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HomeA Great Day for The Irish: Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!
Posted by Larry Doyle on March 17th, 2014 7:28 AM |
It seems only fitting that, with a surname like Doyle, on the 17th of March I should take a break from the daily navigation of the economic landscape, show off my ancestors’ breastplate, and spread a wee bit of Irish hopefulness to all who come here. On that note, I welcome sharing this Irish blessing:
Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers—
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours—
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,
And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!
With best wishes and Godspeed, I also hope people might take just a few minutes to enjoy this Irish classic:
Navigate accordingly.
Larry Doyle
Please order a hard copy or Kindle version of my book, In Bed with Wall Street: The Conspiracy Crippling Our Global Economy.
For those reading this via a syndicated outlet or receiving it via e-mail or another delivery, please visit the blog to comment on this piece of ‘sense on cents.’
Please subscribe to all my work via e-mail.
The opinions expressed are my own. I am a proponent of real transparency within our markets so that investor confidence and investor protection can be achieved.
Rolling Stone Interview: Bill Gates Is Clueless on US Government Corruption
Posted by Larry Doyle on March 16th, 2014 6:33 AM |
Bill Gates did not become one of the wealthiest individuals in the world by accident. Gates is a visionary, exceedingly charitable, and clearly ‘scary smart’.
All this said, Gates is neither perfect nor infallible. In fact, on some of the most critically important topics of the day, I think he is downright clueless. Let’s navigate.
I thank the readers who shared a recent interview Gates had with Rolling Stone in which there was the following ‘must read’ brief exchange: (more…)
Congress: Telemarketing Central USA
Posted by Larry Doyle on March 15th, 2014 7:05 AM |
Do you get annoyed by telemarketing calls coming into your home at all hours? Imagine, instead of a pitchman for just another product you would never need, that the individual on the other end of the line is your US Congressman. Ridiculous? Think again.
Have we sunk so low that our elected officials now spend endless hours literally ‘dialing for dollars’? Indeed they do.
Represent.Us, a grassroots organization you will hear a lot more of in the coming years, highlights a brief 3-minute clip so we can watch and learn as Lawrence Lessig, a professor at Harvard Law School and highly acclaimed political activist, spoke on just such a topic with Bill Moyers:
Larry Doyle
Please order a hard copy or Kindle version of my book, In Bed with Wall Street: The Conspiracy Crippling Our Global Economy.
For those reading this via a syndicated outlet or receiving it via e-mail or another delivery, please visit the blog to comment on this piece of ‘sense on cents.’
Please subscribe to all my work via e-mail.
The opinions expressed are my own. I am a proponent of real transparency within our markets so that investor confidence and investor protection can be achieved.
DOJ Lies, Lies, and Damn Lies re: Mortgage Fraud
Posted by Larry Doyle on March 14th, 2014 9:21 AM |
When people knowingly misrepresent critically important information to you and do so on a repeated basis, why would you ever trust them?
Human nature being what it is, you would not.
That is exactly the quandary the Department of Justice finds itself in currently. How so? Let’s navigate and review a recently released report from none other than the Inspector General’s Office of the Department of Justice which outlines how the DOJ repeatedly delivered grossly exaggerated information to the American public regarding mortgage fraud investigations. (more…)
State of The Union: 55 Things You May Not Know . . . but Should
Posted by Larry Doyle on March 13th, 2014 6:06 AM |
Every now and then there are selected commentaries brought to my attention that just scream, “SHARE THIS!” To that end, I thank the reader who sent along the following article with voluminous links.
Think our society is not in distress and decline? I compel you to take a few minutes to review a listing of 55 items compiled by Michael Snyder of The American Dream. Please let me know which of these items most disturb you and what you think of the “state of our union.” Let’s navigate.
#1 We are supposed to have a government “of the people, by the people, for the people”, but only 25 percent of all Americans know how long U.S. Senators are elected for (6 years), and only 20 percent of all Americans know how many U.S. senators there are. (more…)
‘Canaries In Coal Mines’: Copper and Iron Ore Markets Breaking Down
Posted by Larry Doyle on March 12th, 2014 10:23 AM |
Having focused meaningful attention on developments in China in recent commentaries, I am compelled to draw even further focus to the ‘canaries in the coal mines,’ that is, the copper and iron ore markets.
Let’s navigate eastward once again as the FT writes,
Copper continued to take a pummelling, with Shanghai traded futures in the metal falling by their daily limit on Wednesday morning.
That came after a frenzied day of trading on Tuesday, when copper prices sank below $6,500 a tonne to a near four-year low as concerns mounted over the fragility of the Chinese market. (more…)
Greatest Market Risk: China’s Shadow Banking
Posted by Larry Doyle on March 11th, 2014 9:24 AM |
As I navigate the markets and global economy, I am always on the lookout for sectors and regions where leverage has built up to the point where it bubbles over and needs to be reined in. In the process, markets tend to retrace.
On this note, I drew attention to what I deemed our current, greatest market risk when I wrote in mid-January about the shadow banking system in China (What Is Greatest Global Risk Lurking In Shadows? Look East).
Much as the shadow banking system in our country grew to the point where it was lending 40-45% of the total credit that flowed into our economy, the explosive growth in the shadow banking system in China now equates to a not insignificant ~60% of China’s GDP. Why should we be concerned? Did you notice the recent 8% decline in the price of iron ore and a similar decline in the price of copper stemming from concerns over the Chinese economy? A slowing in China presents a challenge for those entities that have borrowed short (paying dearly in the process) and lent long and leveraged up in the process.
Institutional Investor writes a “must read” for anybody who cares about keeping their pulse on risks in the global markets and economy. (more…)
Baupost’s Seth Klarman Warns of Asset Bubble
Posted by Larry Doyle on March 10th, 2014 7:51 AM |
More often than not, I take the wisdom provided by selected talking heads and industry insiders with a pound of salt.
Without being overly cynical strictly for cynicism’s sake, I discount a fair bit of the analysis put forth by many financial sleuths based on the individual ‘talking his own position.’ In fact, I believe that many outlets predominantly look for guests who play the game and toe the industry’s party line.
To that end, I look elsewhere for insights and perspectives that I really appreciate. Who are some of the money managers I truly respect but are rarely seen on major financial outlets? Bob Rodriguez, Jeremy Grantham, and Seth Klarman, who just so happens to offer some pointed insights highlighted today in a commentary in the FT: >>>>>> (more…)
World Justice Project: 2014 Rule of Law Report Recommended
Posted by Larry Doyle on March 7th, 2014 1:51 PM |
Among various reports that I look for on an annual basis, I appreciate the Rule of Law Index produced by the World Justice Project as much as any.
Why do I anticipate reading and reviewing this report so much? Because we are a nation of laws and not of men. At least I think we are . . . although sometimes I wonder. As the WJP highlights:
“Effective rule of law helps reduce corruption, alleviate poverty, improve public health and education, and protect people from injustices and dangers large and small,” said William H. Neukom, WJP Founder and CEO. “Wherever we come from, the rule of law can always be strengthened.” (more…)
Is That Broker Soliciting You an Ex-Con?
Posted by Larry Doyle on March 7th, 2014 10:06 AM |
Not that we needed any more evidence that Wall Street’s primary self-regulator is a challenged organization when it comes to protecting investors, but in a lead commentary in today’s Wall Street Journal we get it:
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority “routinely” strips out some possible red flags on brokers from its database in the information it makes available to investors, according to a study released Thursday by an organization of lawyers who represent investors in claims against brokers. (more…)
