Astonishingly Well Run Companies

[Brisbane Bear]

where do they find these doom and gloom merchants...

 

Laughing on the brink of ruin

 

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0...39-3122,00.html

[beardrech]

http://markit.com/information/products/abx.html

 

I do not pretend to understand this stuff. Just click on the links in the table to view the charts.

 

For example, here's a AAA something.

 

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From Nouriel Roubini's Blog

 

 

If you are interested in understanding where the economy is going you should rather look at the ongoing disaster in credit markets ? with a severe and spreading credit crunch - that will get uglier in the next few months as financial institutions are forced to mark to market massive ? still unrecorded ? losses on trillions of mortgages and related MBS and CDO tranches. With the ABX index for BBB- now down to the 20s and even the AAA tranches now down from par to 79 there are hundreds of billions of losses that no financial institutions has even started to account for. When allegedly AAA tranches of CDO trade at 79 cents on the dollar you know you have a massive and severe financial nightmare ahead. So, instead of the NFP report look daily at what the ABX indices are telling you about what is happening the economy and the financial sector.

 

This is why I am interested in these indexs

 

http://www.rgemonitor.com/blog/roubini

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This is part of the nightmare of history that Joyce was trying to escape from...what most of the remnants of optimistic mankind fail to understand is that by merely labeling a tranche or level AAA you dont necessarily immunise it from the disease being suffered by the levels below..

 

Because the Aristocratic segments (AAA) were so pristine that the finacial Archimedeans thought they could use it to leverage sub-prime slime with impunity.. Wrongo!!

 

The toxic slime below (in actuality a synthetic counterparty) is so low in marketability, that for all practical purposes , no longer serve as collateral (or better yet,barbed wire), for those tyranches up above; and vice verce.... For once the desparate selling commences it will impoverish those above sea-level...

 

The Aristo-tranches, like the A class passengers on the Titanic will discover themselves as being on the same ship and suffer the same fate as those below deck...

 

And once the investing world acknowledges this outliar(sic) in waiting, the entire ensemble of wickedness and mendacity will come tumbling down...

 

beardrech I do not gloat as I see myself amongst the wreckage

[Charmin]

I think the first test of this method  for the preservation of circulating social capital will be around the time USD gets close  to becoming the laughing stock of the world...

 

It's already started beardrech, the Canadians will start looking south for summer cottages in the next few years and on their trip through America they will be laughing all the way.

 

Oh wait, Doc does that already.

[DrStool]

Overall I agree, however Canadian Federal debt per capita is near $ 200,000 Quebec is a welfare province and also heavily in debt.... Not that different than the USA except for more resources. Canadian policies tend to follow the USA very close.

Some may talk about the Amero (merged North American currency), I know Canadians would react strongly against it, but Canada is run by appointed not elected  individuals now.

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According to StatCan, the federal debt at the end of 2006 was around $514 billion and it had gone down for 5 years in a row. So for the last 5 years Canada's Federal Government has run a surplus. The Net Federal Debt per capita is approximately $17,000 per capita, not $200,000. But indeed, it is about the same as the US per capita. The difference is that in Canada, it's going down.

 

Indeed, Quebec is a welfare state, and is heavily indebted. But there is minimal violent crime, and the provincial government owns the largest hydroelectric power producer in the world. It supplies not only Quebec, but large areas of the northeastern US and west through Ohio. It owns the largest transmission network in N. America.

 

The company had retained earnings of $17 billion at the end of the second quarter. Full year 2006 earnings were $3.75 billion, and 6 month earnings as of 6/07 were over $2 billion. I suspect that in time, Quebec will eventually need to sell HydroQuebec, which would go a long way toward reducing the provincial debt to manageable levels.

[mdporter]

AAPL is even more vulnerable, the Gphone news is all bad fer them

 

Don't think so. Google is not a consumer products company. So far they have not proven that they can sell one piece of hardware. Google is a click on the shiny, annoying Flash ad company. The rest is BS.

 

Google is not a company that has a proven track record in anything beyond advertising. Any moron can give away all the code they write for free, and many do. Google does. Therefore, their code is worthless.

 

The iPhone is popular for a reason. It is way cool in form and function. It is easily the best device of its kind. I don't have an interest in one, but after I used it for a few minutes, I wanted one.

 

Too bad the morons at Apple didn't get it Microsoft Exchange compatibility like other smartphones have. Apple would easily double or triple iphone sales if they did that. AT&T doesn't even offer the device on their business plans.

[Charmin]

I use history to as a guide because human behavior in the end never changes much over time.

 

 

You could go back a bit further in time. Joseph was in charge of selling corn during 7 years of famine in Egypt. It even states that the money failed during those times. Then those with cattle and land gave them up to keep food on the table and became slaves to pharoah as Joseph bought up all the land in exchange for food.

 

Think of it this way today. If there is a credit famine for 7 years and the money fails, then those who have little to sustain themselves through the credit famine may end up with no homes or land and will struggle just to keep ahead of inflation. Let's be conservative and say they are able to keep their job in the next 7 years.

[cwd]

I can not plead any louder. If is this does not scare you, you must be a perma bull.....Your liberties are about to be wingohockingmoyamensinged again. Fascism is going to come and no amount of paper gold will protect you.

 

This bill is one of the most blatant attacks against the Constitution yet and actually defines thought crimes as homegrown terrorism.

 

My grandmother got out of Poland 2 weeks before the Germans invaded. The only possessions they could take were anything of value and a brokerage statement was not part of it. They took gold melted it down into other forms such as a tire iron or a pipe. They painted it black and attached it to the car. They used jewelry as barter to get to France and eventually England. My mom told me stories of sleeping in the subway in London during the bombing campaigns.  People do not screw around with your life. Trying to find the easy or convenient way to own gold in the end is a waste of time. CEF is not the answer. YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS TO THE GOLD AND SILVER! (SAME AS GLD.) Also they are constantly diluting the shares with secondary offerings.

I can see why Jim Rogers left the country, it is about to turn upside down. I am not a fanatic or rights activist, I am simply a father of 5 who has great concern for their future. MY family has told me stories about Europe and trust me they are no different than what is happening today. Just the names and places have changed to protect the innocent. I really like this board and the people who take their time to offer some great thoughts. I really miss LEEWHEE. He definitely brought a sense of sobriety to this insane world.

 

I use history to as a guide because human behavior in the end never changes much over time.

 

I hate to say this but the time is now to make a real change in your life if you have not already. Gold at 800 is not a sign of good times. It is telling you there are bright warnings signs dead ahead.

 

Sorry for the long winded speech but our country, constitution, and rights are being eroded away.

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I am starting to convert part of my 401 to gold coins. The taxes are going up and probably the price of gold. Now is time to act.

[DrStool]

Dharmaeye-

 

I don't agree with your statement that Canadian policy tends to mirror US policy. Sure there are lots of similarities, as there are with any industrialized western nation, but there are lots of differences. Canada did not take part in the Iraq attack. Canada has national health care. Canada has an extensive, life long welfare system. Canada has strong gun control laws. Canada does not have the death penalty. The justice system in Canada is much more lenient than in the US. Canadian drug laws are more liberal. Canada controls prescription drug prices. It's environmental policies are much tougher than in the US. Canada has a tiny military.

 

So it's kind of absurd to say that Canadian policies mirror the US. There are huge differences.

 

And I do not understand your comment that the Canadian government is appointed. Canada is a parliamentary democracy. Harper the bush hugger got in because of a massive Liberal corruption scandal and public revulsion which resulted in a throw the bums out election that brought the Conservatives to power as a minority government.

 

By the way, Harper, a Conservative, is about as conservative as Hillary Clinton.

[EZ_Money]

After all the discussion on this board today about which on-line borker was deemed least threatened by the impending financial crisis...

 

the unofficial consensus seemed to indicate Schwab the most solid.

 

Just thought I'd pass along that a few hours ago I noticed (for the first time -- have I been in la-la land?) that Schwab is running an ad on TV that touts a yield on cash in their account far superior to ordinary bank interest.

 

As I was busy reading something on the Net, I confess I only caught part of the commercial.

 

Has anyone out there seen it?

 

I'm watching the CNBS channel to see if they play it again?

 

If I indeed heard the ad correctly, why is it they are touting the "high" rates paid on investor cash balances?

 

Could it be Schwab is having problems too?

[alceringa]

Schwab has been offering higher than normal bank rates on checking type accounts for literally DECADES. (I've had a Schwab account since 1983.)

 

Current APR is 4%, hardly earth moving and less than I get on my cash account in Oz.

 

http://www.schwab.com/public/schwab/banking_lending/checking

[Slappy]

For those fellow tin-hatters out there, here's the link to an article I just happened to run across a few minutes back.

 

http://financialsense.com/fsu/editorials/d.../2007/1102.html

 

I like to read this guy 'cause he's kinda a cynic (as am I).

 

Here's a snippet about 1/2 way into the piece:

 

" Record highs for Gold and Crude Oil could be merely another lure to get hard asset investors very much committed to long side only to have them taken down into the abyss by some ?managed? event or development, aided by The Cartel?s multi-trillion dollar derivatives colossus [see The Bank for International Settlements (the Central Bankers Bank) website - - www.bis.org>statistics>derivatives>Table19]."   

 

Got stops?   

620483[/snapback]

 

I've been busy as heck lately so I haven't been getting my usual dose of Crapvision, but I think I saw a shift in the way they are covering the 'credit crisis' this week. Last week it was super-SIV and FEED rate cuts to the rescue, this week was a recognition of the huge problem out there and even some commentary that the lack of clarity is scaring everyone out of the pool and in effect even preventing a rational approach to the problem.

 

I'm not buying that stuff for a minute. I think that somewhere behind the scenes there is a very good accounting of the size of the problem, and if Main Street had a grasp of the situation things would get much worse, much faster.

 

So where do the Pigmen go to if they're looking to raise the money they need to keep the monkey dancing? They're sure enough holding a lot of assets with too low of a value, can they maybe sell a bunch of their other assets at exorbitant values?

 

And after they sell what they want to sell, could they maybe pull the rug out and get them all back at much lower prices?

 

Nah, they wouldn't do that. Nevertheless, I'm starting to take some profits in runners like SLW and get a position in SDS.

 

Just in case.

 

[EZ_Money]

Dharmaeye-

 

I don't agree with your statement that Canadian policy tends to mirror US policy. Sure there are lots of similarities, as there are with any industrialized western nation, but there are lots of differences. Canada did not take part in the Iraq attack. Canada has national health care. Canada has an extensive, life long welfare system. Canada has strong gun control laws. Canada does not have the death penalty. The justice system in Canada is much more lenient than in the US. Canadian drug laws are more liberal. Canada controls prescription drug prices. It's environmental policies are much tougher than in the US. Canada has a tiny military.

 

So it's kind of absurd to say that Canadian policies mirror the US. There are huge differences.

 

And I do not understand your comment that the Canadian government is appointed. Canada is a parliamentary democracy. Harper the bush hugger got in because of a massive Liberal corruption scandal and public revulsion which resulted in a throw the bums out election that brought the Conservatives to power as a minority government. 

 

By the way, Harper, a Conservative, is about as conservative as Hillary Clinton.

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Doc -

 

I've read that the provincial government of Alberta is now essentially debt free as a result of the oil and mineral cash cow there, and that the Canadian federal government is attempting to redistribute the wealth to the industrially depressed eastern provinces.

 

Certainly a stronger Kanuck buck won't help those eastern industries with their exports.

 

I've traveled both areas (years ago) and enjoyed each, but for different reasons.

 

I am partial to Quebec, however, as I liked the greenery, the European flavor of the cities, towns, and villages, but mostly the beautiful, classy French-Canadian ladies.

 

From what I read, Alberta is experiencing a gold-rush, boom-town explosion in demand for housing and skilled labor, with prices for everything sky-high.

 

Would you guess the more affordable locales to live might be the central or far eastern provinces?

 

I once had a conversation with an ex-pat American who had married a Quebec lady and lived in northern Quebec in a rustic house on a large, quiet, secluded lake with great fishing.

 

The imagery from that conversation has lingered in my memory over the years, but with the recent appreciation in the CAD, it makes more sense for one to stay in the States (unless things should get too wild and chaotic down here).

[Mies van der Rump]

For those fellow tin-hatters out there, here's the link to an article I just happened to run across a few minutes back.

 

http://financialsense.com/fsu/editorials/d.../2007/1102.html

 

I like to read this guy 'cause he's kinda a cynic (as am I).

 

Here's a snippet about 1/2 way into the piece:

 

" Record highs for Gold and Crude Oil could be merely another lure to get hard asset investors very much committed to long side only to have them taken down into the abyss by some ?managed? event or development, aided by The Cartel?s multi-trillion dollar derivatives colossus [see The Bank for International Settlements (the Central Bankers Bank) website - - www.bis.org>statistics>derivatives>Table19]."   

 

Got stops?   

620483[/snapback]

 

I've been busy as heck lately so I haven't been getting my usual dose of Crapvision, but I think I saw a shift in the way they are covering the 'credit crisis' this week. Last week it was super-SIV and FEED rate cuts to the rescue, this week was a recognition of the huge problem out there and even some commentary that the lack of clarity is scaring everyone out of the pool and in effect even preventing a rational approach to the problem.

 

I'm not buying that stuff for a minute. I think that somewhere behind the scenes there is a very good accounting of the size of the problem, and if Main Street had a grasp of the situation things would get much worse, much faster.

 

So where do the Pigmen go to if they're looking to raise the money they need to keep the monkey dancing? They're sure enough holding a lot of assets with too low of a value, can they maybe sell a bunch of their other assets at exorbitant values?

 

And after they sell what they want to sell, could they maybe pull the rug out and get them all back at much lower prices?

 

Nah, they wouldn't do that. Nevertheless, I'm starting to take some profits in runners like SLW and get a position in SDS.

 

Just in case.

 

620506[/snapback]

 

The fact that it actually filtered down to the clown-holes at CNBS leads me to believe that one of the Money Center houses is basically tits up broke and the street knows it.

 

Turtle head's a poppin, and i bet they can't hold it in much longer.

[Slappy]

WCG looks to be turning in a bottom. A little good news could bring on an epic short squeeze.

 

[Slappy]

I got this one in email on Friday morning. Looks like the Powerball lottery game moved the home office to the UK.

 

And I'm a lucky winner....

 

PowerBALL FUNDS LOTTERY COMMISSION.

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FROM:POWERBALL AWARD DEPT.

PBL 2348974321

 

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