Thursday, October 15, 2009

Seems Like Wednesday

Not much is going on ... the semi-holiday on Monday had made today a slow news day.

Corruption continues: WSJ - "America's largest public-pension fund, Calpers, revealed that a former board member had reaped more than $50 million in fees for arranging investments that could saddle state taxpayers with hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. The disclosure deepens concerns that alleged conflicts of interest are undermining state retirement funds."

New Ways Still Fail: WSJ - "Fewer than four of 10 fourth- and eighth-graders are proficient in mathematics, according to a highly regarded federal test given in early 2009, adding to recent evidence that the U.S. drive to become more economically competitive by overhauling public education may be falling short."

I suppose spending half their young lives playing video and other electronic games is part of the problem.

Perky Overseas Business: FT - "A Hong Kong property developer has sold a duplex apartment for a world record price, less than three months after the territory technically emerged from recession."

Don't be Americo-centric, listening only to US doomsayers. FT - "The recovery in China’s economy gained new impetus on Wednesday with figures showing a sharp improvement in the country’s exports and imports in September. The trade surplus also fell last month, providing evidence of some rebalancing of the economy at a time of persistent trade tensions over cheap goods from China, which is likely to become the world’s biggest exporter this year. "

Actions

I took some "sugar" yesterday as the strategy and tactics of the call option book paid off, for the correct reasons, no less. Specifically, good earnings at companies with significant overseas revenues were reported and continue to be anticipated. I sold the CAT calls for a 100% profit. A few days ago I had sold the GOOG calls for 100%+ profit, too. I plan to hold the rest for their earnings reports, but if they ramp up prior thereto, I'll take the sugar.

Dow 10,000 means nothing. A recovery of S&P 1200 does mean something, as that is the pre-panic, pre-beefer-Viking raid level.

Word of the Day

"Malefactor" - noun [$10]
Malefactor means a criminal, an evildoer.
Sentence: More and more malefactors are exposed in the world of finance. A crisis removes the easy money, so covering up their wicked schemes becomes impossible.

53 comments:

Bud said...

uhhhh...........didn't the 'beefer vikings' have anythin to do with the market surge to all time highs in 2007 ??


you luv them when they buy...............but if they sell and take profits............it becomes a raid


what a bunch of thumping tosh

Bud said...

what a monster quarter from GS.............who knew guttin their own beefer was so profitable




PS.......GS goin to 200??

Bud said...

good work Bman............i like it.........trading ......ping-pong.....beefer style



nic nie robiÄ™ my ass

Bud said...

dollar down 25% since 2000............and my purchasing power ain't goin down ????




what a bunch of thumping tosh

Bud said...

Bman is calpers a real buyer ??

Bunkerman said...

most of Cal-Pers was a real buyer; not the money laid off to beefers

Bunkerman said...

the raiders caused a panic. That hurt everyone.

Actually I think a cause of the huge, sudden drop was program selling by all those billions of variable annuities.

The insurance companies had guraatied a floor, so when the raiders pushed stocks to the floor level, a version of 1987 style portfolio insurance selling occurred.

I didn't realize that at the time, but read about it a few months later and thought about it. It makes a lot of sense. Those were real buyers who were forced to panic and sell becuase the floor guarantees had to be protected.

That panic selling caused the Sept-Oct 2008 selling black hole, just like it did in 1987.

Bunkerman said...

I guess GS is not going to 200 today.

I heard their old core (respectable) business in investmetn banking was down.

And clients no longer trust them, due to huge conflicts.

I guess they read this blog.

Bunkerman said...

GS is worth book value for the trading business capital (most of GS), and 3x book on the old core business [or 20x core earnings], which really doesn't not need much capital.

the stock is overvalued.

mfl59 said...

GS is scum...I agree 100% with you Bunkerman...

Bud your naivete is shocking on this matter....

Bunkerman said...

Bud your naivete is shocking on this matter....


I don't think it's naivete, but I won't introduce ad hominem arguments.

Owning that stock wil be a dog for years now, in my opinion.

Bud said...

Bman the makes total sense on the variable annuities............i guess we differ on the 'cause and effect'



putting toll booth collectors makin 45k a year in 550k homes with no money down and an ARM ..........that was the cause.................not some stupid conquistadores............or samurais........or gladiators......or 'vikings'

Bunkerman said...

every link in the process that was independent is a separate cause of the entire panic. Not all occurred at the same time.

The panic had more than one cause.

Assuming the first to show up was "The" cause is the "post hoc, ergo propter hoc" fallacy.

Bud said...

stock will be a dog for years now


LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO



Bman aren't you the one who has been ranting for years about 'the shareholders' ??............GS stock up from 50 in 10months...........i am sure the shareholders are very very happy..........oh wait..........i guess GS shareholders don't matter





naivete indeed

Bunkerman said...

hehe, see, I am learning from that book I'm reading about fallacies.

"The Mind is the Greatest Tool"

Bunkerman said...

GS is back to pre-panic levels.

Do they pay a reasonable dividend ?

Or will they overpay employees first.

Shareholders of GS are being milked LT.

Bunkerman said...

uh Bud ... I did use the future tense in that prognostication.

Bud said...

post hoc, ergo propter hoc



huh ???? is that lithuanian ??

Spin-em said...

even tho he's a tool gotta give Buddy the 200 gs call..."well done bud"

(thats the best I can do...lol..kinder,gentler spin)

Bunkerman said...

that's Latin, But.

it translates, "After this, therefor because of this".

It's a logical fallacy to assume it without a reason to do so.

Spin-em said...

kinda like ..yada yada yada

Bud said...

i guess ken langone doesn't read this blog


' you can't debase your currency and achieve economic prosperity'

Frosty said...

Bunky...I sure hope bradshaw not reading this blog...bashing and doubting meredeth...do you feel no shame sir.

Bunkerman said...

uh frosty ... bradshaw is an ex-Steeler QB ... what does he have to do with Molotaova ?

Frosty said...

you call yourself a grappler...may I suggest a WWE dictionary...bradshaw the lush hair variety would pin you in a heartbeat.

Bunkerman said...

Googled "bradshaw wrestler" Funny I never heard of him.

no doubt I'm a bit detached from pop culture here in the Bunker.

Spin-em said...

bradshaws is Molatova's househusband....

Bunkerman said...

you're kidding !

Bunkerman said...

Layfield married Meredith Whitney on February 12, 2005 in Key West, Florida.

Geez, that's a shocker.

Bunkerman said...

what a world !

mfl59 said...

a stud marries a genius....only in America!!!!!

Frosty said...

Sal...may we get a wing tax update...traders union petition.

speaking of updates, how is sharkfolio doing vs nigga123.

Bunkerman said...

well, I suppose one scamster marries another is a way to characterize it, too.

Birds of a feather flock together ... rats in a nest together infect.

both put on the "act" so I suppose they understand each other well.

Bud said...

scamster ?? huh ????


i am sure meredith's clients are euphoric over the 45point gain in GS........and that's all that matters...........after all.........Bman aren't you the one always pissin and moanin about the 'clients' interests

Bud said...

how many times i gotta f'ng tell you i don't know what the sharkfolio is ...........and i don't f'ng care


frosty...........what a 'dupek'

mfl59 said...

Meredith did make a once in a lifetime call Bunkerman....any followers of her advice last year did unbelievably well....

Bud said...

Bman you are a historian ...........so i am sure you will understand this


the pound sterling was the reserve currency of the world in 1907..........it collpased over the next decade...........foretold the collapse of the british empire



PS...........if it wasn't for the US.......they'd be speakin bavarian in manchester today



Verstehen Sie mich, Punker ?

Bud said...

hey ace................haven't you played against andrew guiliani??


saw him on the new big break the other night



PS......who won?

mfl59 said...

I did....it was probably 5 years ago or so...in a qualifier for a local amateur tournament....i was paired with him...i think he shot 68 or so...which beat me pretty easily....he was kind of a douche...but he was very good

Bunkerman said...

uh did the clients who sold JPM at 20 do "well"

She was reiterating sells at the bottom.

She never turned around on most and missed most of the rally.

A one season wonder.

Bunkerman said...

uh Bud, World War I had a lot to do with that

You have a problem with cause & effect ...

in other words you're a sucker for the "post hoc, ergo propter hoc" fallacy.

Bunkerman said...

her followers did well as long as they got off her bandwagon in time.

Otherwise they lost a lot covering shorts on the way back up.

Bunkerman said...

she needed a slave in her chariot during the victory triumph saying, "you are not a goddess"

But no, she just wanted to go on TV to pitch her new firm ...

As a bear at the wrong time, this time.

Bud said...

'slave in her chariot'


LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO



the Bman is f'n nuts!!!!!

mfl59 said...

Bman did you once make a play for Meredith at the Harvard Club, only to be turned away? That is the only reason I can seem to think of for your distaste....

Bunkerman said...

that's what the Romans did, Bud, to try to keep their generals from offending the gods.

Bunkerman said...

I am sure that I've never met Molotova.

Bunkerman said...

nor communicated with her.

Bunkerman said...

I don't like the canonization of anyone involved the markets.

mfl59 said...

so you dont believe in St. "Jim"?

Bunkerman said...

lolololol.

Dzim jest dupÄ….

Frosty said...

Bunky...a Molatova look alike a great stable addtion...a skim machine..."growl like a bear bitch"

Bunkerman said...

maybe in boots with a whip, frosty ?

hmmm ...

I think I have the genre already

;)