B4 The Bell Turdsday

[Hiding Bear]

You know, it has been noted that virtually every time the Bush Baby speaks, stocks head South.? This is an erection year, so he'll be doing a lot of speaking.? Now if the markets go South, so does his chance of re-election.? So Bushka, do you shut up and pray or speak and die?? Seems like the world is chock full of Catch 22s these days.

Here's another Catch 22:

 

Mr. Bush had also hoped to score points on the economy by naming a Commerce Department czar for manufacturing on Thursday, Tony Raimondo, chairman and chief executive of Behlen Manufacturing Co., a prefabricated-building maker in Columbus, Neb. But those plans went awry when the Kerry campaign pre-empted the announcement by issuing its own press release unveiling the Bush appointment and criticizing the choice. Afterwards, a Bush official, citing "scheduling conflict," said the personnel announcement would be postponed. But Mr. Raimondo is likely to face questions about his company's layoffs in the U.S. and investments in China.

 

Wall Street Journal

 

Sounds like GWB wants to put a wolf in charge of the manufacturing job chicken coop.

[zensmoke]

I think all the dip-buying robots should be "edjumacated"--what do you think?

 

Should we give them an education today?????

[zensmoke]

DJ Fannie Economists See Fed Rate Hikes Starting This Fall

 

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--Fannie Mae Economists David Berson and Orawin Velz said Thursday that "we don't expect the Fed to begin tightening until this fall, with the federal funds rate ending the year at 1.25% - only 25 basis points above current levels."

 

But they said in a new economic and mortgage market update that the Federal Reserve "is likely to tighten more quickly next year" as the output gap shrinks and the risks of inflation rise.

 

They said the Fed could begin tightening sooner if the job market recovers more quickly.

Dow Jones Newswires

[Captain's Log]

He said they all had mental stops, where they would bail to conserve assets.

 

He described it as "portfolio insurance without market stop orders," or something like that.

Martha's defence should have tried that one !

[Captain's Log]

GreenSpeekth:

 

*DJ Greenspan: US May Have Too Many 'Lesser-Skilled Workers'

Dow Jones Newswires

That's no way to talk about our President.

[zensmoke]

'Opec to study possibility of another output cut'

 

AP[ THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2004 06:55:19 AM ]

 

CARACAS : The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will consider cutting its production by another one million barrels per day, Venezuela 's oil minister said.

 

Separately, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez assured oil company executives on Tuesday that economic ties with the United States would remain strong despite political differences between his government and the Bush administration.

 

At its February 10 meeting, Opec decided to slash one million barrels of oil per day, starting April 1, from its total output of 24.5 million barrels to try to keep oil prices stable when warmer weather erodes demand in the United States and other major importing countries.

 

The Venezuelan oil minister, Rafael Ramirez, said OPEC ministers who meet on March 31 may decide to make additional cuts.

 

"It could be," Ramirez replied when asked about another cut. "We have to look at the opinion ... inside of Opec."

 

Ramirez said Opec is seeking to reduce overproduction. At the Cartel's last meeting, members agreed to eliminate 1.5 million barrels per day that exceeds quotas.

 

Chavez, speaking on Tuesday to executives involved in the development of natural gas fields in eastern Venezuela, said economic ties with the United States would remain strong.

 

"Look at how important this commercial relationship is," Chavez said.

 

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/553341.cms

[Captain's Log]

If you go down in the woods today....

 

Stock weakness more than a 'correction': B. Stearns

By Tomi Kilgore

03/11/2004 10:52

 

NEW YORK (CBS.MW) - Bear Stearns equity strategist Francois Trahan said the current decline in stocks is a combination of both a correction and a transition. It is a "correction," Trahan said, because support levels have broken, which suggests further losses before any rebound. But he said it was also a "transition," since the maturing of the economic cycle will lead to a shift in market leadership. He feels the weakness in the technology sector since the end of 2003 has more to do with slowdown in the manufacturing sector -- tech stocks outperformed in January along with a rising Institute of Supply Management index, and underperformed in February when the ISM declined -- than just seasonality. The Nasdaq Composite was last up 1 point at 1,965. The tech-friendly index rose 3.1 percent in January and fell 1.7 percent in February, vs. gains in the S&P 500 Index of 1.7 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively, over the same time periods.

[Captain's Log]

Loose Cannon alert...

 

Greenspan: We've promised too much to Baby Boomers

By Rex Nutting

03/11/2004 11:21

 

WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan repeated his warning that future Social Security benefits will have to be cut. "We don't have the resources" to match the promises made to the millions of Baby Boomers who are about to retire, Greenspan told the House Education Committee on Thursday. Democrats on the committee argued that Social Security was being squeezed by trillions in tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. "We have to make some choices," Greenspan said. It's not fair to those who will retire in the next generation to promise more than the society can afford, Greenspan said.

[zensmoke]

GreenSpeekth:

 

*DJ Greenspan: US May Have Too Many 'Lesser-Skilled Workers'

Dow Jones Newswires

That's no way to talk about our President.

[brian4]

the window closed a few minutes ago and held it down nicely, now its on its own for awhile they will try and put some lipstick on the pig but it won't go anywhere!

[dogsie]

Isn't there a chance the S&P will test the 50 dma to the upside before plunging further?

[Bearman]

trans up 48 pts

[Madame Wrecked Him]

Isn't there a chance the S&P will test the 50 dma to the upside before plunging further?

Hi dogsie!

I think anything is possible. Even in a crash scenario, it still kept retesting the 50dma before it finally collapsed - and the collapse occurred from below the 200dma:

[zensmoke]

Needs job, moves to India

 

.....As it turns out, Dunn isn't the only American starting to look -- and even move -- abroad for work. And his contention that American workers can still find opportunity in this dawn of offshoring isn't a case of wishful thinking, according to the Indian employers he's contacting.

 

"We need overseas people to work in our country," agrees Kris Lakshmikanth, founder and CEO of Head Hunters India. "In fashion, health care, biotechnology, there are areas where India needs special knowledge that is available in the U.S. and Europe. The other thing we need are people who can speak different languages, American English, French, German."

 

Today, experts say, there are about 30,000 foreigners working in India. That's a virtual drop in the bucket for a country that has a population of more than 1 billion -- and far less than the 250,000 foreigners (mostly English) living in India some 60 years ago, just before India's independence in 1947.

 

But the number of people willing to uproot themselves from homes in New York to become expatriates in New Delhi is expected to grow in coming years. In fact, it's already become easier for Indian employers to attract foreign workers.

 

Last week, for example, Lakshmikanth received an e-mail from a woman who worked at a call center in Kansas. Could she send a resume?

 

http://money.cnn.com/2004/03/09/pf/workers...india/index.htm

[brian4]

opening now till the top of the hour!