Category: Tweets

Sorted Weekly Tweets

Sorted Weekly Tweets

Posted on by David Merkel

Rest of the World

 

  • Catalonia Wants ECB Seat After Referendum http://t.co/Dbggf0LOWs So Catalonians want to be free? Guess what, the EU does not want that $$ Oct 12, 2013
  • French State?s Bluster Belies Alcatel?s Job-Cutting Reality http://t.co/kzmpjKDNTC France will lose; companies will leave, so will jobs $$ Oct 12, 2013
  • Danes With World-Beating Debt Loads Prepare 2 Dig Deeper http://t.co/Vgx0fqqf9N This will eventually blow up; it is only a matter of time $$ Oct 12, 2013
  • Tepco Gets Japan?s First LNG Spot Cargo From Angola at Futtsu http://t.co/A3OnIzAFJH Future of energy is more efficient hydrocarbon use $$ Oct 11, 2013
  • France Calls for Alcatel-Lucent to Revise Job Cuts Plan http://t.co/KySqRhGqvN France won’t b happy until every large business leaves $$ Oct 10, 2013
  • Korean Banks? Margins Seen at 4-Year Low on Rate Decline http://t.co/bWhpoYhs6g High pread loans mature, low spread loans originated $$ Oct 10, 2013
  • Icelanders Run Out of Cash to Repay Foreign Debts http://t.co/RdCFa8jRl4 Perhaps they can default on these debts as well $$ #externaldefault Oct 09, 2013
  • Swedish Bubble Concern Grows With Soaring Home Prices http://t.co/VwiAVbm1wD What happens when monetary/financial policy is too loose $$ Oct 09, 2013
  • Algerians Cry Currency as Euro Black Market Thrives http://t.co/ftRHUXwF3q Really bad currencies attract competition from betr currencies $$ Oct 08, 2013
  • Finns Foraging for Cheap Food Shows Price of AAA Obsession http://t.co/kuPKb8g3KQ Really, it’s being in the E-Zone, not having own curncy $$ Oct 07, 2013

 

US Politics

 

  • 7 doomsday default scenarios http://t.co/sDgNpzRCSU There is nothing good here, particularly banks and money market funds blowing up $$ Oct 12, 2013
  • Budget Battle Ends Soon With Tea Party Loss: King, Corker http://t.co/Dk6XVMUPRo Discharge petition coming as liberal GOP teams w/Dems $$ Oct 11, 2013
  • Now Is the Time to Delay ObamaCare http://t.co/Dklp65OWnJ Make case off of lack of technical readiness of computer systems $$ Oct 11, 2013
  • EPA may reduce ethanol blending volumes for 2014 -sources http://t.co/Ve4DU5AaV2 End the RIN-sanity & watch refiner stock prices fly $$ Oct 10, 2013
  • Legislative History of Sec 4 of 14th Amndmnt http://t.co/JCEmr9SnHZ Must Executive prioritize payments? Must Congress raise debt ceiling? $$ Oct 10, 2013
  • Justice Kennedy Offers Views on Shutdown, Congress, Gay Marriage http://t.co/Nq9VcPtbNn Love him, hate him, you have to understand him $$ Oct 10, 2013
  • Obama Seems 2Think Presidency Gives Him Absolute Power http://t.co/IhFwBRTcYn Scotus has ruled presidents can’t delay, amend or repeal laws Oct 09, 2013
  • Surplus to Cost Uncle Sugar Up to $300M http://t.co/vl4QNMq2Vb Environmentalists & free marketers can agree: Eliminate sugar subsidies $$ Oct 09, 2013
  • Once the budget is balanced, businessmen will have greater certainty over sustainable tax policy, & will become more aggressive $$ Oct 09, 2013
  • Ryan: Here’s How We Can End This Stalemate http://t.co/QePY6Y3XWd Behind every economic debate in DC, entitlements is the hidden issue $$ Oct 09, 2013
  • President Obama Might Ask Who Benefits from US Debt Default http://t.co/F8mzQQQSUU Anybody know how big total notional amt on CDS on US? $$ Oct 09, 2013
  • White House Backs Temporary Debt-Ceiling Fix http://t.co/moMSWfLKab This may be how agreement is reached, w/some budget compromise also $$ Oct 08, 2013
  • Meltdowns Hobble NSA Data Center http://t.co/NpnnX0eyPy Investigators Stumped by What’s Causing Power Surges That Destroy Equipment $$ Oct 08, 2013
  • USDA Buyers Stuck in Limbo as Shutdown Hurts Housing http://t.co/M0LvI019Ye USDA should not be in the lending business. Ag is doing well $$ Oct 08, 2013
  • He Beat Us in War but Never in Battle http://t.co/Gixl0Fm9mt John McCain writes on recently deceased N. Vietnamese Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap $$ Oct 08, 2013
  • Americans are more conservative than they have been in decades http://t.co/GQrkq0ZHg5 I find this difficult 2 believe, would b more chg $$ Oct 07, 2013

 

Market Impact

 

  • Better Beta Is No Monkey Business http://t.co/UrSmi7Ql3h High dividend stocks are overvalued; dividends are not the best proxy for value $$ Oct 12, 2013
  • The BIGGEST Problem with Buy and Hold http://t.co/lIb3cQpqgY Biggest companies, bot&held do not have the same room to grow vs smaller cos $$ Oct 12, 2013
  • How Investors Lose 89% of Gains from Futures Funds http://t.co/inEYR2xDgi Long article on how managed futures doesn’t make $$ 4retail invtrs Oct 08, 2013
  • Worst Stocks to Reverse With Commodity Profits Rising 18% http://t.co/ImKtQ5KXPi A contrarian idea w/precious metals doing poorly of late $$ Oct 08, 2013
  • Finra to Consider Requiring Brokerages to Carry Arbitration Insurance http://t.co/qjxeVp89b7 A very good idea; mkt would weed out the bad $$ Oct 06, 2013

 

Companies & Industries

 

  • Boeing’s New 777X Could Make the Largest Jumbo Jets Obsolete http://t.co/VnBflpZ6dr Efficient engines, folding wings end the 747 era $$ $BA Oct 11, 2013
  • US eyes cutting ethanol usage http://t.co/d7r88Z2hA8 This should be a no-brainer, aside from corn farmers, $ADM, & ethanol refiners $$ Oct 11, 2013
  • Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon: ‘The Everything Store? http://t.co/EtF1QvWcqg Looong & interesting about Amazon & its founder’s origins $$ Oct 10, 2013
  • Costco Stands Behind Its Cheap Rotisserie Chicken Strategy http://t.co/aptxcuyH8u $5 for a Rotisserie Chicken? Can’t buy raw that cheap $$ Oct 10, 2013
  • Verizon and Vodafone Talks Took Four International Cities and Eight Months http://t.co/GmR1XjxTgl Patient $VOD wins against needy $VZ $$ Oct 09, 2013
  • US Banks Margin Under Tremendous Pressure http://t.co/EQVHiLmKWr Funding costs can’t get much lower, while old high-yielding loans mature $$ Oct 09, 2013
  • Ohio Smelter Faces Shutdown Without Utility Rate Relief http://t.co/O87iyfFdNQ & aluminum is in oversupply; why should we subsidize this? Oct 06, 2013

Healthcare

  • Mapping America?s Coronary Stent Hot Spots http://t.co/EFfUjfbjHD Check & c whether u live in an area that over-installs stents $$ #savelife Oct 10, 2013
  • Mother Dies Amid Abuses in $110B US Stent Assembly Line http://t.co/Nag1UCiqfi Sad tale of medicine done 4 profit 2 the harm of patients $$ Oct 10, 2013
  • Micro Businesses Find Health-Care Rollout Is Slow http://t.co/1hhcfPlCfX State Small-Business Exchanges Still Aren’t Ready $$ #gigo Oct 08, 2013
  • Republicans Didn’t Sabotage Health Exchanges, Obama Did http://t.co/OkGA7HEBVw Very difficult 2get complex programming projects done fast $$ Oct 08, 2013
  • Robot Surgery Damaging Patients Rises With Marketing http://t.co/fFe29Nesdp Check out track record of any doctor doing robotic surgery $$ Oct 08, 2013
  • Exchanges Will Raise US Healthcare Costs http://t.co/8UhQm58INQ Removing economic incentives has always raised healthcare costs $$ Oct 07, 2013
  • IT experts question architecture of Obamacare website http://t.co/hvfjKXp5Rt System architecture flaws caused problems, not traffic alone $$ Oct 07, 2013

 

US Local Economics

 

  • GED Faces New Rivals for High School Dropouts http://t.co/SG0UQ1wqzT Passing the GED doesn’t mean much, but if you pass a tougher test? $$ Oct 12, 2013
  • Machines Gauging Your Star Potential Automate HR Hiring http://t.co/MOcnq8Hd5E Can playing games well reveal u better than your resume? $$ Oct 11, 2013
  • Montana Towns Struggle With Oil Boom Cost as Dollars Flee http://t.co/3Wz5aUCc2p Small town’s budget can’t keep up w/Infrastructure needs $$ Oct 10, 2013
  • Housing Boom Bigger in Texas as Home Bidding Wars Erupt http://t.co/GyOZGL1fgC the Texas economy very strong & the builders can?t keep up $$ Oct 09, 2013
  • Puerto Rico Debt Troubles Regulators http://t.co/s3b54N9UsT Check your muni bond fund, b/c even single state funds bot PR 4extra yield $$ Oct 07, 2013
  • Pay Raises for Teachers With Master’s Under Fire http://t.co/N3ogmAntdZ The next study should b whether education BAs harm teaching skill $$ Oct 07, 2013

 

Other

 

  • Colleges Try Cutting Tuition?& Aid Packages http://t.co/6MWuklxikq Unlikely 2 work; higher sticker w/greater aid helps selectivity/cachet $$ Oct 11, 2013
  • Snowden Says He Has No Regrets http://t.co/KFVhXMW7Fu satisfied his actions had an impact; Sam Adams Award 4Integrity in Intelligence $$ Oct 11, 2013
  • Baseball Battling Dominican Drug Use While Grappling With A-Rod http://t.co/kU2zOHvECu Doping begins in the minors, w/many from DR league $$ Oct 11, 2013
  • Light Point Security: A Software ‘Jail’ 4 Malware? http://t.co/s1cPTtwlD6 Clever idea: browse in the cloud, image relayed 2local browser $$ Oct 10, 2013
  • Chemistry Nobel Goes to Three for Computer Program Work http://t.co/GBZA3RtgcB Interesting. Didn’t know u could do chemistry w/computers $$ Oct 09, 2013
  • Sudden Collapse of Cloud Provider Rattled IAC http://t.co/ilhmBtahWe If cloud provider announces shutdown, act fast 2preserve your data $$ Oct 08, 2013
  • New York Bans Harbinger’s Falcone From Insurance Role http://t.co/IFfrBHv9Xq Interesting how the NY Commish got Falcone out of MD ins sub $$ Oct 08, 2013
  • Gold Befuddles Bernanke as Central Banks? Losses at $545B http://t.co/lgtX56v0Oq Central Banks r not immune from the fear/greed cycle $$ Oct 08, 2013
  • Younger Americans Fare Poorly on Skills Against International Peers http://t.co/c5dL26lXPM But Americans r more flexible & creative $$ Oct 08, 2013
  • Finance People To Follow On Twitter http://t.co/Q6jBZWGtkg A great list, at least for those that I know, should u have time 2follow 106 $$ Oct 08, 2013
  • Humans Trump Robots at the Grocery Store http://t.co/atazmQ8R5h Cashiers Trump Self-Checkout Machines at the Grocery Store $$ Oct 07, 2013

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Janet Yellen

  • When Yellen Speaks World Listens as Fed Plans US Course http://t.co/iRO9Fg6JMf More hagiography as media/acdmics overestimate her ability $$ Oct 11, 2013
  • Senate Confirmation Hearing 2Test Yellen’s Skills of Communication http://t.co/3lQVrH3zXh Can she think on her feet w/hostile questioners $$ Oct 10, 2013
  • The Yellen Difference http://t.co/Wgeop65jct How Yellen is different than Bernanke: Tobin Keynesians will b in charge at Federal Reserve $$ Oct 10, 2013
  • Janet Yellen: 5 Things You Should Know About Obama?s Fed Chair Nominee http://t.co/52Ie5o9nkk Wealthy, apolitical, Akerlof, forecasting $$ Oct 09, 2013
  • Yellen 2b Named Fed Chairman, First Female Chief http://t.co/DSsky1sDgM What’s done is done; someone has 2b the fall guy/gal $$ #glasscliff Oct 09, 2013

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Tower Group

  • Commented on StockTwits: It’s a question of probabilities. Clearly the odds are higher now than a week ago, much h… http://t.co/XPlzWLxvy9 Oct 10, 2013
  • Commented on StockTwits: I used 2b a corporate bond manager. When u c a 1-yr obligation trading below $95, solven… http://t.co/AugmpPF1Ib Oct 10, 2013
  • Risky equities should be priced to earn 20%+. The bonds of $TWGP yield 20%+. Makes me think bonds r the true equity & stock a call option $$ Oct 10, 2013
  • 20%+ yield = panic $$ RT $TWGP just watch the bonds they are $88 and B-. Off lows they do not reveal panic. HOLD. http://t.co/VMc0Rih0bT Oct 10, 2013

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Wrong

  • Wrong: Obamacare Foes Using Shutdown Echo South?s Nullifiers http://t.co/js120efIId Not a fair portrayal. Obamacare was badly thought out $$ Oct 12, 2013
  • Dubious: How Yellen Will Shape Fed’s Banking Regulation http://t.co/DHGcgEOqmb Surprise me if much happens; Fed rarely strong regulator $$ Oct 10, 2013
  • Uncertain: Recession Looms If Treasury Uses Tools to Prevent a Default http://t.co/FY39fp90eQ Not so sure it would create a recession $$ Oct 09, 2013
  • Wrong: Detroiters Living Amid Ruins Resist Moving as City Reorganizes http://t.co/MuaBzAfVbm Article purely anecdotal, population shrinks $$ Oct 07, 2013

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Replies, Retweets, & Comments

  • @SilentMachinery I wondered about that also. There may be something there. Oct 12, 2013
  • I need 2brighten my mood. Ah, @AARP has sent me membership cards. Snip, snip, snip. Much better. Old people suck the blood of the young $$ Oct 10, 2013
  • Luck seems to even out for me. I miss gains & losses evenly. I usually don’t spend much time on a stock after I sell it $$ @merrillmatter Oct 10, 2013
  • RT @researchpuzzler: on endowment investing ~ 1) @AlephBlog: http://t.co/UrctMBjW9R ~ 2) @advperspectives: http://t.co/AlhZQgPGnw Oct 09, 2013
  • To @TheUncorrelated : my article on your whitepaper, with my advice to endowment investment managers is here: http://t.co/dQlapwbWqO $$ Oct 08, 2013
  • @rishad Beautiful, but it follows the footsteps of Detroit. One poet said, “Chicago is a pompous Milwaukee.” The skylines don’t compare tho. Oct 08, 2013

 

Sorted Weekly Tweets

Sorted Weekly Tweets

Posted on by David Merkel

China

 

  • Chinese Cities Hooked on Land Revenue Fuel Housing Costs http://t.co/8SXwubzUjk Ppl invest in what they think they ctrl; no alternatives $$ Sep 28, 2013
  • Amway Bankrolls Harvard Course?For Chinese Cadres http://t.co/XVk5MXV2eh May not b pyramid, but successful sellers mostly recruit sellers $$ Sep 26, 2013
  • Chanos Undeterred by China Growth as O?Neill Bullish http://t.co/xwvC9mOFHa China will become the biggest windshield bugsplat ever seen $$ Sep 25, 2013
  • Party Will Pay the Price for China?s Rebalancing http://t.co/inQ5BHYMdn The Day has arrived: Michael Pettis is on Bloomberg. Go Michael! $$ Sep 25, 2013
  • China?s Generation Winnebago Avoids Traffic in RVs http://t.co/Q8z41qGv1j New Chinese status symbol: RVs. Rest while your driver works $$ Sep 24, 2013
  • China + Gold = 9 Million iPhones Sold http://t.co/DfIAopLDLV Gold may do nothing, but it is beautiful, & beauty drives much marketing $$ Sep 24, 2013
  • Michael Pettis, in his current newsletter, reminds us that loan growth outstrips ability to repay in China, recent “growth” is a fake-out $$ Sep 24, 2013

 

Companies & Industries

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  • Meet Hummingbird: Google Just Revamped Search To Answer Your Long Questions Better http://t.co/mtAf5pxGIA Improved Search Engine $$ $GOOG Sep 28, 2013
  • JC Penney Is on the Brink http://t.co/UtMX5sa3ZT Now $JCP has liquidity, @ a cost, but can they transform their business model? $$ #unlikely Sep 28, 2013
  • Penney’s Share Offering Prices at a Discount http://t.co/CWVp8dOKln $JCP Danger Will Robinson! Stock price does not hold secondary level $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • Kat Cole, Former Hooters Waitress, Runs Cinnabon’s $1B Empire http://t.co/sOe9WKUB1v Ppl go gaga 4 Classic Roll. 60% more cals vs Big Mac $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • Oaktree group to sell US foreclosed homes http://t.co/dUuGn768TI Too many investors chasing residential RE vs owner occupiers $$ #badsign Sep 24, 2013
  • Meet Prem Watsa: The Man Riding to BlackBerry?s Rescue http://t.co/flg4xn1MkX A case of regret, throwing good $$ after bad $BBRY Sep 24, 2013
  • Banks Prove Safer Than Industrials in Bond Rally http://t.co/B2t3pbaNGd I would b willing 2 overweight industrials now; they r safer $$ Sep 24, 2013
  • Do Amazon’s Lockers Help Retailers? Depends on What They Sell http://t.co/Pbd2cPK6zl Works if $AMZN doesn’t sell what u sell, &vice-versa $$ Sep 23, 2013
  • FireEye Takes Off as Shares Rise 80% in IPO Debut http://t.co/fnY1YkvvD1 Score processes on weirdness, share info globally 2 stop malware $$ Sep 23, 2013

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Rest of the World

 

  • Irish Billionaire Has ?Boatload? of Customers for Spanish http://t.co/GhyDzrhkhk Get your own Spanish Villa while supplies last! $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • Debt Disaster Seen Unless VAT Rises to 20% by 2020 http://t.co/fXyeptRNJZ Japan is a bug in search of a windshield; 20% would kill econ $$ Sep 26, 2013
  • Merkel?s Cold Embrace Leaves SPD Wary of Coalition Talks http://t.co/6pCmU9KgCf If SPD doesn’t compromise, cud a minority government form $$ Sep 24, 2013
  • Believing Data Not Required W/GDP Warrants http://t.co/36SKEKLcha Do u think Argentina is fudging GDP #s up? Buy Argentine GDP Warrants $$ Sep 23, 2013
  • For Migrants, New Land of Opportunity Is Mexico http://t.co/jy3XaZeRCA Immigrants r moving to Mexico as the economy deregulates a little $$ Sep 23, 2013
  • Czechs Yearning for Growth Set to Abandon Merkel Path http://t.co/sU8mxocTL7 No natural political coalition 4 austerity, even when right $$ Sep 23, 2013
  • Greece Plans Foreclosures to Meet Bailout Demands http://t.co/W7Ryxvv6J6 Inability 2 foreclose gums up Greece’s financial system $$ Sep 23, 2013

 

Central Banking

 

  • Richard Koo says ‘vicious cycle’ taking hold as Fed faces ‘QE trap’ http://t.co/se3uPY5eP1 Similar to my arguments in Easy in, Hard out $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • Constitutional Money by Richard Timberlake http://t.co/iipZBfnFqm “Treaties may become inapplicable because of changes in circumstances” $$ Sep 25, 2013
  • US Fed Shouldn’t Give Forward Guidance, Former Bank of Israel Head Fischer Says http://t.co/ZzbTLqTEU9 Correct. Fischer 4 Fed Chair $$ Sep 24, 2013
  • Why we listen to former FOMC members who r partisans of the Fed, rather than skeptics of central banking, like James Grant, amazes me $$ Sep 24, 2013
  • Yellen Would Bring Tougher Tone to Fed http://t.co/xoNY2kKWqa Academic economists, like Yellen, do not understand how the economy works $$ Sep 24, 2013

 

Housing/Mortgages

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  • Mortgage Bonds Without Government Backing Face Tough Time http://t.co/MrtGxmynes Tough 2 mkt private label RMBS, not enough excess spread $$ Sep 28, 2013
  • Subprime bond bounces back, leaving behind a subprime borrower http://t.co/x7KRB8Rp9n Long article about a deadbeat & his subprime loan $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • There have been a scad of articles like this, but the guy did not do “due diligence” on the loan, and did not have to buy the house $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • Home gold rush is over http://t.co/AASXbe14zc Too many investors vs owner occupiers creates an imbalance as smarter players start 2 sell $$ Sep 26, 2013
  • FHA, Facing Losses, Likely to Tap Treasury http://t.co/Hdpqqdplri Shortfall for Fiscal Year Could b at Least $1B, Early Projection Shows $$ Sep 26, 2013

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Financial Sector

 

  • BATS Prepares to Take On Big Bell Ringers http://t.co/x8PjU05xE9 NYSE + Arca > BATS + Direct Edge > NASDAQ $$ Graph: http://t.co/rDV3hY7uzf Sep 28, 2013
  • Shine a Light on Repo http://t.co/KrF4MtaA7Y Did u know that repos r 96 years old? Learn about obscure corner of the fixed income market $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • The bank that rejects the most mortgages http://t.co/JxD3xhvlY4 $JPM highest rejection rate, $STI lowest, $WFC biggest lender, avg 20.6% $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • Covenant-Lite Loans Need Uniform Definition http://t.co/RbEywreAEC It would help, but there is always nonstandard data in securitizations $$ Sep 26, 2013
  • Wells Fargo: New CLO Regulations May Lead to Issuance Slump http://t.co/FcK5NLQvba Forcing securitizers 2 take first losses ruins profits $$ Sep 24, 2013
  • The VC Secret: 3 Out of 4 Start-Ups Fail http://t.co/jjFrQc9JNP Ratio sounds high, but when VC-backed firm wins, it pays 4a lot of losers $$ Sep 24, 2013
  • That’s the way 2 manage pension assets if u r big enough. In-source, build up expertise, & keep adding smart people 2 addl asset classes $$ Sep 23, 2013
  • In-Sourced, Fully Funded, Public, and American http://t.co/ISUDgDvGhC! South Dakota Retirement System manages 65%-70% of assets in-house $$ Sep 23, 2013
  • America’s latest financial crisis? It’s incredibly personal. http://t.co/yHLcIm7xuR People do NOT understand how to save or handle cash $$ Sep 23, 2013
  • Value Investor Charles de Vaulx On China, Gold, Apple And Berkshire Hathaway http://t.co/4LgwGyzI7g Longish good interview. $$ $STUDY $BRK.B Sep 23, 2013
  • Fidelity sued by employees over its own 401(k) plan http://t.co/yo5h32QQD6 Biting hand that feeds them, they object 2 high fees 4 funds $$ Sep 23, 2013
  • Inside Nasdaq’s succession planning process http://t.co/6uOUsgrpuQ $NDAQ trades at a discount 2 peers; it needs a merger or better mgmt $$ Sep 22, 2013

 

Other

 

  • Billionaires Battle as Bezos-Musk Companies Vie for Launch Pad http://t.co/jEOhw4xXac Fight over a launchpad @ Kennedy Space Center $$ Sep 28, 2013
  • Supersonic Drones Can Outmaneuver Humans. So Why Do We Still Need Pilots? http://t.co/J5N9FhDVbH Pilots fly better in complex situations $$ Sep 28, 2013
  • Postal rate hike proposal faces Senate scrutiny http://t.co/aq7gKcDnm1 First Class would go to 49 cents, as internet slowly eats USPS $$ Sep 26, 2013
  • This Year’s SAT Scores Are Out, and They’re Grim http://t.co/04jtzUJMtL <50% of 2013 graduating seniors got “college-ready” SAT scores $$ Sep 26, 2013
  • Little GAAP Could Drive Accounting Simplification http://t.co/Ti24zRMFY2 If the acctg is 2 complex, biz is probably 2 complex as well $$ Sep 26, 2013
  • Work is not waiting for a job. If you don’t have a job, start your own business. http://t.co/pkUXupCOJg Sep 25, 2013
  • Investors Are Buying High, Yet Again http://t.co/PaTcowZvk8 Opportunities are fewer now, listen to Buffett & Klarman & trim back risk $$ Sep 25, 2013
  • Tweet tips: Most effective calls to action on Twitter http://t.co/PrcHMiNDMc! U could also ask them to favorite your tweet $$ $TWTR Sep 24, 2013
  • Death Dinners at Baby Boomers? Tables Take on Dying Taboo http://t.co/68nxd534eB Good 2 talk about death, but r u ready 4 the afterlife? $$ Sep 24, 2013
  • Here Are The Best Fundamental Investors To Follow On StockTwits http://t.co/a72aV98KUo A good list of resources & teachers; I’m listed #5 $$ Sep 23, 2013
  • A Backdoor Roth IRA for a High-Income Couple http://t.co/79fYNIF5d6 Invest in regular IRA, convert 2 Roth, repeat process annually $$ Sep 23, 2013

 

PPACA / Obamacare

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  • Will Obamacare hurt job creation and marriage? http://t.co/n7h7BEkrXK Belief in Obamacare is akin 2 belief in magic; resources r free $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • Prices Set for New Health-Care Exchanges http://t.co/J4VFjvF5HR Younger Buyers May Face Higher Insurance Premiums $$ Obamacare #FTL Sep 26, 2013
  • Best of the Web Today: The Young and the Clueless http://t.co/3GbWYOqipM ObamaCare may work, provided no one responds to its incentives. $$ Sep 26, 2013
  • Young Invincibles Caught in Crossfire Over Obamacare Cost http://t.co/hgyCGtZMaj Note how Obama packs the gallery w/young people $$ Sep 24, 2013

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Municipal Debt / Detroit

 

  • Stockton to Unveil Plan Including Cuts for Creditors http://t.co/zBj3ngCXMz Trying to preserve pensions may draw lawsuit from bondholders $$ Sep 28, 2013
  • Detroit spent billions extra from pensions http://t.co/UBdb3GaqtI That’s what u get 4 having 1-party rule, w/no 1 to look over shoulder $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • Orr proposes freeze for Detroit pension funds http://t.co/sSFtqADV23 Unions don’t get that they destroyed the finances of Detroit $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • Judge Rules Retiree Health Protected Like Pension http://t.co/xg7bcR28oM! Loopy ruling sets Los Angeles on a course 2 bankruptcy $$ Sep 25, 2013
  • Hands off DIA, pensions, Detroiters say in poll http://t.co/dHmp2qjc5n! Detroit is an example of a complex system self-destructing $$ #dying Sep 23, 2013

 

Energy

 

  • Pipeline Billionaire Ready for Next Round of Deal Making http://t.co/KhTwsdBDRs $ETP CEO thinks there is room to consolidate pipelines $$ Sep 28, 2013
  • Six Myths About Renewable Energy http://t.co/G0dB1SJ2aU Balanced article. 3 myths pro, 3 myths con. It will b a minority of total energy $$ Sep 23, 2013

 

The Economic views of Ray Dalio

 

  • One more note, this slideshow put together from BI moves a lot faster than Dalio’s video or the… http://t.co/ytGIHQEaxP Sep 24, 2013
  • And for those that want to read Ray Dalio’s economic template book, it is free here: http://bwater… http://t.co/f1AVlDufxo Sep 24, 2013

 

US Politics & Policy

 

  • Texas Counties Lead in Job Growth, Lag in Wage Gains http://t.co/XdyNF4ZEJt No surprise, but biz leaves CA & there is high unemployment 2 $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • CHRISTIE KEEPS PENSION PROBE RECORDS FROM PUBLIC VIEW AS GOVERNOR EYES 2ND TERM http://t.co/NmnbLRxRwd! Running mate has pension scandal $$ Sep 24, 2013
  • Open-Government Laws Fuel Hedge-Fund Profits http://t.co/P5vZBpkiDq Hedge funds file FOIA requests 2get FDA reports on drugs, etc. $$ Sep 23, 2013
  • At 77 He Prepares Burgers Earning in Week His Former Hourly Wage http://t.co/jQJaWTiQd3 Example of “failed 2 save” Don’t let it happen 2u $$ Sep 23, 2013
  • Self-Driving Vehicles Progress Faster Than Rules of Road http://t.co/1lFAmdlJKz Regulations, laws, insurance all need 2b revised 4 this $$ Sep 23, 2013
  • The Hidden Classified Briefing Most of Congress Missed http://t.co/eSBnz0uPxd How intelligence gets disseminated w/o getting disseminated $$ Sep 23, 2013
  • How the NFL Fleeces Taxpayers http://t.co/OeG5kRTM2O Longish article on how they get free stadiums, pay no federal or state taxes, etc. $$ Sep 23, 2013
  • Facebook ?Likes? Are Now Legally Protected Speech http://t.co/Oi7XQkYVlB Political speech is protected by the 1st Amendment even “like” $$ Sep 22, 2013

 

Wrong

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  • Over the Top: Jordan R. VanOort Earns Prestigious CFA Designation http://t.co/jRMcdyRq1R CFA designation is good, but prestigious? $$ Sep 28, 2013
  • & really, when there are over 100,000 of us, does receiving your CFA Charter really rate a press release? Tougher to become an Actuary $$ Sep 28, 2013
  • Wrong:Pimco shook hands with Fed – & made a killing http://t.co/gBlELQ6U7p 2 notes: agency MBS r easy 2 understand, & TBA mkt not obscure $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • Point: Fed could have easily done this internally. What! They can’t find any among their 1000s of Ph.D. economists to get simple mkts? $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • It is probable that enough data on what the Fed would do escaped over the transom 2 give PIMCO & the other firms insider info. $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • Wrong: New idiots, same as the? actually these idiots might be worse http://t.co/Xa5jGmbQII US economy grew faster under balanced budgets $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • Wrong: Reduce working week to 30 hours, say economists http://t.co/HiI7Zmhimo More work means more production means more GDP, Consumption $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • Loony: Detroit Union Seeks 2 Revive `13th’ Pension Check Policy http://t.co/Lf5YMVBKxW Practice that continues 4 28Y is a tacit agreement $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • Wishful thinking: Let ObamaCare Collapse http://t.co/n3yNizNAfP Until the US itself fails, no entitlement has ever been eliminated $$ Sep 26, 2013
  • Wrong:Shinzo Abe: Unleashing the Power of ‘Womenomics’ http://t.co/R00AN5pUEH This comes from nation w/a shrinking population. Ridiculous $$ Sep 26, 2013
  • Wrong: How Sensitive Is Public Pension Funding to Investment Returns? http://t.co/hSeoOLsvrc! Should use mkt-based assmptns not historic $$ Sep 25, 2013
  • Wrong: US city, county public pension levels sank in 2012 http://t.co/o2JUwsi5JF! 2 optimistic, b/c risk assets bottomed in late 2002 $$ Sep 25, 2013
  • Wrong: Don?t Be Alarmed by Obamacare?s Failures http://t.co/fS63xQpaaP PPACA doesn’t make actuarial sense, young people won’t participate $$ Sep 24, 2013
  • Wrong: Yellen Isn?t a ?Knee-Jerk Dove,? Kroszner Says http://t.co/0aeTM6BIiB Favoring negative interest rates == ?Knee-Jerk Dove? $$ Sep 24, 2013

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Replies, Retweets & Comments

 

  • Thanks @TightTalk @BabyFreshNuggz @X9T_Trading for being top new followers in my community this week (insight via http://t.co/sern3wLA13) Sep 27, 2013
  • “Here is part of my solution: accounting for repos should be bifurcated, so that is not treated ?” ? David_Merkel http://t.co/caWGlbe3eL $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • Loonies, Detroit is dead MT @ToddSullivan: RT @AmyResnick: just wow. Detroit Union Seeks to Revive `13th’ #Pension http://t.co/u3XJAER0bi $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • Believe MT @ReformedBroker: You’re not gonna believe this – but Detroit’s pension doled billions left and right http://t.co/9i5MinpGAX $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • RT @ezraklein: Perhaps if President Obama makes the House GOP 300 sandwiches, they’ll agree to lift the debt ceiling. Sep 27, 2013
  • #FollowFriday Thanks @ReformedBroker @pelias01 @researchpuzzler for being top influencers in my community this week 🙂 Sep 27, 2013
  • ‘ @allstarcharts @jfahmy The 1st discipline of investing/trading is humility; even if you know more, the timing/environment can be tough $$ Sep 27, 2013
  • Commented on StockTwits: I think Watsa can be trusted. Aside from financials in the old days that were dodgy, I th… http://t.co/dJ8g2rVKmK Sep 27, 2013
  • Thanks @abnormalreturns @dpinsen for being top engaged members in my community this week (insight via http://t.co/sern3wLA13) Sep 26, 2013
  • “I never directly pay for research… most of it is freely available on the web. What is not, I?” ? David_Merkel http://t.co/EAk37XXNdJ $$ Sep 26, 2013
  • “This is already known by those that study the statistics. Look at year over year figures, you ?” ? David_Merkel http://t.co/5J46Rm19vo $$ Sep 26, 2013
  • I just left a comment in “We’ve got bubbles, we’ve got troubles – MarketWatch” http://t.co/P11awJw1KQ Sep 26, 2013
  • ‘ @Reddy Cummings is my gerrymandered rep. He is by far one of the most intellectually underpowered members of the House, & that says a lot Sep 25, 2013
  • @moorehn @ReformedBroker @SimoneFoxman @SallyPancakes @kensweet @jennablan They r favorites of mine. $$ Sep 25, 2013
  • Entitlements will have to be reduced; it is only a question of how and when. Druckenmiller’s presentation:… http://t.co/BsA9S78RTI Sep 24, 2013
  • Thanks @MarshaCollier @EdmundSLee @rwohlner for being top new followers in my community this week (insight via http://t.co/sern3wLA13) Sep 24, 2013
  • Thanks @researchpuzzler @pelias01 for being top engaged members in my community this week (insight via http://t.co/sern3wLA13) Sep 23, 2013

 

Sorted Weekly Tweets

Sorted Weekly Tweets

Posted on by David Merkel

Monetary Policy

 

  • Buffett Calls Fed History?s Greatest Hedge Fund http://t.co/vToZwL7D21 Buffett great on practical business economics, lousy on politics $$ Sep 21, 2013
  • Bernanke Faith in Housing Seen Shaken in Bonds http://t.co/F0xtRsM13v The Fed never had control of the long end of the yield curve $$ #barmy Sep 20, 2013
  • The Fed has lost all credibility http://t.co/NhXbQjxiNa For an institution that values clear communications, things have been murky $$ Sep 19, 2013
  • Excellent question on financial regulation from the lady from the American Banker. $$ Sep 18, 2013
  • Good question from @pdacosta on the labor force participation rate and unemployment. $$ #Fed Sep 18, 2013
  • Less Tapering Becomes Tightening Credit No Matter What Fed Says http://t.co/rQMp900dxA Q: what total pkg does 2 forward rate expectations $$ Sep 17, 2013

 

 

Janet Yellen (we get what we deserve)

 

  • White Houses Urges Democratic Senators to Defend Yellen http://t.co/pBd1U1dz7u She seems like a lock: to QE Infinity & Beyond! $$ #FTL Sep 21, 2013
  • Yellen Chances Grow as Obama Aides Test Senate Support http://t.co/kbDdWmlX4L “She will make Bernanke look like a hawk.” Marc Faber $$ Sep 19, 2013
  • White House official says Yellen front runner for Fed chair http://t.co/wGor8xIJoI This is to make us oppose the uber-dove #anyonebutyellen Sep 19, 2013
  • Yellen No Lock for Fed Chair Despite Summers Exit http://t.co/ycEBcedvTe “This was an unprecedented struggle for leadership of the Fed.” $$ Sep 17, 2013
  • Yellen Now Front-Runner for Fed Chief http://t.co/H4xh8vmot1 Yellen means no change from the current failed policies $$ #anyonebutyellen Sep 17, 2013
  • Fed Leader Doubt Erodes Low-Rate Message as QE Taper Looms http://t.co/CgyxacYaap Can’t appoint Yellen now, lest it look like a loss $$ Sep 16, 2013
  • Why Larry Summers Bailed on the Fed http://t.co/lVn10kgYIL Bring on Don Kohn, better still, bring on that monetary dissident John Taylor $$ Sep 16, 2013

 

Rest of the World

 

  • Bermuda’s Search for New Wealth http://t.co/LPMJJvD6QE I like Bermuda a lot, & learned a lot here. No paparazzi, much privacy $$ #humble Sep 20, 2013
  • Rebel-on-Rebel Violence Seizes Syria http://t.co/LsZUvpQTuo Two player games r easy; Three-or-more player games r tough & confusing $$ Sep 20, 2013
  • What Happens When the US Isn?t the Biggest Gas Guzzler? http://t.co/pl8X9TkOUM 1 reason y I am long energy stocks: rising global demand $$ Sep 20, 2013
  • Olympic Athletes in Tokyo Risk Hottest Weather in 120 Years http://t.co/4E9MnDTzv5 Same for FIFA in Qatar, but humidity in Tokyo is a factor Sep 19, 2013
  • Why Even the Worst Bloggers Are Making Us Smarter http://t.co/PhztCBG6kP It is amazing how many people are writing their ideas on the web Sep 19, 2013
  • China?s Choking Cities Means Job Cuts at Steel Town: Commodities http://t.co/3Xmz1Z7zqh China has over-invested in heavy industry #japan1989 Sep 19, 2013
  • In Post-Tsunami Japan, Homeowners Pull Away From Grid http://t.co/kPUIVdYq8b Power is now less reliable, some move to solar & fuel cells Sep 19, 2013
  • What Egypt Wants: Cheaper Bread http://t.co/S8NE6Zo8JU Demand for Subsidized Food Vexed Ousted President and Pressures Interim Government Sep 19, 2013
  • Obama Rifts With Allies on Summers-Syria Limit Debt Dealing http://t.co/M8f1f1fPm6 Weakened by bad choices but he is the President! $$ Sep 18, 2013
  • How Did Advanced Economies Get in So Much Debt? http://t.co/QGF1acUQf8 They absorbed bad private debts, rather than letting them fail $$ Sep 18, 2013
  • On Putin, his NYT editorial: http://t.co/eb45qkGBq1 Peggy Noonan responds: http://t.co/qwFRsk83cR Avoid interfering in foreign wars $$ Sep 18, 2013
  • Canadian Household – Drowning in Debt http://t.co/hJz8057OMF Total Canadian Household Debt-to-Income Ratio Rises to Record 165.6% @ 6/13 $$ Sep 17, 2013
  • $$ @paulvieira Point taken. Q: If someone bot an avg house in Canada 2 rent it out, would he make money; if arb is neg, Canada faces probs Sep 17, 2013
  • Eleven Countries with Soaring Inflation http://t.co/xl6Ivzr5bx Soaring means >6%/yr; leading the parade are Venezuela, Argentina & Egypt $$ Sep 17, 2013
  • Political Risk: What Should Investors Know About China’s Interest In Peru? http://t.co/85wGZJ1x3W Biz in Peru means negotiate w/locals $$ Sep 17, 2013
  • Smallest Ships Profitable Again as Logs Feed China Boom http://t.co/YsPOJMW9ul Chinese demand for wood raises freight 4 small ships $$ Sep 17, 2013
  • Vladimir Putin, the Richest Man on Earth http://t.co/bpLFDXtPWw Who needs wealth when you control a country? Putin makes his cronies rich $$ Sep 17, 2013
  • China Reins in Popular Voices With New Microblog Controls http://t.co/0tlX38uI1q The internet is a threat & an aid 2 every government $$ Sep 17, 2013
  • No Confidence in China Markets Inflates Housing Bubble http://t.co/G8qgXC8OEW Distrust other assets leads Chinese 2 invest in real estate $$ Sep 17, 2013
  • Germany’s Migrating Seniors http://t.co/Bhsqr6TePo Good care cheap, but you have to move 2 Poland to get it. Solves some old age problems $$ Sep 17, 2013
  • Germans Export Grandma to Poland as Costs, Care Converge http://t.co/e9w45mHkQe But where will the Poles export their Grandmas? $$ #long Sep 17, 2013

 

US Politics & Policy

 

  • Benghazi investigators gave Hillary Clinton heads-up on findings http://t.co/6Oimx1LhSx Mrs. Clinton appointed 80% of the review board $$ Sep 21, 2013
  • Weeds amidst the ivy |http://t.co/nvMFuNioFN A long & relatively thorough analysis of for-profit colleges & how they milk student loans $$ Sep 21, 2013
  • House GOP Ties Government Funding to Health Law http://t.co/rcNBBl2c6m This is a Q of short- vs long-run. Balancing budget best 4long-run $$ Sep 20, 2013
  • Big Insurers Skip Health Exchanges http://t.co/JWvGJSYVdQ Y deal w/ markets that attract sick people w/limits on underwriting & pricing? $$ Sep 20, 2013
  • What caused the financial crisis? The Big Lie goes viral http://t.co/1qFMg1BYGo The crisis was not merely caused by bad regulation Sep 19, 2013
  • The Queen Mary of macro trends: Rising rates http://t.co/OSgaYzIQkg Less certain than article says, as the economy weakens, no loan growth Sep 19, 2013
  • Walgreen will drop its traditional health insurance and instead give its 160,000 workers payments 2buy plans http://t.co/dpvbC8IigC via @WSJ Sep 19, 2013
  • National pension group challenges Pew?s work http://t.co/iiZROFHzRy! Cash balance plans give lower benefits, but maybe that’s affordable Sep 19, 2013
  • Puerto Rico can only cover 11.2% of pension costs http://t.co/wdnQJFniEF! Puerto Rico exists 2 make Illinois think it is prudent $$ Sep 19, 2013
  • Obama Feels a Pinch From Congressional Democrats http://t.co/d78z6b9a2c Obama gets constrained by the Left as much as the Right $$ Sep 18, 2013
  • Republicans Weigh Defunding Health Law, Avoiding Shutdown http://t.co/cbiqo2vBoW Ignore the economists, they don’t know anything, & cut! $$ Sep 18, 2013
  • Republican Newcomer Influence in Congress Risks Shutdown http://t.co/dtdHcg59po 3-player games r much less stable then 2-player games. $$ Sep 18, 2013
  • The Financial States of America http://t.co/xGQ8c6uajo Clever infographic; click a state 2c how it ranks; click on categories 4 diff maps $$ Sep 17, 2013
  • States With The Most Zombie Homes http://t.co/Dj6hphkUrM >20% of foreclosed homes vacant: Indiana, Nevada, Georgia, Florida, MD, AZ, SC $$ Sep 17, 2013
  • Heroin Pushed on Chicago by Cartel Fueling Gang Murders http://t.co/GmuhpbSxIk Getting a receipt from the Indiana police 4 forfeited cash $$ Sep 17, 2013
  • Armed EPA raid in Alaska sheds light on 70 fed agencies w/armed divisions http://t.co/90YKg3TWB2 Interesting how many have police units $$ Sep 16, 2013
  • Obama stands firm on refusal to negotiate over US debt ceiling http://t.co/kUDp9Q4ZL2 Nothing bad happened from sequester; do it again $$ Sep 16, 2013
  • How the SOPA law got defeated politically http://t.co/X3ZJiTiJ48 Creation of a website to highlight & affect legislative markups was key $$ Sep 16, 2013
  • Health Law Faces Skepticism http://t.co/AYf9IjdUL9 Complex laws typically don’t work well; Obamacare/PPACA is the epitome of complexity $$ Sep 16, 2013

Market Impact

 

  • The Long, Sorry Tale of Pension Promises http://t.co/6Pi2V0yiPA It started w/accounting rules allowing2much flexibility4funding/valuation $$ Sep 21, 2013
  • ING CEO Says Stress Tests Without Safety Net Bring Risks http://t.co/Bi7IKXvuYK If u fail the stress test, y would anyone recapitalize u $$ Sep 21, 2013
  • Challenging the Imperial Boardroom http://t.co/VW6IrzKIF9 @Carl_C_Icahn argues 4 mgmt transparency, competence, & shareholder orientation $$ Sep 20, 2013
  • Money Market Funds Ready for Battle with Regulators http://t.co/1VIxWqfVLE Floating NAVs will kill money market funds; better solutions $$ Sep 20, 2013
  • Banks? $10B Sweet Spot Sets Off Buying Spree for Lenders http://t.co/2oDNEEqEdY Bank capital rules r helping create medium-large banks $$ Sep 20, 2013
  • Avoid ?Dividend Yield Traps?, Look To Releveraging Stocks http://t.co/0k3Qs4mJHx 2 risks: higher bond yields compete; free cash flow 2low $$ Sep 20, 2013
  • Longevity-Proof Your Future http://t.co/0MB5S7Yx5S The main point is that you need to save. Beyond that, invest well, but savings r capital Sep 19, 2013
  • Novogratz to Burbank See Stocks Surviving First Fed Taper http://t.co/Xeig2UVtvT So what? We already know “Three steps and a stumble.” Sep 19, 2013
  • How Social Responsible Investing Can Be Irresponsible — Pension Fund To Sell Energy Stocks? http://t.co/JE6g2S8hHC Vacuous city council Sep 19, 2013
  • Remembering the families at the center of the financial crisis http://t.co/ICSLkY2TcD If finances were related 2 finance/housing it hurt $$ Sep 19, 2013
  • Judge Dismisses Bank Lawsuit Over Mortgage Foreclosures http://t.co/aJ5VmA64x2 Richmond needs supermajority 2 use eminent domain $$ Sep 17, 2013
  • Dr Copper & his funny friends disagree tremendously with SP500 level http://t.co/uNpdfvlbC9 On the divergence of stocks & commodities $$ Sep 16, 2013
  • Is Fiscal Austerity Good for the Economy? http://t.co/gQif4JHXqc “austerity is costly in the short run, it can provide long-run benefits” $$ Sep 16, 2013
  • Gross?s Trade Sours as Bonds Lose Faith in Fed Guidance http://t.co/YGZgvVries Depends on level of future GDP growth, keep watching $$ Sep 16, 2013
  • Montepeque of Platts Caught in Battle Over Oil Assessments http://t.co/4o0wvVyCEz All human systems r gamed, just a question of how much $$ Sep 16, 2013
  • Wall Street trading in US fuel credits hurts consumers http://t.co/8hZ8shAIJJ Very difficult 2manipulate prices in long run: sup/dem chgs $$ Sep 16, 2013
  • Uh oh. People buying houses fear rising prices http://t.co/FWAAeHwKdz Bubbles persist until financing costs more than implied rents $$ Sep 16, 2013

 

Companies & Industries

 

  • Twitter announces IPO: The Pricing Game begins http://t.co/GlR7MWJz4X Daring Damodaran gives a value 4 $TWTR w/out having any financials $$ Sep 21, 2013
  • Secret Rocks and Gem Hunters http://t.co/4Dpm6jGavk Colored gems r like small cap stocks, they r unique & illiquid mkts w/odd characters $$ Sep 20, 2013
  • Companies Seize on Rate Reprieve to Issue Bonds http://t.co/qQJzknEqhp Many think rates will go higher, & so they issue debt now $$ Sep 20, 2013
  • Google May Stop Using ‘Cookies’ to Track Web Users http://t.co/MgvZtEHo1Q Could concentrate marketing power in hands of a few companies $$ Sep 20, 2013
  • How ?Cord Never? Generation Poses Sales Drag for Pay TV http://t.co/10M73Td7jL Once you get used to not paying for your video, u don’t pay Sep 19, 2013
  • Verizon Pays $5.1 Billion in Extra Interest http://t.co/om7PsDAwzO That was the price of getting a big deal done in the short-run. Sep 19, 2013
  • Companies are increasingly choosing to generate their own power, delivering a jolt to utilities http://t.co/brVyNOWokp Disintermediation Sep 19, 2013
  • For TV Shows, It’s a Seller’s Market http://t.co/eja7JEhl1t Producers have many more outlets for content & networks must pay up 4 content $$ Sep 18, 2013
  • Capstone Metering Provides Smart Water Management Solution, Powered By Verizon Wireless Network http://t.co/0xd77Bnz0q fascinating tech $$ Sep 17, 2013
  • Berkshire Billionaire Found With More Shares Than Gates http://t.co/wqoceUXHJW Tales of old buyers of $BRK.A & cpmny sellers taking stock $$ Sep 17, 2013
  • Retailer REI Ends Era of Many Happy Returns http://t.co/0xDYFXDV95 Abuse leads REI to end returns on items bought more than one year ago $$ Sep 16, 2013
  • Wildcatter Hunch Unlocks $1.5T Oil Offshore US http://t.co/4lTsK10aj0 Longish story of how a hunch led2 deepwater drilling, amid failures $$ Sep 16, 2013
  • How Did Wal-Mart’s IPhone Discount Defeat Apple’s Price Controls? http://t.co/F3ZuYFvbWM $WMT takes a low margin on sales of $AAPL phones $$ Sep 16, 2013
  • Home, Sweet (Crude) Home in Fort McMurray, Alberta http://t.co/GpuUq289T8 Economies based on resource extraction flourish 4 a time & die $$ Sep 16, 2013

 

Economics

 

  • Women Waiting Tables Provide Most of Female Gains in US http://t.co/eoetZdyRAi Not so much demand 4 workers w/degrees in certain majors $$ Sep 20, 2013
  • Martin Feldstein: How to Create a Real Economic Stimulus http://t.co/bH2e2Z67mb Suggests mild entitlement reform; we need retirement @ 72 $$ Sep 17, 2013
  • Want Marital Bliss? Pool Your Money http://t.co/mJQb3XEkZn The more things r shared in marriage the better/tighter the bond becomes $$ Sep 17, 2013
  • Mysterious Disappearance of James Duesenberry http://t.co/LD3GfjTyka Old article on relative income hypothesis. Ppl r envious not greedy $$ Sep 16, 2013
  • Explanation of the discrepancy is that poverty is relative. Ppl r not maximizers & economists resist this b/c the pretty math falls apart $$ Sep 16, 2013
  • & if the pretty math falls apart, economists can’t publish & there goes their jobs. That is y they would rather hang onto a wrong theory $$ Sep 16, 2013

 

Other

 

  • The Time a Cleveland Newspaper Divulged Manhattan Project http://t.co/mFDKvhJTlW Fascinating tale; clever reporter http://t.co/o5CzDU61nL $$ Sep 21, 2013
  • Our Chat With Jeremy Grantham http://t.co/FSlADefGi0 In general, need 4 technological change has driven technological change; we will win $$ Sep 21, 2013
  • Marc Faber’s Biggest Mistake http://t.co/Dui1ZehA09 Really pretty minor. Interesting guy who gets things right, but speaks bearish Sep 21, 2013
  • Pope Warns Church Focusing Too Much on Divisive Issues http://t.co/2yEMa3O89I More than other Popes, this one is a slave2 liberal opinion $$ Sep 20, 2013
  • How a 91-Year-Old Geek Helped Keep the Aged Independent http://t.co/GD1AmUK6OQ Small cheap sensors monitor oldsters, watching their needs Sep 19, 2013
  • Say Goodbye to the Password http://t.co/pTnQ4ng2Xn New technology aims to offer security that is more convenient and more effective $$ Sep 18, 2013
  • Veggie-Heavy Stress Reduction Regimen Shown to Modify Cell Aging http://t.co/b3KNrSOdSY Cooking from scratch improves your life & health $$ Sep 17, 2013
  • Jonathan Jacobs: As Education Declines, So Does Civic Culture http://t.co/tk7WHue1mS Biggest complaint about new analysts: can’t write $$ Sep 17, 2013
  • Gonorrhea Among Drug-Resisting Germs Sickening Millions http://t.co/Fbgw14Q4ZQ Add C. difficile & E. coli; resistance 2 antibiotics grows $$ Sep 17, 2013
  • Twitter Co-Founder Evan Williams Lays Out His Plan For The Future Of Media http://t.co/e7nv4u8Z0T Need the equivalent of @abnormalreturns $$ Sep 16, 2013
  • Google?s Boss and a Princeton Professor Agree: College Is a Dinosaur http://t.co/ffUTIQFxdV True, but what do we do 2prove knowledge then $$ Sep 16, 2013

 

Replies, Retweets, & Comments

  • Thanks @MarshaCollier @EdmundSLee for being top new followers in my community this week 🙂 | insight by http://t.co/sern3wLA13 Sep 20, 2013
  • #FollowFriday Thanks @ReformedBroker @pelias01 @researchpuzzler for being top influencers in my community this week 🙂 Sep 20, 2013
  • @dpinsen I almost never read fiction. Sep 20, 2013
  • RT @interfluidity: the Fed has learned the trick about stretching your feet out beyond the covers then pulling them back in to feel warm. Sep 19, 2013
  • RT @BloombergNews: Sold for sex at puberty is village girls’ fate in wealthier India | http://t.co/oZsp9d2LcV Saddest article I have read Sep 19, 2013
  • @ppearlman Congratulations, Phil. One of my favorite websites is going to get better still. Sep 17, 2013
  • $$ @joebrusuelas Wrong. Yellen is an imitation of the policies of Bernanke & QE. They don’t work. Summers — rejection of the Rubin clique. Sep 17, 2013
  • @rj_trades Worked 4 me. Don’t know what’s wrong… Sep 16, 2013

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Sorted Weekly Tweets

Sorted Weekly Tweets

Posted on by David Merkel

 

Rest of the World

 

  • Chinese Buy Sydney Homes at Unprecedented Rate, McGrath Says http://t.co/EsRV6O2E99 Stylish flight capital does not come cheaply, mate $$ Sep 14, 2013
  • Rajan Hailed as Swings Drop Amid Gundlach Warning http://t.co/Cxn6tDBDqe Rajan has courage to defend the Rupee & slow the Indian economy $$ Sep 14, 2013
  • Aniston?s Salad Isn?t Enough as Quinoa Farmers Reap Golden Crop http://t.co/CkkKzTR5lC Bolivian farmers rejoice growing quinoa makes $$ Sep 14, 2013
  • Catalan Separatists Pull Off Human Chain But Referendum Is Harder http://t.co/Yy15a6AfPW Reaching the limits of bad policy, risking wars $$ Sep 12, 2013
  • Norway Pledges to Limit Oil Spending http://t.co/IzVJKwunbq Probably smart, because it is easier 2 overspend an endowment than underspend $$ Sep 12, 2013
  • Shipping Rates Seen at 2010 High on Record Ore to China http://t.co/rCXg6JUlzf Means China is likely not rebalancing to consumption yet $$ Sep 10, 2013
  • Youngest Japan Boards Beating Oldest With Stocks Rising 139% http://t.co/JDXARNyCku Returns were 52% for other firms over the last 3yrs $$ Sep 10, 2013
  • Syrian Christians Pack Passports Fearing Islamist Onslaught http://t.co/vcaHMVzJpz More Coptic churches in US, next comes Syrian Orthodox $$ Sep 10, 2013
  • Russia to Brazil Intervention Adds to U.S. Debt Distress http://t.co/wPiBAG35Z7 The real Q is what they are buyingw/the $$ they sell? Sep 09, 2013
  • Syria Vote May Derail Obama?s Agenda in Congress http://t.co/oGoHtSGUzD Argues that Obama has to win the Syria vote 2 avoid looking weak $$ Sep 09, 2013
  • Ancient Golden Treasure Found Near Jerusalem Temple Mount http://t.co/tLRWZfsNEm Byzantine coins dating from 4th – 7th centuries $$ menorah Sep 09, 2013
  • India?s Middle Class Hit as Rupee Plunge Pushes Up Prices http://t.co/AlN4xRJKI3 Another example of how inflation hits the poor hardest $$ Sep 08, 2013
  • Tokyo Defeats Madrid, Istanbul for Rights to 2020 Olympics http://t.co/gikYyiO4pY Tokyo wins the prize to build Olympic white elephants $$ Sep 08, 2013

 

US Politics & Policy

 

  • US Faces Long-Term Care Crisis, Report Says http://t.co/uu68sNvNWz Unsolvable unless we rein in costs, redefine what Medicare will cover $$ Sep 14, 2013
  • States Face Decision on Saving Trains http://t.co/Ps5L9Wk631 Federal subsidies end on short Amtrak routes, will states pick up tab? $$ #bus Sep 14, 2013
  • Walmart Wins in DC http://t.co/ixe7uC1U6C “Mayor Gray has chosen jobs, economic development and common sense over special interests” $$ Sep 14, 2013
  • Republicans Holding Next Fed Chairman?s Fate Stay Quiet http://t.co/k7oIqCtP6w GOP sits & grins over no-win situation 4 democrats & Obama $$ Sep 14, 2013
  • How Wal-Mart?s Waltons Maintain Their Billionaire Fortune http://t.co/duLt9Ogtod This is y defining income more important than tax rates $$ Sep 12, 2013
  • How to Preserve a Family Fortune Through Tax Tricks http://t.co/xHI585uI8W Graphic showing how GLATs, CRATs & Family LPs work $$ #lowertaxes Sep 12, 2013
  • Even a Railway Line Can?t Dodge the Keystone XL Controversy http://t.co/ykz7FdFdoS Given the delay, new projects replace the need 4 K-XL $$ Sep 12, 2013
  • New York Mayor Race Worries Business http://t.co/AQUazQsdYa De Blasio pursues policies that made Detroit the great city it is now $$ #FTL Sep 12, 2013
  • California city backs plan to seize negative equity mortgages http://t.co/LmTGRhptuK Fail: loss of financing for city & new homeowners $$ Sep 12, 2013
  • GE, IBM Ending Retiree Health Plans in Historic Shift http://t.co/Plbc1CK4fG Obamacare leads large corporations 2shed retiree healthcare $$ Sep 12, 2013
  • Fraud Stealing $100M Shows Flaws in US Crop Insurance http://t.co/zTEg7Z0UG4 System relatively easy2cheat.Graphic: http://t.co/GkJ8RT0BLn $$ Sep 12, 2013
  • NSA Violated Privacy Protections, Officials Say http://t.co/b4cEoloHz5 Much as it would unemploy my friends, we need 2 end the NSA $$ Sep 11, 2013
  • Five Revelations From New NSA Documents http://t.co/khGGuAsqpU Government violated its own rules repeatedly, showing no respect 4the law $$ Sep 11, 2013
  • Intel clashes w/Obama’s election-year al Qaeda claims http://t.co/r6vM2wtjMz The successes against al Qaeda undone by spread 2 new areas $$ Sep 10, 2013
  • Kerry’s ‘Gaffe’ Beats Military Strikes http://t.co/Il4bA172Y1 Hey, getting the chemical weapons out of Syria is @ least a small win, yes? $$ Sep 10, 2013
  • Crop Insurers? $14 Billion Some See as Money Laundering http://t.co/39r6zZQrcz Difficult 4 crop insurers 2 lose as US Taxpayers foot bill $$ Sep 10, 2013
  • DeVry Lures Medical School Rejects as Taxpayers Fund Debt http://t.co/Ek4gXsIkHB Long article on how Caribbean med schools compete w/US $$ Sep 10, 2013
  • The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act: Time to End the Corporate Welfare http://t.co/NPlTkozP4n There is no need to subsidize terror insurance $$ Sep 10, 2013
  • Taxpayers Turn US Farmers Into Fat Cats With Subsidies http://t.co/aLE07PrkFt Crop insurance sends all the risk of farming to taxpayers $$ Sep 09, 2013
  • In Conversation With Michael Bloomberg http://t.co/dtJ4WJZnaZ Long somewhat hostile article asking Bloomberg his views, plans, etc. $$ Sep 09, 2013
  • Dear NSA, Thanks for Making Us All Insecure http://t.co/3sfMaeyR1L NSA weakens security 4all, harms interests of US Internet Corporations $$ Sep 08, 2013
  • it also lowers global trust in the US, fragments the internet, & encourages nations that censor & monitor the internet by US bad example $$ Sep 08, 2013

 

Financial Sector Today

 

  • Why looser lending standards won’t help you http://t.co/p36wvJj6YC Lending standards fall in markets hit by crash & now prices r rising $$ Sep 14, 2013
  • Berkshire, AIG Join Battle Over Lucrative Business http://t.co/P87xoC3YZp $BRK.B roils industry expanding in excess-and-surplus insurance $$ Sep 14, 2013
  • House Talk: When an HOA Forecloses http://t.co/7Auan3ZFg2 Yes, your homeowners association can foreclose if you don’t pay your dues $$ Sep 08, 2013
  • Upside: Emerging-Market Bond Bargains http://t.co/2wIcJ5a8r5 They look cheap, but Q is how they adjust 2 tighter world monetary policy $$ Sep 08, 2013

 

Financial Crisis Fifth Anniversary

 

  • TARP didn’t save banks, it ruined them: Kovacevich http://t.co/o6BjBjNqbK Contradicts Paulson who said the TARP funds were voluntary $$ Sep 14, 2013
  • By every measure, the big banks are bigger http://t.co/nmfyAJ2CG9 The top 6 banks hold 67% of all assets in the banking industry $$ Sep 14, 2013
  • A Toxic Subprime Mortgage Bond’s Legacy Lives On http://t.co/NdJy3NLyih Story of CWABS 2006-7 Borrowers, Investors & Others Touched by It $$ Sep 14, 2013
  • Lehman’s Cold Dead Hand Is Still Reaching Out For Money http://t.co/tbqVCB32LV Many games can b played w/derivatives of a BK counterparty $$ Sep 14, 2013
  • Five years after Lehman, risk moves into the shadows http://t.co/9hootI4MGa Bank runs still possible due2 repo, margining, putable debt $$ Sep 12, 2013
  • 2008-2013: The Financial Crisis in 9 Charts http://t.co/2JmO98tqzA GDP, S&P500, Finance profits, employment, income, cars, homes & more $$ Sep 12, 2013
  • Lehman Brothers Abyss Had Paulson Seeking Prayer Amid Crisis http://t.co/y5ucZK5dNX I’m getting tired of seeing Paulson in the news $$ #long Sep 12, 2013
  • Embracing Wynne Godley, an Economist Who Modeled the Crisis http://t.co/dEm8njuXmT The right answer involves Minsky and the Austrians $$ Sep 12, 2013
  • Financial Crisis: Lessons of the Rescue, A Drama in Five Acts http://t.co/EIdEVqnkWa John Taylor blames Govt policy for creating crisis $$ Sep 09, 2013
  • Henry Paulson Defends Fannie Mae Bailout http://t.co/Rtvjlv8vsF As a result, we have maintained an overleveraged economy, more govt debt $$ Sep 09, 2013

 

Central Banking

 

  • Why Michael Woodford Thinks the Fed Should Taper http://t.co/Lyy1oLnhfC Contends that we need more safe assets in the financial system $$ Sep 14, 2013
  • Is the Demographic Shift Weakening Monetary Policy Effectiveness? http://t.co/SDaTi4zItG Older ppl react less 2changes in interest rates $$ Sep 10, 2013
  • Fed wants yet another tool in its swelled policy kit http://t.co/5BvNPM0ro6 fixed-rate, full-allotment overnight reverse repo agreements $$ Sep 09, 2013

 

Other

 

  • Detroit?s Bankruptcy and Pension Solution Depends More on its Planned Recovery and Rebirth – Not Just Cutting Costs http://t.co/RbkP5qNbeo! Sep 14, 2013
  • The prior article tweeted I disagree with. There r many high sounding words, amounting 2 “If we all clap, Tinkerbell will live!” $$ #nohope Sep 14, 2013
  • Insight: In Silicon Valley start-up world, pedigree counts http://t.co/tg1ox11QsK The school u went 2 or the firm u worked 4 matters $$ Sep 13, 2013
  • MIT?s Williams Decodes Economics of Gene Sequencing http://t.co/jPeJXSGK7d Economist connects intellectual pprty & incentives 2 research $$ Sep 12, 2013
  • Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change Admits Global Cooling? http://t.co/qZCWogzNwD Climate changes; it always changes $$ Sep 12, 2013
  • Financial Secrets Revealed! (Just Don?t Ask Where They Came From) http://t.co/5U6tugKpWV @retheauditors tells journos&readers2check facts $$ Sep 11, 2013
  • Fate or Destiny? http://t.co/FyEmhLLK0K @reformedbroker goes on hiatus? My but I will miss him. The financial blogosphere will miss him $$ Sep 11, 2013
  • The Weak Recovery Explains Rising Inequality, Not Vice Versa http://t.co/5fWR45Z3gi When growth was strong, incomes more even $$ Sep 10, 2013
  • Alcoa, H-P & Bank of America to Be Replaced on DJIA http://t.co/lDsl4dYVTL Nike, Visa & Goldman Sachs enter $$ $V $GS $NKE $AA $HPQ $BAC Sep 10, 2013
  • 10 ways to wipe out your retirement savings http://t.co/HjTw5raXEd Complexity, leverage, low diversification, self-custody, slick-talkers $$ Sep 09, 2013
  • Are the Baltic Dry Index Telling Us to Expect Stronger Economic Activity? http://t.co/5xZSe3HvTT BDI has been turning up lately, so maybe $$ Sep 09, 2013
  • http://t.co/Ti2RuDFD37 Did you read the deal terms? Looking at a special dividend of ~$5/share plus ~0.23 shs of $VZ per sh of $VOD. $$ Sep 09, 2013
  • AT&T Gets Tentative Approval to Fund Pension With Preferred Stock http://t.co/FS7tWqkxo8 In BK, pref stock worth little;PBGC holds bag $$ $T Sep 08, 2013

 

Verizon Bond Deal

  • How to Borrow $49B with a Stroke of a Pen http://t.co/v4djHDzgjh Bond deal of $VZ had weak covenants versus most investment grade deals $$ Sep 12, 2013
  • Verizon Nets $2.09 Billion Windfall for Bond Sale Buyers http://t.co/3EWb3AvE6z In order to get the deal done $VZ had to offer 4%+ gift $$ Sep 12, 2013
  • Verizon Pays Premium to Top Apple Bond Record http://t.co/VqnMkvWvn4 I would b wary of holding much long $VZ debt. Who doesn’t own it? $$ Sep 12, 2013
  • Verizon Plans $20B Debt Sale http://t.co/uwWhFrvlwY Biggest ever, & on top of $48B+ of existing debt, will have 2have juicy yields $$ $VZ Sep 10, 2013
  • Verizon may boost size of bond offering: sources http://t.co/CGF0NsXD24 $VZ gets ready 2 issue biggest USD corporate bond deal EVER $$ $25B+ Sep 10, 2013

 

Wrong, Etc.

  • Gundlach Says Fed Is Mistaken in How It?s Ending Easing http://t.co/LPAZUFia7n This article does not make clear what Gundlach objects to $$ Sep 12, 2013
  • 4 investment tips that you should never use http://t.co/hjfumLxV3u Mixed analysis where the author knocks down falsehoods and straw men $$ Sep 12, 2013
  • Confused: Buffett?s investing advice is a portfolio killer http://t.co/nQF65PRnaD More a criticism of Peter Lynch than Warren Buffett $$ Sep 12, 2013
  • Wrong: Systemically Important Banks in the Post-Crisis Era http://t.co/seuYEsF5L4 Long, and misses liquidity issues like repo financing $$ Sep 10, 2013

 

Retweets, Replies, and Comments

  • @munilass I read this and thought that things haven’t changed much since Heraclitus and Parmenides. Would like to hear his thoughts on Godel Sep 14, 2013
  • @jeffdanoff1 Of course I know that. I detest Paulson’s 5-year anniversary self-justification obfuscation. Kovacevich shoots straight. Sep 14, 2013
  • RT @munilass: Feynman’s lectures are now available online (Volume 1) http://t.co/K4TfrMkQuD (via @jtc_19) Sep 14, 2013
  • @munilass @BarbarianCap I too have appreciated your writings. They are worth keeping. If you don’t want to pay to do it, I could host them Sep 14, 2013
  • I just left a comment in “Buffett?s investing advice is a portfolio killer – Jeff Reeves’s Strength in Numbers – Ma?” http://t.co/6oyVHvcKgK Sep 12, 2013
  • Thanks @munilass | I knew u had written about this in the past. I’m a generalist w/bonds, so I thought I would show it 2u4 your thoughts $$ Sep 12, 2013
  • Hey @munilass — I would b interested in your opinion on this from The Committee For A Responsible Federal Budget http://t.co/GwHTQNSzfy Sep 11, 2013
  • Commented on StockTwits: @Financial_Iceberg Saw that & tweeted it yesterday. The question is how long China can c… http://t.co/b7dmG6PvE3 Sep 10, 2013
  • I just left a comment in “David Einhorn was right about this stock – MarketWatch” http://t.co/koU5CehwBZ Sep 09, 2013
  • @mcuban @howardlindzon Here is my reply, 2 large for twitter: http://t.co/qSgjjTYFRe Yes, most retail investors r dumb, but money can b made Sep 07, 2013
Sorted Weekly Tweets

Sorted Weekly Tweets

Posted on by David Merkel

Rest of the World

 

  • Risks of Capital Account Liberalization in China http://t.co/WkuOTqJsid Need stable macro policy, sound banking, & developed finl mkts $$ Sep 07, 2013
  • Putin Overwhelms Obama at the Sulky Summit http://t.co/5Hh3ShOjkp Putin is in a stronger position, b/c blocking is easier than attacking $$ Sep 07, 2013
  • China Beats US for Korean Students Seeing Career Ticket http://t.co/k2OK4qbWW3 English is common; learning Mandarin adds 2 skills $$ Sep 07, 2013
  • China and its Financial System: What Could Go Wrong? http://t.co/FBWAcwC792 Carl Walter explains it all in this well-written article $$ Sep 07, 2013
  • No Swift China Breakthrough Seen by Mao-to-Xi Scholar of Economy http://t.co/nwrmjWwpnF “You sow dragons? teeth, but you harvest fleas.” $$ Sep 06, 2013
  • Rich Norwegians Turn Down Labor Party as Welfare Loses Its Allure http://t.co/mpdTvgL3mu Fiscal policy about 2 get aggressive in Norway $$ Sep 06, 2013
  • Pension Stealth Rule Clears Path to Buy 60 Stocks: Korea http://t.co/ok3yTplmzy Natl Pension Svc receives approval to hold >10% of 60 cos $$ Sep 06, 2013
  • Banks Employing ‘Princelings’ Played Roles in Big Hong Kong IPOs http://t.co/jLPUCmKy7M Difficult to stop cos from hiring connected ppl $$ Sep 06, 2013
  • Europe?s Workers Flock to Norway for Better-Paying Jobs http://t.co/FsrMAaVHYJ Migration of under- & un-employed 2 stronger economies $$ Sep 06, 2013
  • The economics of China’s one-child policy http://t.co/tsSiRgnUdH Number of workers in China is already shrinking, aged are growing fast $$ Sep 06, 2013
  • The EU budget is a disaster that cannot save Greece http://t.co/6u6n2HArPB You can get money 4 capital projects, but not relief $$ Sep 05, 2013
  • Rajan Brings Stature to RBI Hamstrung by India?s Deficits http://t.co/dotiRrfaS4 Monetary policy forced to undertake impossible goals $$ Sep 05, 2013
  • The one map that shows why Syria is so complicated http://t.co/ElpNdB54pM Nations r hard 2 govern when they r collections of diff tribes $$ Sep 05, 2013
  • Fire and Water: China’s Looming Coal Problem http://t.co/LisCi2ocIJ China is short on water & long on coal. But u need water 2 get coal $$ Sep 02, 2013
  • Norway Oil Riches Up for Grabs as Anti-Tax Group Set to Win http://t.co/TlvF1ZcQ5K Politicians discover Sovereign Wealth Fund Cookie Jar $$ Sep 02, 2013
  • Plunging Currencies Plague Asian Companies http://t.co/qLhM89yUtZ Decoupling? The volatility machine of Fed policy smashes decoupling! $$ Sep 02, 2013
  • Today’s Alarming Japan-China Charts – James Fallows http://t.co/k8pLOfMZVd This should not be a surprise, they irritate each other often $$ Aug 31, 2013 *

US Politics & Policy

 

  • Push Intensifies for House Backing on Strikes http://t.co/bxnmgS9kRj House Emerges as Formidable Barrier for Attacks on Syria $$ Sep 07, 2013
  • Summers Faces Key ‘No’ Votes if Picked for Fed http://t.co/TGmWutqb8C Will be an interesting vote; how many Reps would support Summers? $$ Sep 07, 2013
  • Noonan: Why America Is Saying ‘No’ http://t.co/6esab4sOt4 We get that prior interventions haven’t helped, & we don’t have interests there $$ Sep 07, 2013
  • NSA Code Cracking Puts Google, Yahoo Security Under Fire http://t.co/2XNaPYKSi6 Foreign govts will cease to trust US internet companies $$ Sep 06, 2013
  • Congressional Vote Count on Syria http://t.co/y8DrdvFEjc Congress may not vote for military action. Graphic: http://t.co/czjHlMzT4Z $$ Sep 06, 2013
  • Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning, the New Dissidents? http://t.co/pvy4J0lM4X US govt has too many secrets, collects data it should not $$ Sep 06, 2013
  • Abortion Clinics Close at Record Pace After States Tighten Rules http://t.co/Xw7rlQyyQu Many would like 2 adopt babies that r not wanted $$ Sep 06, 2013
  • Health Savings Accounts as Antidote to Obamacare http://t.co/BfoHItREQi HSAs r closer to a first party payer model & reduces costs $$ Sep 06, 2013
  • Why Wall Street Wants Larry Summers (and Why the Rest of Us Should Not) http://t.co/fgkERCxJHV We lose either way; Yellen is no prize $$ Sep 05, 2013
  • Budget cuts laying off scientists http://t.co/OLSk4V7t7J Scientist shouldn’t b given special status, their labor doesn’t always work out $$ Sep 05, 2013
  • Across U.S., bridges crumble as repair funds fall short http://t.co/iEZdmTdLAE Deferred Maintenance takes its toll on bridges $$ #sadbuttrue Sep 05, 2013
  • Bloomberg United States Financial Conditions Index Chart – BFCIUS http://t.co/bf6Df4mCNA Lending markets r calm, even complacent $$ #uhoh Sep 05, 2013
  • The White House walk-and-talk that changed Obama’s mind on Syria http://t.co/q47QbKgLe3 Syria is not our responsibility; let others fight $$ Sep 03, 2013
  • Wall Street Knows a Bad Trade When it Sees One http://t.co/WrqYD97yrV Cold. Calculated. Politically savvy. @reformedbroker nails it $$ Sep 03, 2013
  • Judge Rules in Case of Fortune Tied to Buffett http://t.co/Vzfu6CUaRr Fascinating, tangled tale of the invasion of endowment funds $$ $BRK.B Sep 02, 2013
  • Have to give Obama some praise. War is such a serious thing that it should run through Congress, to get the wide assent of the people. $$ Sep 01, 2013

 

Market Impact

 

  • In a cold market, typically some of the best IPOs get done. They have economic purpose when capital is skittish. $$ http://t.co/vUZYJ6PifB Sep 06, 2013
  • Don?t cry for ?the little guy on Wall Street? http://t.co/yxshyVk1ZI @felixsalmon argues that added liquidity benefits small investors $$ Sep 06, 2013
  • Dealers in Debt Pare Commitments Raising Risk as Rules Bite http://t.co/rDNO5bjGb9 Given new regulations, using capital 2hold bonds loses $$ Sep 06, 2013
  • Buybacks to Dividends at Risk With Record-Low Yields Ending http://t.co/FmgW7Enddq If due to rises in real rates, yes. Inflation, no $$ Sep 06, 2013
  • Have ‘Alternative’ Investments Lost Their Diversification Value? http://t.co/bqviG1zz6o When buyer base gets broad, correlations increase $$ Sep 05, 2013
  • Money Fund Lehman Moment Lurks as New Protections Stall http://t.co/nYWXGT237C Better to eliminate units upon defaults & keep stable NAV $$ Sep 05, 2013
  • Mortgage Rate Flip-Flop: Jumbo Loans Now Cheaper http://t.co/X5lsOnm1eU Low mtge loan demand & fedfunds may allow this 2 persist 4 awhile $$ Sep 05, 2013
  • Mad Men or Wise Men? Investors Today vs the 1960s http://t.co/t4mgitnOTZ We turn over portfolios 10x faster, but business is not faster $$ Sep 03, 2013
  • The Number One Threat to the Market http://t.co/sIlbEa3T1s @reformedbroker argues that a quick bond market meltdown is the worst scenario $$ Sep 03, 2013

 

US Economics & Monetary Policy

 

  • Economy recovers, income doesn’t http://t.co/TdJovea4GZ More of the total earnings stream flows through profits, median doesn’t have that $$ Sep 05, 2013
  • QE3 is ineffective in growing credit in the US http://t.co/EfbCDHpEdW Banks r content to not take much risk 4 now $$ Sep 05, 2013
  • America’s ‘Baby Bust’ Starts to Ease http://t.co/s2NNshIR6t When total fertility rates decline, it is almost impossible 2 get them 2 rise $$ Sep 05, 2013
  • Money For Nothing:Inside the Federal Reserve- Coming to a theater near you! Check out the trailer: http://t.co/Mi1umflvO6 @FedDocumentary $$ Sep 04, 2013
  • Starbucks Pastor-to-Be Shows Shift in US Part-Time Job Market http://t.co/RSAVmIYcM3 Part-time work fits the lives of childless students $$ Sep 02, 2013
  • Investors Are Doing Better Than Workers http://t.co/48jh3R8nxl Wages stagnant, stocks rising from buybacks, dividends, little new capex $$ Aug 31, 2013

?

Companies & Industries

 

  • Gorman Says Chance of Another Financial Crisis ?Close to Zero? http://t.co/BZlTXxjfQX Revisit when the Fed starts tightening; 2 early now $$ Sep 07, 2013
  • Batista?s $1B Put Propels OGX to Record Gain http://t.co/iEYE6XOAqf Avoid: novel financing, currency mismatches, forced recapitalizations $$ Sep 06, 2013
  • Tankers Worst Since 1997 on Africa Oil Slowdown to China http://t.co/z0t63Q5CWl Chinese economy slowing down, reveals tanker glut $$ Sep 05, 2013

 

Other

 

  • NASA Set to Launch Moon Probe http://t.co/BPAF7X5OlU I have neighbors going to the local high spot 2c if they can see the rocket ascend $$ Sep 07, 2013
  • The rocket blasts off from NASA Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore of Virginia near Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge Sep 07, 2013
  • Your Phone Is Deadlier Than Pacific Sushi http://t.co/sqNFG9r55d Interesting argument about radiation levels, but watch the mercury $$ Sep 06, 2013
  • President Tyler?s Grandson on Being Alive http://t.co/X3AX9vchEn Long generations 63 & 75 yrs, he’s ~84. 1790 + 63 + 75 + 84 = 2012 $$ Aug 31, 2013
  • The Rubber-Band Millionaire http://t.co/8uHOqQJPbB The pit in the stomach, staring @ a ton of rubber bands in garage, bot w/kids college $$ Aug 31, 2013

?

Retweets, Replies & Comments

  • Thanks @garyvee @DonnyGoines for being top new followers in my community this week 🙂 | insight by http://t.co/sern3wLA13 Sep 06, 2013
  • Thanks @moneyscience @japhychron for being top engaged members in my community this week 🙂 | insight by http://t.co/sern3wLA13 Sep 05, 2013
  • “There are many more AAA companies in the US, but they aren’t publicly traded; only 4 publiclytraded.” ? David_Merkel http://t.co/mcv5KS3AsK Sep 03, 2013
  • Thanks @garyvee @OGMarcusC for being top new followers in my community this week 🙂 | insight by http://t.co/sern3wLA13 Sep 03, 2013
  • Thanks @GaelicTorus @The_Analyst for being top engaged members in my community this week 🙂 | insight by http://t.co/sern3wLA13 Sep 02, 2013
  • There is little proof that price inflation will drive real growth. The result could be stagflation which… http://t.co/wEehl1ryyZ Aug 31, 2013
  • @felixsalmon Fisk away, there is a lot of low-hanging fruit. Aug 31, 2013
  • RT @jake_f: Niederhoffer down 11% in July. Managed futures has been just brutal past three years. Time for an industry reboot. http://t.co/? Aug 31, 2013 *
Sorted Weekly Tweets

Sorted Weekly Tweets

Posted on by David Merkel

Companies & Industries

 

  • Falling gas prices this Fall http://t.co/EQkgsyKoSm Pollution requirements fall, people drive less, overcomes geopolitical effects $$ Aug 30, 2013
  • Wal-Mart vs Costco, Why My Critics R Wrong http://t.co/2eBuKkJ8G2 $WMT offers more variety vs $COST | thus more people lower wage rates $$ Aug 30, 2013
  • Brazilian Billionaire Who Controls Your Beer, Condiments, & Whopper http://t.co/CbfdxNQLAP Long piece on Jorge Lemann $$ #Heinz $BRK.B Aug 30, 2013
  • New York to Seattle Buyers Tap Brakes After Rates Rise http://t.co/uU0NS9CiCU Rising prices & mortgage rates mean loan payments 2 high $$ Aug 30, 2013
  • US Bank Legal Bills Exceed $100B Bloomberg http://t.co/BklYyebbFV Just think how profitable they will be when the dust settles 😉 $$ Aug 29, 2013
  • Cheap Corn Deters Buyers in US Sugar-for-Ethanol Plan http://t.co/sAYPAt1G9g Corn scarcity becomes corn glut, reinforcing sugar glut $$ Aug 29, 2013
  • Why Wal-Mart Will Never Pay Like Costco http://t.co/EPVjeV0OvF $WMT has much wider diversity of products, so more workers @ lower pay $$ Aug 29, 2013
  • Why Is Chicken More Expensive? Ask McDonald’s http://t.co/iU7OzuIF8f When $MCD adds a new ingredient to their menu, drives prices higher $$ Aug 29, 2013
  • Xerox Can Fix Number-Switching Scanners, but Not Altered Docs http://t.co/6HfzO8IqtV Could b a lot of work 2 re-scan originals if u havem $$ Aug 27, 2013
  • JPMorgan Worth 30% More If Broken Up, KBW Says http://t.co/b5eJc14Lio Pure play financial institutions always get better valuations $JPM $$ Aug 24, 2013
  • Apple, Samsung, IBM, World’s Universities in Graphene Gold Rush http://t.co/riFRiMHAzN Crystalline Carbon 1 atom thick sheets are amazing $$ Aug 24, 2013
  • College is like gasoline, demand for it is inelastic. Thus any subsidy gets captured by the college, & taxes get eaten by gas consumers $$ Aug 24, 2013
  • The Real Reason College Costs So Much http://t.co/NJNV3Ksovg Richard Vedder explains how federal subsidies push up the price on college $$ Aug 24, 2013
  • djco_corresp-031513.htm http://t.co/VwvVLv7mZi Munger’s law firm explains y $DJCO shouldn’t b viewed as an investment company. Well done! $$ Aug 24, 2013

US Politics & Policy

 

  • Obama Is About 2Undermine His Mideast Doctrine http://t.co/VveJslt6LM Obama has mostly tried 2disengage US from Mideast, this reverses it $$ Aug 30, 2013
  • The Rising Cost of Social Security Disability Insurance http://t.co/4sEVmFKDfc SSDI’s trust fund runs out is 2016; 2EZ 2get on disability $$ Aug 29, 2013
  • And Next Year There Will Be an Eighth Budget ?Showdown? http://t.co/2nflqEZLPM Rate of budget growth slowed, but scope of govt expands $$ Aug 29, 2013
  • Regulators Ease Mortgage Rules http://t.co/LuEU9uY1Hz Swiss cheese regs destroy direct incentives 4 originators 2 produce quality loans $$ Aug 29, 2013
  • Regulators Back Away From Tougher Mortgage Rules http://t.co/4WQwGVNnF9 More capital needs to be held against exotic mortgage loans, good $$ Aug 29, 2013
  • Obama Meets Panel Reviewing US Surveillance Programs http://t.co/kjDsoD3K7D Repeal the Patriot Act; modifications r not enough $$ Aug 28, 2013
  • College Leaders Wary of Obama Plan Linking College Aid to Rank http://t.co/jw7K3X29TV Plan could hurt the very parties Obama wants 2 help $$ Aug 25, 2013
  • Samantha Power on the Duty to Intervene http://t.co/B4ttOrPB3T This argues that the US should be the cop of the globe 4 the worst things $$ Aug 25, 2013

?

Rest of the World

 

  • Sinopec-Apache Deal Shows China’s Resource Appetite http://t.co/90Yr1G9aUN China learns how 2negotiate minority stakes in oil properties $$ Aug 30, 2013
  • Hollande Draws Heat From Biz 4 Tax-Driven Pension Revamp http://t.co/62E5lKMHqr France?s tax burden is ~46% of GDP, 3rd highest in Europe $$ Aug 30, 2013
  • Scandinavia?s Weakest Nation Finds Welfare Habits Too Costly http://t.co/UCNH3umT7p Denmark looks forward, realizes it must cut welfare $$ Aug 30, 2013
  • The Abenomics Mirage: In Reality, Too Many Challenges? http://t.co/542B5V4JHw Japan imports on net so a lower yen doesn’t help much $$ Aug 30, 2013
  • Schaeuble Snubs Greek Plea for Direct Bank Recapitalization http://t.co/lCStBdF3Qc Perhaps Greece needs 2 establish effective taxation $$ Aug 29, 2013
  • Spaniards Fleeing Jobless Scourge Seek Jobs in Morocco http://t.co/pZZexcIzCY Can’t earn as much but can earn something as Spain shrinks $$ Aug 29, 2013
  • Start-Ups Fill Void Left by Spain?s 26% Unemployment Rate http://t.co/9a2RqRUG6i If u can’t work 4 someone else u can work 4 yourself $$ Aug 28, 2013
  • Czech Zero Percent Lending Rate Feeds Home-Buying Frenzy http://t.co/cWZ24eKjxb Bad things happen when there is seemingly free $$ available Aug 28, 2013
  • Vietnam Rises as Middle Power at Defense Summit http://t.co/tHVz8Yn4SP Wants to stay neutral btw the US & China, while protecting itself $$ Aug 28, 2013
  • Teachers Roil Mexico Capital http://t.co/qrQif3mpsY Maybe it’s time 2 move the capital out of Mexico City, to someplace more hospitable $$ Aug 28, 2013
  • Emerging-Market Rout Intensifies on Syria Jitters http://t.co/U4upWVYVAE Jitters affect oil mkt & it spills over in to weak emerging mkts $$ Aug 28, 2013
  • Fed Officials Rebuff Coordination Calls as QE Taper Looms http://t.co/kTaFgn7CwT Emerging markets whipsawed as US monetary policy shifts $$ Aug 28, 2013
  • Veteran Saudi Power Player Prince Bandar Works To Build Support to Topple Assad http://t.co/cXFO7hLG9W Islamic proxy war continues $$ Aug 27, 2013
  • Emerging Europe Is a Haven in Selloff http://t.co/OErr8eqJjt Hard to damage nations w/more orthodox fiscal policies, but still part of EZ $$ Aug 27, 2013
  • Emerging market slump highlights Fed’s global reach http://t.co/mxmfLY6ya2 The US sneezes & the world catches cold, again $$ Aug 27, 2013
  • Charlene Chu Interview with Goldman on China?s Credit Bubble http://t.co/ytHhrZYm7H Excellent Interview showing future China weakness $$ Aug 27, 2013

 

Other

 

  • Scientists Shed New Light on Black Holes http://t.co/oNyfGEJKHM The speed w/which gas is pulled toward a black hole repels some entering $$ Aug 30, 2013
  • Is It Evil to Send Your Kids to Private School??http://t.co/SljCeNm7qq Parents will always find ways 2keep children out of subpar schools $$ Aug 30, 2013
  • Age-Related Forgetfulness Tied to Diminished Brain Protein http://t.co/fFe2U2eqQw This may have some promise in reducing dementia $$ Aug 30, 2013
  • Definitive merger agreement between 2 business journalists http://t.co/Pup53ksizg Do some R&D, & create subsidiaries that will b spun off $$ Aug 30, 2013
  • How Haute Vegetables R Conquering $500 Tasting Menus http://t.co/QTAxKlwm1S Borage is a well-known medicinal herb; interesting 1st course $$ Aug 29, 2013
  • Six Reasons the US Will Dominate http://t.co/ZreqluzZJS Immigrants, more workers, entrepreneurship, labor flexibility, <Financing, strong $$ Aug 28, 2013
  • P2P lending pulls in big investors – should you bite? http://t.co/jyg3kdaSrr Soon 2 come, a peer2peer lending closed-end fund $$ #ohno #FTL Aug 28, 2013
  • Shoeshines Keep Wall Street in the Black (or Maybe Brown) http://t.co/LQNtODrhcP A unique institution stays alive on Wall Street $$ Aug 27, 2013
  • Sometimes I think Federal education policy is designed to weigh down the system, making it easier 4 private & home schools 2 outperform $$ Aug 27, 2013
  • Biggest Changes in a Decade Greet Students http://t.co/BIgJHbqiLN Some Teachers, Parents Push Back on New Standards “Common Core” $$ Aug 27, 2013
  • Home Births on the Rise for New York Families http://t.co/MYxaaeEWua Fascinating trend, though I think the best is a midwife @ a hospital $$ Aug 27, 2013
  • Midwives provides far better care than doctors w/normal deliveries, & they r cheaper. Being @ a hospital provides insurance if trouble $$ Aug 27, 2013
  • Are You Ready for the Post-College SAT? http://t.co/WyscN8A7W6 College is not valuable to some employers -> a new test 2 show your smarts $$ Aug 27, 2013
  • Regarding that last tweet, could testing replace college? Credentialing is important, but do we need to waste four years to credential? $$ Aug 27, 2013
  • Jail Becomes Home for Husband Stuck With Lifetime Alimony http://t.co/Mb4Q8Q0PjH Debtors prison returns in a new form $$ long article Aug 27, 2013
  • Muriel Siebert, First Woman to Buy Seat on NYSE, Dies at 84 http://t.co/qzeE9csU2K Used to have an account w/her firm; good company $$ Aug 27, 2013
  • Ben Franklin Gets a Makeover http://t.co/Rxm3ipFY0g Ben Franklin owned slaves?! Whouda thunk it! New presentation about a complex guy $$ Aug 25, 2013
  • Dishwashers Beat Clothes as US Moms Use Hand-Me-Downs http://t.co/cbcn0ENrp1 People buy things w/longer-term value, reduce luxuries $$ Aug 25, 2013

 

PPACA / Obamacare

 

  • A New Kind of Insurance Head-Scratcher: Estimating Future Income http://t.co/YeW19BKNhf Incentive will b2 under-report until checked $$ Aug 30, 2013
  • The Young and the Healthy http://t.co/PuODKsJBSZ One more calculator 4 Obamacare subsidies 4 young & not well-paid $$ Old win, young lose Aug 30, 2013
  • Senior Discounts http://t.co/Do37iNPq7I Interesting illustrative calculator on premium subsidies under Obamacare. Incentives to earn less $$ Aug 30, 2013
  • Thus PPACA will have an incentive 2 destroy working, & the exchanges will fail, as they will only attract the sick, young ppl stay away $$ Aug 30, 2013
  • Also, look at this graphic http://t.co/WTV8HAcVVZ As incomes go from 25K to 55K, subsidy is lost & an implied 17% tax from the loss $$ Aug 30, 2013
  • Subsidies for Older Buyers Give Health Insurers a Headache http://t.co/0eOfVj33XU Subsidies will will older poor in2 exchanges, not young $$ Aug 30, 2013

 

Harbinger Group Life Insurance IPO
?? Falcone Insurer Said to Seek $1 Billion Valuation in IPO – Bloomberg http://t.co/RoHy0ODzQu & my tart comments: http://t.co/JSu9QvtXhf $$ Aug 30, 2013

  • Harbinger’s insurance unit files for $100M IPO http://t.co/72DBoMSG6C $HRG pays itself a dividend; dig the 28pp of risk factors @ the SEC $$ Aug 29, 2013

 

Market Impact

 

  • Pimco Sees Taper in Worst MBS Slump Since 1999 http://t.co/UdXVCkajVo Bond market summary, particularly noting taper effect on MBS market $$ Aug 30, 2013
  • Some IPOs Aim for Small Investors http://t.co/3hh47lfQ6K Keep your hand on your wallet, alternative stock distribution methods untested $$ Aug 30, 2013
  • Currency Spikes at 4 PM in London Provide Rigging Clues http://t.co/fyG78r3RhI All human systems r gamed; need 2 acct 4 that w/benchmarks $$ Aug 28, 2013
  • How ?black squirrels? infested Wall Street http://t.co/6CIVfJcpAF Efforts to level playing field made it more opaque & hazardous $$ #complex Aug 27, 2013
  • Cyclical Stocks Looking Historically Cheap http://t.co/FomqlE3ZDq Yes, cheap. What will happen 2 cyclical earnings if the economy slows? $$ Aug 25, 2013

 

Central Banking

 

  • Fed’s IG says central bank violated document rules http://t.co/YCtbIbhfAJ Issued minutes of policy meeting a day b4 the scheduled release $$ Aug 30, 2013
  • Did Fed?s Forward Guidance Backfire? Paper Says Probably http://t.co/C4Ew7T2AXR The idea that clear Fed communication works is unproven $$ Aug 25, 2013
  • Summers as Obama Voice of Authority Rides Car Rescue in Fed Race http://t.co/EKKOnRhvq1 Good piece on y Obama may pick Summers 4Fed Chair $$ Aug 25, 2013

 

Wrong, Etc.

  • Wrong: CLO Rule Aimed to Pass Retention to Banks Won?t Work, RBS Says http://t.co/KkQQ8l2lqw Will shrink the # of issuers, that’s not bad $$ Aug 29, 2013
  • Bad title: Why Is Vladimir Putin Acting So Crazy? http://t.co/ILtxIFNOSO He’s acting rationally in response to changing conditions $$ Aug 29, 2013
  • Wrong:Will Obama Make the Fed Even Worse? http://t.co/YZblnIKzOe Not well argued. More about his view $$ policy is 2 tight, less about Obama Aug 27, 2013
  • Sort of: The Strong Case for Optimism About US Growth http://t.co/5LJgQuli4v Except it is optimism after 5 more years of deleveraging $$ Aug 27, 2013

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Retweets, Replies & Comments

  • RT @EddyElfenbein: Happy 83rd Birthday to Warren Edward Buffett @WarrenBuffett. The Dow was at 240.42 eighty-three years ago. Aug 30, 2013
  • #FollowFriday Thanks @ReformedBroker @pelias01 @researchpuzzler for being top influencers in my community this week 🙂 Aug 30, 2013
  • Thanks @OGMarcusC @Metalbanker for being top new followers in my community this week 🙂 | insight by http://t.co/sern3wLA13 Aug 30, 2013
  • @ledbetreuters If you had your own website, & had a Google Page Rank over 5, u would get around two of those per week. Very pesky. Aug 30, 2013
  • RT @azizonomics: Nobel War Prize Aug 30, 2013
  • RT @ianbremmer: Knock knock. Who’s there? The international community. The international community who? Precisely. Aug 30, 2013
  • RT @treehcapital: Yet another reason to love New Zealand @pkedrosky: New Zealand bans software patents http://t.co/6ah7N84QtA Aug 29, 2013
  • Thanks @researchpuzzler @AndreCimini for being top engaged members in my community this week 🙂 | insight by http://t.co/sern3wLA13 Aug 26, 2013
  • @alisonforns And I see the glass as 70 fewer than 140. What a wonderful world! Aug 26, 2013
Sorted Weekly Tweets

Sorted Weekly Tweets

Posted on by David Merkel

Obamacare

 

  • Boehner Tells Caucus House Will Keep Fighting Health Law http://t.co/VZeSkA5Jrq If the company mandate is delayed, y not the individual 1 $$ Aug 24, 2013
  • California Health Exchange Might Face Online-Enrollment Delay http://t.co/5nTQeDFEAR More glitches as we get closer to Obamacare fiasco $$ Aug 24, 2013
  • Jeffrey Singer: The Man Who Was Treated for $17,000 Less http://t.co/dTGoBndvj1 You have to understand how negotiable medical costs are $$ Aug 23, 2013
  • UPS to End Insurance Coverage for 15,000 Working Spouses http://t.co/Ndp3ptfaUD This is the future as Obamacare comes into existence $$ Aug 22, 2013
  • Jeffrey Singer: The Man Who Was Treated for $17,000 Less http://t.co/ymcmo3b8dg First party payment reduces health costs, not ins/govt $$ Aug 22, 2013
  • Republicans in Echo Before Big Burn Defy Affordable Care http://t.co/DwuUuc7FvL In this era, it probably helps the Reps, LBJ’s era not $$ Aug 22, 2013
  • Obamacare exemption ? none dare call it treason http://t.co/TdZ8z7sTIk Congress and Administration r exempt from the PPACA $$ #FTL Aug 20, 2013
  • GOP keeps needling Obamacare in key Senate states http://t.co/rXg2MsHiJe Complexity of PPACA makes it its own worst enemy; ez 2 thwart $$ Aug 19, 2013
  • Norquist Says Obama to Take Health Delays, Avoid Shutdown http://t.co/lKKhe0I8zo House can block things, Senate cooperation unlikely $$ Aug 17, 2013
  • Obama Suspends the Law. What Would Lincoln Say? http://t.co/uxQRHyhFtM Article made me sympathize with Lincoln. Could Obama be Impeached? $$ Aug 17, 2013

 

Wrong

 

  • Wrong: Why the US Power Grid’s Days Are Numbered http://t.co/sSjDoiXi0T Overstates the green case. More difficult to dismantle grid $$ Aug 24, 2013
  • Wrong: How To Invest Like Carl Icahn http://t.co/61croVtW0J U can’t invest like Carl Icahn b/c u can’t b big enuf 2 bully mgmt teams $$ $IEP Aug 23, 2013
  • Word to Fed: Less Talk, More Action http://t.co/EuWfo30Ilg When u have 2 re-explain what u r doing a # of times, u probably don’t get it $$ Aug 22, 2013
  • Wrong: Janet Yellen called the housing bust and has been mostly right on jobs http://t.co/wHq8SyYUT2 Yellen did not call housing bust $$ Aug 19, 2013
  • Wrong: Summers-led Fed might raise rates faster than Yellen http://t.co/GBD0jd2X0N Forces being dealt w/r larger than individual ideas $$ Aug 19, 2013

 

Politics & Policy

 

  • Has Eric Holder Found Wall Street?s Nightmare? http://t.co/spsgAgaFGq 2 early 2 say; tough to prove that people had bad motives vs stupid $$ Aug 24, 2013
  • Ivory Tower Types Fall for Bigger Inflation Fix http://t.co/alOdKibbY0 Inflation is tough to eliminate once it gets entrenched $$ Aug 22, 2013
  • Obama to Propose College Ratings System on Bus Tour http://t.co/9W4oHqAZuE Haven’t we distorted incentives on college enough already? $$ Aug 22, 2013
  • Secret Court Faulted NSA for Collecting Domestic Data http://t.co/u5ZfLMGSgt If govt can’t tell us about it, they shouldn’t b doing it $$ Aug 22, 2013
  • Why Science and Politics Don?t Mix http://t.co/yfpdWVgsD1 Science is compromised when observers cease 2b neutral & overstate conclusions $$ Aug 22, 2013
  • Justice Department Plans New Crisis-Related Cases http://t.co/S8CkRvgUS8 nothing serious here, just late grandstanding & posturing $$ Aug 21, 2013
  • New Details Show Broader NSA Surveillance Reach http://t.co/YheueW5yH0 Giving up liberty 4 security means that we will have neither $$ Aug 21, 2013
  • More Than Half of U.S. College Students Get Federal Aid http://t.co/mWuvnqKdUp If we reduced the aid given 2 students, tuition would fall $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Ignoring Write-Offs, Report Says http://t.co/DFpqBCQg8M Reported earnings may b overstated, as dud loans persist $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • Raising Kids? Your Taxes Are Far Too High http://t.co/DxMfAii5rQ Especially counting value of kids future contributions 2 entitlements $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • http://t.co/8hiwajBdQY Congress gets a bunch of general and basic nostrums about how financial risk modeling is done and implemented $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • Fed Finds 18 Large Banks Weak in at Least One Capital Area http://t.co/js2t2GA4QD Fed’s study shows moderate knowledge of risk mgmt $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • Greenwich Stilt Houses Foreshadow Impact of New FEMA Maps http://t.co/k1NCEJu3QH Think of the taxpayer subsidy from premiums that r2 low $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • Treasury Faces Coupon Conundrum With 5Yr Sale, Wrightson Says http://t.co/BlkOiDQUc2 We have computers now, not everything has 2b eighths $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • Last Bernanke Years Shows No Sign of Buyer?s Remorse http://t.co/Fxn65Dplc6 Why should he? Providing liquidity easy; taking it back hard $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • The other part of the story is that people who work have a purpose, and that makes them happier. Shame about younger people not employed $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • Mailman at 72 With America?s Longest Route http://t.co/dO83WuaDhl Long story showing future, where old people keep working til they die $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • NSA broke privacy rules thousands of times per year, audit finds http://t.co/ktru7qsjpP NSA search abuses r not rare; we need to end NSA $$ Aug 17, 2013
  • The Baby Penalty http://t.co/JrFZ7FdznR Female PhDs who have children lose opportunities. True 4 all who take time from work 4 family $$ Aug 17, 2013
  • Teachers Face License Loss http://t.co/xwUNt0eXi5 This almost never happens. The teachers’ unions always find a way 2 protect their own $$ Aug 17, 2013

 

 

Rest of the World

 

  • It Looks Like 1998 Again in China http://t.co/7iMW87Dwi7 Excess capacity to export what world doesn’t need plus high financial debts $$ Aug 22, 2013
  • ‘Leftover women’ in China face tough choices in looking for love http://t.co/AFcEc1jNy5 Women like2marry up, which means many won’t marry $$ Aug 21, 2013
  • Who Is Ali Khamenei? http://t.co/sRFb9Vx1Bw Long & nuanced article on the supreme leader of Iran – History, views, influences, & theories $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • Mexico’s Pemex Looks to Tap U.S. Shale http://t.co/pNybLXhEkl This doesn’t look like a smart idea; most good business is incremental $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • Allies Thwart America in Egypt http://t.co/MaZFQgiytT Israel, Saudis and UAE Support Egyptian Military Moves $$ #choosefreedomvsdemocracy Aug 20, 2013
  • Israel Boosts Ties With Egyptian Army as US Mulls Cuts http://t.co/kCEBsYkn9r Politics makes strange bedfellows $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • Al Qaeda ‘rat line’ from Syria to Iraq turns back against Assad http://t.co/HZT5GIq1Tv Actions taken against US in Iraq now harm Assad $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • Bankers Supplanted by Elves as Iceland Chases Cash http://t.co/0Y5VaiARla A place where allowing banks to fail worked well $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • Central-Bank Moves Blur the View http://t.co/jHDD9J3YNK Bodes well 4 their bonds, tough 4 the stocks of their exporters, importers ok $$ Aug 24, 2013
  • Potash Rift Seen Lasting as Asia Sales Said to Rile Uralkali http://t.co/ZukaWiW93y Interesting article reviews potash cartel history $$ Aug 22, 2013
  • Gold Rout Seen Bottoming by Analysts as China Buys http://t.co/mMaG8Jaknq & China Gold-Mine Deals at Record http://t.co/vONBXclnCB $$ Aug 22, 2013
  • Regulatory Concern Grows along with Surge in Interbank Business http://t.co/Y0oLNP3PK1 Surge in China Interbank lending is worrisome $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • Egypt’s Former President Mubarak May Be Freed http://t.co/YbrJ7Poanv A logical outcome, 1 that shows the Army is playing “for keeps” now $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • In classified cyberwar against Iran, trail of Stuxnet leak leads to White House http://t.co/WqTyDR1dqV Will this lead 2 anything negative $$ Aug 19, 2013
  • Last of Zuma?s Main Critics Sidelined as Vavi Suspended http://t.co/ngu2QOw2pq South Africa traded one oligarchy for another $$ Aug 17, 2013
  • The Dutch, Europe’s apostles of austerity, feel the economic pain http://t.co/W9ikIwOHN8 Paying the piper 4 taking on 2 much debt $$ Aug 17, 2013
  • Easy Credit Dries Up, Choking Growth in China http://t.co/7eazmWiqGK Payoff 4 malinvestment may b arriving. Japan 1989 -> China 2013 $$ Aug 17, 2013

Market Impact

 

  • Market Size Complex Systems = More Glitches http://t.co/6Gkq77izIJ We can reduce glicthes if we reduce complexity & choice 4 large $$ mgrs Aug 24, 2013
  • Americans don?t know anything about interest rates & portfolios http://t.co/V2rqmydGq1 Investment returns r magic 2retail $$ @reformedbroker Aug 22, 2013
  • Hedge Funds Severely Underperforming This Year http://t.co/PLQBp1ssb1 Net exposure relatively high, but heavily shorted stocks rally 33% $$ Aug 22, 2013
  • Low-volatility ETFs may not be what they used to be http://t.co/p4zpWCdQRj Any investment strategy can b overused, & returns vanish $$ Aug 21, 2013
  • Looking for value: When the child outperforms the parent http://t.co/gmylpI7pC8 Spinoffs r underanalyzed companies w/incentive 2 focus $$ Aug 21, 2013
  • Bond Trading Hampered as Buyers Retreat to Crowded Exits http://t.co/EBj9OFkhqW Overstates the degree dealer inventories affect prices $$ Aug 21, 2013
  • CLO Refinancings at $50 Billion Seen Rewarding Riskiest Issues http://t.co/Ld77dfXKxB Feels like 2006 in credit craziness $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • Repo Market Decline Raises Alarm as Regulation Strains Debt http://t.co/fFydHkauRI Repo market getting less liquid, that’s not so bad $$ Aug 20, 2013

 

 

Companies & Industries

?

  • Buyout of $AIG Unit Is On the Rocks http://t.co/zb7EftICWg Difficult to overstate how sensitive ILFC profits r2 cheapness of financing $$ Aug 22, 2013
  • Water + Sunshine = Fuel as Lab in California Chases Dream http://t.co/Nqd5eVn6Ar Dream indeed. Call me a skeptic on the science here $$ Aug 22, 2013
  • A New Spate of Deaths in the Wireless Industry http://t.co/EEVOPXlUc7 Every death is tragic, but w/deaths <20/yr, that doesn’t seem high $$ Aug 22, 2013
  • Kodak Reorganization Approval Affirms Move From Cameras http://t.co/wUX4KrfsGR Unsecured creditors get 4-5% of their claims, stock gets 0 $$ Aug 21, 2013
  • Problem for Bezos: Mall Becoming Cheaper Than Amazon http://t.co/tYs8IFQ48Q Who knows? Maybe $AMZN will have to earn $$ to exist. #nonprofit Aug 20, 2013
  • The busiest acquirer you haven’t heard of http://t.co/RMHEieOBCW Many acquisitions in a short time is usually a recipe for disaster. $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • Shale Grab in U.S. Stalls as Falling Values Repel Buyers http://t.co/BYEQHshJ8T Anytime there is a boom, prices overshoot, then writeoffs $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • What Tim Cook and Apple should do with all that cash http://t.co/xHA5hdDGmv Harder than it sounds, most of the $$ trapped abroad, bond deal Aug 20, 2013
  • The 1975 Buffett memo that saved the Washington Post’s pension http://t.co/Qqz2IaMJni Buffett was always a smart guy; prescient in 1975 $$ Aug 19, 2013
  • Cisco and the Search for New Life http://t.co/C2lqAabQvb Companies w/strong core businesses have a hard time expanding into new business $$ Aug 17, 2013
  • Rail-Truck Shipments Reveal Holiday Sales Clues http://t.co/fEWjKfTd13 Holiday sales may rise, higher volume of goods transported in 2013 $$ Aug 17, 2013
  • Fixed Indexed Annuities Merit Caution http://t.co/kdT27o1bMC Law should give contractholders right 2 full value withdrawal if transferred $$ Aug 17, 2013
  • Oil-Pipeline Cracks Evading Robotic ‘Smart Pigs’ http://t.co/c7d8qMuP6f If cracks r along the welds, they don’t get detected easily $$ Aug 17, 2013

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Other

 

  • JPMorgan Sub-New Normal Growth Seen Vexing Next Fed Chief http://t.co/gFB1O6s6o0 New Fed Chief will face economy traveling @ stall speed $$ Aug 23, 2013
  • Economists Need to Admit When They?re Wrong http://t.co/GSX4QDPKuf Crisis caused by a huge rise in private debt; economists missed that $$ Aug 22, 2013
  • Green Bay: More Legends Than Streets http://t.co/eGukXTOlvd Smallest franchise city has more heroes than streets to append their names $$ Aug 22, 2013
  • Abandoned Dogs Roam Detroit in Packs as Humans Dwindle http://t.co/AJd1lBtxKG This is strangely fitting; Detroit slowly becomes 3rd world $$ Aug 21, 2013
  • Eating of Sausages http://t.co/Nwp7mpZZvY “no Christian is bound to do those things which God has not decreed.” Of Calvinism old & modern $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • Seth Lipsky: Ben Bernanke’s Anger and the AIG Case http://t.co/EIxoFh4jwu Questionable legal ground4the Fed’s takeover of AIG 2b explored $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • Why An M.B.A. Isn’t Good Enough Anymore http://t.co/P6JKKWoP8R High costs, changing demographics, technological change-> reinvent the MBA $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • Broker Audits Marred by Conflicts of Interest, Watchdog Says http://t.co/00kRqPx3xm Deficiencies >95% of brokerage audits it reviewed $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • What’s Ailing America’s Cattle? http://t.co/eTaMLTK1zc Scientists Suspect Livestock-Feed Additives Are Behind Distress $$ Be careful Aug 20, 2013
  • Student Test Scores Rose When Teachers Retired Early http://t.co/su46ULkSKm Teachers peak in effectiveness after 5-10 yrs of experience $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • Hybrid Bond Gamble Pays Off as Stimulus Spurs Gains http://t.co/O2KMEkGHDm Paid off for now, but these hybrids sting w/higher probability $$ Aug 17, 2013
  • John Laporte, T. Rowe Price Manager Who Beat Peers, Dies at 68 http://t.co/DcVjjdwE8w Pretty certain I met him @ Baltimore CFA, good guy $$ Aug 17, 2013
  • Are College Costs Reaching a Breaking Point? http://t.co/jF7uod3s6q Possibly, if Federal aid drops & fewer people go to college $$ Aug 17, 2013
  • New Software Forces You to Pay Attention During Company Training http://t.co/KMDa0N54Ju Next, they’ll give you drug that makes u like it $$ Aug 17, 2013
  • Price Manipulation Includes Silver and Gold http://t.co/n1GDExJFz4 When prices r fixed by survey or transactions, games will b played $$ Aug 17, 2013
  • Francis Ouimet’s U.S. Open Victory That Changed the Game Forever http://t.co/I6Gg0BIBmU Meet Francis Ouimet, the amateur who won US Open $$ Aug 17, 2013
  • A Chance to Own a Home for $1 in a City on the Ropes http://t.co/b6InU728br Get your own home in Gary, Indiana for $1 $$ Aug 17, 2013
  • How a Black Hole Really Works http://t.co/H80JnUplKE Scientists watch black hole at center of Milky Way eat a cloud of gas $$ Aug 17, 2013

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Comments, Replies, and Retweets

  • #FollowFriday Thanks @ReformedBroker @pelias01 @researchpuzzler for being top influencers in my community this week 🙂 Aug 23, 2013
  • Commented on StockTwits: ILFC very different than NetJets. $BRK.B capable of buying ILFC, but Buffett won’t pay to… http://t.co/wa4vHaf3I6 Aug 22, 2013
  • Thanks @dpinsen @ReformedBroker for being top engaged members in my community this week 🙂 | insight by http://t.co/sern3wLA13 Aug 22, 2013
  • Thanks @pelias01 @TopInvestBlogs for being top engaged members in my community this week 🙂 | insight by http://t.co/sern3wLA13 Aug 22, 2013
  • Thanks @howardlindzon @moneyscience for being top engaged members in my community this week 🙂 | insight by http://t.co/sern3wLA13 Aug 22, 2013
  • Thanks @brasil247 @JerseyDemic for being top new followers in my community this week 🙂 | insight by http://t.co/sern3wLA13 Aug 20, 2013
  • “Many acquisitions in a short time is usually a recipe for disaster.” ? David_Merkel http://t.co/6Qch6bCndG $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • @pdacosta FWIW, I thought the document was amateur in discussing financial risk management http://t.co/ncoMMMv3oG Open 2other thoughts $$ Aug 20, 2013
  • @buzzmerk @StevStiffler @truedat157 @pcyansee the greater Q is why the Mars Corp hasn’t sued him for trademark infringement- ruins the brand Aug 20, 2013
  • Thanks @AboveAvgOdds @Nonrelatedsense for being top engaged members in my community this week 🙂 | insight by http://t.co/V4fE5CrHI4 Aug 19, 2013
  • Thanks @japhychron @The_Analyst for being top engaged members in my community this week 🙂 | insight by http://t.co/V4fE5CrHI4 Aug 19, 2013
  • Thanks @GaelicTorus @AndreCimini for being top engaged members in my community this week 🙂 | insight by http://t.co/V4fE5CrHI4 Aug 19, 2013
  • Thanks @ReformedBroker @dpinsen for being top engaged members in my community this week 🙂 | insight by http://t.co/V4fE5CrHI4 Aug 19, 2013
  • Thanks @pelias01 @TopInvestBlogs for being top engaged members in my community this week 🙂 | insight by http://t.co/V4fE5CrHI4 Aug 19, 2013
  • Thanks @howardlindzon @moneyscience for being top engaged members in my community this week 🙂 | insight by http://t.co/V4fE5CrHI4 Aug 19, 2013
  • “Buffett would have made a very good actuary, and with a bonus: he can communicate complex concepts?” ? Merkel http://t.co/IMKXael1nL $$ Aug 19, 2013

?

Sorted Weekly Tweets

Sorted Weekly Tweets

Posted on by David Merkel

Companies & Industries

 

  • Odyssey Hits Wall as Honda Redesigns Minivan to Ace Test http://t.co/6VyK2N2EcO $HMC goes all out to reduce crash injuries 4 2014 Odyssey $$ Aug 16, 2013
  • Fairholme Fund May Increase Bet on Fannie, Freddie http://t.co/EOj8Z9SCzg BB reopens fund 2 get more buying power 4 F&F. Wouldn’t do it $$ Aug 16, 2013
  • Warren Buffett Stake in Suncor Energy, Much More Than It Seems http://t.co/ULDMXqYAnt $SU will be producing high cost oil 4a long time $$ Aug 15, 2013
  • Mall Owners Entice Hispanic Shoppers http://t.co/k42J96Nhxc Temporary stopgap 4 malls being hollowed out by retail over the internet $$ Aug 15, 2013
  • Losing Faith in Gold From Ghana to Vancouver Proves Rout http://t.co/K6VcC7Duyj More high cost mines come out of production as gold falls $$ Aug 15, 2013
  • The iCahn Effect: Apple’s Market Cap Jumps by $17B After Tweets http://t.co/8qb0rUWjCR Don’t c how $1B should move a stock $17B $$ $AAPL Aug 14, 2013
  • Y Food Companies Are Fascinated by the Way We Eat http://t.co/NhIRtprRWj Do u like 2 chew, crunch, smoosh or suck? Food companies study u $$ Aug 14, 2013
  • Financials near to regaining S&P 500’s top spot http://t.co/fgSKGOrfyC We do not learn, we do not learn, we do not learn, we do not learn $$ Aug 13, 2013
  • Endurance Welcomes Fred Cooper 2Head US Financial Institutions Insurance Practice http://t.co/XpQcxwYwJS Picking up nickels… $$ FD: + $ENH Aug 13, 2013
  • Heinz announces layoffs in Pittsburgh and Canada http://t.co/VG3WI8OTfs Now that the merger has closed, the cost rationalization begins $$ Aug 13, 2013
  • Funny in a way: pricing rationality & profits flow to hard disk makers once the industry consolidated down to three players $$ Aug 13, 2013
  • WD? Founds New Storage Association To Promote The Critical Role Of Magnetic Storage Technologies http://t.co/4jKYDyGGb2 FD: + $WDC $$ Aug 13, 2013

 

Rest of the World

 

  • India Shares Slump, Rupee Sinks to Fresh Low http://t.co/cfEnRd5EjQ Central Bank tightens credit conditions- Rupee still falls & stocks2 $$ Aug 16, 2013
  • How Mexico Ended Political Gridlock With a Pact http://t.co/GjNEfA0Ela How the PAN & PRI managed to work together & get most mutual goals $$ Aug 16, 2013
  • What Obama Misunderstands About Egypt http://t.co/UAKXAQBOPs No one worthy of support here, as Egypt slides into a situation like Syria’s $$ Aug 16, 2013
  • Cayman to Singapore Gain as Rules Stump Clinics http://t.co/giudbhHATR Medical Tourism looks elsewhere as India makes things hard $$ Aug 14, 2013
  • Petrobras Downgrade Looms as Slump Sinks Rating Outlooks http://t.co/EpRahHggSF Brazilian corporate sector got too aggressive w/debt $$ $PBR Aug 13, 2013
  • Death of 75-Year Monopoly Can?t Come Soon Enough: Mexico Credit http://t.co/wqfnynnYkP PEMEX monopoly lasts 75 yrs, dies in a few weeks? $$ Aug 13, 2013
  • Japan Inc. Profit Doubles to Add Support to Economic Rebound http://t.co/xv5dPxlRHO Sends $$ from consumers 2 exporters 2 invest abroad Aug 13, 2013
  • Mexico Plans Oil Reserve Sweetener to Lure Exxon, Chevron http://t.co/Ol0sGlse9h Will allow companies 2count reserves from profit-sharing $$ Aug 14, 2013
  • Buffett-Style Dinner Auctions Lure Chinese Seeking Just Society http://t.co/7dK9W52Yhe Long article on odd business seeking a freer China $$ Aug 14, 2013
  • What Brazilian Slowdown? Petrobras Maxes Out Refining Capacity&Imports Oil2Meet Demand http://t.co/0FsI0V6V27 $PBR Milked by Brazil govt $$ Aug 13, 2013

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Bond Markets

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  • Confident Consumers Step Up Their Borrowing http://t.co/QkD3Xss4NS Auto Loans Post Largest Gain in 7Yrs, as Total Consumer Debt Declines $$ Aug 16, 2013
  • California Sells $5.5B in Bonds http://t.co/TbUGTpmTk7 Better fiscal mgmt, maybe, at least it is not Michigan. Liquidity is abundant $$ Aug 16, 2013
  • Muni Investors Make Michigan Pay http://t.co/zCWMx5Ba2a To get a muni deal done in Michigan, you need extra yield & guarantees/covenants $$ Aug 15, 2013
  • Summer Lull Draws Investors to Riskier Debt http://t.co/08H0vfFj1b Feels like time to begin peeling back credit risk $$ Aug 13, 2013
  • Bond Hubris Overwhelms Fed in Riskiest Credit-Market Sectors http://t.co/WUKgfpse77 No free lunch; Fed’s asset inflation will mean-revert $$ Aug 13, 2013
  • Michigan Safety Net for Boomers Frays on Bankrupt Detroit http://t.co/tTso4JMxTR What happens when u make 2 many promises vs tax base $$ Aug 13, 2013

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Central Banking

 

  • Fed’s Yellen Says Stance on Banks Hardened http://t.co/KZIfgPncaN Yellen tries 2 differ from Summers, but bank regulation was weak 2003-8 $$ Aug 13, 2013
  • Next Fed Head Should Meet the Bernie Sanders/Elizabeth Warren Standard http://t.co/xM9MF71dvM Questions aren’t realistic about $$ policy Aug 13, 2013
  • Yellen, Fischer Among Participants at Jackson Hole This Year http://t.co/MBui5Hfc3y Bernanke not attending as he slips into the shadows $$ Aug 13, 2013
  • Rand Paul on Republicans’ Voter Appeal and the Federal Reserve http://t.co/oVdaavHWsj Can we find another Reagan, who united the GOP? $$ #no Aug 13, 2013

 

Market Impact

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  • Hundred-Dollar Stocks Double as US CEOs Dismiss Splits http://t.co/OOmXdpWSrU With trading costs so low, y do we need splits anyway? $$ Aug 15, 2013
  • How to Invest Like Seth Klarman http://t.co/JDxW9VbROs Easier said than done. Who has the conviction 2 sit on $$ when opportunities r poor? Aug 13, 2013
  • Greater &lesser rotations http://t.co/XZ6D4CgIZq “no evidence that retail investors r very overweight bonds or very underweight equities” $$ Aug 13, 2013
  • Will Mom and Pop investors blow it again? http://t.co/95lZYtIZ6u @BrettArends on retail $$ coming back into stocks; time 2b careful Aug 13, 2013

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Politics & Policy

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  • What We Lose if We Give Up Privacy http://t.co/ZOddurR51k When 4th Amendment rights erode, 1st Amendment rights follow, eg, free speech $$ Aug 16, 2013
  • Free Work Entices Businesses to Hire Long-Term Unemployed http://t.co/Lhemn5JIWp Try b4u buy lets employers figure out who they like $$ Aug 15, 2013
  • Problems With Authority http://t.co/JjIgnIJVEh Obama ignores unusual writ of mandamus, which compels the govt 2fulfill a legal obligation $$ Aug 14, 2013
  • Everything you know about immigration is wrong http://t.co/UpHiI0Wwfd Militarizing the border did not stop the flow in, did stop flow out $$ Aug 13, 2013
  • Encryption App Silent Circle Shuts Down E-Mail Service ‘To Prevent Spying’ http://t.co/95KCJt80mH Destroying data 2 preserve secrecy $$ Aug 13, 2013
  • Eric Holder Owes the American People an Apology http://t.co/07JtmV95QA Vastly overstated the efficacy of mortgage relief programs $$ Aug 13, 2013

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Housing

 

  • Report: Half of All Homes Are Being Purchased With Cash http://t.co/p9GF4dOBUz Good sign. More equity means greater sustainability $$ Aug 15, 2013
  • Baltimore Foreclosures Surge Again as Legal Logjam Breaks http://t.co/xphbxvRXjv Foreclosures take longer 2work out in judicial states $$ Aug 15, 2013
  • Why Home-Price Growth Will Slow http://t.co/IZaE08udfI Prices up, mortgage rates up, fewer distressed homes available 4 sale $$ Aug 13, 2013

 

Other

 

  • Mom, Dad, Sorry I Was So Expensive http://t.co/VakZSkmE3r If u think having children is expensive, imagine the $$ of a society w/out them Aug 15, 2013
  • DNA Sequencing of Tumors Brings Hope of New Lung-Cancer Drugs http://t.co/YRul3Gfiva Costs high, distinguishing between diff cancers worx $$ Aug 13, 2013
  • Companies Ease Up on Non-Compete Agreements http://t.co/iEhtgQ7qjq Restraint of Trade laws also make it difficult to enforce non-competes $$ Aug 13, 2013
  • Overhaul Proposed for Annual Audit Reports http://t.co/8LAgJf5rrU Could b good 2 get past the the present binary pass/fail $$ Aug 13, 2013
  • Stocktwits ? Happy 5th Anniversary http://t.co/AQ8vI1kOsC @howardlindzon extols efforts made as they r the premier social investing site $$ Aug 13, 2013
  • Browser wars: Chrome rules the web http://t.co/QoGqVlVNcI The sun never sets on the Empire of Google’s Chrome; IE dying, Firefox choking $$ Aug 13, 2013

 

On Fiduciaries

  • On brokers as fiduciaries, choose: mixed advice, paid for by commissions, best advice, but u have to pay more 2a fiduciary, or no advice $$ Aug 13, 2013
  • You Can’t Afford Your Broker, at Any Price http://t.co/C46ndiTx6U by @asymmetricinfo on holding brokers 2a fiduciary standard $$ Aug 13, 2013
  • Look Who?s Locking Horns Over Retirement Accounts http://t.co/xSRFtbFndD @jasonzweigwsj tells us 2 act as our own fiduciaries or hire one $$ Aug 13, 2013

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Wrong

  • Wrong: Don?t Kill Fannie Mae http://t.co/JqDk0kNJM5 People forget the incredible losses on prime mortgages when housing prices fell $$ Aug 15, 2013
  • Dumb: Retirees in Enemy Territory Go Door-to-Door on PPACA http://t.co/4xSgHH2qNL Won’t work unless young & healthy sign up on exchanges $$ Aug 14, 2013
  • Wrong: Your mortgage documents are fake! http://t.co/rErbfMzP7B Mistakes procedural justice 4 real justice. U don’t pay, U get foreclosed $$ Aug 13, 2013
  • Wrong: In defense of the 30-year mortgage http://t.co/cc9kgtRJpM Over-investment in housing & levers up the economy, creating fragility $$ Aug 13, 2013

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Replies, Retweets, & Comments

  • RT @TheLimerickKing: QE has not led to inflation It’s now a much worse situation Velocity’s low But risk assets grow So now it’s just wealt? Aug 15, 2013
  • Commented on StockTwits: No, I don’t. Ultimately all assets boil down to their cash flows. This doesn’t change th… http://t.co/xjshS62La2 Aug 14, 2013
  • A shout-out to DarkCloud @p0stk0m for being my 8,000th Twitter follower. Thanks a lot, & thanks to all who follow me $$ Aug 14, 2013
  • @marketfolly @EquityNYC That is a very good point, and I internally noted it, but did not comment. I should have. 🙁 $$ Aug 14, 2013
  • “Congratulations, Howard. Well done, particularly the way you survived Twitter’s $ grab.” -Merkel http://t.co/tOlvvEqy0P @howardlindzon $$ Aug 12, 2013

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Sorted Weekly Tweets

Sorted Weekly Tweets

Posted on by David Merkel

Financial Companies & Lending Markets

 

  • Hedge Fund GSO Scores Win With MBIA Bet http://t.co/eMYUgX6Syg Risky bet that paid off; he realized the banks would have2 compromise $$ $MBI Aug 10, 2013
  • Mortgage Delinquencies Hit Five-Year Low http://t.co/HlfyPTbUAV Judicial states trail non-judicial states as cases drag on $$ Aug 10, 2013
  • The bailout Wall Street is blocking from Main Street http://t.co/gFasMd4jdG Eminent domain should not b used 4 trivial reasons $$ Aug 10, 2013
  • The US July 2013 Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices http://t.co/JAL5TggXg1 Perhaps bank lending is turning up $$ Aug 08, 2013
  • The US Has a Really Helpful Student Loan Repayment Program?and No One’s Using It http://t.co/xyAgjk24PE Pay % of your income for a # yrs $$ Aug 08, 2013
  • BofA Trader Avoided Bank’s Bad Mortgages ‘Like A Fat Kid In Dodgeball’ http://t.co/3OdziStl8r Colorful, shows awareness of credit issues $$ Aug 07, 2013
  • Consumers Find Investors Eager to Make ‘Peer-to-Peer’ Loans http://t.co/5gKhnAzJ2x Eventually credit will b abundant leading 2 failure $$ Aug 07, 2013
  • Obama Urges Mortgage Overhaul With Limited Role for Gov’t http://t.co/MCtNMlBlJX Guaranteeing 30Y mtges incents housing overinvestment $$ Aug 07, 2013
  • House Democrat introduces bill to end mandatory arbitration http://t.co/2VHm4qXeK3 Costs of court cases vs crooked playing field of arb $$ Aug 07, 2013
  • Mortgage Debt Rejected by Banks Facing New Rules http://t.co/GCCoZvINkt Fewer want 2 hold mtge debts b/c of changes in capital rules $$ Aug 07, 2013
  • Many Can’t Pay Student Loans http://t.co/PgxJqtBtYT Some 8% of Borrowers in a New Federal Program Have Defaulted; avoid student loans $$ Aug 06, 2013

 

Companies & Industries

 

  • Hurricane forecast may have traders on edge http://t.co/2mRSgZvuXZ Hurricane forecasting has not been very accurate over the last decade $$ Aug 10, 2013
  • Warren Buffett Trains ‘Elephant Gun’ on Smaller Prey http://t.co/G4l4fxVtOZ No surprise. Buffett lets his managers buy good prospects $$ Aug 09, 2013
  • Remodeling Rebounds in US With Contractors http://t.co/TqOVgTh9Wa Deferred projects r finally getting done, as ppl more willing 2 spend $$ Aug 08, 2013
  • Loeb?s Reinsurer With No US Staff Gains From Jobs Act http://t.co/jnBqNMgucG Just b/c u list on US exchange doesn’t mean u will hire here $$ Aug 08, 2013
  • Goldman sees ‘creative destruction’ in these businesses http://t.co/BkgQSb1wsk Don’t agree on reinsurance; underwriting takes expertise $$ Aug 08, 2013
  • Xerox’s Ursula Burns on Her Career Path and Changing Company Strategy http://t.co/z3kFlsSOKU Xerox is interesting turnaround FD: + $XRX $$ Aug 08, 2013
  • 27,900 Reasons For Amazon’s Loss http://t.co/lQ41dRZfuu Ordinarily, good corporate growth comes w/profits. $AMZN hires 28K over past year $$ Aug 08, 2013
  • CBS-Time Warner Cable Dispute Shows an Industry Unaware of Reality http://t.co/ZSNNOPstzV Internet may reshape economics of televison 2 $$ Aug 07, 2013
  • Jeff Bezos’s Tool Kit for Washington Post http://t.co/Yib1yt6k7Y Bezos is a bright guy, but making $$ off of newspapers tough w/internet Aug 07, 2013
  • Ride a Painted Pony, Let the Spinning Wheel Fly http://t.co/vG89yC4ooJ The word flywheel is popular 2 use, c here: http://t.co/vxc8d0fofQ $$ Aug 07, 2013
  • The 40 cheapest stocks, according to Goldman Sachs http://t.co/XADhLHVD4G $GS tells u2 buy cyclicals. I own 4 on the list. Seems risky $$ Aug 07, 2013
  • IBM Furloughs US Hardware Employees to Reduce Costs http://t.co/bQWk3BtgD3 2me, this seems kind of gimmicky; I would lean bearish $$ $IBM Aug 07, 2013
  • Hidden Billionaire Found With Food Fortune in California http://t.co/w2yUPsx86D Uses zoning laws to keep potential competitors at bay $$ Aug 06, 2013
  • We’re In 4A Long Bottom http://t.co/NtMxx5hIzj Barring strong inflation, gold miners have slashed exploration, mining best deposits only $$ Aug 06, 2013
  • For Twitter, Free Speech Is a High-Wire Act http://t.co/Yx80PIwfQ1 Twitter tries 2 chart a middle course in censorship in diff countries $$ Aug 05, 2013
  • Hidden Billionaire Cohen Hauls Fortune in Unmarked Trucks http://t.co/YpXAmxlo3F C&S Wholesale Grocers, biggest company u never heard of $$ Aug 05, 2013

 

Politics & Policy

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  • A User?s Guide to Obama?s Inside-Out Economics http://t.co/5dHZasczfL Obama long on rhetoric, & short on reason; doesn’t understand econ $$ Aug 09, 2013
  • Fed Belongs to Everybody as Public Says It?s Our Money in Crisis http://t.co/YYy7dXkY3r Level of lobbying 4 Fed Chair is unprecedented $$ Aug 08, 2013
  • We Are All Going to Pension Hell http://t.co/SoGeWiryxV @asymmetricinfo points out hopelessness of the pensions crisis, only Q is when $$ Aug 08, 2013
  • Heroin Makes a Comeback, Especially in Small Towns http://t.co/Uwrh97QwU3 Small towns gain big city problems; drugs know no boundaries $$ Aug 08, 2013
  • Ted Koppel: America’s Chronic Overreaction to Terrorism http://t.co/4ueqew4oB9 The War on Terror has done more harm to the US than good $$ Aug 07, 2013
  • Deficit Shrinks to 5.7% of GDP as Debt Ceiling No Vote Risks All http://t.co/NaWdRcTzlf Maybe the deficit will disappear by accident? $$ Aug 07, 2013
  • Obama’s False History of Public Investment http://t.co/X8Lx8za8CW Planned 2b an investment, ended up being an expense. Happens in biz 2 $$ Aug 06, 2013
  • Insider-Trading Probe Caught in a Washington Knot http://t.co/ykIYLNNgvL Investigation of Health-Policy Leak Muddled by Congress’ rules $$ Aug 05, 2013
  • Central Bank Needs to Untangle ?Monetary Gordian Knot? http://t.co/IkNfB8X2sh Fisher says little help 2 job growth from $$ Trillions of QE Aug 05, 2013
  • US Growth comes Mostly from Inventories http://t.co/nEUK3zyDTY “Mostly” overstates it, but 40% does put a significant dent in GDP growth $$ Aug 05, 2013
  • US July Non-Farm Payrolls: The Hidden Weaknesses http://t.co/Cb8OyzJAMQ Number of hours worked decreased a lot & lower participation rate $$ Aug 05, 2013
  • Newt Gingrich sees major Mideast mistakes, rethinks his neocon views on intervention http://t.co/n27U4QpgxN Not as big a change as stated $$ Aug 05, 2013
  • Republicans Don’t Need to Sabotage Obamacare http://t.co/Eu9z62ITjz Obamacare, badly designed, is its own worst enemy $$ Aug 05, 2013
  • Summers After Government Saw Wealth Surge to $17M http://t.co/M0MgH8TUco “Consulting” can make up 4a lot of lost revenue post-govt $$ Aug 05, 2013

Rest of the World

 

  • In China, a New City Attracts Few http://t.co/QYyhVJPzx6 CIties r organic things; they grow a little at a time, not all at once $$ Aug 10, 2013
  • India?s Fear of Growth http://t.co/K2A7QTDruR Socialism in India is deep, as deep as corruption. Corrupt countries do not grow. $$ #simple Aug 09, 2013
  • Germany displaces China as US Treasury’s currency villain http://t.co/3JDudxN7yE Low labor costs, strong exports, weak consumer demand $$ Aug 08, 2013
  • Terrorist Tungsten in Colombia Taints Global Phone-to-Car Sales http://t.co/jgZr8fDbA6 Long piece regarding FARC smuggling tungsten $$ Aug 08, 2013
  • Vietnam Banking Fix Starts With $474M of Bad Debt http://t.co/Zt0YG7Mx0x Credit bust in Vietnam may b absorbed by central bank sub $$ Aug 07, 2013
  • Obama Snubs, Russia Laughs, Putin Wins http://t.co/ROvRuwFBDm Russia policy is ticklish 4 any US president, little 2 gain either way $$ Aug 07, 2013
  • The $4M Teacher http://t.co/onnV3kvClQ South Korea’s students rank among the best in the world, and its top teachers can make a fortune. $$ Aug 07, 2013
  • Islamists Seize Airbase Near Aleppo http://t.co/eNBrMdgDVu This feels like a long bloody stalemate; a warning to all who favor war $$ Aug 07, 2013
  • Toyota $37B Cash Program Shows Effect of Abenomics http://t.co/87YHXM0CkL No: Toyota has no profitable places 2 reinvest in Japan $$ $TM Aug 07, 2013
  • China?s Debt Surge Pressures Xi-Li to Avert Lost Decade http://t.co/tJp4pEDLKB The time to avert a lost decade is when the boom is strong $$ Aug 07, 2013
  • Mexico Leader Said to Seek Changes to Break Oil Monopoly http://t.co/Fqi9oJTj4U Never thought Mexico would change its position on oil $$ Aug 06, 2013
  • India Names Rajan Central Bank Governor as Rupee Plunges http://t.co/UOeo9Ah4Tg Good choice; 1 economist who understands financial crisis $$ Aug 06, 2013
  • South Africa?s Post-Apartheid Failure in Shantytowns http://t.co/o4CARCmq4L South Africa merely traded one group of cronies for another. $$ Aug 06, 2013
  • Will Portugal Bring Down the Spanish Banking Sector? http://t.co/TKEe5MfAil Spanish banks lent 2 Portugal credits. Tough 2 do Pt haircuts $$ Aug 06, 2013
  • Ex-Soros Adviser Fujimaki Sees JGB Bust From Tax Delay, Fed http://t.co/T2Ktp1lHFF Many difficulties afflicting Japan w/the weak yen $$ Aug 06, 2013
  • Baguette Hopes Fade for Some French Farmers on Wheat Quality http://t.co/a5JiNJAV4S Just 1 more economic difficulty 4 weak man of Europe $$ Aug 06, 2013
  • Stagnant South Korea Property Drags on Growth Rebound http://t.co/bHwUW59ard Add South Korea to property bubble club, underweight stocks $$ Aug 06, 2013
  • Bond Salesman Who Wasn?t Reveals RBS Human Errors http://t.co/5vU3u6pWfq Very senior managers fooled in2thinking janitor was top salesman $$ Aug 05, 2013

 

?

Bond Market

 

  • Pimco?s Gross Vows to Win Bond ?War? After Redemptions http://t.co/yrmdUeVeo4 Maybe the total AUM has gotten too great 4 outperformance $$ Aug 08, 2013
  • Bond Share Tumbles as Morgan Stanley Says Sell: Credit Markets http://t.co/uq4QFGxYAD Another “interest rates can only go up” piece $$ Aug 08, 2013
  • For Bond Investors, a ‘Generational’ Chance to Sell http://t.co/PtV9OOW7Ok W/a weakening economy, this is not a done deal, 2many leaning $$ Aug 08, 2013
  • Private-Equity Payout Debt Surges http://t.co/PWslmEr7YU Borrowing to pay dividends to their sponsors; PIK toggles and other risky bonds $$ Aug 06, 2013
  • Get Ready for the Next Round of Bond Pain http://t.co/rMvYV3Op0b Pain won’t come if economy keeps weakening, but be wary on credit risk $$ Aug 06, 2013
  • US Credit Markets: My US Lite Rita Covenant: Freshness without Protection? http://t.co/N8lbbYEpvz Cov-lite loans larger % now than 2007 $$ Aug 05, 2013

 

 

Market Impact

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  • How to Teach Teenagers About Investing in the Stock Market http://t.co/eL7BC7rqtQ I learned from my Mom; most of my kids aren’t interested $$ Aug 10, 2013
  • What if the Stock Market Were a Bond? http://t.co/3LJEhCwym3 @eddyelfenbein gives a tool 2 analyze stock prices: http://t.co/Wwu3q5t2kf $$ Aug 10, 2013
  • Confessions of an Institutional Investor http://t.co/Cu5OT0vxVw @reformedbroker prints a saga of high expenses, negative alpha & hopeless $$ Aug 08, 2013
  • Spot the Outlier http://t.co/BDfN1ms7t8 @ritholtz notes the considerable outperformance of US equities in 2013. When does the party end? $$ Aug 08, 2013
  • Mind the (Expectations) Gap: Demographic Trends and GDP http://t.co/5LyZkROeyl Because of low pop growth GDP growth resets 3% -> 1%/year $$ Aug 07, 2013
  • Advisers don’t have a firm grasp of ETF liquidity, Cerulli finds http://t.co/b5gnuEKTi4 ETFs do not create liquidity, but shift liquidity $$ Aug 06, 2013

?

Detroit

 

  • Detroit Losing $1 Million Check Bares Hobbling Processes http://t.co/X0R0QpE9an Real question is why didn’t Detroit go bankrupt sooner? $$ Aug 10, 2013
  • Foodies Fight to Save Detroit With Job Hopes Pinned on Arugula http://t.co/s2WZuTYPql Cities die slowly 2, as multiplier effect reverses $$ Aug 10, 2013
  • Michigan’s Saginaw County Postpones Debt Sale http://t.co/N1dbcUamXE Wait. U r in Michigan. They let munis default. We will not lend 2u $$ Aug 09, 2013
  • Steve Malanga: The Real Reason the Once Great City of Detroit Came to Ruin http://t.co/aWSmiIHyK3 Chase out middle class taxpayers $$ #boom Aug 06, 2013

 

Energy

 

  • Growth in crude oil shipped by rail slows http://t.co/Jw3f1KxVFc Price differentials narrow 4 feedstocks & it does not pay 2ship by train $$ Aug 10, 2013
  • US refiners eye shale butane to cut gasoline costs http://t.co/qsfuoOapYr Fracking producing cheap butane, alkylation can make it octane $$ Aug 10, 2013
  • Europe’s gas-fired power plants attract opportunistic investors http://t.co/ShLtiMicQY Idea counts on electric rates rising; uncertain $$ Aug 07, 2013
  • US becoming ‘refiner to the world’ as diesel demand grows http://t.co/8KG3qn4lJY Adds2 GDP growth w/rest of world short refining capacity $$ Aug 07, 2013

 

Replies, Comments & Retweets

  • RT @trengriffin: The spectacle of journalists giving Jeff Bezos advice on how to make a newspaper profitable is like watching a Three Stoog? Aug 09, 2013
  • “If I were running a significant endowment, I would invest in people rather than external firms, and?” ? David_Merkel http://t.co/kC5gAHHEl7 Aug 08, 2013
  • @BarbarianCap move along, nothing to see here… Aug 08, 2013
  • . @Contra_Invest Try this: http://t.co/WplgPsxjkL Wisdom from Howard Marks, with help from Seth Klarman in the last two pages $$ Aug 07, 2013

 

Sorted Weekly Tweets

Sorted Weekly Tweets

Posted on by David Merkel

US Politics & Policy

 

  • U.S. Declassifies Court Order Allowing Record Collection http://t.co/0AOMcCRsGi Perhaps some small step of transparency, we need better $$ Aug 03, 2013
  • Obama Urges Business Tax Rewrite to Help Spur New Jobs http://t.co/DmRwtwHS6r Lousy legislation that panders to power, it will pass $$ Aug 03, 2013
  • The Very Worst Part of Today’s Lousy Jobs Report http://t.co/Tvn2F6mWQ6 Job quality is low, growth is slow, & incomes don’t grow $$ Aug 03, 2013
  • Who Are Worse, Renters or Owners? http://t.co/cHKBfXp210 Govt meddling in housing leads 2 problems favoring old vs young, owners/renters $$ Aug 03, 2013
  • American Dream Slipping as Homeownership at 18-Year Low http://t.co/7b6sYVu8Q6 People need place 2 live, but houses r rarely good invtmts $$ Aug 02, 2013
  • Freshmen GOP Lawmakers Revel in Maverick Power http://t.co/iGaLIjt2qe We want idealistic politicians until we actually get them $$ #maverick Aug 02, 2013
  • Obama open to changes at NSA; intel officials fight to maintain secrecy http://t.co/rZaR9r2aKf Officials task-driven, Constitution blocks $$ Aug 02, 2013
  • Cities Grabbing Houses Won’t Fix the Market http://t.co/AXaCHwuIoP @asymmetricinfo on y using eminent domain on mtges is likely 2 fail $$ Aug 02, 2013
  • Coburn thinks defunding Obamacare is a horrible idea http://t.co/W2jK00gOgZ Truth-teller Tom Coburn aims to fix PPACA rather than destroy $$ Jul 28, 2013

 

Market Impact

 

  • Walsh?s Unconstrained Wins in Bond Rout: Riskless Return http://t.co/W8LNnWE5Kr Unconstrained strategies r easier when u don’t run lotsa $$ Aug 03, 2013
  • Blackstone, Deutsche Bank in Talks to Sell Bond Backed by Home Rentals http://t.co/m3cae6mljQ This would b better killed off when little $$ Aug 03, 2013
  • Search for Muni-Bond Guidepost Sputters http://t.co/zjQHXiWAqi Start w/illiquid collateral u can’t get a liquid benchmark, pricing issues $$ Aug 03, 2013
  • Big Question Hangs Over Small-Caps http://t.co/Ehzm5j9490 Valuations r stretched, but large cap mgrs need a way to beat their benchmarks $$ Aug 03, 2013
  • No, Earnings Have Not Been ‘Good’ http://t.co/kT7dfnbeUN Actual earnings growth has been anemic, which matters more in the long-run $$ Aug 02, 2013
  • Leveraged Loans Pass ?12 Level With Record Ahead http://t.co/Mf7OHWm5kB Quality & pricing r getting sacrificed 4 quantity; bad long-run $$ Aug 02, 2013
  • BlackRock Rolls Out Index 2 Make Inroads in Retirement Market http://t.co/uRpJ6qvfmj How much $$ do u need 4 a decent retirement income $BLK Aug 02, 2013
  • Bank commodity earnings are a mystery http://t.co/TjMkuWTnS9 Neglects financialization of commodities by pension plans & retail investors $$ Aug 02, 2013
  • This is the cost of sitting on cash in a bull market. Different when valuations are stretched, like now. http://t.co/WYC6bAReyt Aug 01, 2013
  • JPMorgan to quit physical commodity trade amid scrutiny http://t.co/VWmtIClYXk Business case: commodities require 2much capital&attention $$ Jul 28, 2013
  • Tourre Tells of Low Status at Goldman in Defense Preview http://t.co/uCc7GWK5LB “I didn’t have any significant authority at GS! I didn’t” $$ Jul 28, 2013

 

Rest of the World

 

  • How Venezuelan Used ?Scrape? to Make Six Times Her Salary http://t.co/L3rUmVK3vB When currencies r manipulated, clever people play games $$ Aug 03, 2013
  • Wheat Costs in Japan to Gain for 3rd Time as Abenomics Bites http://t.co/mPQxXBGAjc Devaluing the yen has negative side-effects $$ #duh Aug 03, 2013
  • Merkel?s Green Shift Backfires as German Pollution Jumps http://t.co/JAXdm53hiT Closing down nuclear plants was an unforced error ->coal $$ Aug 03, 2013
  • How Big Is China?s Debt? The Best Guesses http://t.co/BzY8f7Gzz3 This estimates total governmental debt at all levels, not total debt $$ Aug 02, 2013
  • The $7 Trillion Problem That Could Sink Asia http://t.co/A9y8QzOx54 In the short-run Asians would acquire $$, in long-run it would hurt $$ Aug 02, 2013
  • Japan’s Three-Year Fiscal Plan to Urge Sales Tax Rise http://t.co/jxsYhJc24E Will be difficult 2 execute, w/o a lot of political backlash $$ Aug 02, 2013
  • Ghana?s Dancing Pallbearers, Insurers Lead Funeral Boom http://t.co/GWd4V8xu3g $$ spent for status events is wasted, & keeps people poor. Aug 02, 2013

 

Companies & Industries

  • Tax Shelters, Nebraska Hurricanes And Other Captive Insurance Mistakes http://t.co/V7Xsp1tmek 10 rules 2 keep a captive insurer legit $$ Aug 03, 2013
  • 7-Eleven Adds Bento Rigor to Slurpee Appeal in US Push http://t.co/www8ObGqhL 7-11 went from the US 2 Japan, then goes back w/Japan mgmt $$ Aug 02, 2013
  • Third Point Hedge Fund Targets CF Industries http://t.co/ioIzcPlFlu Thinks that $CF could free up more cash 4 shareholders $$ Aug 02, 2013
  • Uralkali Breaks Potash Accord to Grab Market Share http://t.co/EfyqzqZr8P Amazing the effect a large foreign player can have on US cos $$ Aug 02, 2013
  • Burger Costs Rising With Beef Supply at 21-Year Low http://t.co/nXfFXEECbd Should c higher prices, more births, less slaughter, etc. $$ Aug 02, 2013
  • SAP Invades Silicon Valley via Acquisitions http://t.co/vXOK0YmIb8 Creates room 4 new competitors as acquirers don’t integrate them well $$ Aug 02, 2013
  • Why Are Google Employees So Disloyal? http://t.co/Ye0ZBLADtk Calculate actuarial decrement tables 2 arrive at the truth $$ Avgs don’t work. Jul 30, 2013

 

Central Banking

 

  • When you?re rattled by collateral, do the Fed taper talk http://t.co/lImzjMdmT8 Taper talk forced on the Fed 4 market operational reasons $$ Aug 03, 2013
  • Near-Zero Interest Rate Trap http://t.co/hjoBF5acb6 If long-term rates rise 2 normal levels, banks holding bonds would b de-capitalized $$ Aug 03, 2013
  • Money shot from John Mauldin: “We are watching the Fed employ a trickle-down monetary policy.” Couldn’t have said it better. $$ Jul 28, 2013

 

Other

 

  • Afrikaners Reaping Colorado Wheat Threatened by Visa Cap http://t.co/Cj6pTKm5NG 2nd largest immigrant ag labor group might get restrained $$ Aug 03, 2013
  • Banker Saves 20,000 From Nepal to Uganda With Her Profits http://t.co/c0HURcg3wJ Rather than wait 4 death, pursues charity personally now $$ Aug 03, 2013
  • Pope Signals Openness to Gay Priests http://t.co/t5leZXst4D Jesus said that the sin was not only in the action, but in the thought $$ Matt 5 Aug 02, 2013
  • My Life & Past, as Seen Through Google’s Dashboard http://t.co/LPkviIKHGj Would u like 2 review your history? Would u like 2 delete it? $$ Aug 02, 2013
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Replies, Retweets & Comments

  • Commented on StockTwits: Thanks, Howard. Coming from you, that is high praise that I hope to live up to. http://t.co/Q5ikvtjzHa Aug 03, 2013
  • @zingfinapp That’s part of the nature of the seasonal adjustment factor: when jobs over/undershoot in current month, they adjust prior same Aug 03, 2013
  • @Kevin_Holloway This is surfacey, but it looks good for all parties except other Japanese insurers… Aug 02, 2013
  • “The keys to merger are keep them small & integrate them well. Does anyone do this consistently?” ? David_Merkel http://t.co/cEGnuBXrYe $$ Aug 02, 2013
  • @ReformedBroker But it lowers volatility, I’m sure… and in a real equity market catastrophe, it will be a home run in relative terms. 😉 Jul 27, 2013
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