARY COMMISSION AND FUNDAMENTAL REFORM #catoonmoney Kevin Brady going to speak on Fed Reform $$ Nov 14, 2013
• Argues that European nations would be better off w/their own national currency. Fiscal union not well defined $$ #catoonmoney Nov 14, 2013
• Leszek Balcerowicz Former Chairman, National Bank of Poland finishes a rambling, interesting talk on Eurozone & US $$ policy #catoonmoney Nov 14, 2013
• Cato Monetary policy conf, panel 2 — ALTERNATIVES TO DISCRETIONARY GOVERNMENT FIAT MONEY #catoonmoney Sumner will provide alternatives $$ Nov 14, 2013
• U.S. Mint?s Silver-Coin Sales Reach Annual Record http://t.co/IBJLw2wICe U can laugh; fascinating 2c so many trying to preserve value $$ Nov 14, 2013
• Gold is much harder to manipulate; same for any money with real backing. http://t.co/HnXQLaqU2a Nov 12, 2013

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Comments, Retweets, Replies

• @Frank_McG I don’t think I mentioned bitcoins, but there are certainly some that trust in them… Nov 14, 2013
• “Junk science causing people to avoid food that is good for most, and yummy too.” ? David Merkel http://t.co/xQhXrM0hyd $$ Nov 12, 2013
• RT @SJosephBurns: Learning curves of different professions–> http://t.co/Nuy9CVTYp9 Nov 11, 2013
• RT @AmbroseEP: Oxygen thinning. Shiller P/E ended week 47pc over-valued. Good blow-off chart from Husmann. http://t.co/XPq6hmzUR6 Nov 11, 2013