Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : The Residential Real Estate Crash Index -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tejek who wrote (260552)	7/13/2010 8:33:56 PM
From: Smiling Bob	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 306849

There are too many potholes on the road to recovery Paying down an out of control deficit while fulfilling an increasing demand for entitlements and services are two that can be called black holes. Higher taxes and higher interest rates are inevitable. Two more recovery killers that will directly hit corporations . I hope I'm short AMZN when an online sales tax is seriously talked about

To: tejek who wrote (260552)	7/14/2010 9:27:57 AM
From: RetiredNow	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 306849

tejek, we have absolute proof that our financial industry is at best incompetent and at worst utterly corrupt. As far as me trying to prove I'm right, I really don't want to be proven right. My retirement depends on me being proven wrong. However, the last time we had a financial crisis of this magnitude was in the 1930s. So most of the CEOs in power today, simply don't understand what has just happened, or if they do, they don't understand that nothing has been fixed. They don't understand that increased economic volatility and shorter recoveries and business cycles are what we should expect going forward. I think most CEOs are in the mindset that we will now be in a recovery/boom cycle for the next 3-4 years, because that's what we've typically seen over the last 30 years. However, what is far more likely is that we'll have 1-2 year recoveries, followed by renewed contraction. Do I think CEOs are planning for this? No, I don't. They aren't planning for it just like they didn't plan for the mortgage market to blow up and take the rest of the economy with it. I'm confident in this assessment because in my own company right now, there is a hell of a lot of bullishness that completely discounts any bad news. Not good. Not cautiously optimistic.

To: tejek who wrote (260552)	7/14/2010 9:29:40 AM
From: RetiredNow	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 306849

Four out of Five See Financial Reforms as Ineffectual ritholtz.com By Barry Ritholtz - July 14th, 2010, 6:36AM It turns out that Americans — at least 80% of them — have been paying attention: “Americans harbor doubts that a financial-regulation bill about to be passed by Congress will do what President Barack Obama says it will: help avoid another crisis and make their finances safer. Almost four out of five Americans surveyed in a Bloomberg National Poll this month say they have just a little or no confidence that the measure being championed by congressional Democrats will prevent or significantly soften a future crisis. More than three-quarters say they don’t have much or any confidence the proposal will make their savings and financial assets more secure. A plurality — 47 percent — says the bill will do more to protect the financial industry than consumers; 38 percent say consumers would benefit more.” This is politically troubling for the two dominant parties: It is bad for Democrats, who are seen as bumbling and incompetent. Despite having bigger majorities in both Houses than George W. Bush did, they were unable to pass substantial legislation without having it substantially watered down by lobbyists. But it may be worse for the GOP, who are seen as married to an intellectually bankrupt ideology, steadfast opponents of all reform, and way too cozy with Wall Street. The unsurprising datapoint in the Bloomberg poll is that Americans favor stronger regulation by a 3-to-1 margin. “While skeptical about the bill’s benefits, Americans don’t want a return to the days before the financial markets suffered their biggest turmoil since the Great Depression: A plurality of respondents says they have become more supportive in recent months of tougher regulations. By a three-to-one margin, Americans have grown more favorable to stronger regulation rather than less. Even Republicans have become more inclined to stricter oversight.” The only ones surprised by that are the dolts in Congress. If ever there was a window for a third party, it would be now . . .