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Bill Bonner: Buffett is frightened

"Investors have reached a new level of bullishness. They're borrowing again to buy stocks, confident that prices go in only one direction. There's also a swift current of economic analysis telling us that the commodities boom is over, the Fed has the situation under control and the bull market in gold is finished. All of which is amazing and often breathtaking. Stock market investors don't seem to know or care that the only thing holding up their investments is something that will ultimately destroy them. And that the longer it continues, the bigger the mess when it finally blows up. We're talking, of course, about the Fed's monetary policy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBill Bonner: Buffett is frightened

This Is Your S&P; This Is Your S&P Without Tuesdays

"Since the mid-November lows, the S&P 500 has gained a remarkable 268 points on the back of faith, hope, and Bernanke/Kuroda charity. But perhaps what is more mind-numbing is that this efficient market has given us more than 50% of those gains on Tuesdays. With 17 up-days in a row, Tuesday is the Monday dip-buyers dream. Since 1/18, absent Tuesdays, the S&P 500 has gone nowhere. Maybe Bob Geldof needs to write a new song for the US investor 'I do like Tuesdays', or at least a slightly revised cover version of the Bangles' 'Manic Tuesday'. What would we do without Tuesdays?" Continue reading →

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Ron Paul On The Bubbles the Federal Reserve Is Creating

"Although many were up in arms when the Fed said it would buy $600 billion in government debt outright for the previous round, QE2, all seems quiet about the magnitude of QE3 because it doesn’t come with huge up-front total price tag. But by year’s end the Fed’s balance sheet could hit $4 trillion. With no recovery in sight, where’s all this money going? It is creating bubbles. Bubbles in the housing sector, the stock market, and government debt. The stock market has been hitting record highs for the past two months as investors seek to capitalize on the Fed’s easy money. As long as the Fed keeps the spigot open, nominal profits are there for the taking." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRon Paul On The Bubbles the Federal Reserve Is Creating

High-frequency stock traders turn to laser networks, to make yet more money

"Financial traders are now turning to high-speed laser networks between stock exchanges, to decrease latency by a few milliseconds, to squeeze a few more trillion dollars per year out of high-frequency trading (HFT). Perseus Telecom recently completed a microwave link between London and Frankfurt that reduced the round-trip latency to just 4.6 milliseconds — almost halving the 8.35-millisecond round-trip for the London-Frankfurt fiber link. The microwave network cost between $13 and $26 million to build, but for the financial trader who uses it could earn billions." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHigh-frequency stock traders turn to laser networks, to make yet more money

Bill Bonner: The Grandest Larceny of All Time

"Along come the central banks. They're creating a new type of wealth. It is not wage income. It is not the product of capital investments. It is not the result of technology or productivity increases or hard work or self-discipline... or any of the other things that lead to wealth and prosperity. Instead, it is created by the central bank 'out of thin air.' The result? During the first two years of the nation's economic recovery, the mean net worth of households in the upper 7% of the wealth distribution rose by an estimated 28%, while the mean net worth of households in the lower 93% dropped by 4%. There may be a 'recovery' going on. But it is a recovery for the rich." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBill Bonner: The Grandest Larceny of All Time

Bill Bonner: Is the economy is weaker than we think?

"We don't like the looks of it. Advisors are too bullish. Investors are too complacent. The financial authorities are too confident. All up and down Wall Street, in central banks and in Washington, the stuff that goeth before the fall is thick, sticky, and stinky. The economy is recovering, they say. The Fed has the situation in hand, they add. Don't worry, we know what we're doing, they assure us. Barron's says the Dow is going to 16,000, illustrated with a picture of a bull on a pogo stick. Abe says he'll revive the Japanese economy with more money. And speculators take each hint from the Fed as though it were a whisper from God Himself." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBill Bonner: Is the economy is weaker than we think?

The Corruption of Capitalism in America Excerpt: Chapter 17, Serial Bubbles

"Never before in history had the nation's financial system been pummeled by two gigantic bubbles and two devastating crashes in such a brief interval. That Greenspan's heir apparent managed to detect the Great Moderation at the midpoint of this cycle of financial violence was only added testimony to the degree to which monetary policy had become unhinged. It was no longer plausible, therefore, to describe the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, and the various venues for equity derivatives as a free market for raising and trading equity capital issues. Instead, they were violently unstable casinos, ineptly stage-managed by a central bank." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Corruption of Capitalism in America Excerpt: Chapter 17, Serial Bubbles

American Eagle Gold Bullion Coin Sales Suspended; U.S. Inventory Depleted

"The U.S. Mint said it has suspended sales of its one-tenth ounce American Eagle gold bullion coins as surging demand after bullion's plunge to two-year lows depleted the government's inventory. Bottom line: The selling in gold that has occurred isn't coming from the general public. So far in April, the U.S. Mint has sold 175,000 ounces of American Eagle gold coins, putting it on track to challenge a high of 231,500 ounces set in December 2009. The buying by individuals in the wake of the curious decline seems to be global." Continue reading →

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Twitter flash crash: Fake White House bomb report causes stock market panic

"A tweet from The Associated Press Twitter account claiming the White House had been bombed caused investors to suddenly push the Dow down more than 100 points in two minutes Tuesday before it became clear the report was untrue and AP's account had been hacked. Reaction on the stock market was swift, as what had been a mildly positive day on the Dow Jones quickly turned negative, with America's benchmark stock index losing more than 134 points or more than a full per cent of its value in a matter of seconds. Reports suggest more than $20 billion worth of equity positions changed hands on the New York Stock Exchange during the brief trading hiccup." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTwitter flash crash: Fake White House bomb report causes stock market panic

Wall Street betting billions on single-family homes in distressed markets

"Drawn by the prospect of double-figure profit margins on rents and the resale of homes whose prices plummeted in the crash, hedge funds, Wall Street investors and other institutions are crowding out individual home buyers. Real estate executives say institutional investors — who in some cases are bidding on hundreds of homes a day — account for as much as 70 percent of sales in some Florida markets. Over the past two years, analysts say, they also have accounted for a majority of purchases in other parts of the country where housing prices are rebounding sharply." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWall Street betting billions on single-family homes in distressed markets