Golden Parachutes

Here’s another colorful, informational graphic representation of our financial world – the Goldren Parachutes, by Jess Bachman.
Golden Parachutes:  How the Bankers Went Down
Courtesy of Jess Bachman at WallStats 
When high-ranking executives are fired from a company, for whatever reason, they don’t go to the back of the unemployment line. Instead, they typically receive compensation in the form [...]

MONETIZE THIS!

Acknowledging that "we cannot borrow our way out of debt," Ellen Brown suggests the Federal Reserve stimulates our debt-ridden economy by creating new, essentially interest-free money, which does not have to be paid back.  Here’s how.
MONETIZE THIS!
A BETTER WAY TO FUND THE STIMULUS PACKAGE
Ellen Brown, at the Web of Debt
“Diseases desperate grown are by desperate [...]

On the Economy,… Now Batting 2 Out of 5…

Brad DeLong, at Grasping Reality with Both Hands, assesses reality. 
On the Economy, Obama and Company Are Now Batting 2 Out of 5…
Courtesy of Brad DeLong at Grasping Reality with Both Hands

Paul Krugman is unhappy:

Feelings of despair: There’s so much to like about where Obama is going — health care, transparency in government, ending the [...]

GDP Number Far Worse Than Expected… (But Not Here)

Yes, Can We?  Jesse’s Café Américain lists policy changes to stop the corruption, greed and deceit that now defines our political and financial system.
GDP Number Far Worse Than Expected by Most Economists (But Not Here) 

Courtesy of Jesse’s Café Américain
The Fourth Quarter GDP number came in at a negative 6.2% versus the original negative 3.8 percent announcement [...]

A self-propelled pyramid?

Additional insight to the USO situation — pyramids can spontaneously construct themselves. – Ilene
A self-propelled pyramid? 
Posted by Izabella Kaminska at FT.Alphaville
Stephen Schork of the Schork report jumps on the United States Oil Fund issue on Wednesday. He too is blaming the size of the ETF for current distortions in front-month Nymex WTI contracts. [Chart on [...]

USO Investigated By CFTC Over Price Moves

Tyler Durden at Zero Hedge reports on a possible looming ETF disaster.  (Follow-up to Crude Talk by Adam Warner.) – Ilene
 
USO Investigated By CFTC Over Price Moves
Courtesy of Tyler Durden at Zero Hedge

The ETF bubble looks like it may be the next one to burst. WSJ just out that the CFTC is probing the USO ETF for [...]

Dreamy Pandit: This Deal Should Put Nationalization Fears To Rest

Citi Deal – Outrageous, embarrassing, Geithner gifting as much taxpayer money to Citi stakeholders as possible.
Dreamy Pandit: This Deal Should Put Nationalization Fears To Rest (C)
Courtesy of Henry Blodget at ClusterStock
If the latest Citi bailout goes as planned, US taxpayers will now own 36% of Citigroup.  They will have paid way too much for [...]

Bank Action And The Market

Let’s check in with Rob Hanna at Quantifiable Edges.  Reviewing the banking sector today and the SOX yesterday, he’s finding a bullish biases forming, or maybe "struggling" to materialize.  
Bank Action And The Market
Courtesy of Rob Hanna at Quantifiable Edges
The one sector that held up very well Thursday was the Banking Index (BKX). Yesterday I [...]

Just—Stop——Talking

Please. Remember the old saying, if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.  Here’s one reason why.
Just—Stop——Talking
Courtesy of Joe, at UpsideTrader

Under the stewardship of famous R.I.N.O (Republican in name only) George W., I would constantly suggest that he and his entire administration just shut up, zip it, shut your pie hole. [...]

From Rumor Bag…

Tyler at Zero Hedge explains the crazy market action lately – day trade or die?
From Rumor Bag: Average Equity Hedge Fund Is 70% In Cash At End Of Each Trading Day
Courtesy of Tyler Durden at Zero Hedge

Explains why the market performs like a schizophrenic day trader, as investors try to game the greater fool in [...]

Crude Talk

Adam Warner, at Daily Options Report, discusses Contango which is causing strange behavior in the USO.
Crude Talk
 

Houston we have a Contango problem!
Pretty well documented that the USO is a mess as a tracking device for oil. The fund owns a mix of near month crude futures, and as such must roll them each month. Clearly [...]

‘There will be blood’

Predictions — interview with author and historian Niall Ferguson, in Globe and Mail.
‘There will be blood’
Harvard economic historian Niall Ferguson predicts prolonged financial hardship, even civil war, before the ‘Great Recession’ ends

HEATHER SCOFFIELD

Harvard author and financial crisis guru Niall Ferguson has landed with a thud in Ottawa, spreading messages that could make even the most [...]

NASDAQ Outperformance and Structure

Corey at Afraid to Trade notes that the Nasdaq is holding up better than the S&P and the Dow. 
NASDAQ Outperformance and Structure
Courtesy of Corey Rosenbloom at Afraid to Trade
I tend to focus mainly on the Dow Jones and S&P 500 Indexes, but what’s perhaps going unnoticed is that the NASDAQ Index has outperformed them [...]

Bernanke’s Boiled Frog Plan To Recapitalize Banks

Mish Shedlock and Paul Krugman are finally in complete agreement. What’s not clear is whether the frogs have any chance of surviving the heat.
Bernanke’s Boiled Frog Plan To Recapitalize Banks
Courtesy of Mish

Bernanke has fired yet another misguided missile to stabilize the banking system. His new program is called the Capital Assistance Program and supposedly it [...]

As GM Goes, So Goes the Nation

Can what’s good for GM now be bad for the country?
As GM Goes, So Goes the Nation
Courtesy of James Quinn at The Burning Platform
 
General Motors (GM) was founded in 1908 in Flint, Michigan, and grew to be the largest corporation in the world. Its market capitalization reached $50 billion in 2000. In the past [...]