Archive for December, 2010
Posted by Larry Doyle on December 30th, 2010 10:44 AM |
With 2010 now close to being in the rear view mirror, I am compelled to provide my accolades and derision to those who did or did not embrace Sense on Cents’ perpetual pursuit of truth, transparency, and integrity. My lists are certainly far from complete. I welcome and encourage an open, healthy debate with these selections. The numbering of my picks is based on the calendar–that is, when I referenced these individuals/institutions during the course of the year– more than on any degree of fame or shame.
I put forth the following names with enthusiasm. I would ask you to comment liberally. Do you agree, disagree, or have names you would add? Who deserves even further recognition in terms of gold, silver, and bronze medals? With no further adieu . . .
2010 Sense on Cents Hall of Fame Inductees (more…)
Tags: hall of fame, Hall of Shame 2010, Larry Doyle, Sense on Cents, Sense on Cents Hall of Fame 2010, Sense on Cents Hall of Shame 2010
Posted in General | 12 Comments »
Posted by Larry Doyle on December 29th, 2010 8:44 AM |
Is there any doubt that our economy remains under severe duress or, as I have often maintained, is dealing with a serious bout of ‘walking pneumonia’? Are we supposed to merely wait this thing out? Is there little that can be done to resuscitate ‘our patient’? While there is little difficulty in identifying our economic malady, what is the cure? What mix of ‘economic medications’ may bring some life back to our national pulse?
Are we completely beholden to partisan posturing in Washington and debt strangulation in our state capitols?
What do you think should be done to get our economy moving again?
I received a recent communication from an avid supporter of Sense on Cents who shared the following: (more…)
Tags: debt strangulation, economic ails, economic cures, economic incentives, how do we get economy moving, how to fix our economy, how to improve our economy, Larry Doyle, partisan posturing, R&D, raising taxes on top one per cent, research and development, Sense on Cents, tax incentives, walking pneumonia economy, when will economy improve
Posted in General | 5 Comments »
Posted by Larry Doyle on December 27th, 2010 12:22 PM |
This commentary and attached story are a little lengthy but very important. I hope you will take the time to read, review, and share. LD
Is it possible that our nation can experience a historic demise in our economy and markets with little if any criminal activity involved in that process? Was our economic and market meltdown largely ‘a perfect storm’?
I do not buy those who would put forth that line of reasoning. Nor do I think should you.
Does it defy logic to think that our nation has been hit with trillions of dollars in losses and untold economic pain but only a relative handful of individuals were involved in criminal behaviors connected to this turmoil? Yes, that does defy logic.
Where are the criminal prosecutions? (more…)
Tags: a perfect storm, Art Samberg David Zilkha, Art Samberg hush money, Art Samberg Pequot scandal, Attorney General Eric Holder i, Bharara perjury, coordination among financial regulators c, criminal prosecutions from financial meltdown, Dodd-Frank whistleblower language, DOJ Pequot, Dr. Glen Kaiser Pequot Zilkha t, financial crimes, financial perfect storm, financial prosecutions, financial storm, Gary Aguirre Pequot, Gary Aguirre Pequot Samberg DOJ SEC Bharara, Goldman Sachs fine for Abacus, insider trading, insider trading Art Samberg, insider trading scandal, interaction between SEC and DOJ, John Cannallis of the SEC's New York Office, John Mack Art Samberg Pequot Capital, Karen Zilkha, Martha Stewart, Mary Schapiro, minor Ponzi schemes, MSFT options Pequot, Operation Broken Trust, Pequot insider trading of Microsoft, POGO, POGO Danielle Brian, POGO SEC Describes Possible Criminal Activity in Major Unprosecuted Hedge Fund Case, Preet Bharara, Project on Government Oversight Michael Smallberg, Rob Johnson, Robert Khuzami, Samberg hush money Zilkha, SEC, SEC fine of Goldman Sachs, SEC Lauren riser, SEC lawyer Mike Foster, Securities and Exchange Commission, Senator Charles grassley POGO Department of Justice, stock fraud crackdown, tell the truth, the need to tell the truth, unprosecuted cases, US Attorney Preet Bharara, US Attorney's Office for the Southern District, Wall Street abuses, Wall Street criminals, Wall Street-Washington incest, who has been prosecuted from financial demise, who is Dan Hurson, who is David Zilkha, William K. Black, Zilkha insider tips
Posted in General | 8 Comments »
Posted by Larry Doyle on December 25th, 2010 8:08 AM |
I firmly believe the greatest gift of all is the ‘giving of oneself.’ In giving, the donor receives so much in return: the beauty and grace of seeing a smile on the recipient’s face; the warmth of knowing that somebody has benefited from your generosity; the satisfaction that the world is a little better place from your giving.
I hope you are able to enjoy the beauty of this day with your loved ones. While many of us are truly blessed to be home with family today, let us also remember our brothers and sisters who are far away fighting to protect our freedom and liberties. I send this message primarily to them as well as all those who have returned from duty, especially our Wounded Warriors, and I say, “THANK YOU.”
On that note, I want to return to an authentic Christmas story which, I believe, captures the true spirit of Christmas.
This story made such an impact on me last year, it is only fitting to run it again.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, or however you celebrate, Happy Holidays!!
A Christmas Tale — 1919, The Wall Street Journal, December 2008 (more…)
Tags: a christmas story, Bolshevik putsch, Christmas 1919, Christmas 2010, Christmas message to our military, Christmas message to our troops in Afghanistan, Christmas message to those in harm's way, Christmas message to U.S. Air Force, Christmas message to U.S. Army, Christmas message to U.S. Marines, Christmas message to U.S. military troops, Christmas message to U.S. Navy, Christmas story, Communist takeover of Russia, fate of the White Army, fleeing Russian dictatorship in 1919, growing up in freedom, indomitable human spirit, love for God and men, love of God, Mr. von Spakovsky, Murmansk, Russian civil war 1919, the best gift ever, the flight of the White Army, the greatest gift of all, The Heritage Foundation Hans von Spakovsky, the human spirit, the story of hans von spakovsky y of, the true meaning of Christmas, the true spirit of christmas, the White Sea, what is the greatest gift, where is Arkhangelsk, White Army fleeing the Bolsheviks, who is hans von spakovsky, Wounded Warriors
Posted in General | 4 Comments »
Posted by Larry Doyle on December 23rd, 2010 7:58 AM |
What do you get when you put five Irish guys involved in finance around a table?
1. A lot of laughs.
2. Varied opinions.
3. Interesting insights.
4. A mix of plenty BS and zero BS depending on the topic.
5. Real bonding and true friendship.
6. ‘Sense on cents.’
7. All of the above.
Well, last evening 4 of my 7 siblings (6 brothers) and I got together with our respective families, including 16 nieces and nephews, for some Doyle holiday cheer. We covered all of the points highlighted above, plus some. Having experienced many of these get togethers over the years, I often wish that a tape recorder were running to capture the material and bantering. (more…)
Tags: 2011 outlooks, breaking balls, Doyle boys, Doyle family, Irish family get togethers, Larry Doyle, outlook for 2011, Sense on Cents, true friendship, yankee fans
Posted in General | 3 Comments »
Posted by Larry Doyle on December 22nd, 2010 9:23 AM |
Growing up in an Irish Catholic household, “spare the rod and spoil the child” was very much the order of the day. Along with that, there were many other principles that left a profound imprint on me. One of the strongest was the tenet that we ‘respect our elders.’ I believe experience is the best teacher. I also believe basic respect is a precious virtue. Combining the two, ‘respecting our elders’ is not only an admirable quality but an overriding tenet encompassing ‘sense on cents.’
On this note, I especially appreciated the following commentary written in today’s Wall Street Journal by former Major League Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent. From Antietam to Joe Dimaggio, (more…)
Tags: Bart Giamatti, Bill Veeck, Buck O'Neal, Christie Pontillo, Fay Vincent, From Antietam to Joe Dimaggio, George VanSantvoord, growing up in an Irish Catholic household f, Irish Catholic, Larry Doby, Larry Doyle, Lou Gehrig, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Ted Williams and Joe Dimaggio, Tommy Henrich
Posted in General | No Comments »
Posted by Larry Doyle on December 19th, 2010 9:09 PM |
For those who may have missed CBS News 60 Minutes this evening, there was a fabulous segment on the impending disasters within our municipal finance sector. This piece entitled State Budgets: Day of Reckoning runs for approximately 14 minutes and is a MUST SEE.
The problems embedded within a number of states and across hundreds–if not thousands–of local municipalities are not going away. Will Uncle Sam need to provide another trillion dollar bailout? Will ‘red states’ be asked to bail out ‘blue states’, perhaps starting with Illinois? Let’s navigate.
Larry Doyle
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I have no affiliation or business interest with any entity referenced in this commentary. The opinions expressed are my own and not those of Greenwich Investment Management. As President of Greenwich Investment Management, an SEC regulated privately held registered investment adviser, I am merely a proponent of real transparency within our markets so that investor confidence and investor protection can be achieved.
Tags: 60 Minutes, bailing out public employee pensions, Chris Christie 60 Minutes December 19 2010, Illinois is a deadbeat, is Illinois broke, Meredith Whitney 60 Minutes December 19 2010, Meredith Whitney on municipal problems, municipal defaults, municipal finance, pension liabilities, problems in municipal finance, public employee pensions, state budgets, State Budgets: Day of Reckoning, Steve Kroft, The Day of Reckoning, threats to US economy, will red states bail out blue states
Posted in General, municipal finance | 5 Comments »
Posted by Larry Doyle on December 19th, 2010 12:06 PM |
When launching Sense on Cents in early 2009, I very much hoped that people would view this site as a resource and a welcoming place. I have often thought that if even just one person benefits from my work and writing, then my mission will be complete.
The feedback I have received from many energizes me. I have periodically highlighted some of the feedback, especially if I believe others can benefit. In that vein, my adrenaline rushed the other day upon reading a comment left by a regular reader in response to my writing Gaining the Edge.
The reader’s message and then the ‘message within the message’ speak for themselves. I am at a loss for words–which does not happen often–so will allow this comment to speak for me.
LD, here’s a speech my son wrote for school, he’s in the 9th grade. (more…)
Tags: Abraham Lincoln, Anthony Robbins, attitude, Bridgewater Associates, career of Abraham Lincoln, developing a winning attitude, gaining the edge, honesty integrity cooperation, how to develop a winning attitude, How to Win friends and influence People by Dale Carnegie, impact of John Wooden, john wooden, Keanu Reeves, Larry Doyle, Larry Doyle financial blogger, Patrick Swayze, Point Break, Pyramid of success, Ralph Waldo Emerson, ray Dalio of Bridgewater Associates, Ray Dalio Principles, Sense on Cents, who is Larry Doyle, who is ray dalio, who you are shouts so loudly in my ears I can't hear a word you're saying, winning attitude, wisdom, Wooden's Pyramid of Success, youthful wisdom
Posted in General | 5 Comments »
Posted by Larry Doyle on December 17th, 2010 7:20 AM |
What competitive individual worth his salt does not want to ‘gain the edge’? Have you ever come across successful individuals–success being a very relative term–who did not want to ‘gain an edge’ and then widen the gap with the competition? I haven’t.
I had fully intended on writing this morning about the ongoing developments in the insider trading scandal sweeping across Wall Street. ‘Gaining the edge’ is very much the common thread that runs through this story. The lengths to which selected individuals would go to ‘gain that edge’ make for interesting reading. The wearing of wiretaps by informants adds to the intrigue. Where will the story lead? Which hedge funds may be implicated? What ‘masters of the universe’ may fall while pursuing their untold riches and accompanying success?
Then I thought, why would I want to take readers into this seamy world and give attention to those who may break the rules to ‘gain that edge.’ I don’t. At least not today. (more…)
Tags: gaining an edge, gaining the edge, Hedge Funds, insider activity, insider trading, insider trading scandal, John Bogle, john wooden, Mark McCormack, SAC, the edge, the life of John Bogle, the life of John Wooden, the life of mark McCormack, the life of Tony Dungy, Tony Dungy, Wall Street, Wall Street insider trading scandals, wearing a wiretap
Posted in General | 4 Comments »