Al Peia's Blog: March 9, 2011 posts

Business / Economic / Financial

[ This link to a somewhat more cumulative blog posts page will precede current days news since most all topics remain current in terms of impact and longer-term effect and can be searched by topical index term more easily. The same is provided since the blog site http://alpeiablog.blogspot.com has just been censored as to size by google which is typical for google as nsa / cia / gov’t shill as more are becoming aware of. The same is true for microsoft, another co. that’s seen their best days and relies on the government to maintain their monopoly. Up to now the better page http://www.scribd.com/alpeia is provided for ease of formatting and clarity thereby while the Washington Post page is the real deal but without formatting http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/mypost/index.html?plckPersonaPage=PersonaComments&plckUserId=alpeia&newspaperUserId=alpeia . The following is the cumulative archive of blog posts / topics for 2010 as the new year starts anew: http://albertpeia.com/December312010postsarchive.htm or PDF formatted version
http://albertpeia.com/December312010postsarchive.pdf ]

U.N. alarmed by surge in civilian casualties in Afghanistan (Washington Post) [ No, gates has already addressed that … minor setbacks, says he … Turmoil jars U.S. counter-terror efforts (Washington Post) [ Now how does this come as a surprise to anyone? Beyond america’s propaganda machine, orwellian england, etc., just how do think the war crimes, invasions, pillaging and plundering, and killing of innocent children, women, and men by pervasively corrupt, defacto bankrupt america et als for the sake of the u.s. military military complex are viewed by the rest of the world, and particularly the subject region. Euphemistically but realistically speaking, ‘not good’! … Gates says killing of Afghan boys a "setback" (Reuters) [Ah, yes, riiiiight! … that’s what it is, alright…just a setback…I see. ] Gates: US military to stay in Afghanistan US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who is on a surprise visit to Afghanistan, says the American military should stay in the conflict-riddled country despite the rising human costs. Violent spring looming in Afghanistan (Washington Post) [ See … something to look forward to … must be that good news that keeps getting pushed back … and spring no less … everything bombing blooming or in war criminal american-speak … ‘booming’ … but not the defacto bankrupt american economy for which a crash is ‘looming’. Could somebody help me out with a translation of gates’ speech a west point … I must be missing something … Lt. Gen. John Kelly, who lost son to war, says U.S. largely unaware of sacrifice (Washington Post) [ I disagree! They are very much aware; as they stand in unemployment lines, use food stamps to get by, etc.. I hate to sound cavalier and I’m sorry that Kelly lost a son to war, but along with the multitude of civilians in the nations unlucky enough to provide a source of corporate welfare to the military industrial complex and war profiteering for the few (as warned against by President General Eisenhower), they died for nothing, for no good reason beyond the false propaganda. Six NATO troops killed in Afghanistan (Washington Post) [ Is there something wrong with the following picture? … am I missing something? … Gates's warning: Avoid land war in Asia, Middle East, and Africa Christian Science Monitor - In a speech to cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Gates's message was clear: The US military services, as well as the elected and appointed civilians who send them to war, need better ways of foreseeing and preparing for ... Gates Tells US Army to Take New Approach Voice of America Warning Against Wars Like Iraq and Afghanistan New York Times [ Better said, than unsaid; but, methinks a bit late for that in light of pervasively corrupt, defacto bankrupt america’s consummate decline and fall! If only they had listened and not shot at the messenger … things could have been different! ] ] American military officials expect that the Taliban will mount a campaign to regain ground lost to U.S. troops last year and use suicide bombing teams to strike at those associated with the Afghan government or coalition forces. ]

U.N. confirms probe into allegations of torture by Gaddafi's forces (Washington Post) [ Well we all know how effective the u.n. has been in enforcing the mandate against torture / war crimes in light of their stern rebuke / sanctions / action against the u.s. / israel … riiiiight! http://albertpeia.com/evilonthetarmac.htm ]

Dispute threatens trade agenda (Washington Post) [ Agenda? What agenda? Come on! A cursory look at the consistent and persistent trade numbers and one must conclude that they’d safe some face and be thought of just a wee bit better than worse than bad if they stated they have no agenda. My computer is under constant hack-attack and truth be told, I’ll be going linux / non-windows with my next ‘non-american’ made computer (this dell just can’t hack the hacks / barrage). Let’s not kid ourselves, there is nothing ‘made in america’ (even most components of ‘domestic’ products are made overseas) that can’t be made elsewhere better and cheaper except for the ubiquitous fraud for which pervasively corrupt, defacto bankrupt america has no peer…

Taxpayers caught in middle of Fannie lawsuit (Washington Post) What could be worse than taxpayers paying more than $100 million to defend a shareholder-owned company and its former executives in a private lawsuit? [ What could be worse? Not prosecuting the massive wall street frauds in the trillions with jail, fines, and disgorgement the goal.…. Top Economists: Trust is Necessary for a Stable Economy … But Trust Won’t Be Restored Until We Prosecute Wall Street Fraud Most policy makers still don’t understand the urgent need to restore trust in our financial system, or the need to prosecute Wall Street executives for fraud and other criminal wrongdoing ….. 'Gang of 6' takes deficit fight to public (Washington Post) [ Riiiight! I like that term, gang, as applied to capital hill. Indeed, without exaggeration or sarcasm I posit the realistic existence of government mob, relative to other mob designations as ie., mafia, irish mob, jewish mob, etc., based not on what they say they do but on what they actually do. That now corrupted supreme court of old’s test for obscenity; viz., ‘you know it when you see it’. And, haven’t we been seeing it for quite some time now; the corruption, the corruptibility, the lobbyists, the military industrial complex, the look the other way for the massive frauds on wall street, the bribes in one form or another before or after the fact? The ‘gangs’ should be shouldering the burden first, then come asking those who foolishly trusted them. Why Social Security is welfare (Washington Post) [ What does it matter what you call it? Part of america’s defacto bankruptcy? Most assuredly (I haven’t even looked at the Bloomberg propaganda piece which by its very title is an insult to intelligence; after all, we all know they can continue to print evermore worthless fiat currency which in reality does not change the ultimate reality of america’s defacto bankruptcy but merely exacerbates while forestalling a realistic assessment of the magnitude of the crisis. The fact is that there are others, culpable in creating this crisis who should be shouldering the burden first; ie., frauds on wall street via prosecution, fines, disgorgement; Ellen Bente Oliver ‘Salary of House/Senate...$174,000. Salary of Speaker of House...$223,500. Salary of Majority/Minority Leaders...$193,400. Average US Salary...$33,000 to $77,000. Maybe our elected officials should make an average salary too...It's a time of sacrifice after all...Pass along, post on your own page if you agree…’ ; SEC on the hot seat (Washington Post) [ Oooooh! The capital hill hot seat … shilling for no more than a grilling. House Republicans press SEC on official's ties to Madoff (Washington Post) [ The ultimate subterfuge. Mr. small potatoes madoff the focus of so much influence … yet he’s in jail … and the only one … Boy, did mary shapiro become total b*** s*** fast … the current shibboleth of capital hill / all 3 branches of pervasively corrupt u.s. government … joining the others: “The Financial Industry Has Become So Politically Powerful That It Is Able To Inhibit the Normal Process of Justice And Law Enforcement” The economy cannot stabilize unless fraud is prosecuted. But the folks in D.C. seem determined to turn a blind eye to Wall Street shenanigans, and is now moving to defund the enforcement agencies like the SEC and CFTC. Market Crash 2011: It Will Hit by Christmas Farrell, MarketWatch SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (MarketWatch) — ‘Politicians lie. Bankers lie. Yes, they’re liars. But they’re not bad, it’s in their genes, inherited. Their brains are wired that way, warn scientists. Like addicts, they can’t help themselves. They want to sell stuff, get rich…’ Financialization and Our Increasingly Unstable Economy Roche ‘I finally got around to seeing the movie Inside Job, the story behind the credit crisis and winner of the Academy Award for best documentary. It’s very good and I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen it. It will certainly infuriate you. The movie doesn’t place nearly enough blame on homeowners, but all in all it does an excellent job of showing how Wall Street and government have become overrun by deregulation and sheer greed. A combination of flawed economic theory and greed have combined to create the beast that we now call a “functioning” economy. The worst part of it all is that President Obama, who vowed change, has done almost nothing to fix any of it and in fact continues most of the policies that helped get us here in the first place. …’ ‘INSIDE JOB’ Ferguson wins Oscar for Documentary on the unprosecuted massive extant fraud in the (many) TRILLIONS by the frauds on wall street ( and declares with oscar in hand that not one high level wall street exec has been prosecuted … despite ‘earning’ billiions from the fraud ), the commentator / experts recommend getting rid of the corrupt eric holder ( now what do holder and wobama have in common … is it wall street money ………… is it a proclivity for jive-talking / b*** s*** ………all of the above, some of the above ……….. or is it something else …… here’s a hint - UPDATE: MORE CLAIMS OF RACE BIAS AT JUSTICE... CIVIL RIGHTS PANEL TO PURSUE FED PROBE IN BLACK PANTHER CASE... ‘In emotional and personal testimony, an ex-Justice official who quit over the handling of a voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party accused his former employer of instructing attorneys in the civil rights division to ignore cases that involve black defendants and white victims ...’ US v. AZ... Cases against Wall Street lag despite Holder’s vows to target financial fraud Washington Post | Obama has promised to hold Wall Street accountable for the meltdown. ) (see this film, I strongly recommend the complete documentary – the following is a preview/summary) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffHFjlqIzKE&feature=related

[Here’s an archived version

’Inside Job’ New Documentary Exposes Wall Street Fraud And How Banksters Continue To Steal Our Money

Web site Link / Path to archived file: http://www.albertpeia.com/insidejob.flv [45mb ]

http://www.albertpeia.com/insidejob.mp4 [ 65mb ] ]

] Official opens an investigation into allegations that the agency mishandled potential conflicts of interest in its response to Madoff's Ponzi scheme.

] Here is how I define a welfare program.

] While Washington bickers noisily over cutting a small slice of the federal budget, Sens. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, and Saxby Chambliss, a Georgia Republican, launch a campaign to convince the public that merely cutting spending will do little to tame the $14 trillion national debt.

]

] A battle over a proposed free-trade agreement with Colombia is undercutting U.S.'s pact with South Korea

In Senate's debt debate, talk isn't cheap (Washington Post) [ Oh, but it is cheap! Very cheap relative to the magnitude of the insurmountable debt … here’s an initial and astute vote of ‘no confidence’ … Drudgereport: `World's biggest bond fund dumps all U.S. debt...` Senate still wrangling over spending bill (Washington Post) [ Few signs of compromise on budget details (Washington Post) [ Come on … wake up! The cuts they’re quibbling over don’t even cover interest on the national debt! Timid Tuesday: Is it Safe? Davis ‘… This is how we pay off our current debts and I think bondholders are simply happy to get anything out of a country that admits it owes $15Tn (1/4 of global GDP) but probably owes closer to $60Tn (entire global GDP) in the form of unfunded liabilities. The funniest thing about this (and you have to laugh) is to see Conservative pundits get on TV and talk about how we need to cut $100Bn worth of discretionary spending to "fix" this (while continuing to spend $1Tn on the military and $1Tn on tax cuts for the top 1% each year). There is no fixing this and even a Republican said you can’t fool all of the people all of the time. THIS HOUSE OF CARDS IS TEETERING FOLKS – PLEASE BE CAREFUL OUT THERE! ‘ ] Senate leaders delayed until Wednesday consideration of a bill to fund the government through Sept.

Wis. Senate strips workers' bargaining rights Vote by Republicans bypasses chamber's missing Democrats (Washington Post) [ Drudgereport: Drudge is reporting, and I think Charlie Sheen would agree, that in Wisconsin, the GOP is … duh … winning … and conversely, the dems / unions are … duh … losers, trolls, etc… just kidding …

Drudgereport: World's biggest bond fund dumps all U.S. debt...

UNIONS LOSE IN WI

WI GOP pushes through union bill...
'ENOUGH IS ENOUGH'...
Gov. Walker applauds...
DEMS SCRAMBLE BACK...

SHOCK: 82% of US schools 'failing'... Gasoline cost to jump $700 for avg household... Libya Tanks Move In To Crush Rebel Stronghold...
Carnage in Rebel City...
FOOTAGE: Libyan war plane shot down...
Obama, Cameron discuss plan of action... Hoyer: No Balanced Budget for 15-20 Years 'We've Dug Such a Deep Hole'... FLASHBACK: Larger Than Entire 2007 Deficit...
Treasury Draws Down Cash Balance...
FEBRUARY DEFICIT: $223 BILLION
FRESHMAN DEM. SENATOR: OBAMA HAS 'FAILED TO LEAD'... Mayors to Unions: 'Dire fiscal straits' without 'dramatic' changes...
Anger Brews Over Government Workers' Benefits... UNREST IN THE MIDWEST: Now Michigan... WELFARE NATION: ONE-THIRD OF ALL WAGES ARE HANDOUTS... ROMNEY: Obama Misery Index hits record high... OPEC VOWS NEW PUMPING...
OIL HOLDS NEAR $105...
Roubini: Will Hit $150... Sheen: 'I'm really starting to lose my mind'... ‘In what appears to be a 180 degree turn around from his daily proclamations of having “tiger’s blood” and “Adonis DNA,” Charlie Sheen admitted “I’m really starting to lose my mind” in the new issue of “Life & Style.” The recently fired “Two and a Half Men” star also reveals his desperation to regain custody of his two young twin sons, Bob and Max.

ARTICLE: Charlie Sheen Attacks Jon Cryer.

“She can’t keep them from me,” Sheen says of his estranged wife, Brooke Mueller. “I won’t let her—I’ll do anything to get them back.”Sheen, 45, who has made four disturbing live web broadcasts from his compound in Sherman Oaks, CA, admits that even his lawyer, Marty Singer, has expressed concern about him.

PHOTOS: Charlie Sheen's Long List of Lady Friends.

“My lawyer wants to come over to my house and take the bullets out of my gun," he told the magazine.A party pal of Charlie’s tells the magazine, "It's crazy over here at the house—Charlie's losing it. He's really mad about the show, and dealing with the kids and Brooke is getting to be too much. Charlie is a ticking time bomb, and we all fear he could do something drastic like committing suicide or falling back on hard drugs."

ARTICLE: 'Tiger Blood' Drink Goes On Sale.

Sheen, who appeared on a Beverly Hills rooftop Monday, brandishing a machete, realizes that his bizarre behavior has many concerned."I'm really trying to contain myself right now," he said.

ARTICLE: 'Men' Co-Star Is Sheen's Lone Defender.

If that's true, he's not doing a good a job of it, because Sheen widened his list of targets to include his former "Two and a Half Men" co-star, Jon Cryer, on Tuesday.Cryer had managed to stay out of the fray during Sheen's fall from grace at CBS, but his luck ran out.

ARTICLE: Can 'Two and a Half Men' Survive? Just Ask 'Three's Company.'

"Jon has not called me. He's a turncoat, a traitor, a troll. Clearly he's a troll," Sheen told E! News. "He issued a statement. Is it gonna take me calling him a 'traitor, juvenile and scared' for him to get it?"Cryer has actually not issued an official statement since Sheen was fired from the hit CBS sitcom “Two-And-A-Half Men” on Monday. But he may want to issue one now, because Sheen has not stopped ranting about his enemies since his dismissal, and once you are on his crosshairs, it seems you never escape.

ARTICLE: Sheen's Kids Could Be Next on Reality Show.

Tuesday night was the latest case in point, as Sheen blasted his list of hated CBS executives one by one with yet another nonsensical, barely decipherable scripted screed on Ustream. "A high treason has occurred. The scales of justice are in a state of radical disarray. Together we must right this infantile wrong… What happened yesterday was completely and entirely illegal, unconscionable and to quote my lawyer 'really shi**y shi**y suck suck'," Sheen, the self-proclaimed “Malibu Messiah,” said before launching into a strange diatribe in his fourth "Sheen's Korner" webcast, in which he saved his most savage attacks for producer Chuck Lorre – calling him everything from a “silly clown,” to “little worm” and “loser.”

Gaddafi forces engage in fierce battle Regime loyalists in Libya mount assaults to reclaim ground (Washington Post) [ 41 years in power … Hey, when interviewed by Charlie Sheen on SNL he seemed rather spry …

Sheen's-Korner, Ustream.TV You're either in Sheen's-Korner or you're with the trolls... [and the big question is which trolls … the pat_trolls, the con_trolls, the troll_eys, the troll_ups, etc.? ] http://www.ustream.tv/charliesheen Archived Web Site File: http://www.albertpeia.com/Sheen's-Korner,Ustream.TVYou'reeitherinSheen's-Korneroryou'rewiththetrolls.flv (448mb) (for whatever reason, this file did not open properly in my somewhat older player and I didn’t have time to download another to determine if the problem is with the viewer or the file, but will, and will indicate the result here. )

Here’s SNL’s take on the Sheen webcast [ This was the first time I’d seen Miley Cyrus in anything and I must say she is truly a star, albeit a very precocious one; this SNL was absolutely hilarious across the board! ]

http://www.saturday-night-live.com

Part of the webcast: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIx4_t26AAs

With neither side able to muster overwhelming force, the result appeared to be a bloody stalemate, with the death tolls rising in both east and west.Intense international deliberations come as troops loyal to Gaddafi continue to besiege the rebel-held city of Zawiyah, 27 miles west of Tripoli.] The vote comes after a maneuver by GOP members that split the proposal to curtail union rights from legislation requiring a quorum.

This is the grim economic reality [ http://albertpeia.com/grimreality.htm ]. This manipulated bubble in this secular bear market based on b* s* alone is an especially great opportunity to sell / take profits while you can since there's much worse to come!

Looking Like A Good Time To Sell Into Strength - Harding ‘Many important global stock markets, including China, Brazil, India and Hong Kong, have been in fairly significant corrections since November, down between 12% and 17%. Their major concerns have been rising inflation and the resulting monetary tightening by their central banks to combat the inflationary pressures...So was this week’s stumble the beginning of a more serious correction? The events and reports this week did provide more evidence that the stock market may be ahead of reality regarding prospects for the economy, and therefore corporate earnings, going forward, which should at least limit the market’s upside potential. Limited upside potential equals more downside risk? It might be wise to lighten up some into strength that may develop over the next few days during the ‘monthly strength period.’

BOB PRECHTER: We're Still In A Massive Bear Market And Stocks Will Crash To New Lows Blodget ‘Investors have gotten wildly bullish of late, as the bull market that started in early 2009 keeps driving stocks to new highs. But the pigs are about to get slaughtered, says Bob Prechter, president of Elliott Wave International and editor of the Elliott Wave Theorist. Prechter still thinks the new bull market is just a cyclical "retracement" of some of the bear market losses that we've had since the market crashed in 2008. Prechter expected this retracement to drive stocks 50% above the market lows, but stocks have since soared 30% higher than than he expected. So when the day of reckoning comes, Prechter thinks, it will be even more startling. And Prechter still thinks that stocks will eventually crash to new bear-market lows (read: below 6,800 on the DOW). What makes Prechter think this day of reckoning may come sooner rather than later? Sentiment indicators and other technical analysis. Investor bullishness has now gotten so extreme, Prechter says, that it has exceeded the levels in 2008 before the market crashed. Investors could still get even more bullish, of course, but eventually they'll pay for this optimism. And Prechter's not just bearish on stocks: He thinks oil, silver, and other commodities are absurdly overvalued, too. The only thing he's bullish on is the dollar. And lest he be dismissed as a perma-bear, Bob Prechter is quick to add that he hopes there will come a day when he can come on the show and tell everyone that stocks are finally so crushed and hated that it's a historic opportunity to buy them. When will that be? Stay tuned...’ The Case for a Bear Market for Stocks Suttmeier ‘In making a bearish call on the U.S. stock market, I base it on both fundamental and technical factors. The fundamentals show that stocks are overvalued and we have had three ValuEngine Valuation Warnings so far this year. The January warning was ignored by the market but so far stocks peaked with the warning issued on February 18 and re-iterated on March 3. During this period we have seen many days where all 16 sectors have been overvalued, with eight to 11 by double-digit percentages. Today 63.8% of all stocks are overvalued, and all 16 sectors are overvalued, 11 by double-digit percentages…’

Ellen Bente Oliver ‘Salary of House/Senate...$174,000. Salary of Speaker of House...$223,500. Salary of Majority/Minority Leaders...$193,400. Average US Salary...$33,000 to $77,000. Maybe our elected officials should make an average salary too...It's a time of sacrifice after all...Pass along, post on your own page if you agree…’

World's richest are almost $1 trillion richer [ And the other 95% trillions poorer. ]

Utilities Are Warning the Correction Is Here Gayed ‘The utilities sector (IDU) may not be the most fascinating sector of the market to watch, but in many ways can be one of the most important. Legendary technical analyst Edson Gould, known for being one of the best market timers of all time, believed that the performance of utilities was an early indicator for broad market movements. He noted often times that when utilities performed exceptionally well, within a short period of time, markets would experience a period of volatility and declining prices.

The theory behind utilities' performance as it relates to the S&P 500 (IVV) does have a logic behind it. Because utility companies in general are local monopolies which have high infrastructure costs, most tend to have high levels of debt and are thus especially sensitive to intermediate/long-term interest rates. Growth in revenue is not the primary source of profits, but rather costs are.

What this means is that fundamental investors in utilities would really put money to work in the sector if they expected interest rates to fall, because that lowered cost of capital would benefit profits in a substantial way. Thus, the outperformance of utilities against the broader market is because of expectation that interest rates fall (the yield curve flattens).

So while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DIA), the S&P 500 (IVV), and particularly the Russell 2000 (IWM) have all gone effectively nowhere in price with high volatility, the utilities sector has consistenly been up more/down less on those big up and big down days we've been experiencing. Take a look below at the price ratio of utilities (IDU) to the Dow (DIA). As a reminder, a rising price ratio means the numerator/IDU is outperforming (up more/down less) the denominator.

Click to enlarge:

[chart]

The message from utilties investors is clear: Expect lower long interest rates in the near future. And since interest rates and the yield curve are a leading indicator of the economy and the broad stock market, we may very well be in the early stages of a correction.’

Market Thrill Ride Continues: Dave's Daily ‘Within most thrill rides there can be a pause before the next level of excitement whether it's a climb or hitting the next big drop. Markets Wednesday ran out of steam despite ongoing MENA [Middle East and North Africa] violence and oil disruptions. Crude oil was fractionally lower due to an inventory build but that's really old news. Iraqi production was rumored as halted and Libyan oil is not flowing. Tech remains weak especially after disasters for fiber optic leaders like FNSR, CIEN and JDSU. Also semi's remained down and SMH broke its 50 day MA. The Fed wasn't idle as more POMO was released to Da Boyz who didn't do much with it...yet. As an aside our contractor stopped by today and was bemoaning gas prices. His wife works for a local Ford dealer and they had a huge January but now sales have stopped. Such is the impact of higher fuel prices. Volume came in about average on the day while breadth per the WSJ was mixed to negative.’

STOCKS SLIDE, TECH HAMMERED, COPPER CRUSHED: Here's What You Need To Know Weisenthal ‘Yesterday was up, so today was down. That's the way this market is behaving right now.

But first, the scoreboard:

Dow: -0.38
NASDAQ: -14.73
S&P 500: -1.63

And now, the top stories:

First, we'll get a note on Libya out of the way. It was basically the same-old same-old, except with more bombing and fires at oil facilities. No big movement in one way or another.

Going back a bit, remember that yesterday was a big up day for stocks. However, the mood was negative after hours after some ugly numbers form Finisar and Texas Instruments.

Overnight, things were fairly quiet, except that Eurozone spreads continue to blow out.

Economic news in the US pretty much didn't happen. Bill Gross caused a stir when it came out that he had completely sold out of US Treasuries, though of course that was totally in line with what he called for earlier, so it's not a big shock.

In the end, tech was the worst loser, thanks to those tech earnings. Copper got really hammered (quite ominously), and oil even fell a little bit.

Today was the 2-year anniversary of the 2009 bottom.’

The Case for a Bear Market for Stocks Suttmeier ‘In making a bearish call on the U.S. stock market, I base it on both fundamental and technical factors. The fundamentals show that stocks are overvalued and we have had three ValuEngine Valuation Warnings so far this year. The January warning was ignored by the market but so far stocks peaked with the warning issued on February 18 and re-iterated on March 3. During this period we have seen many days where all 16 sectors have been overvalued, with eight to 11 by double-digit percentages. Today 63.8% of all stocks are overvalued, and all 16 sectors are overvalued, 11 by double-digit percentages.

ValuEngine provides valuation, forecast, and ratings data for a universe of more than 5,500 stocks. When more than 65% of all stocks are calculated to be overvalued, we issue a ValuEngine Valuation Warning. We do this because in the past this level of overvaluation has often been correlated with market corrections and downturns. Conversely when more than 65% of all stocks are undervalued additional weakness provides buying opportunities. On March 5, 2009 the percentage of undervalued stocks reached 91%.

The technical factors ignore the daily charts as timing a cycle high requires confirmation from the weekly charts and having risky levels from my proprietary analytics to judge how high markets can go before they top out. Right now the major averages are stuck in want I call the "Libya Trading Ranges," which are the February 18 highs down to the February 24 lows. The weekly chart profiles are positive, but overbought for all major averages except Dow Transports. To confirm a cycle high, all major averages must have weekly closes below their five-week modified moving averages with weekly 12x3x3 weekly slow stochastic readings declining below 8.0 on a scale of zero to 10.0.

This dynamic is being delayed as the major equity averages straddle their 50-day simple moving averages. The Dow Industrial Average and S&P 500 have been above their 50-day since December 1. They're now at 11,967 Dow and 1298.81 S&P 500. The NASDAQ and NASDAQ 100 have tested their 50-day several times since February 23, six days for the NASDAQ with the 50-day now at 2742.35 and four days for the NASDAQ 100 with the 50-day now at 2314.18. The Russell 2000 tested and held its 50-day on February 22 and February 23 and today the 50-day is 802.42. The Philadelphia Semiconductor index tested and held its 50-day the past two days at 444.47 and has been above the 50-day since September 24. Dow Transports has been below its 50-day since February 22 and has been tested as resistance twice, and closed above 5111 yesterday. A weekly close above the five-week shifts Transports to neutral delaying the market top.

Key Levels for the Major Equity Averages

The Dow Industrial Average (12,214) Libya Trading Range: 11,983 to 12,391. My annual value level is 11,491 with daily, weekly and monthly risky levels at 12,249, 12,483 and 12,741. The five-week modified moving average has been tested in each of the past three weeks and this week the average is 12,060.
The S&P 500 (1321.8) Libya Trading Range: 1294 to 1344. My quarterly value level is 1262.5 with daily, weekly and monthly risky levels at 1331.2, 1350.3 and 1381.3. The five-week modified moving average has been tested in each of the past three weeks and this week the average is 1307.
The NASDAQ (2766) Libya Trading Range: 2706 to 2840. My monthly value level is 2629 with daily, weekly, quarterly and monthly risky levels at 2798, 2829, 2853 and 2926. The NASDAQ traded below its five-week modified moving average in each of the past three weeks without a weekly close below, and this week the average is 2755.
The NASDAQ 100 (2338) Libya Trading Range: 2285 to 2403. My monthly value level is 2250 with daily, weekly, quarterly, and monthly risky levels at 2370, 2398, 2438 and 2499. The NASDAQ 100 traded below its five-week modified moving average in each of the past three weeks without a weekly close below, and this week the average is 2327.
Dow Transports (5147) Libya Trading Range: 4918 to 5306. My quarterly value level is 4671 with weekly, daily and annual pivots at 5052, 5119 and 5179. The Transports closed below its five-week modified moving average in each of the two weeks with declining momentum, which is a negative weekly chart profile. A close above this week’s five-week at 5111 shifts the weekly chart to neutral.
The Russell 2000 (824.66) Libya Trading Range: 795 to 838. My quarterly value level is 765.50 with weekly, daily and monthly risky levels at 831.09, 835.56 and 850.79. The five-week modified moving average has been tested in each of the past three weeks and this week the average is 810.47.
The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (447.94) Libya Trading Range: 439 to 474. My monthly value level is 402.46 with a monthly pivot at 453.89, daily and quarterly pivots at 458.32 and 465.93, and weekly risky level at 485.92. The five-week modified moving average has been tested in each of the past three weeks and this week the average is 450.51.

The trading strategy in this environment is what I have been calling "Buy and Trade," where you buy weakness to a value level and sell strength to a risky level. Here are the guidelines.

Buy and Trade Strategies for Long Positions

Value Level – The price at which you establish an additional long position on share price weakness. This is done on a GTC Limit Order to buy weakness to the Value Level.
Risky Level – The price at which you remove a single long position or reduce a multiple long position on share price strength. This is done on a GTC Limit Order to sell strength to the Risky Level.

Buy and Trade Strategies for Short Positions

Value Level – The price at which you remove a single short position or reduce a multiple short position on share price weakness. This is done on a GTC Limit Order to buy weakness to the Value Level.
Risky Level – The price at which you establish an addition short position on share price strength. This is done on a GTC Limit Order to sell strength to the Risky Level.

10-Year Note – (3.542) Weekly, annual, and semiannual value levels are 3.642, 3.796 and 4.268 with a daily pivot at 3.523, and monthly, annual, and semiannual risky levels at, 3.002, 2.690 and 2.441.

Comex Gold – ($1429.0) Weekly, annual, quarterly, semiannual and annual value levels are $1385.4, $1356.5, $1331.3, $1300.6 and $1187.2 with monthly and quarterly pivots at $1437.7 and $1441.7, and daily and semiannual risky levels at $1450.1 and $1452.6.

Nymex Crude Oil – ($104.78) Weekly, monthly and semiannual value levels are $97.78, $96.43, and $87.52 with my annual pivots at $99.91 and $101.92, and semiannual, daily and quarterly risky levels are $107.14, $107.71 and $110.87.
The Euro – (1.3900) My quarterly value level is 1.3227 with a daily pivot at 1.3953, and weekly, semiannual and monthly risky levels at 1.4446, 1.4624 and 1.4637.

Daily Dow: (12,214)Annual, quarterly, semiannual, and semiannual value levels are 11,491, 11,395, 10,959, and 9,449 with daily, weekly, monthly and annual risky levels at 12,249, 12,484, 12,741 and 13,890.’

Stocks End Lower After Mixed Session Midnight Trader ‘4:26 PM, Mar 9, 2011 --

NYSE down 14.60 (-0.2%) to 8,379.44
DJIA down 1.29 (-0.01%) to 12,213
S&P 500 down 1.80 (-0.1%) to 1,320
Nasdaq down 14.05 (-0.5%) to 2,752

GLOBAL SENTIMENT

Hang Seng up 0.42%
Nikkei up 0.61%
FTSE down 0.63%

UPSIDE MOVERS
(-) RIG gets favorable analyst coverage.
(+) COOL continues evening gain that followed results.
(+) AVAV continues evening gain that followed results.
(+) CRDN boosts guidance.
(+) BLT beats with Q4 results.
(-) VELT gets favorable analyst coverage.
(+) AEZS inks Japan deal.
(+) HERO beats with results.
(+) STP continues gain Tuesday that followed improved quarter.
(+) AEO results top year-ago period; CEO to retire.
(+) PLCE issues mixed results, guides below Street, sets buyback.

DOWNSIDE MOVERS
(-) FNSR warns for Q4.
(-) JDSU follows FNSR after warning.
(-) ALU follows FNSR after warning.
(-) OCLR follows FNSR after warning.
(-) CIEN follows FNSR after warning, own results Tuesday.
(-) EPB selling shares.
(-) DYN warns of possible bankruptcy.
(-) POT downgraded.

MARKET DIRECTION

Stocks closed just in the negative following a mixed session. Investors gauged continuing conflict in the Middle East and North Africa along with worrisome outlooks from the tech sector and data that showed a rise in wholesale inventories that topped expectations.

Crude oil futures closed lower after a government report showed a larger-than-expected 2.5 million-barrel increase in weekly U.S. oil inventories. April crude fell 64 cents to end at $104.38 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Still, gasoline futures finished higher as the data also revealed a 5.5 million-barrel decline in supplies of the fuel. April gasoline tacked on 8 cents, or 2.7%, to close at $3.027 a gallon.

Libyan forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi surrounded rebels in the western city of Zawiyah with tanks and snipers in the main square, witnesses said, according to news reports.

Adding to concerns about the global economy, the Portuguese government's two-year cost of borrowing hit the highest level since it joined the euro in a bond auction on Wednesday, and an official said yields were unsustainable in the long run without Europe-wide action, the AP reported.

A report showed U.S. wholesale inventories increased more-than-expected, rising 1.1% to a seasonally-adjusted $436.88 billion in January. That is the highest level since November 2008. Economists had expected a 0.9% increase.

Shares of Finisar (FNSR) tumbled as did ADRs of Alcatel-Lucent (ALU), shares of Ciena (CIEN), Oclaro (OCLR) and JDS Uniphase (JDSU), all in the wake of a worrisome outlook from Finisar.

Shares of Texas Instruments (TXN) fell after it said it expects Q1 revenue in the range of $3.34 to $3.48 bln, within its previous guidance range of $3.27 to $3.55 bln and in line to just below the Street view. EPS are seen in the range of $0.56 to $0.60 per share, vs. previous expectations of $0.54 to $0.62 per share and the Street view of $0.59 per share.

In company news:

ING Groep (ING) is preparing to sell its U.S. online-banking division in a move to meet European Union conditions for the bank's bailout, Bloomberg reports. A spokesman for the Amsterdam-based bank said "we agreed with the European Commission to sell ING Direct USA before 2013, as well as our insurance and investment management operations."

Walgreen (WAG) says it will sell its pharmacy benefit management business, Walgreens Health Initiatives, Inc, to Catalyst Health Solutions, Inc. (CHSI) for $525 million in cash. The transaction is expected to close by the end of June. Walgreen will provide certain services to CHSI after closing to facilitate a smooth transition for existing customers and patients.

Dynegy (DYN) is down after the company said in an SEC filing it may be forced to file for bankruptcy protection, according to a Marketwatch report. The company said it may not be able to comply with debt payments by Q3 or Q4 of this year, the report said.

Shares of Merck (MRK) are higher after the drug maker said that the new drug application for SAFLUTAN (tafluprost), its investigational preservative-free prostaglandin analogue ophthalmic solution, has been accepted for standard review by the FDA. According to the company, it submitted an NDA to support the proposed use of SAFLUTAN for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

BP (BP) is down even as oil trades above $105 a barrel, after Chief Executive Bob Dudley apologized for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill during a major oil industry conference. Dudley assured the audience BP is working to prevent a recurrence of last year's Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill that killed 11 workers and led to a ban on deepwater drilling in the Gulf. He said BP already has stopped production at two platforms and closed a pipeline to address maintenance issues, according to the AP.

In earnings news:

-The Children's Place (PLCE) reports Q4 sales of $453.2 mln, below the analyst consensus of $467 mln on Thomson Reuters. Adjusted EPS was $1.22 per share, vs. estimates of $1.01 per share. The company also announced its board authorized a new share repurchase program in the amount of $100 million.

-Shares of Boston Beer Co. (SAM) are sharply lower after the beer maker reported yesterday that Q4 EPS of $0.87 compared to $0.52 a year earlier but below the Street view for $0.90. Revenue improved to $126.3 million, up from $117.5 million. The Street was at $118.5 million. The company guides for FY EPS at $3.45 to $3.95, straddling the Street view for $3.51.

-TICC Capital (TICC) falls after it says it had net investment income of $0.24 per share in Q4, below the Thomson Reuters mean for a quarter.

-The Bon-Ton Stores (BONT) rises after it says Q4 sales were $1.01 billion, just below the Thomson Reuters mean for $1.02 billion. Net income was $4.41 per share. The Thomson Reuters mean, usually less items, was $4.30. 2011 EPS are seen between $1.00 to $1.50.’

21 Signs Of Impending Doom For The 2011 Economy ‘If you are not aware of how rapidly the global economic situation is unraveling you need to snap out of it and start paying attention. The world economy was relatively stable in 2010, but here in 2011 things are deteriorating very quickly.

The American Dream
Wednesday, March 9, 2011

If you are not aware of how rapidly the global economic situation is unraveling you need to snap out of it and start paying attention. The world economy was relatively stable in 2010, but here in 2011 things are deteriorating very quickly. Right now there is major civil unrest in at least a dozen different nations in Africa and the Middle East. The civil war going on in Libya has sent the price of oil skyrocketing and the protests that are scheduled to begin in Saudi Arabia later this month could send oil prices even higher. Meanwhile, the sovereign debt crisis in Europe just seems to get worse by the day. Several nations in Europe are suddenly finding that it has become extremely expensive to finance more debt. It appears that it will only be a matter of time before more bailouts are needed. Meanwhile, the United States is also covered in a sea of red ink and the economic situation in the largest economy on earth continues to deteriorate rapidly. It is as if the entire world financial system has caught a virus that it just can’t shake, and now it looks like another massive wave of financial disaster could be about to strike. Does the global economy have enough strength to weather a major oil crisis in 2011? How much debt can the largest nations in North America and Europe take on before the entire system collapses under the weight? Will 2011 be a repeat of 2008 or are we going to be able to get through the rest of the year okay? Only time will tell.

But it is quickly becoming clear that we are reaching a tipping point. If the price of oil keeps going up, all hopes for any kind of an “economic recovery” will be completely wiped out. But if the globe does experience another economic slowdown, it could potentially turn the simmering sovereign debt crisis into an absolute nightmare. The U.S. and most nations in Europe are having a very difficult time servicing their debts and they desperately need tax revenues to increase. If another major economic downturn causes tax revenues to go down again it could unleash absolute chaos on world financial markets.

The global economy is more interconnected than ever, and so a major crisis in one area of the world can have a cascading effect on the rest of the globe. Just as we saw back in 2008, if financial disaster strikes nobody is going to escape completely unscathed.

So what should we expect for the rest of 2011? Well, the truth is that it doesn’t look good. The following are 21 signs of impending doom for the 2011 economy….

#1 The civil war in Libya now looks like it could drag on for an extended period of time, and that is likely to drive the global price of oil even higher.

#2 Barack Obama is publicly saying that NATO is now considering “potential military options” for solving the crisis in Libya.

#3 Kuwait exports more oil than Libya does, and it looks like the civil unrest that has been sweeping the rest of the Middle East is now starting to spread to that country.

#4 In Saudi Arabia, protest groups are planning a “Day of Rage” on March 11th. If a revolution breaks out in that nation the entire global economy is going to be thrown into turmoil.

#5 The average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States increased by 33 cents during the two-week period that ended last Friday.

#6 According to the Oil Price Information Service, U.S. drivers spent an average of $347 on gasoline during the month of February, which was 30 percent more than a year earlier.

#7 It is being reported that the average price of a gallon of gasoline in Europe has hit an all-time record of $8.63 a gallon.

#8 Ivory Coast produces nearly 40 percent of all the cocoa in the world and protests against the government there are becoming increasingly violent. If this violence continues to escalate you will soon be paying a lot more for chocolate.

#9 The yield on 10-year Portuguese bonds has increased to 7.6%.

#10 The yield on 10-year Irish bonds has soared to 8.1%.

#11 The yield on 10-year Greek bonds has skyrocketed to a whopping 12.8%.

#12 Moody’s Investors Service has reduced the rating of Greek government debt three levels all the way down to B1.

#13 According to the United Nations, the global price of food set another brand new record high during the month of February. That was the 8th month in a row that global food prices have gone up.

#14 According to the World Bank, global food prices have soared 29% over the last 12 months.

#15 The United Nations is projecting that the global price of food will increase by another 30 percent by the end of 2011.

#16 23 percent of all residential properties with a mortgage in the U.S. were in negative equity as of the end of 2010.

#17 In the state of Nevada, approximately 65 percent of all homeowners with a mortgage owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth.

#18 Two years ago, the average U.S. homeowner that was being foreclosed upon had not made a mortgage payment in 11 months. Today, the average U.S. homeowner that is being foreclosed upon has not made a mortgage payment in 17 months.

#19 Since 2005, the United States has shelled out 1.1 trillion dollars for products from China but China has only spent 272 billion dollars on products from the United States. This trade imbalance is causing the global financial system to become increasingly unstable.

#20 Collectively, the 50 U.S. state governments are facing a budget shortfall of 125 billion dollars for fiscal 2012.

#21 The U.S. government had a budget deficit of 233 billion dollars during the month of February, which was the largest federal budget deficit ever recorded for a single month.

We are living in the middle of the biggest debt bubble in the history of the world…’

Faber: Oil will go up ‘ballistically’ if unrest shifts to Saudi Arabia Business Intelligence Middle East | Marc Faber sees oil prices extending their bull run despite the 15% run-up this year alone.

Oil hovers around $105 CNNMoney.com | The benchmark U.S. oil contract was up 35 cents to $105.37 a barrel for April delivery.

Bank Economist Warns of ‘Food Price Riots in the UK’ SkyNews | A senior economist at the worldwide bank HSBC has warned of civil unrest in Britain if food prices continue to soar.

Oil markets brace for Saudi ‘rage’ as global spare capacity wears thin Those exhorting OPEC to boost output should be careful what they wish for. The cartel card can be played once only, and it risks exposing the fragility of the global energy system if the Gulf powers are seen struggling to deliver.

HOW IT WILL ALL END : Debt Jubilee or WWIII ? Bob Chapman talks about the crumbling economy and how it will implode.

Warning Of ‘Food Price Riots In The UK’ A senior economist at the worldwide bank HSBC has warned of civil unrest in Britain if food prices continue to soar.

Currency Wars: Flash Points in the ‘Age of Rage’ The conflict in North Africa was a predictable outcome of the US Monetary Policy of Quantitative Easing. It is not plausible that the US Federal Reserve, as the manager of the world’s Reserve Currency, did not fully recognize the global ramifications of such monetary inflation actions well in advance.

ECONOMIC CRISIS ARCHIVE

(3-9-11) Dow 12,213 -1 Nasdaq 2,751 -14 S&P 500 1,320 -2 [CLOSE- OIL $104.65 (-54% for year 2008) (RECORD TRADING HIGH $147.27) GAS $3.51 (reg. gas in LAND OF FRUITS AND NUTS $3.91 REG./ $3.93 MID-GRADE/ $4.05 PREM./ $4.13 DIESEL) / GOLD $1,429 (+24% for year 2009) / SILVER $36.01 (+47% for year 2009) PLATINUM $1,797 (+56% for year 2009) Metal News for the Day / DOLLAR= .72 EURO, 82 YEN, .62 POUND STERLING, ETC. (How low can you go - LOWER)/ http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h15/update 10 YR NOTE YIELD 3.47% …..… AP Business Highlights ...Yahoo Market Update... T. Rowe Price Weekly Recap – Stocks / Bonds / Currencies - Domestic / International This Is a Secular Bear Market and The End of Buy and Hold … and Hope MARKET MANIPULATION AND HOW THE LATEST BUBBLE-FRAUD PRE-COMING CRASH IS BEING ACCOMPLISHED 3-11-10 6 Theories On Why the Stock Market Has Rallied 3-9-10 [archived website file] Risks Lurk for ETF Investors The bull market that never was/were beyond wall street b.s. when measured in gold Property Values Projected to Fall 12% in 2010 Jan 31, 2010 The Week Ahead: Risk Is Off the Cliff; Unwind Has Begun Jan 31, 2010 01-13-10 Forecast for 2010 from Seeking Alpha Contributor THE COMING MARKET CRASH / CORRECTION 1-28-10 Maierhofer (01-15-10) 11 Clear Signs Economy Sinking Economic Black Hole 1-22-10: 20 Reasons Why The U.S. Economy Is Dying And Is Simply Not Going To Recover Current Economic / Fiscal Charts Trendsresearch.com forecast for 2009 1-7-10 Crash is coming! ‘WORST ECONOMIC COLLAPSE EVER’ Must Read Economic / Financial Data This Depression is just beginning The coming depression… thecomingdepression.net MUST READ: JEREMY GRANTHAM’S QUARTERLY UPDATE 25 January 2010 (850 on the S&P) by TPC The Next Wave of Collapse is Coming Sooner than you think Sliding Back Into the Great Depression ABSOLUTELY, ABSURDLY, RIDICULOUS! SELL / TAKE PROFITS WHILE YOU CAN SINCE MUCH, MUCH WORSE TO COME!

National / World

Jesse Jackson, Jr.’s Communist Bill of Rights Kurt Nimmo | Jackson’s speech is like something right out of the CPUSA playbook.

Soros: Communist Chinese Model Of Order May Become “The Envy Of The World” “Western democracies provide less successful leadership than China”

Day Of Rage: Saudi Arabia In Veiled Threat To US Paul Joseph Watson | Saudi Foreign Minister threatens to “cut foreign fingers” in event of outside intervention after US sided with protesters.

Corporate Media Coverage of Libya is a Psyop Kurt Nimmo | Only by destroying the oil-based economy can the globalists forge ahead with their plan to implement world authoritarian government.

Kansas House Panel Endorses Pension Cuts KMBC.com | The bill is likely to draw opposition from public employees’ and retirees’ groups.

Day Of Rage: Saudi Arabia In Veiled Threat To US As the world braces itself for Saudi Arabia’s “day of rage” on Friday, which many fear could be the spark that sends oil prices soaring to beyond the $200 a barrel mark, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal issued a veiled threat to the United States, warning that the Kingdom was prepared to “cut foreign fingers” in the event of any outside interference.

Soros: Communist Chinese Model Of Order May Become “The Envy Of The World” Billionaire investor George Soros has once again cited China’s dictatorship as the model for the rest of the world in a speech at an elite gathering in Europe.

BIG SIS BUSTED: Homeland Security Undercover Pedophile Entrapment Website Suspended In an aggressive bid to entice prospective “sex tourists,” the Department of Homeland Security last year launched an undercover web site that purported to arrange trips from the U.S. to Canada, where clients could engage in sexual activity with minors, The Smoking Gun has learned.

Corporate Media Coverage of Libya is a Psyop In the interview here, war correspondent Keith Harmon Snow spells out how the lopsided coverage of the conflict in Libya is a Pentagon psyop. The psyop is particularly evident on CNN, especially on Anderson Cooper’s show.

Lawmaker Warns TSA Harassment Coming To Sidewalks The lawmaker behind a bill aimed at curtailing TSA grope downs and naked body scanners warns that Americans will be subjected to such harassment on sidewalks and at football games if the TSA is not stopped in its tracks now, but in reality, TSA-style measures have already been aggressively expanded well beyond airports.

FEATURED INFOWARS STORIES ARCHIVE

U.S., allies weigh operations near Libya Humanitarian aid delivery, no-fly zone are under consideration (Washington Post) [ Weigh? As on a scale … of 1 to 10 … we all know how well pervasively corrupt, defacto bankrupt america and allies are at weigh-ins … weighing … so much so, they’re set to star that tv program, ‘The Biggest Loser(s)’ … Update: Drudgereport: Libya Tanks Move In To Crush Rebel Stronghold...
Carnage in Rebel City...
FOOTAGE: Libyan war plane shot down...
Obama, Cameron discuss plan of action... Hoyer: No Balanced Budget for 15-20 Years 'We've Dug Such a Deep Hole'... FLASHBACK: Larger Than Entire 2007 Deficit...
Treasury Draws Down Cash Balance...
FEBRUARY DEFICIT: $223 BILLION
FRESHMAN DEM. SENATOR: OBAMA HAS 'FAILED TO LEAD'... Mayors to Unions: 'Dire fiscal straits' without 'dramatic' changes...
Anger Brews Over Government Workers' Benefits... UNREST IN THE MIDWEST: Now Michigan... WELFARE NATION: ONE-THIRD OF ALL WAGES ARE HANDOUTS... ROMNEY: Obama Misery Index hits record high... OPEC VOWS NEW PUMPING...
OIL HOLDS NEAR $105...
Roubini: Will Hit $150...SHEEN SETS 'FINAL' WEBCASTGadhafi Deploys Tanks, Hundreds of Troops in New Assaults...
...Denies talk he's looking for exit
WITNESSES: Women and Children Killed...
Libyan tanks, planes bombard Zawiyah; rebels still hold 'Martyrs' Square'...
Libyan central bank chief goes missing... ...Loyalty unknown

East-West military gap 'rapidly shrinking'... China could match US military power in 10-15 years... U.K. Warned of Food Riots... Ahmadinejad calls for new world order...

This is the grim economic reality [ http://albertpeia.com/grimreality.htm ]. This manipulated bubble in this secular bear market based on b* s* alone is an especially great opportunity to sell / take profits while you can since there's much worse to come!

The Terrible Twos? Let's All Hope Not [ Hoping doesn’t change reality. Take your gains, sell while you can in this manipulated bull cycle on debased dollar in this secular bear market. ] Bespoke Investment Group ‘After falling 22% over the last month and a whopping 57% from its highs less than a year and a half earlier, the S&P 500 (SPY) closed the day on March 9th, 2009, at 676.53. Had you asked 100 people that day where the index would be trading in two years, you likely could have counted on one hand the number that said higher than 1,300.Tomorrow marks the two-year anniversary of the current bull market, and the S&P 500 is now trading at 1,324, or 96% above its closing level on 3/9/09. Below is a chart of the S&P 500 since October 9th, 2007, which is the day that the index made its all-time high of 1,565.15. The bear market from 10/9/07 to 3/9/09 is highlighted in red, and the bull market that started on 3/9/09 is highlighted in green.

(Click charts to expand)

[chart]

Below is a table highlighting the performance of key ETFs across asset classes since the bull market began on 3/9/09 as well as since 10/9/07 when the S&P 500 made its all-time high and the prior bear market started. For each asset class, the best and worst performing ETF is shaded in light red and light green over each time period.While many ETFs are up more than 100% since the bull market began, only a handful are up from their 10/9/07 levels. The Nasdaq-100 tracking QQQQ is one of them with a gain of 8% since 10/9/07. The S&P Midcap 400 ETF (IJH) is also up, along with the Midcap 400 Growth ETF (IJK) and the Smallcap 600 Growth ETF (IJT). Three sector ETFs are now above the level they were at when the market made its all-time high on 10/9/07 -- Consumer Discretionary (XLY), Consumer Staples (XLP), and Energy (XLE). The Silver trust (SLV) is up the most of all securities shown since 10/9/07 with a gain of 160.47%, while Gold (GLD) is up the second most at 90.33%. And all but one (TLT) of the fixed income ETFs are in the black versus where they were trading when equities hit their all-time highs.Since 3/9/09, the Russia ETF (RSX) has been the best performer in the entire table with a gain of 247.54%. The Smallcap 600 Growth ETF (IJT) has been the best performing US market index ETF with a gain of 144.78%, while the Financials ETF (XLF) has been the best performing sector ETF during the bull market. Unsurprisingly, UNG -- which is supposed to track natural gas -- has been the worst performer since 3/9/09 with a decline of 66.69%!

[chart]

Beware of the Ides of March Suttmeier ‘The first quarter of 2011 could turn out to be a multi-year selling opportunity, just as March 2009 was a multi-year buying opportunity. On March 5, 2009, 91% of all stocks were undervalued and all 11 sectors were undervalued by more than 30%. Wall Street and hence Main Street missed this golden opportunity to buy stocks. In early March 2009, I made the call that stocks would rally 40% to 50%. I proved to be too pessimistic. Since then the Dow Industrial Average (DIA) is up 86.9% with the S&P 500 (SPY) up 96.4% and the NASDAQ (QQQQ) up 117.0%. With stocks overvalued and weekly charts overbought with the exception of Transports now is not the time to increase allocation to stocks, it’s the time to decrease stock allocations.

The Housing Market was the first to provide warnings as The Housing Index topped out in July 2005 and today is 62.0% below that high, with housing currently at risk of renewed weakness.

The America’s Community Bankers Index (ABAQ) peaked in December 2006 and today is 49.0% below that high. The FDIC List of Problem Banks rose by 24 in the fourth quarter to 884 from 860, which is 11.5% of the 7,657 FDIC-insured financial institutions. When I drill down into the FDIC data I find 2623, or 34.3% of all community banks overexposed to commercial real estate loans, and 58.5% of all banks have a real estate loan pipeline that’s 80% or more funded, which is continued stress.

The Regional Bankers Index (BKX) peaked in March 2007 and today is 57.2% below that high. The “too big to fail” banks are bigger and the BKX is down fractionally so far in 2011. Under Dodd-Frank some of these banks will need to raise capital, and face heavier FDIC deposit insurance fund assessments beginning in April.

Total Assets in the banking system declined $51.8 billion in the 4th quarter 2010 with C&D loans down $32.5 billion. Even so C&D loans still total $321.6 billion with nonfarm, non-residential real estate loans at $1.07 trillion and problem loans continue to clog bank balance sheets.

ValuEngine Valuation Warnings on February 18th and March 3rd marked tradable highs for stocks. To confirm a market top all weekly charts must shift to negative. The major equity averages remain below their February 18th highs when the Dow Industrial Average reached 12,391. My proprietary analytics still show weekly and monthly resistances, to limit the upside even if some of the averages continue to new highs. Market weakness on Friday and Monday resulted in a reduction of overvalued stocks to 60.5%, below 65%. We show 15 of 16 sectors overvalued, six by double-digit percentages.

Key Levels for the Major Equity Averages

The Dow Industrial Average (12,090) Libya Trading Range: 11,983 to 12,391. My annual value level is 11,491 with daily, weekly and monthly risky levels at 12,152, 12,483 and 12,741.
The S&P 500 (1310.1) Libya Trading Range: 1294 to 1344. My quarterly value level is 1262.5 with daily, weekly and monthly risky levels at 1323.8, 1350.3 and 1381.3.
The NASDAQ (2746) Libya Trading Range: 2706 to 2840. My monthly value level is 2629 with daily, weekly, quarterly and monthly risky levels at 2802, 2829, 2853 and 2926.
The NASDAQ 100 (NDX) (2328) Libya Trading Range: 2285 to 2403. My monthly value level is 2250 with daily, weekly, quarterly, and monthly risky levels at 2375, 2398, 2438 and 2499.
Dow Transports (5018) Libya Trading Range: 4918 to 5306. My quarterly value level is 4671 with daily, weekly and annual pivots at 5082, 5052 and 5179.
The Russell 2000 (824.99) Libya Trading Range: 795 to 838. Daily and quarterly value levels are 819.50 and 765.50 with monthly risky level at 850.79.
The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) (447.35) Libya Trading Range: 439 to 474. My monthly value level is 402.46 with a monthly pivot at 453.89, a quarterly pivot at 465.93 and daily and weekly risky levels at 466.70 and 485.92.

10-Year Note – (3.514) Weekly, annual, and semiannual value levels are 3.642, 3.796 and 4.268 with daily, monthly, annual and semiannual risky levels are 3.449, 3.002, 2.690, 2.441, and 2.322.

Comex Gold – ($1433.3) Weekly, annual, quarterly, semiannual and annual value levels are $1385.4, $1356.5, $1331.3, $1300.6 and $1187.2 with monthly and quarterly pivots at $1437.7 and $1441.7, and my semiannual risky level at $1452.6.

Nymex Crude Oil – ($104.92) Weekly, monthly and semiannual value levels are $97.78, $96.43, and $87.52 with my annual pivots at $99.91 and $101.92, and semiannual and quarterly risky levels are $107.14 and $110.87.

The Euro – (1.3971) My quarterly value level is 1.3227 with a daily pivot at 1.4001, and weekly, semiannual and monthly risky levels at 1.4446, 1.4624 and 1.4637.

Daily Dow: (12,090) Annual, quarterly, semiannual, and semiannual value levels are 11,491, 11,395, 10,959, and 9,449 with daily, weekly, monthly and annual risky levels at 12,152, 12,484, 12,741 and 13,890.’

Now's the Time to Decrease Stock Allocations

[video]Summer Bears Will Threaten Two-Year Bull Run

Stock Averages Log Gains Near 1% as Oil Eases, Banks Lead Charge Midnight Trader ‘4:13 PM, Mar 8, 2011 --

NYSE up 57.02 (+0.8%) to 8,394.04
DJIA up 124.35 (+1%) to 12,214
S&P 500 up 11.69 (+0.9%) to 1,322
Nasdaq up 20.14 (+0.7%) to 2,766

GLOBAL SENTIMENT

Hang Seng up 1.71%
Nikkei up 0.19%
FTSE up 0.02%

UPSIDE MOVERS
(+) MIPS upgraded.
(+) VRML gains on positive data for ovarian biomarker.
(+) SONC upgraded.
(+) EXPE upgraded.
(+/-) BMY, AZN say FDA accepts NDA for diabetes treatment.
(+) BSFT continues sharp evening gain that followed upbeat earnings.
(+) DKS beats with Q4, guides to top Street for FY.
(+) BA inks sales to two Chinese airlines.
(+) VOD upgraded.
(+) NVDA upgraded.

DOWNSIDE MOVERS
(-) CIEN upgraded.
(-) CNIT beats with revenue.
(-) URBN disappoints with latest results; downgraded.
(-) MCD down after sales data.
(-) QCOM downgraded; raises dividend.
(-) TIVO selling convertible notes.
(-) ICE downgraded.
(-) LDK downgraded.

MARKET DIRECTION

Stock averages closed up as oil prices moderated. Bank gains, in part on dividend hopes, paved the way for broad market gains after a choppy start Tuesday.

Stocks gained as crude oil futures backtracked from yesterday's gains on OPEC assurances of increased supplies, although investors continue to nervously watch developments in the Middle East, where protests and fighting have fueled concerns about potential constraints on oil supplies.

For the moment, the pressure appears to be off further price increases as other Middle East oil producers promised to step up their output to fill the gap left by Libya. President Obama said he may also dip into the nation's strategic oil reserve to fill gaps in supply. Kuwait's oil minister said Tuesday that OPEC members are holding informal talks about raising output.

Bank of America Corp. (BAC) rose over 4%, the most of the 30 stocks that make up the DJIA, after chief executive Brian Moynihan told an investor meeting that the bank could earn more money over the next two years as its business stabilizes. That led some analysts to suggest that large consumer banks may raise the dividends most slashed during the 2008 financial crisis in order to cut costs.

Financial stocks in the S&P 500 index rose 2%, the most of any of the index's 10 company groups. American Express Co. (AXP) gained 4% and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) rose 3%.

Commodities ended trading lower as gold and crude oil futures finished in the red amid reports that Libya's Col. Gaddafi could be negotiating for his resignation as the leader of Libya and his departure from that country.

Light, sweet crude oil for April delivery finished down $0.42, or 0.38%, to $105.02 a barrel. Crude is already up some 9% this month.

Meanwhile, gold futures ended lower, pressured - in part - by a stronger dollar.

Gold for April delivery finished down $7.30 to $1,427.20 an ounce. In other metal futures, silver was down 0.26% to $35.77 a troy ounce while copper traded up 0.35% to $4.34.

The economic calendar was relatively quiet today. However, the National Federation of Independent Business' small-business index moved higher by 0.4 points in February to a reading of 94.5. The index was helped by gains made through hiring and plans to hire.

In company news:

Boeing (BA) agreed to a preliminary deal to sell 38 wide-body jets to Hong Kong Airlines Ltd. and also signed a deal to supply five 747-8 aircraft to Chinese flag carrier Air China Ltd., according to news reports.

McDonald's (MCD) announced global comparable sales growth of 3.9% in February. Performance by segment was as follows: U.S. same-store sales are up 2.7%; Europe same-store sales are up 5.1%; Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa same-store sales are up 4.0%.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) and AstraZeneca (AZN) announced that the FDA has accepted for review a new drug applicationfor dapagliflozin, an investigational compound for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Shares of Sprint Nextel (S) were higher after Bloomberg reports that Deutsche Telekom has held talks with the company to sell its T-Mobile unit. The deal would give Deutsche Telecom a major stake in the combined entity, the report said.

National Semiconductor Corp. (NSM) fell, extending yesterday's decline. Citigroup reportedly downgraded the stock to "sell" from "hold." The semiconductor company is focused on analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits and sub-systems, particularly in the area of power management.

In earnings news:

-Hot Topic (HOTT) fell then gained after it reported a Q4 loss of $0.01 per share, vs. year ago income of $0.18 per share. The fourth quarter results include $9.8 million of expenses, or $0.13 per diluted share, for the implementation of the previously announced cost reduction plan. Ex items earnings were $0.12 per share, a penny shy of the Street view. Sales for the quarter were down 0.8% to $212.4 mln vs. year ago levels. Analysts were expecting revenue of $209 mln, according to Thomson Reuters.

-Urban Outfitters (URBN) fell after it reported Q4 $0.45 per share, flat with year ago levels and below expectations of $0.52 per share, if comparable. Sales were up 14% to $668 mln, below expectations of $676 mln on Thomson Reuters.

-Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS) gained after it reported Q4 EPS of $0.76 per share, better than the analyst mean of $0.72 per share on Thomson Reuters. Sales were $1.51 bln, ahead of the Street view of $1.45 bln.

-BroadSoft (BSFT) gained after beating Q4 estimates and setting its guidance in line to above the Street view.’

Hoyer Says Federal Budget May Not Be Balanced for 20 Years Matt Cover | Hoyer said Republicans and Democrats must compromise if they are ever going to solve the nation’s budget issues.

Trust is Necessary for a Stable Economy Washington’s Blog | Prosecuting the criminals Is necessary to restore trust.

Saudi Arabia’s ‘Day of Rage’ Lures Record Bets on $200 Oil: Chart of Day Bloomberg | Options traders are betting more than ever that crude oil is heading to $200 a barrel.

Oil Breakout Alert – Kuwait, World’s Fourth Largest Oil Exporter, Joins Demonstrations Demanding Regime Change Crude dropped overnight, after the FT joined the BBC in the “False Rumor Spreading Korner”, after the Libyan Investment Authority held newspaper said some OPEC members are looking to raise oil output to avoid any supply shortfalls.

Will The Day Of Rage In Saudi Arabia On March 11 Send The Price Of Oil Into Unprecedented Territory? The price of oil is shaping up to be the number one economic story of 2011, and right now the eyes of the investing world are closely watching the developing situation in Saudi Arabia.

No Silver? No Problem: US Mint Would Like To Know If You Will Accept Brass, Steel, Iron Or Tungsten Coins Instead Wonder why the US mint has not sold a single ounce of silver so far in March? Here is a clue…

ECONOMIC CRISIS ARCHIVE

(3-8-11) Dow 12,214 +124 Nasdaq 2,765 +20 S&P 500 1,322 +11 [CLOSE- OIL $104.60 (-54% for year 2008) (RECORD TRADING HIGH $147.27) GAS $3.51 (reg. gas in LAND OF FRUITS AND NUTS $3.91 REG./ $3.93 MID-GRADE/ $4.05 PREM./ $4.07 DIESEL) / GOLD $1,427 (+24% for year 2009) / SILVER $36.05 (+47% for year 2009) PLATINUM $1,798 (+56% for year 2009) Metal News for the Day / DOLLAR= .72 EURO, 82 YEN, .62 POUND STERLING, ETC. (How low can you go - LOWER)/ http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h15/update 10 YR NOTE YIELD 3.54% …..… AP Business Highlights ...Yahoo Market Update... T. Rowe Price Weekly Recap – Stocks / Bonds / Currencies - Domestic / International This Is a Secular Bear Market and The End of Buy and Hold … and Hope MARKET MANIPULATION AND HOW THE LATEST BUBBLE-FRAUD PRE-COMING CRASH IS BEING ACCOMPLISHED 3-11-10 6 Theories On Why the Stock Market Has Rallied 3-9-10 [archived website file] Risks Lurk for ETF Investors The bull market that never was/were beyond wall street b.s. when measured in gold Property Values Projected to Fall 12% in 2010 Jan 31, 2010 The Week Ahead: Risk Is Off the Cliff; Unwind Has Begun Jan 31, 2010 01-13-10 Forecast for 2010 from Seeking Alpha Contributor THE COMING MARKET CRASH / CORRECTION 1-28-10 Maierhofer (01-15-10) 11 Clear Signs Economy Sinking Economic Black Hole 1-22-10: 20 Reasons Why The U.S. Economy Is Dying And Is Simply Not Going To Recover Current Economic / Fiscal Charts Trendsresearch.com forecast for 2009 1-7-10 Crash is coming! ‘WORST ECONOMIC COLLAPSE EVER’ Must Read Economic / Financial Data This Depression is just beginning The coming depression… thecomingdepression.net MUST READ: JEREMY GRANTHAM’S QUARTERLY UPDATE 25 January 2010 (850 on the S&P) by TPC The Next Wave of Collapse is Coming Sooner than you think Sliding Back Into the Great Depression ABSOLUTELY, ABSURDLY, RIDICULOUS! SELL / TAKE PROFITS WHILE YOU CAN SINCE MUCH, MUCH WORSE TO COME!

National / World

Paul: Let public vote on judges Texas Rep. Ron Paul said on Monday that Americans should have the same right to oust federal judges as Iowans did with their historic vote last November to remove three State Supreme Court justices.

Homeland Security Says It Has Every Right To Spy On Peaceful Protest Groups Steve Watson | The Department Of Homeland Security has decided it is reasonable for it to spy on dozens of peaceful groups.

Oil Shock: Banksters Ready QE3 Asset Bubble Kurt Nimmo | QE is forever.

TSA Worker Arrested for Impersonating a Police Officer Steve Watson | A TSA worker claimed he had the same authority as a police officer.

Obama Mimics Bush: Libyan Intervention Ahead Michael S. Rozeff | The American empire stands at the edge of disintegration.

Deluded TSA Worker Arrested After Telling Cop “I’m A Customs Inspector” The actions of a TSA worker who was pulled over during a routine traffic stop betray the general attitude of the TSA in recent month, that the agency is above the law and makes its own rules.

President Obama Issues Executive Order Institutionalizing Indefinite Detention President Obama today issued an executive order that permits ongoing indefinite detention of Guantánamo detainees while establishing a periodic administrative review process for them. The administration also announced it will lift the ban on bringing new military commissions charges against detainees that don’t already have ongoing cases in the substandard system.

MSM Hyped Reports Of Bombardment Give False Picture Of Tripoli Libya’s opposition has told Colonel Gaddafi, if he leaves the country now … they won’t put him on trial. But Libyan state TV has broadcast denials that Gaddafi offered to quit if his family were allowed to safely leave the country. Just a week ago media reports suggested that Gaddafi was close to total defeat. But today he’s still there, and news of his downfall proved to be exaggerated. RT’s Paula Slier went to Tripoli to uncover how things really stand.

British Tax Protesters Arrest Judge In Act Of “Lawful Rebellion” For those wondering whether we can expect to see anything like the scenes witnessed in Egypt coming to America or the United Kingdom, the actions of British protesters who engaged in “lawful rebellion” by attempting to arrest a judge yesterday could herald the beginning of a new tax revolt to rival the infamous poll tax riots of 1990.

Why is Hillary Not Defending the Rights of Saudis to Protest? Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had been exhaustively in front of cameras promoting the right for people to protest in Egypt, Bahrain, Iran, and Libya.

Kissinger urges Obama: Grant clemency to Israeli Spy [ The zionist kissinger shows colors in urging a self-destructive path for wobama. ] Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger sent a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday, urging him to commute the prison term of Jonathan Pollard, who is serving a life term for spying for Israel.

Chinese military ‘growing fast’: think tank China is building its military capability at a rapid pace but it remains a “regional power with regional concerns”, the think tank IISS said in its annual report on the world’s armies on Tuesday.

http://www.saturday-night-live.com

Part of the webcast: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIx4_t26AAs

] With neither side able to muster overwhelming force, the result appeared to be a bloody stalemate, with the death tolls rising in both east and west.

Obama creates indefinite detention system for prisoners at Guantanamo Bay (Washington Post) [ Sounds more like fellow failed president/war criminal dumbya bush every day. Meanwhile, back at the pervasively corrupt, defacto bankrupt american credit farm (totalitarian communist china): New restrictions on foreign journalists Under rules announced after foreign journalists were physically harassed by security officers, foreign journalists must have government permission to interview anyone in a public area.]

Gates successor a quandary for Obama(Washington Post) [ Quandary? For ‘wobama the b’ (for b*** s***)? I don’t think so! Like wobama, he or she must speak out of both sides of his/her mouth, be particularly adept at lying (cia-speak), and believe in absolutely nothing (no core values/beliefs). Gates says killing of Afghan boys a "setback" (Reuters) [Ah, yes, riiiiight! … that’s what it is, alright…just a setback…I see. ] Gates: US military to stay in Afghanistan US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who is on a surprise visit to Afghanistan, says the American military should stay in the conflict-riddled country despite the rising human costs. Violent spring looming in Afghanistan (Washington Post) [ See … something to look forward to … must be that good news that keeps getting pushed back … and spring no less … everything bombing blooming or in war criminal american-speak … ‘booming’ … but not the defacto bankrupt american economy for which a crash is ‘looming’. Could somebody help me out with a translation of gates’ speech a west point … I must be missing something … Lt. Gen. John Kelly, who lost son to war, says U.S. largely unaware of sacrifice (Washington Post) [ I disagree! They are very much aware; as they stand in unemployment lines, use food stamps to get by, etc.. I hate to sound cavalier and I’m sorry that Kelly lost a son to war, but along with the multitude of civilians in the nations unlucky enough to provide a source of corporate welfare to the military industrial complex and war profiteering for the few (as warned against by President General Eisenhower), they died for nothing, for no good reason beyond the false propaganda. Six NATO troops killed in Afghanistan (Washington Post) [ Is there something wrong with the following picture? … am I missing something? … Gates's warning: Avoid land war in Asia, Middle East, and Africa Christian Science Monitor - In a speech to cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Gates's message was clear: The US military services, as well as the elected and appointed civilians who send them to war, need better ways of foreseeing and preparing for ... Gates Tells US Army to Take New Approach Voice of America Warning Against Wars Like Iraq and Afghanistan New York Times [ Better said, than unsaid; but, methinks a bit late for that in light of pervasively corrupt, defacto bankrupt america’s consummate decline and fall! If only they had listened and not shot at the messenger … things could have been different! ] ] American military officials expect that the Taliban will mount a campaign to regain ground lost to U.S. troops last year and use suicide bombing teams to strike at those associated with the Afghan government or coalition forces. ]

Investors Whiplashed: Dave's Daily ‘As stated I'm away at a family reunion in Las Vegas. It's an appropriate place from which to view markets. Since the action is so crazy, no mere mortal, even with nearly 40 years experience, can make sense of it. So, in the interest of clarity (not to mention the family), I'll make only a couple of comments and just post a few charts. Yes, the unemployment data came in about as expected but wage growth was limited (who knew?!) and banks were downgraded by another bank, BAC. Not a nice thing to do to your pals. With MENA unrest near all time highs and oil prices exploding higher who would want to be casually long the markets heading into the weekend? But, someone (let's just guess shall we?) with the power to close this week higher launched a serious "stick save" late to do just that. This was gross manipulation. Volume was higher on selling once again as no doubt stops were hit once again. Meanwhile, per the WSJ, breadth was negative. ‘

Financialization and Our Increasingly Unstable Economy Roche ‘I finally got around to seeing the movie Inside Job, the story behind the credit crisis and winner of the Academy Award for best documentary. It’s very good and I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen it. It will certainly infuriate you. The movie doesn’t place nearly enough blame on homeowners, but all in all it does an excellent job of showing how Wall Street and government have become overrun by deregulation and sheer greed.

A combination of flawed economic theory and greed have combined to create the beast that we now call a “functioning” economy. The worst part of it all is that President Obama, who vowed change, has done almost nothing to fix any of it and in fact continues most of the policies that helped get us here in the first place.

In his latest letter Howard Marks touches on the regulatory debate. He says:

A great source on the subject is Wall Street Under Oath, a 1939 book on the causes of the Great Crash of 1929 written by Ferdinand Pecora, who was counsel to the Senate committee investigating the crash and later a New York State judge. I first read it about twenty years ago, and I brought it out of storage in 2007. It is a typical polemic, assigning blame and touting regulation pursuant to what I assume were the author’s philosophical/political biases (see page 4).

Pecora describes a Wall Street that, up to and including the 1920s, was like the Wild West. Bankers and brokers were out to make money for themselves; their behavior was largely unregulated; and conflicts between their interests and those of their clients were widespread and disregarded. In particular, according to Pecora, disclosure standards were non-existent.

These facts combined with other causes to produce a market crash of epic proportions; widespread losses; a drying up of capital; deflation; and a massive depression with a resulting increase in unemployment to 25%. Unsurprisingly, fingers were pointed at the prior administration and political power shifted to believers in an activist role for government. The most lasting result was the enactment of laws that governed the financial system for decades and in many cases still do: the Securities Act, the Securities and Exchange Act, and the Glass-Steagall Act. Thus the 1930s saw a massive swing of the pendulum in favor of regulation.

The next several decades on Wall Street were – perhaps thanks to the impact of those laws – a relatively placid period. This led to a view that, with rare exceptions, market participants are well-behaved by nature. Further, steady growth with only moderate dips caused a perception of an inherently benign and productive economy that could achieve even more if only the regulatory shackles were loosened. After President Carter deregulated the transportation industry in the late 1970s, the door was open for much of the regulatory apparatus built in the early part of the century to be relaxed. Ronald Reagan, whose famously free-market views coincided with a period of peace and prosperity, led the deregulatory charge. We saw a similar turn in Britain under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher; the collapse of the USSR and a resounding victory for capitalism; and the ascendance of free market adherents Alan Greenspan and George W. Bush.

With the economy and financial system generating prosperity, people wanted more of the same. And with manufacturing in decline, we relied heavily on the financial sector for an increased contribution to GDP, job creation and standards of living. The prevailing view was that the less regulation we had, the more productive business and finance could be. And what was there to be feared from an unregulated economy, anyway? The result in the past decade, according to a great newspaper quote that sadly I can’t locate, was “the kind of regulation you get from an administration that doesn’t believe in regulation.”

Thus, coming full circle from the 1930s, starting in 1999 we saw revocation of Glass-Steagall; elimination of the up-tick rule limiting short sales to instances when stock prices were rising; a pivotal decision to exempt derivatives from regulation; increased permitted leverage at investment banks; and starvation of regulatory agency budgets. These developments were followed by the global financial crisis of 2007-08. Coincidence or causality?

No, it’s most certainly not a coincidence. Marks goes on to argue that the markets and regulations will never be perfect so our economy will continue to be imperfect. It’s a rather defeatist and general attitude if you ask me. I think there are fairly basic rules that can and should be implemented that limit the potential outlier events from occurring. For instance, collateral on OTC derivatives would have substantially reduced the risks at the investment banks. Leverage limits. Higher capital standards. How about requiring down payments on homes? These are simple rules that eliminate the potential for some of the incredible risks we’ve seen over the last 25 years.

I am not an advocate of highly strict rules, just common sense rules. The fact that the NINJA loan ever even came into existence is a clear sign that allowing the markets to regulate themselves is bordering on insanity. Such lack of rules in capitalism is guaranteed to result in putting greed before rationality. I don’t want to contain capitalism. But I do want to keep it from destroying itself. That is the path we are on and the increasing instability upon which we build each recovery is a clear example….

In the movie, a prominent paper is mentioned written by Raghuram Rajan, a professor of Economics at the Chicago School. He shows how the financialization of the US economy is creating an increasingly unstable economy. Make no mistake, markets are not self regulating. This nonsense that government should never oversee the free market is disastrous policy that is driven by a misguided and dogmatic political perspective and a purely greed driven banking system. It’s a great weekend read. Enjoy. ‘

Fed Has Convinced Consumers to Re-Leverage [ Sounds like a plan! … albeit a failed plan ala greenspan … this encore courtesy of ‘’no-recession helicopter ben shalom bernanke’ … anything for that irrationally exuberant feeling on wall street …. Bubbles, bubbles, everywhere, but not a bloke to blink. ] Roche ‘Despite lopsided balance sheets and near record levels of household debt the Fed appears to have succeeded in convincing American households that it is wise to begin re-leveraging. The Fed’s latest consumer credit report showed broad improvement in consumer credit trends (via Econoday):

"Consumer credit outstanding in December rose $6.1 billion showing, for the first time in the recovery, gains for both revolving and non-revolving credit. Revolving credit, up $2.3 billion, rose for the first time in 27 months. Non-revolving credit, reflecting strength in vehicle sales, extended its run of strength with a gain of $3.8 billion. Looking ahead to January’s number, there may be some modest help from motor vehicle sales which edged up 0.6 percent for the month but the amount boosting consumer credit will depend in part on the share split of sales to consumers and to businesses."

[chart]

(Click to enlarge)

As I’ve previously mentioned, this is great news for the near-term economic outlook. A re-leveraging consumer means more spending, higher corporate revenues, etc. My hope was that a 10% deficit would result in consumers continuing to de-leverage, however, that looks like wishful thinking. Instead, the combination of easy money and no loser capitalism appears to be setting the foundation for another debt binge. At a level of 115% of debt:income, this trend is clearly unsustainable, however, the American public appears intent on sustaining its fiscal imprudence. In short, enjoy the growth, however, once the deficit shrinks or another asset bubble pops the air is going to come out of the debt bubble once again and the upside down U.S. consumer will again be exposed as the imprudent consumer that he/she is...’

Flashback: Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports Exposed Infowars | There is no reason for continued taxation, the government has a secret slush fund and in the meantime is telling you that they’re broke.

Iran oil wealth ‘must be shared’ with citizens says Soros BBC | Citizens of oil producing nations must see more benefit from their country’s national resources, says billionaire.

Former Goldman director charged with insider trading Globe & Mail | Raj Rajaratnam, the founder of hedge fund Galleon Group, is on trial on criminal insider-trading charges.

Gas up 33 cents — second biggest two-week jump ever Reuters | The national average for a gallon of self-serve, regular gas was $3.50 on March 4.

Saudi Stock Market Tumbles as Fear of Revolt Grows The Telegraph | Triggered by the arrest of Shi’ite cleric after he called for democratic reforms.

The Shadow King Of Wall Street: “Markets Like Totalitarian Governments” Wall Street’s shadow king, Blackrock’s Larry Fink who manages over $3 trillion, and is the world’s biggest asset manager, appeared on Bloomberg TV in an interview with Erik Schatzker, and the first thing he said is that the “market likes totalitarian governments.” Matt Damon Thinks Obama Is Working For Wall Street

Big Brother: The Orwellian Nightmare Come True When George Orwell (pen name of Eric Blair) first published his famous novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, it was the year 1949, and it told a dark story of what he envisioned life may be like in the future-in the year 1984.

Britain at risk of another financial crisis, Bank of England chief warns Britain risks suffering another financial crisis without reform of the country’s banks, the Governor of the Bank of England warns today.

Oil Price Shock; You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet The most common cause of a spiking oil price is supply shock. We may be seeing just such a phenonenon right now with the effective shut down of Libyan oil. But sometimes it’s excessive demand that does the damage.

Wisconsin Governor To Issue 1500 Layoff Notices Unless Fugitive Democrats Return To The State In addition to “stagflation” which we announced in January would be the word of the year, we now have a new contender in the running for what may soon be the most popular word for the next 10 months: “escalation.”

The Fed Distorts The Economy With Inflation The Federal Reserve tells us we need inflation to overcome the overhang created by debt and its inflationary aspects. The inflation does not create jobs – it just distorts prices upward.

Spain town reintroduces peseta to boost economy A small town in northern Spain has decided to reintroduce the old Spanish currency – the peseta – alongside the euro to give the local economy a lift.

QE2: An Unmitigated Disaster

[video] Summer Bears Will Threaten Two-Year Bull Run

STOCKS DIVE, SILVER SURGES, TECH HAMMERED: Here's What You Need To Know

More Jobs Mirage In February—BLS Continues To Overestimate Job Growth Paul Craig Roberts | The announcement that 192,000 new jobs were created in February was greeted with a sigh of relief.

Government’s biggest monthly deficit ever Washington Times | $223 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Gas up 33 cents — second biggest two-week jump ever Reuters | The national average for a gallon of self-serve, regular gas was $3.50 on March 4.

Oil, Gold, and Silver Prices Up as Saudi Arabia Faces Unrest Oil market speculators used the escalating conflict in Libya as an excuse to jack up crude prices to $106 per barrel today. Crude oil prices rose on news opposition forces and soldiers loyal to Moammar Gadhafi clashed near some of the country’s key energy infrastructure.

SocGen’s Three Scenarios For Oil See Crude Price Between $110 And $200 After Nomura released a report two weeks back predicting oil could rise to $220 if the MENA situation escalates, this morning SocGen’s Michael Wittner has released his own scenario analysis on the possible outcomes of the 2011 revolutions.

More Jobs Mirage In February—BLS Continues To Overestimate Job Growth The announcement on March 4 that 192,000 new jobs were created in February was greeted with a sigh of relief. But the number is just more smoke and mirrors, as I will show shortly. First, let’s pretend the jobs are real. What areas of the economy produced the jobs?

Gold Surges, Hits New All Time High Of $1,437 After Precious Metals Talked Up During PDAC Conference As the world continues to burn, gold hits a new all time high of $1,437 as silver is en route to pass $36. Whatever shorts did not cover on Friday night are strongly urged to postpone their “market top” speculation until another day. Elsewhere Bernanke is still confused by what the relentless march to daily all time highs in gold means…

ECONOMIC CRISIS ARCHIVE

National / World

Amtrak Chief Targets TSA For Conducting “Illegal” Grope Downs In late February, the Transportation Security Administration took over the Amtrak station in Savannah, Ga., and thoroughly searched every person who entered. None of the passengers got into trouble, but the TSA certainly did — big time.

Michael Moore’s Communist Rhetoric Distracts from Crimes of the Banksters Last week, filmmaker Michael Moore declared war on the producers. Moore told Laura Flanders of GRITtv that people who did not create trillions of dollars of wealth are entitled to steal it from those who did. Private wealth, Moore insisted, is a “national resource” that can be expropriated from the producers and divided parasitically between the non-producers.

Oil And Gold Slip On Rumors Gaddafi Set To Flee Oil and gold pared some of their soaring gains today after a rumor began circulating that Moammar Gaddafi was seeking to reach an agreement with rebels that would allow him to safely flee the country in return for relinquishing power.

Interventionism Leads to Resentment and Anti-Americanism Last week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and I had the opportunity to raise some of my concerns regarding US government policy and the cost of our interventionism around the world.

Michael Moore’s Communist Rhetoric Distracts from Crimes of the Banksters Kurt Nimmo | Filmmaker says your hard-earned money is a national resource.

The Resistance Continues: More “The Answer to 1984″ Video Contest Entries Infowars | Another great batch of video entries.

Oil And Gold Slip On Rumors Gaddafi Set To Flee Paul Joseph Watson | Libyan leader has offered rebels deal to take power if safe exit of his family is guaranteed, according to reports.

Oil, Gold, and Silver Prices Up as Saudi Arabia Faces Unrest Kurt Nimmo | Protests planned in oil kingdom today as government promises to dispatch 10,000 troops to put down dissent.

Bill O’Reilly And Old Media: Not Waving But Drowning Paul Joseph Watson | The establishment is so terrified of new media, they dare not mention Alex Jones by name.

‘Egyptian army follows Israel, US orders’ Protests in Egypt gain momentum as revolutionaries say they are set to disclose information incriminating senior officials over their involvement in the violent crackdown on anti-regime protests.

Libya: ‘Eight SAS Soldiers Held By Rebels’ Eight SAS soldiers have been detained by rebels in Libya, according to Sky News sources.

Libya: Gaddafi Gunships Fire On Rebels Libyan helicopter gunships have fired on rebels advancing along the coast towards the capital Tripoli.

Chinese state media slams calls for protests China’s state media stepped up its criticism of calls for anti-government rallies on Sunday, saying stability is key amid concern that unrest sweeping the Middle East could spread to the Asian nation.

Saudis mobilise thousands of troops to quell growing revolt Saudi Arabia was yesterday drafting up to 10,000 security personnel into its north-eastern Shia Muslim provinces, clogging the highways into Dammam and other cities with busloads of troops in fear of next week’s “day of rage” by what is now called the “Hunayn Revolution”.

US Department of Imperial Expansion The illegitimacy of the current US State Department fits in well with the overall Constitution-circumventing empire that the American Republic has degenerated into. The current Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, gives a daily affirmation of this illegitimacy every time she bellies up to the podium and further makes a mockery of America, its people and its destiny.

Zbigniew Brzezinski Spouts Globalist Agenda on Al Jazeera Zbigniew Brzezinski: We shouldn’t be the policeman of the world… but we should send troops and warships to Libya.

Hey Bill O’Reilly: Alex Jones is a Patriot, And You’re a Clown Fox News host Bill O’Reilly mentioned Alex Jones’s appearance on the View the other day, calling him “some guy on the radio, we really don’t know who he is.” But as Kurt Nimmo points out, O’Reilly is not totally out of the loop.

TSA, DHS plan massive mobile surveillance rollout Mike Adams | The DHS is America’s new secret police.

US Department of Imperial Expansion Tony Cartalucci | The illegitimacy of the current US State Department fits in well with the overall Constitution-circumventing empire that the American Republic has degenerated into.

Senior Fed Economist Calls Ron Paul a Pinhead Robert Wenzel | If you think destruction of a currency is no biggie, call Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe.

Bill O’Reilly: Who Is Alex Jones? Kurt Nimmo | Fox News anchor with ratings in decline feigns ignorance of growing alternative media.

People Of Earth: Prepare For Economic Disaster The Economic Collapse | It is not just the United States that is headed for an economic collapse.

Don’t Worry, the Economy is Going to be Just Fine The American Dream | Haven’t you heard? The coming economic collapse has officially been cancelled.

Rolling Stone: Glenn Beck Rips Off Alex Jones Infowars.com | Rolling Stone Magazine has posted a part two to follow up on its profile of Alex Jones earlier this week.

We’re On The March: More “Answer to 1984″ Video Contest Entries Infowars | More entries for “The Answer to 1984 is 1776″ video contest.

Homicide case involving Daley nephew closed without charges Chicago Sun-Times | Chicago Police said Friday they know who hit David Koschman and knocked him to the ground in a drunken confrontation in the Rush Street area, leading to his death.

Major Libyan oil plant ablaze Mail Online | A major Libyan oil plant was ablaze last night as fresh fighting raged across the country leaving at least 50 dead.

Qaddafi’s Militia Storms Key Town Controlled by Rebels NY Times | Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s militia stormed the rebels controlling the town of Zawiyah on Saturday.

‘If the Americans Come, They Would Steal our Revolution’ Spiegel Online | Opposition fighters claim they have driven back their attackers, but the battle is far from finished.

Alex Jones: The Name Bill O’Reilly Dare Not Speak During a discussion on Charlie Sheen, Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly mentioned Alex Jones’ appearance on The View. He didn’t bother to mention Jones by name. O’Reilly said Jones is merely “some guy on the radio, we really don’t know who he is,” and his co-host during the segment, Arthel Neville, chuckled.

Don’t Worry, Be Happy: Unemployment Is Down, The Stock Market Is Up And The Economy Is Going To Be Just Fine Haven’t you heard? The coming economic collapse has officially been canceled. The U.S. economy is in full recovery mode. It has just been announced that the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 8.9% in February. That was the third monthly decline in a row.

People Of Earth: Prepare For Economic Disaster It is not just the United States that is headed for an economic collapse. The truth is that the entire world is heading for a massive economic meltdown and the people of earth need to be warned about the coming economic disaster that is going to sweep the globe.

Texas Plans to Implement REAL ID in 2013 Tela Mange, Chief of Media Relations at Texas Department of Public Safety, has responded to an Infowars.com request for information on the state’s implementation of REAL ID.

Gaddafi forces mount fierce counterattack; witnesses describe ‘massacre’ in city under siege Forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi on Friday unleashed their fiercest counterattack yet, assaulting rebel-held positions by ground and air and firing on demonstrators in the government stronghold of Tripoli.

MI6, SAS Working Together To Take Control In Libya Britain is to send teams of spies and diplomats into Libya to help oust Colonel Gaddafi, it emerged last night.

http://www.saturday-night-live.com

Part of the webcast: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIx4_t26AAs

Drudgereport: FLASHBACK: Larger Than Entire 2007 Deficit...
Treasury Draws Down Cash Balance...
FEBRUARY DEFICIT: $223 BILLION

GATES SAYS ANY MILITARY ACTION ON LIBYA SHOULD HAVE INTERNATIONAL BACKING...
Caught on Video: General Petraeus And Secretary Gates Share Private Joke About Attacking Libya...
NATO starts 24/7 surveillance of Libya...

Greece slams rating agencies after MOODY'S cut...
Spain's savings banks race to find funds by Thursday...
Portugal edges closer to crisis... PAPER: Obama asks Saudi Arabia to supply Libyan rebels with weapons...
GADHAFI OFFENSIVE MAKES LITTLE GROUND
Saudi Arabia detains Shi'ites as clerics ban protests...
OIL CONTINUES CLIMB...

Gas prices up 33 cents -- in two weeks!

Number of ObamaCare waivers climbs above 1,000...

Unrest returns to Cairo streets... UK 'to send team of spies' to help oust Gadhafi...
British Army readies for mission at 24 hours' notice...
Obama goes golfing...
ROMNEY TO NH: WE NEED A NEW PRESIDENT

'Moore: The rich have overplayed their hand' … [yes they have … quite foolishly at that … they really have] ...

CHICAGOLAND: Homicide case involving Daley nephew closed without charges... OBAMA TAKES 'BUTTER KNIFE' TO BUDGET...

Biden opens budget talks -- leaves country...
Senate Democrats dropping like flies...
Harry Reid offers spending proposal -- predicts failure... Saudi Arabia bans all protest and marches...
Mobilizes thousands of troops to quell growing unrest...
'MASSACRE' IN ZAWIYAH...
Shi'ite protesters in Bahrain form human chain around capital...
SHOCK VIDEO: Women gunned down by soldiers in Ivory Coast...

Peter King, IRA supporter and enthusiastic counter-terrorism advocate (Washington Post) [ A neocon; a zionist with a large jewish constituency; an IRA terrorist supporter; looks a lot like, bears a striking resemblance to, corrupt dodo dodd former Conn. Senator; in sum, that can’t be good. Maybe he suffers from a multiple personality disorder. I mean … wow! Whew! ]

Milbank: The subpar lender crisis (Washington Post) [ It truly is difficult for me to imagine Mr. Milbank as a business reporter; although, … wall street journal … could fit. I had occasion to know a successful wall street executive, chairman, institutional brokerage / investment banking firm, who referred to the wall street journal as ‘total b*** s***’. I don’t think Mr. Milbank needs to refer to an ad hoc experience which we know and can reasonably infer to be ubiquitous in kind and that they’re all a bunch of typical american crooks (he wasn’t … but he was an old school risk seeker long since out of the game). Academy Award winner Ferguson is way ahead: ‘INSIDE JOB’ Ferguson wins Oscar for Documentary on the unprosecuted massive extant fraud in the (many) TRILLIONS by the frauds on wall street ( and declares with oscar in hand that not one high level wall street exec has been prosecuted … despite ‘earning’ billiions from the fraud ), the commentator / experts recommend getting rid of the corrupt eric holder ( now what do holder and wobama have in common … is it wall street money ………… is it a proclivity for jive-talking / b*** s*** ………all of the above, some of the above ……….. or is it something else …… here’s a hint - UPDATE: MORE CLAIMS OF RACE BIAS AT JUSTICE... CIVIL RIGHTS PANEL TO PURSUE FED PROBE IN BLACK PANTHER CASE... ‘In emotional and personal testimony, an ex-Justice official who quit over the handling of a voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party accused his former employer of instructing attorneys in the civil rights division to ignore cases that involve black defendants and white victims ...’ US v. AZ... Cases against Wall Street lag despite Holder’s vows to target financial fraud Washington Post | Obama has promised to hold Wall Street accountable for the meltdown. ) (see this film, I strongly recommend the complete documentary – the following is a preview/summary) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffHFjlqIzKE&feature=related

[Here’s an archived version

http://www.albertpeia.com/insidejob.mp4 [ 65mb ] ]

]

Private hiring spurs drop in jobless rate (Washington Post) [ This is a tab yet to be paid (taxpayer / treasury / public) and the costs in money the nation doen’t have for the political obfuscation will far outway the benefits. (Gallup Reports Underemployment Surges To 19.9%, February “Jobs Situation Deteriorates”: As Bad As 2010 On one hand we have the Department of Truth about to tell tomorrow that NFP based on various seasonal and birth death adjustments increased by 250,000… Santelli: 'Good' Jobs Report Has Dark Side... … Denninger ‘ … Summary: The report did not show any material amount of acceleration; it is, for all intents and purposes, flat. The Household Survey showed some people going back to work, but in terms of percentage of the working-age population the needle did not move to any material degree. The problem continues to be people we don't count as unemployed but in fact are, and as such the statistical gerrymandering of the results will give both the left and right something to spin, but in point of fact there's no evidence of an economy that is recovering it's ability to generate both private income and tax revenues.’ … ‘ Mason’…Over the past four weeks, the Treasury’s General Account has dropped by almost $70 billion. Thus, between this account and the Treasury’s Supplementary Financing Account the Fed has injected almost $170 billion reserves into the banking system in February …’ Gerald Celente: “There is no recovery — it’s a coverup!” Sic Semper Tyrannis | Celente argues the oil prices have been going up before the recent chaos in the Middle East. ‘…One other point brought out by Gerald Celente is the fact that the current puppet regime in the White House is “cooking the books” on the unemployment numbers and current inflation rates. They are making their own rules on how to determine inflation rates by leaving out essential information such as food and fuel prices. The same is being done with White House unemployment numbers by simply leaving out those who have given up looking for jobs, as well as other deceptive “carnie” tricks (in reference to White House spokesperson Carnie) in which he compares the administration to a traveling carnival act.

In closing, Celente states:

“… There is no recovery, it’s a coverup. It’s only being boosted by these low interest rates, which again, when inflation skyrockets- they’re gonna have to raise them …‘

]

Delusional for 2012Will: Huckabee and Gingrich are diminishing the GOP. (Washington Post) [ That’s only if you take them seriously; and, you can’t take neocons seriously. You know the type … the pro-zionist bush me-toos … and don’t forget … what could be more diminishing than having failed president ‘wobama the b’ (for b*** s***) as their putative head. Perma war types all, the pervasively corrupt america is defacto bankrupt. Drudgereport: Delaware voters say no to Lobotomy Joe ….. Biden (the self-proclaimed zionist) -- for name of school... 'Wobama’s Where's Waldo?' Presidency... All Former U.S. Presidents To Get Together For TV Special Honoring George H.W. Bush…(How totally pathetic they are! How embarrassing for NBC!) ... [ Wake up! http://albertpeia.com/bushcrimes.htm ] Gingrich to announce exploratory committee 'in 10 days' [ Neo-con Dreamin’! I mean, come on … are memories so short they don’t recall him being a total hypocrite, zionist shill, and part of the problem though to his credit, he’s not a mobster and complete joke as is trump! ] CHICAGOLAND: Lawmaker Suggests BOEING'S Contract Win A Result Of Dirty Politics... [ The contract’s with money the nation doen’t really have anyway; and, the value of the money paid will be worth substantially less by completion; and, no surprise … Chicago hasn’t changed much from the days of capone and is rivaled in terms of corruption by such states as jersey, new york, etc.. ] ‘…“I’m disappointed but not surprised,” Republican Sen. Richard Shelby said. “Only Chicago politics could tip the scales in favor of Boeing’s inferior plane. EADS clearly offers the more capable aircraft.”…’
Rep. Rangel Causes Stir In Courtroom; Reprimanded By Judge...NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Congressman Charles Rangel caused a stir in court Friday while trying to lend his support for bail of Afrika Owes.Owes, 17, had been a student at the prestigious Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. Prosecutors say she was also a member of a drug gang that terrorized 137th Street in Harlem.Owes was one of fourteen suspected “137th Street Crew” gang members arrested last month. Prosecutors said the gang used shootings, beatings and robberies to protect their turf and gain street status on a stretch of West 137th Street. The gang allegedly openly dealt crack in apartment lobbies, near Harlem Hospital and near the Abyssinian Baptist Church. Congressman Charles Rangel argues for Owes getting bail to Juliet Papa of 1010 WINS

Violent spring looming in Afghanistan (Washington Post) [ See … something to look forward to … must be that good news that keeps getting pushed back … and spring no less … everything bombing blooming or in war criminal american-speak … ‘booming’ … but not the defacto bankrupt american economy for which a crash is ‘looming’. Could somebody help me out with a translation of gates’ speech a west point … I must be missing something … Lt. Gen. John Kelly, who lost son to war, says U.S. largely unaware of sacrifice (Washington Post) [ I disagree! They are very much aware; as they stand in unemployment lines, use food stamps to get by, etc.. I hate to sound cavalier and I’m sorry that Kelly lost a son to war, but along with the multitude of civilians in the nations unlucky enough to provide a source of corporate welfare to the military industrial complex and war profiteering for the few (as warned against by President General Eisenhower), they died for nothing, for no good reason beyond the false propaganda. Six NATO troops killed in Afghanistan (Washington Post) [ Is there something wrong with the following picture? … am I missing something? … Gates's warning: Avoid land war in Asia, Middle East, and Africa Christian Science Monitor - In a speech to cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Gates's message was clear: The US military services, as well as the elected and appointed civilians who send them to war, need better ways of foreseeing and preparing for ... Gates Tells US Army to Take New Approach Voice of America Warning Against Wars Like Iraq and Afghanistan New York Times [ Better said, than unsaid; but, methinks a bit late for that in light of pervasively corrupt, defacto bankrupt america’s consummate decline and fall! If only they had listened and not shot at the messenger … things could have been different! ] ] American military officials expect that the Taliban will mount a campaign to regain ground lost to U.S. troops last year and use suicide bombing teams to strike at those associated with the Afghan government or coalition forces. ]

YAHOO [BRIEFING.COM]: [Suckers’ rally into the close] ‘A late flurry of buying lifted the Dow almost 90 points in less than 30 minutes, but stocks still finished the day with marked losses as participants looked past an encouraging jobs report to focus on oil's climb to a new two-year high…’

Employment Report: No Joy Here Denninger ‘The reaction on CNBS, in particular: "This is a very good report."

Really?

Incidentally, I said 100k +/- 50, and we hit ... (misprint - the original link is here - nobody's perfect!)

Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 192,000 in February, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 8.9 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in manufacturing, construction, professional and business services, health care, and transportation and warehousing.

Ok, high side. The uncertainty was very high on this report, but the results are not out of line. Those people looking for a "2" or even "3" handle (and there were lots of people who were) have a problem though - they didn't get that.

Hourly payrolls didn't move, nor did working hours. Meh.

The spin machine will be out in force I'm sure on both sides of the political spectrum. The market's initial reaction was to spike and then dive a bit; just enough to nail you with a stop run if you happened to be in the futures with a stop on at the time.

Here's the household data, which is where I focus my attention (incidentally, the "Birth-Death" was +100kish this month - if you believe that.)

[chart]

(Click to enlarge)

There was a small uptick in actual employment in February. This has to be maintained, of course, in order for it to continue to count. The key here is that on this metric annualized (which removes seasonality) we were basically flat over last month, although on the positive side of the ledger.

[chart]

(Click to enlarge)

That's a problem. We're basically flat on the labor participation rate among the population. This must show a strong recovery or the government funding model will collapse. You can report all the numbers you want but this is the one that matters, and while it did not further deteriorate it also didn't turn around.

[chart]

(Click to enlarge)

"Not in labor force" - that is, those who have walked off in disgust - showed little change this last month. Annualized it was up slightly. Again, this reflects as a lower unemployment rate, but only because we're not counting people.

[chart]

(Click to enlarge)

No joy here.

Summary: The report did not show any material amount of acceleration; it is, for all intents and purposes, flat. The Household Survey showed some people going back to work, but in terms of percentage of the working-age population the needle did not move to any material degree. The problem continues to be people we don't count as unemployed but in fact are, and as such the statistical gerrymandering of the results will give both the left and right something to spin, but in point of fact there's no evidence of an economy that is recovering it's ability to generate both private income and tax revenues.’

Stocks Hit by Middle East Worries, Financial Sector Downgrades Midnight Trader ‘4:10 PM, Mar 4, 2011 --

DJIA down 88.32 (-0.72%) to 12,169.88
S&P 500 down 9.82 (-0.74%) to 1,321.15
Nasdaq down 14.07 (-0.50%) to 2,784.67

Stock Market Rally - Where's the Money Coming From? How much is Left? Maierhofer, On Friday March 4, 2011, 12:31 pm EST

Most retail investors exited the stock market early 2009 and didn't get back in until recently. According to Strategic Insight, investors piled a net $21 billion into U.S. stock mutual funds in January, the biggest monthly inflow in seven years.

Is this rekindled infatuation with stocks bullish or bearish? If it is bullish, how much more cash is waiting on the sidelines, and how much longer can the rally last?

Once Bitten, Twice Bold

According to Michal Strahilevitz (quoted in the Wall Street Journal), a business professor at Golden Gate University, delayed bulls are driven by what psychologists call 'counterfactual regret' - the haunting sense of what might have been.

Strahilevitz explains: 'These investors have been double traumatized. First in 2008 and 2009 they suffered until they said I can't take it anymore' and sold all their stocks. And now they've had to deal with the trauma of watching the market go up and realizing they'd be better off if only they hadn't gotten out.'

Like an annoying splinter, the regrets over being out of stocks are refreshed every day the market goes up. Apparently, watching stocks rise from the sideline is more painful than the perceived risk of buying at lofty prices.

Right but Wrong

The timing of retail investors reminds me of the Wall Street Journal. On March 9, 2009, the Journal ran a front-page article with the headline 'Dow 5,000 - There's a case for it.'

This headline stuck with me because Dow 5000 is what I predicted before the financial crisis hit in 2008. By the time the Journal pointed towards Dow 5,000, the Dow had already lost over 50%, and I moved into the bullish camp. Via a March 2, 2009 special ETF Profit Strategy Newsletter alert, I advised to buy, buy, and buy.

True, after the initial 40 - 50% gain I got suspicious and haven't trusted the market since. In hindsight that was foolish. Looking at fund flows, a large number of investors are just now starting to re-enter the market, which also seems foolish.

Based on that new data, catching the initial 40-50% of the rally was much more profitable, less nerve racking, and in risk-adjusted terms much more desirable than entering around current prices or being invested over the last year.

Even investors that entered as early as August 2009, when the S&P 500 traded around 1,000, have seen a gain of only 32%, if they stuck with it. At one point, the post-April 2010 decline and May 'Flash Crash' erased eight months worth of gains. The last 21 months of the rally were much more treacherous than the first three months, but delivered a lower return with more stress.

Why Wrong?

The two charts below illustrate how sentiment and money flow affect stocks (NYSEArca: VTI - News). The green bar represents buying pressure, and the red bar selling pressure.

At the March 2009 lows, the major indexes a la Dow (DJI: ^DJI), S&P (SNP: ^GSPC), and Nasdaq (Nasdaq: ^IXIC) lost over half of their value, the financial sector (NYSEArca: XLF - News) lost nearly 80%, investors were fed up with stocks and threw in the towel.

At that time, there were no more sellers left. Without sellers pulling down prices, stocks had nowhere to go but up. That's what they did.

Since the S&P blew through my initial price target, I expected a reaction at the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level. The first chart below shows that normal market forces returned to Wall Street when the S&P reversed within points of reaching the 61.8% Fibonacci resistance [chart]

At S&P 1,220 there were simply more sellers than buyers. As in every market, the stock market needs fresh dollars to create new bids and higher prices. When sellers outnumber buyers, prices tend to fall. That's what happened.

A Formula for Disaster

The second chart below extends beyond the April 2010 highs and visually explains what happened when the Fed's QE2 appeared on the scene. In essence, the money flow was altered.

A picture says more than a thousand words, and even though simplified, this chart visualizes the effect of QE2. It has kept a constant bid beneath prices. Due to QE2 the red selling pressure bar is allowed to continue growing. At one point, the confined selling pressure will burst like a bubble and play havoc with prices. [chart]

All of this can be summarized in one formula:

Buying Pressure > Selling Pressure = Rising Stock Prices

How much Cash is on the Sidelines

Mutual fund cash levels are at an all time low of 3.4%. Even the 2007 all-time high saw mutual fund levels at 3.6%.

Currently, there are 2.4 times more assets invested in equity mutual funds than in money market funds. This is the highest ratio since after the 2007 peak but is lower than the peak ratio of 3.0.

According to Jason Goepfert with SentimenTrader, margin debt on the NYSE stood at $290 billion in January, one of the highest amounts in history. At the same time free credit dipped. Due to higher debt and lower credit, the available cash dropped to negative $46 billion, the worst figure since July 2007 (it was at negative $44 billion in April 2010).

Air Pocket Protection

QE2 has and possibly will extend the new mania and makes the possible future gains look so enticing. How do you milk this market without getting burned?

If you want the thrill of more gains you have to walk the tightrope. And if you're going to walk the tightrope you'll want a safety net.

A safety net doesn't assure a perfect performance but it keeps you safe and protects you from harm. In the investment world, a safety net - or early warning system - will get you out of stocks before it's too late.

In fact, the stock market builds its own safety nets; it's called support. As long as stocks teeter above support, the performance is solid while a break below usually means the show is either over or temporarily suspended. Either way, it's time to get out…’

Santelli: 'Good' Jobs Report Has Dark Side...

QE2 Watch Version 4.0: Fed Is 'Tone Deaf' and 'Spaghetti Tossing' Mason ‘The Federal Reserve continues to pump funds into the banking system. Reserve balances at Federal Reserve banks reached $1.3 trillion on March 2, 2011. This is up from $1.1 trillion on

February 2 and up from $1.0 trillion on December 29, 2010.

These balances serve as a relatively good proxy for the excess reserves in the banking system which averaged $1.2 trillion over the two-week period ending February 23, 2011.

As we have reported before, there are two drivers of this increase in bank reserves. The first, connected with the Fed’s program of quantitative easy, is the acquisition of United State Treasury securities.

Over the past four weeks the Federal Reserve has added almost $100 billion to its portfolio of Treasury securities. Only about $18 billion of these purchases were offset by maturing Federal Agency issues and mortgage-backed securities.

Since the end of last year, the Fed has added $220 billion to its Treasury security portfolio. In this case the Fed was replacing a $48 billion decline in the other securities that were maturing.

And, in the past 13-week period, Almost $320 billion were added to the Treasury portfolio, replacing about $80 billion in maturing Agency issues and mortgage-backed securities.

The second driver has been the action surrounding Treasury deposits with Federal Reserve banks. Since these deposits are a liability of the Fed, a reduction in these deposits increases reserves in the banking system. There are two important accounts here, the Treasury’s General Account and the Treasury’s Supplementary Financing Account.

The Supplementary Financing Account has been used for monetary purposes and in the current case, the Treasury has reduced the funds in this account by $100 billion. All of this reduction came in February.

The Treasury’s General Account is used in conjunction with Treasury Tax and Loan accounts at commercial banks and is the account that the Treasury writes checks on. Generally tax monies are collected in the Tax and Loan accounts and then are drawn into the Federal Reserve account as the Treasury wants to write checks. When the Treasury writes a check, it is deposited in commercial banks, so that bank reserves increase.

Over the past four weeks, the Treasury’s General Account has dropped by almost $70 billion. Thus, between this account and the Treasury’s Supplementary Financing Account the Fed has injected almost $170 billion reserves into the banking system in February.

I need to call attention to the fact that funds moving into and out of the General Account can vary substantially. For example, since the end of the year (which includes the February change) this account has only fallen by $39 billion. Over the last 13-week period, the account has actually increased by $4 billion. Tax collections build up toward the end of the year and then are spent during the first quarter of the year preparing for another buildup around April 15, tax collection time.

The bottom line, the Federal Reserve is seeing that plenty of reserves are being put into the banking system. But, the commercial banks seem to be holding onto the reserves rather than lending them out.

Still, the growth rates of both measures of the money stock seem to be accelerating. The year-over-year growth rate of the M1 measure of the money stock was growing by about 5.5% in the third quarter of 2010. The growth rate increased to 7.7% in the fourth quarter and is growing at a 10.2% rate in January 2011.

The M2 measure of the money stock has also accelerated, going from a year-over-year rate of increase of 2.5% in the third quarter to 3.3% in the fourth quarter to 4.3% in January.

On the surface these increases in money stock look encouraging in terms of possible future economic growth. However, we are still seeing the same behavior of individuals and businesses in the most recent period that we have observed over the past two years.

The growth rates of both measures of the money stock still seem to be coming from people that are getting out of short term "investment" vehicles and are placing these funds in demand deposits or other transaction accounts, or in currency.

The first piece of evidence of this relates to the reserves in the banking system. The total reserves in the banking system have remained roughly constant over the past year. Yet, the required reserves of the banking system have increased by 10% year-over-year. This situation could only happen if demand deposit-type of accounts, which require more reserves behind them, were increasing relative to time and savings accounts, which have smaller reserve requirements.

Looking at the individual account items we see that demand deposits at commercial banks rose at a 20% year-over-year rate of growth in January. The non-M1 part of the M2 measure of the money stock rose by only an anemic 3% rate. Thus, the substantial shift in funds from time and savings accounts to transaction accounts continues. There is no indication of a speeding up of money stock growth connected with the reserves that the Fed is injecting into the banking system.

An even more dramatic shift can be seen if we include institutional money funds in the equation and look at what has happened in the banking system over the past nine weeks. The non-M1 portion of M2 increased by $22 billion over this time period. However, funds kept in institutional money funds declined by roughly $40 billion. This means that accounts that Milton Freidman would have labeled "a temporary abode of purchasing power" actually declined by $18 billion since the start of the year.

Demand deposits and other checkable deposits rose by about $21 billion. One could note that currency in the hands of the public also rose by $16 billion.

The public continues to move money from relatively liquid short-term savings vehicles to assets that can be spent by check or cash. This is not the kind of behavior one gets in an economy that is confident and expanding. This behavior can roughly be called "defensive".

So, another month has gone by. The Fed is aggressively executing its program of quantitative easing. Yet, it still seems to be "pushing on a string." Why is it I retain the feeling that the Federal Reserve’s effort is just spaghetti tossing, seeing what might stick to the wall?

The longer this policy continues, the less confidence people seem to have in both Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve. I shutter to think what Bernanke and the Fed will do to us when the banking system actually does start lending again.

Note that some members of the Fed’s Open Market Committee are suggesting that QE2 end abruptly at the end of June when the current program is slated to expire. (See "Policy Makers Signal Abrupt End to Bond Purchases in June")

Does everyone in the Fed seem "tone deaf" to you? They just seem to act on pre-conceived ideas and have no sense or feel of the banking system and financial markets. Another confidence raiser.’

Warning: Stocks, Bond Yields Overvalued SuttmeierWe begin Friday with a new ValuEngine Valuation Warning which occurs when more than 65% of all stocks become overvalued. Today 66.4% of all stocks are overvalued as the market attempts to rebound back to the February 18 highs, when 68.6% of all stocks were overvalued. A higher bond yield is an important factor that makes stocks more overvalued. In addition to a new valuation warning all 16 sectors are overvalued, 14 by double-digit percentages.

Beware of Improved Jobless Claims -- If Initial Jobless Claims start to trend below 350,000 per week, the FOMC will likely allow QE2 to end at the end of June, and the market is anticipating QE3. Higher materials and energy costs are starting to be passed on to consumers. With regular gasoline approaching $3.50 per gallon, folks on Main Street, USA, will be driving less, which will become a drag on the economy. In his testimonies earlier this week Fed Chief Bernanke recognized this inflation trend as he called it temporary. The extended period for the “zero to .25%” federal funds rate began December 16, 2008, and this environment of high commodities prices and lower jobless claims should bring this extended period to an end at the end of June even if unemployment is above 9%.

The major equity averages remain below their February 18 highs when the Dow Industrial Average reached 12,391. My proprietary analytics still show weekly and monthly resistances to limit the upside even if some of the averages continue to new highs.

Key Levels for the Major Equity Averages

The Dow Industrial Average (12,258) Libya Trading Range: 11,983 to 12,391. My daily and annual value levels are 11,917 and 11,491 with weekly and monthly risky levels at 12,461 and 12,741.
The S&P 500 (1331.0) Libya Trading Range: 1294 to 1344. My daily and quarterly value levels are 1290.9 and 1262.5 with weekly and monthly risky levels at 1352.9 and 1381.3.
The NASDAQ (2799) Libya Trading Range: 2706 to 2840. My daily value level is 2691 with weekly, quarterly and monthly risky levels are 2860, 2853, and 2926.
The NASDAQ 100 (NDX) (2372) Libya Trading Range: 2285 to 2403. My daily value level is 2279 with weekly, quarterly, and monthly risky levels at 2436, 2438, and 2499.
Dow Transports (5111) Libya Trading Range: 4918 to 5306. My daily and quarterly value levels are 4793 and 4671 with weekly and annual pivots at 5150 and 5179.
The Russell 2000 (828.89) Libya Trading Range: 795 to 838. Daily and quarterly value levels are 795.83 and 765.50 with monthly risky level at 850.79.
The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) (464.77) Libya Trading Range: 439 to 474. My daily value level is 441.14 with a monthly pivot is 453.89, quarterly pivot at 465.93 and weekly risky level at 493.15.

10-Year Note -- (3.570) Weekly, annual, and semiannual value levels are 3.630, 3.796, and 4.268 with daily, monthly, annual, and semiannual risky levels at 3.355, 3.002, 2.690, 2.441, and 2.322. [chart]

Comex Gold -- ($1417.1) Annual, quarterly, weekly, semiannual, and annual value levels are $1356.5, $1331.3, $1.316.1, $1300.6, and $1187.2 with monthly, quarterly, daily, and semiannual risky levels at $1437.7, $1441.7, 1442.2, and $1452.6.[chart]

Nymex Crude Oil -- ($101.82) Monthly, weekly, and semiannual value levels are $96.43, $89.76, and $87.52 with my annual pivots at $99.91 and $101.92, and daily, semiannual, and quarterly risky levels are $112.14, $107.14 and $110.87.[chart]

The Euro -- (1.3958) My weekly and quarterly value levels are 1.3690 and 1.3227 with a daily pivot at 1.3929. Semiannual, monthly, and annual risky levels are 1.4624, 1.4637, 1.4989, 1.6367, and 1.7312.[chart]

Daily Dow -- (12,258) Daily, annual, quarterly, semiannual, and semiannual value levels are 11,917, 11,491, 11,395, 10,959, and 9,449 with weekly, monthly, and annual risky levels at 12,461, 12,741,and 13,890.[chart]

Today's Markets: Betting on Blue Skies? Moenning ‘Good morning. I am often asked why I get up so early every morning to write about something as mundane as the stock market. The answer is simple. My primary objective relating to the market is to stay in tune with the drivers of the action. And since those drivers are constantly changing (and at times more than a little difficult to find), getting an early start is the only way to keep up. Many times, the way the market reacts to the early morning news tells you more than the news itself. Thus, I'm of the mind that you've got to be there to witness the action and the accompanying reaction firsthand if you want to truly understand what is going on in the game.

Thursday was a prime example of the market doing something that may have been unexpected. I'm not talking about the joyride to the upside at the open, as that was to be anticipated given the early inputs. No, I'm talking about the action in the afternoon. In short, stocks continued to move higher despite the fact that we had heard nothing further regarding the much ballyhooed Venezuelan peace plan and that oil prices were once again movin' on up.

Here's the deal. During the current consolidation phase, stocks have been inversely linked to the movement in oil prices the vast majority of the time. The thinking has been that higher oil prices would eventually have a negative impact on the global economy. And with the U.S. economic rebound just now starting to look sustainable, another shock to the system could bring the R word back into the mix. However, Thursday afternoon's action in the stock market suggests that traders are instead betting on blue skies ahead.

With oil prices reversing early declines on growing skepticism over the ability of one Hugo Chavez to help out his good buddy over in Libya, one might have expected to see stock prices give up those big gains and take a swan dive into the close. Don't forget, oil only finished down $0.32 on the day and closed at $101.91. Thus, the story about the drop in oil prices that the press yammered on about all day seemed more than a little silly by the time the closing bell rang at the corner of Broad and Wall.

If you recall, a similar situation occurred on Wednesday. With the major indices teetering on the edge of important support, oil prices broke to new highs as the fighting in Libya intensified in the afternoon. And yet, while the bears appeared to have an opening, the bulls somehow managed to hold the line.

So, given that traders have been treated to a big batch of better-than-expected economic data this week, the action over the past two sessions seems to suggest that the economy may trump the worry about what might (or might not) happen with oil prices. Some traders may have been positioning themselves in front of this morning's Jobs report after Wednesday's ADP data and Thursday's big drop in weekly jobless claims (jobless claims came in at the lowest level since May 2008). Some may have been covering shorts after the technical support levels held up. And while one afternoon does not a trend make, some traders may have been readying themselves for the next leg up. After all, up until the trouble in MENA started, just about everyone agreed that U.S. stocks had some room to run to the upside this year.

Heck, even Jean Claude Trichet may be getting into the act of betting on blue skies ahead. Yesterday, Mr. Trichet suggested, as only a central banker can, that the ECB may need to start pulling back on their quantitative easing program and start raising rates - as early as next month. Thus, the folks at the center of the European debt crisis may also be seeing some clearing in the clouds.

Turning to this morning... Hopes for a peace deal in Libya appear to be fading as oil climbs above $103 this morning. However, foreign markets are up nicley and the day is all about the jobs report, so let's get to it...

On the Economic front... The Labor Department reported that Nonfarm Payrolls rose in the month of February by 192,000. This was just slightly below the consensus estimates for an increase of 198,000. The January totals were revised higher to 58K from 36K and the combination of revisions for January and December produced an increase of 58K jobs.The private sector (aka the household survey) showed gains of 222K jobs, which again was above the estimates.

The nation’s Unemployment Rate was once again a big surprise as it fell to 8.9%, which was below the expectations for a reading of 9.1% and January’s level of 9.0%.

Although stock futures initially rallied on the jobs report, crude's continued rude rise has pushed prices lower in the last few minutes...

Thought for the day: Best of luck on this Friday and be sure to enjoy the weekend!

Pre-Game Indicators

Here are the Pre-Market indicators we review each morning before the opening bell...

Major Foreign Markets:

Australia: +1.14%
Shanghai: +1.35%
Hong Kong: +1.25%
Japan: +1.02%
France: +0.28%
Germany: +0.59%
London: +0.52%

Crude Oil Futures: +$1.39 to $103.30
Gold: +$1.60 to $1418.00
Dollar: lower against the Yen, higher vs. Euro and Pound
10-Year Bond Yield: Currently trading at 3.524
Stocks Futures Ahead of Open in U.S. (relative to fair value):

S&P 500: -0.62
Dow Jones Industrial Average: -2
NASDAQ Composite: -1.20

Wall Street Research Summary

Upgrades:

Progressive (PGR) - BofA/Merrill
Marathon Oil (MRO) - Target increased at Deutsche Bank
Valero Energy (VLO) - Target increased at Deutsche Bank
Western Refining (WNR) - Target increased at Deutsche Bank
Dollar Tree (DLTR) - Goldman Sachs
Capital One (COF) - Morgan Stanley
Simcere Pharmaceutical (SCR) - Oppenheimer
Altera (ALTR) - RW Baird
Fairchild Semiconductor (FCS) - RW Baird
Intel (INTC) - RW Baird
Lattice Semiconductor (LSCC) - RW Baird
ON Semiconductor (ONNN) - RW Baird
STMicroelectronics (STM) - RW Baird
Foot Locker (FL) - Sterne, Agee
Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) - UBS
Viacom (VIA) - Estimates and target increased at UBS

Downgrades:

Citi (C) - BofA/Merrill
Goldman Sachs (GS) - BofA/Merrill
Amylin Pharmaceuticals (AMLN) - BMO Capital
Cephalon (CEPH) - Oppenheimer
Canadian Pacific (CP) - Target reduced at RBC
Cerus Corporation (CERS) - RW Baird
Monster Worldwide (MWW) - William Blair…’

Former Goldman director charged with insider trading Globe & Mail | Raj Rajaratnam, the founder of hedge fund Galleon Group, is on trial on criminal insider-trading charges.

Why the Dollar’s Reign Is Near an End Wall Street Journal | Fully 85% of foreign-exchange transactions world-wide are trades of other currencies for dollars.

Oil Price Shock; You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet The most common cause of a spiking oil price is supply shock. We may be seeing just such a phenonenon right now with the effective shut down of Libyan oil. But sometimes it’s excessive demand that does the damage.

Oil price rises as Libya tensions grow Crude oil rose by more than $1 as fighting in Libya intensified and amid reports of protests in Saudi Arabia’s oil-producing eastern region.

LSE head quits over Gaddafi cash: Resignation as top judge appointed to probe Libyan links Sir Howard Davies paid the price last night for the London School of Economics’ controversial financial links with Libya.

You Call This An Economic Recovery? 44 Million Americans On Food Stamps and 10 Other Reasons Why The Economy Is Simply Not Getting Better When Barack Obama, the Federal Reserve and the mainstream media tell us that we are in the middle of an economic recovery, is that supposed to be some kind of sick joke?

Wisconsin Governor To Issue 1500 Layoff Notices Unless Fugitive Democrats Return To The State In addition to “stagflation” which we announced in January would be the word of the year, we now have a new contender in the running for what may soon be the most popular word for the next 10 months: “escalation.”

Silver’s Breaking Point As part of silver week, we have talked about all sorts of factors—supply, demand, futures, backwardation, and even the government’s manipulation of silver. The one critical factor that we didn’t mention is how megabanks have manipulated silver as of late, and the tremendous effect it has had on the market.

Gallup Reports Underemployment Surges To 19.9%, February “Jobs Situation Deteriorates”: As Bad As 2010 On one hand we have the Department of Truth about to tell tomorrow that NFP based on various seasonal and birth death adjustments increased by 250,000.

Utah Considers Return to Gold, Silver Coins It’s been nearly 80 years since the U.S. stopped using gold coins as legal currency, and nearly 40 since the world abandoned the gold standard, but the precious metal could be making a comeback in the United States — beginning in Utah.

National / World

Rolling Stone: Glenn Beck Rips Off Alex Jones Infowars.com | Rolling Stone Magazine has posted a part two to follow up on its profile of Alex Jones earlier this week.

Texas Plans to Implement REAL ID in 2013 Kurt Nimmo | Chief of Media Relations at Texas Department of Public Safety confirms state will conform to federal rules.

Infowars.com pushes ‘Defriend Day’ to #1 on Google Aaron Dykes | Campaign to draw-down from privacy predators on Facebook and other social media sites.

Big Brother: The Orwellian Nightmare Come True Mark Dice | Tremendous advances in technology often come with unforeseen consequences.

Liberated Libya Rejects US Intervention TRNN | On the streets of liberated Benghazi people say no to McCain, Lieberman and any US intervention.

World cheers as the CIA plunges Libya into chaos David Rothscum | Gaddafi is the main threat to US hegemony in Africa.

Obama Deceptively Answers Second Amendment Question It was yet another example demonstrating that some people in Mexico just don’t understand the concept of liberty, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

Alex Jones Invades Twitter With Hillary Clinton this week admitting that the US military-industrial complex and the globalists are losing the information war to alternative media outlets that cover “real news,” Alex Jones is taking the Infowar to a whole new level by invading Twitter with a fresh culture jamming offensive designed to bring the truth to millions more people all over the world.

States Rebeling Against TSA: Texas The Latest To Legislate For Banning Grope-Downs, Naked Scanners Legislation has been introduced into the Texas House of Representatives that directly challenges the authority of the TSA in airports within the state, specifically aimed at criminalizing the use of naked body scanners and enhanced pat-downs.

Ron Paul Sets MSNBC Host Right On Taxes Cenk Uygur, MSNBC talking head, demonstrates how dishonest liberals can be when making arguments that the government has the right to steal your money at gunpoint. In an interview with Rep. Ron Paul, he characterizes a tax cut for the oil industry as a subsidy. Dr. Paul sets him right.

Dancing with Devil: ‘Intervention will be tragedy for Libyan people’ The Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi is promising more violence if US or NATO forces dare to intervene, while the US is preparing for a humanitarian mission in Libya and the UK has already started one.

On the Edge: Intervention Fears Rise as US, UK Forces Mass Near Libya The U.S. and UK are becoming more isolated as they refuse to rule out intervention in Libya. Germany has joined international voices opposing any foreign military action. Washington, massing its forces off the Libyan coast, claims its keeping all options open and is ready to step in if the crisis deepens.

Oil Price Shock; You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet The most common cause of a spiking oil price is supply shock. We may be seeing just such a phenonenon right now with the effective shut down of Libyan oil. But sometimes it’s excessive demand that does the damage.

Oil price rises as Libya tensions grow Crude oil rose by more than $1 as fighting in Libya intensified and amid reports of protests in Saudi Arabia’s oil-producing eastern region.

LSE head quits over Gaddafi cash: Resignation as top judge appointed to probe Libyan links Sir Howard Davies paid the price last night for the London School of Economics’ controversial financial links with Libya.

You Call This An Economic Recovery? 44 Million Americans On Food Stamps and 10 Other Reasons Why The Economy Is Simply Not Getting Better When Barack Obama, the Federal Reserve and the mainstream media tell us that we are in the middle of an economic recovery, is that supposed to be some kind of sick joke?

Obama declares state governors will enforce health care bill whether they like it or not At a recent meeting with US state governors in Washington, DC, President Obama made clear his intent to force the individual states to comply with his unconstitutional health care overhaul.

Soros Threatens Iran With “Bloodiest Of Revolutions” More “transparency and accountability” was needed from other producers such as Saudi Arabia he said. Mr Soros also predicted the Iranian regime would be overthrown in the “bloodiest of the revolutions”.

Computer Expert: US Was Behind Stuxnet Virus A computer expert at the influential TED Conference in California has confirmed what the New York Times already admitted in January – that the same governments calling for draconian cybersecurity powers in order to protect against cyber warfare were themselves the culprits behind an act of cyber warfare that could have triggered a new Chernobyl disaster in launching the Stuxnet worm attack against Iran.

The TV Column: Charlie Sheen keeps talking; CBS gets in on the conversation (Washington Post) [Wobama says daffy gaddafi’s time is up, got to go. The same can be said of wobama et als and his fraudulently failed presidency. Sheen On Obama: “A Coward In a Cheap Suit” [ I think Sheen to be too gentle in his criticism of wobama (Some might reflexively, defensively allege drugs (prescription or otherwise) or any number of the varied personality disorders so prevalent in america … ‘fuzzy, California laid back thinking’, ‘whatever’… Who knows? ) But, that said, wobama’s far worse than just a ‘coward in a cheap suit’. Indeed, Wobama’s a total fraud having been elected under false pretenses; viz., his total, unequivocal, and unfulfilled b* s* (those campaign promises) ! Moreover, there has been some persuasive documentation questioning wobama’s citizenship / birthplace placing his eligibility to even hold the office of president in question. Drudgereport: `UPDATE: Huckabee claims Obama grew up in Kenya...` The Obama Nation, by Jerome Corsi Rezko was corrupt, and supported Obama in many campaigns as well as in Obama buying his home -- and therefore, according to Corsi, Obama is corrupt by ...www.ontheissues.org/Obama_Nation.htm ] Amidst the controversy of his wild interview on the Alex Jones Show yesterday, actor Charlie Sheen wasted little time in confronting President Barack Obama on his failure to answer Sheen’s twenty questions concerning 9/11, calling Obama, “a coward in a cheap suit.” A Government Shut-down Imperils the Power of Congress Paul Craig Roberts | Congress could try to protect its loss of the power of the purse by impeaching Obama. Drudgereport: `WOBAMA 'IMPEACHMENT' WARNING...` `...to announce exploratory committee 'in 10 days'` Globalist Shill Barack Obama Asks Business Leaders For Job Creation Ideas Even As He Ships More Of Our Jobs Overseas As Part Of The New One World Economy The other day, Barack Obama summoned a group of business and labor leaders to the White House and “challenged” them to come up with some great ideas for creating more jobs inside the United States. Public confidence in Obama reaches new low (Washington Post). Six in 10 Americans lack faith in Obama and hold lower esteem for members of Congress, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll. Such stats as this tend to typify scenarios as this where you break every significant campaign promise that got you elected, from endless war (ie., Afghanistan, etc.) to not prosecuting the frauds on wall street, and the growing realization of ‘typical’: Public confidence in Obama reaches new low (Washington Post) Six in 10 Americans lack faith in Obama and hold lower esteem for members of Congress, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll. Such stats as this tend to typify scenarios as this where you break every significant campaign promise that got you elected, from endless war (ie., Afghanistan, etc.) to not prosecuting the frauds on wall street, and the growing realization of ‘typical’:

But still it’s ‘hands off fraudulent wall street’ to theirs, the nation’s, and the world’s detriment. Firms subpoenaed in attempt to regain Fannie, Freddie losses (Washington Post). But there’s a reason:

The following youtube video is well worth the look and explains how and why the frauds on wall street have gotten away with their devastating fraud thus far. The frauds on wall street et als should be criminally prosecuted, jailed, fined, and disgorgement imposed. ( `UPDATE: MORE CLAIMS OF RACE BIAS AT JUSTICE...` `CIVIL RIGHTS PANEL TO PURSUE FED PROBE IN BLACK PANTHER CASE... ‘`In emotional and personal testimony, an ex-Justice official who quit over the handling of a voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party accused his former employer of instructing attorneys in the civil rights division to ignore cases that involve black defendants and white victims ...’ `US v. AZ...` Cases against Wall Street lag despite Holder’s vows to target financial fraud Washington Post | Obama has promised to hold Wall Street accountable for the meltdown. ):

‘THE OBAMA DECEPTION’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaQNACwaLw&feature=PlayList&p=2EFAB57B44063742&playnext_from=PL&index=0&playnext=1 – well worth a look. [ The Obama Deception Number 1 on U.S. Google Trends ]

While boner and barton are indeed jokes / vegetables that bespeak the single-digit approval rate for congress, obama’s failure to deliver on promises with as well, endless war spending despite defacto bankruptcy of the nation and a watered down nothing financial regulation bill for talking points but little substance, make him as big a joker, along with the dems. This well researched / produced video tells the real story : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaQNACwaLw&feature=PlayList&p=2EFAB57B44063742&playnext_from=PL&index=0&playnext=1 ‘THE OBAMA DECEPTION’ – well worth the view. [ The Obama Deception Number 1 on U.S. Google Trends ]

‘The Obama Deception’ Censored A viral You Tube upload of one of Alex Jones’ most popular feature films ‘The Obama Deception’ has been censored following a spur of the moment campaign to elevate the movie’s title to the top of the major internet search engines. In light of this development, I provide an archived site version which appears to be complete (but will be compared with earlier version and replaced with same if incomplete) http://albertpeia.com/obamadeceptionhighqualityversion.flv

Then there is the well researched, produced, and informative ‘ESOTERIC AGENDA’ which explains how we’ve gotten to this forlorn point: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7052400717834950257# For the Same Reason I’ve Included Here a Web Site Archived FLV Version of Esoteric Agenda http://albertpeia.com/esotericagenda.flv

Cohen: Time for Arabs to reject anti-semitism (Washington Post) [ Reality check … time for israelis / jews to reject zionism and all that is entailed therein, including an alternate reality that defies credulity, rationality, and facts; such as, a self-rationalizing greed, anti-arab / anti-Christian predisposition and the ‘Oedipal Effect’ (blowback) engendered thereby. No, Johnny Carson was not anti-semitic (Fred Silverman), same for Charlie Sheen (Chuck Lorre), etc. (the list is endless inasmuch as when facts are not on their side, such specious inflammatory arguments as ‘anti-semitism’, prejudice, are a convenient subterfuge distracting from their weak position; ie., illegal nukes, war crimes, ignoring u.n. resolutions, ie., 242, 338, etc., ignoring international law. At best, no … God did not give them this land … at worst, God took the land back when they with roman muscle crucified Christ. Balfour was an arbitrary, incompetent, british joke.). ] ] Article | Tuesday will be known as the day we heard from The Receiving End of Charlie Sheen's Scorched Earth Media Tour.

Lt. Gen. John Kelly, who lost son to war, says U.S. largely unaware of sacrifice (Washington Post) [ I disagree! They are very much aware; as they stand in unemployment lines, use food stamps to get by, etc.. I hate to sound cavalier and I’m sorry that Kelly lost a son to war, but along with the multitude of civilians in the nations unlucky enough to provide a source of corporate welfare to the military industrial complex and war profiteering for the few (as warned against by President General Eisenhower), they died for nothing, for no good reason beyond the false propaganda. Six NATO troops killed in Afghanistan (Washington Post) [ Is there something wrong with the following picture? … am I missing something? … Gates's warning: Avoid land war in Asia, Middle East, and Africa Christian Science Monitor - In a speech to cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Gates's message was clear: The US military services, as well as the elected and appointed civilians who send them to war, need better ways of foreseeing and preparing for ... Gates Tells US Army to Take New Approach Voice of America Warning Against Wars Like Iraq and Afghanistan New York Times [ Better said, than unsaid; but, methinks a bit late for that in light of pervasively corrupt, defacto bankrupt america’s consummate decline and fall! If only they had listened and not shot at the messenger … things could have been different! ]

Bernanke: Fed will respond if oil prices trigger inflation (Washington Post) [ If? Come on … don’t make me laugh! … Inflation Is Here – Just Open Up Your Eyes And Look At These 5 Financial Charts! (see infra) Despite what Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says, rampant inflation is officially here. The federal government is constantly monkeying with the numbers to keep the “official” rate of inflation below 2 percent, but it is becoming very difficult to deny that the cost of almost everything is really going up these days. … Merk ‘…While we believe food inflation will be with us for quite some time and may contribute to an unstable world possibly for years to come, the Federal Reserve appears to be firmly in the camp of heavily discounting food inflation. The European Central Bank (ECB), in contrast, has historically taken commodity inflation more seriously than the Fed – ECB President Trichet talks about his concern over "second round effects," i.e., commodity inflation stirring inflation throughout the value chain.

The relevance of all this is that in the U.S. it’s business as usual as far as monetary policy is concerned. According to Fed Chair Bernanke, the U.S. economy must grow at a rate of at least 2.5% per annum just to keep unemployment stable, however, he has made it clear that he will pursue policies to boost growth above that level. With oil prices soaring, he is facing yet another headwind. Rather than mopping up the liquidity that, in our assessment, has contributed to global commodity inflation, he may be tempted to keep the printing press in high gear to promote economic growth.

It doesn’t really matter whether we think there is a crisis. What matters is that the Fed doesn’t think its policies are contributing to global instability and continues on its expansionary path…’

Jim Rogers: “Saudi Arabia Is Lying About Being Able To Increase Its Oil Production” Jim Rogers joins Zero Hedge in being highly skeptical about just how credible Saudi’s call for a 1MM + boost in its oil supply is: “Saudi Arabia has been lying about the reserves for decades. Saudi Arabia the last two times said they are going to increase production and they couldn’t increase production. Don’t fall for that. ] Federal Reserve chairman says he does not expect a major impact on consumer prices.

House Republicans press SEC on official's ties to Madoff (Washington Post) [ The ultimate subterfuge. Mr. small potatoes madoff the focus of so much influence … yet he’s in jail … and the only one … Boy, did mary shapiro become total b*** s*** fast … the current shibboleth of capital hill / all 3 branches of pervasively corrupt u.s. government … joining the others: “The Financial Industry Has Become So Politically Powerful That It Is Able To Inhibit the Normal Process of Justice And Law Enforcement” The economy cannot stabilize unless fraud is prosecuted. But the folks in D.C. seem determined to turn a blind eye to Wall Street shenanigans, and is now moving to defund the enforcement agencies like the SEC and CFTC. Market Crash 2011: It Will Hit by Christmas Farrell, MarketWatch SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (MarketWatch) — ‘Politicians lie. Bankers lie. Yes, they’re liars. But they’re not bad, it’s in their genes, inherited. Their brains are wired that way, warn scientists. Like addicts, they can’t help themselves. They want to sell stuff, get rich…’

‘INSIDE JOB’ Ferguson wins Oscar for Documentary on the unprosecuted massive extant fraud in the (many) TRILLIONS by the frauds on wall street ( and declares with oscar in hand that not one high level wall street exec has been prosecuted … despite ‘earning’ billiions from the fraud ), the commentator / experts recommend getting rid of the corrupt eric holder ( now what do holder and wobama have in common … is it wall street money ………… is it a proclivity for jive-talking / b*** s*** ………all of the above, some of the above ……….. or is it something else …… here’s a hint - UPDATE: MORE CLAIMS OF RACE BIAS AT JUSTICE... CIVIL RIGHTS PANEL TO PURSUE FED PROBE IN BLACK PANTHER CASE... ‘In emotional and personal testimony, an ex-Justice official who quit over the handling of a voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party accused his former employer of instructing attorneys in the civil rights division to ignore cases that involve black defendants and white victims ...’ US v. AZ... Cases against Wall Street lag despite Holder’s vows to target financial fraud Washington Post | Obama has promised to hold Wall Street accountable for the meltdown. ) (see this film, I strongly recommend the complete documentary – the following is a preview/summary) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffHFjlqIzKE&feature=related

[Here’s an archived version

http://www.albertpeia.com/insidejob.mp4 [ 65mb ] ]

] House Republicans ramp up pressure on SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro.

Ethics code urged for Supreme Court (Washington Post) [ Sounds like a plan! Come on! Wake up! After all, what can you expect from two guidos from ‘jersey (alito and scalia, colloquial – note that I have refrained from using what some might consider disparaging terms as w*p*, gui***s, or da***s … and let me state for the record that I truly loved and respected my grandmother who was 100% Italian/Bari,Italy and as well my grandfather/Lake Como,northern Italy with greek ancestral roots and I thereby claim standing/right to posit the criticism in light of my direct experience. ). How ‘bout starting with enforcing laws as to judges, liars, etc., within the very corrupted american illegal system; and, particularly bribes which in one form or another are rampant . I don’t know about Thomas ( 3-4-11 Throw Clarence Thomas Off the Bench (The Daily Beast) ) , but I do know about alito and ‘jersey … :

October 15, 2010 (*see infra)

Steven M. Martinez, Assistant Director In Charge
Federal Bureau of Investigation, USDOJ
11000 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1700

Los Angeles, CA 90024

Dear Sir:

I enclose herewith 3 copies of the within DVD rom autorun disk (which will open in your computer’s browser) as per your office’s request as made this day (the disk and contents have been scanned by Avast, McAfee, and Norton which I’ve installed on my computer to prevent viral attacks / infection and are without threat). I also include 1 copy of the DVD as filed with the subject court as referenced therein (which files are also included on the aforesaid 3 disks in a separate folder named ‘112208opocoan’). The (civil) RICO action (as you’re aware, the RICO Act is a criminal statute which provides a civil remedy, including treble damages and attorney fees, as an incentive for private prosecution of said claims probably owing to the fact that the USDOJ seems somewhat overwhelmed and in need of such assistance given the seriousness and prevalence of said violations of law which have a corrupting influence on the process, and which corruption is pervasive). A grievance complaint against Coan was also filed concurrently with the subject action and held in abeyance pending resolution of the action which was illegally dismissed without any supporting law and in contravention of the Order of The Honorable Robert N. Chatigny, Chief Judge, USDC, District Connecticut. The files below the horizontal rule are the referenced documents as filed. (Owing to the damage to the financial interests of both the U.S. and the District of Congresswoman Roybal-Allard, viz., Los Angeles, the Qui Tam provisions of the Federal False Claims Act probably would apply and I would absent resolution seek to refer the within to a firm with expertise in that area of the law with which I am not familiar).

The document in 5 pages under penalty of perjury I was asked to forward to the FBI office in New Haven is probably the best and most concise summary of the case RICO Summary to FBI Under Penalty of Perjury at Their Request (5 pages) [ ricosummarytoFBIunderpenaltyofperjury.pdf http://albertpeia.com/ricosummarytoFBIunderpenaltyofperjury.pdf ].

The correspondence I received from the Congresswoman by way of email attachment (apparent but typical problem with my mail) along with my response thereto is included on the 3 disks as fbicorrespondencereyes.htm . With regard to the calls to the FBI’s LA and New Haven, CT offices: There was one call to the LA office and I was referred to the Long Beach, CA office where I personally met with FBI Agent Jeff Hayes to whom I gave probative evidentiary documents of the money laundering which he confirmed as indicative of same (he was transferred from said office within approximately a month of said meeting and his location was not disclosed to me upon inquiry). The matter was assigned to FBI Agent Ron Barndollar and we remained in touch for in excess of a decade until he abruptly retired (our last conversation prior to his retirement related to the case and parenthetically, Rudy Giuliani whose father I stated had been an enforcer for the mob to which he registered disbelief and requested I prove it, which I did – he served 12 years in prison, aggravated assault/manslaughter? – and no, there is no Chinese wall of separation – Andrew Maloney’s the one that prosecuted gotti).

In contradistinction to the statement in said correspondence, there is a plethora of information including evidence supporting the claims set forth in the RICO VERIFIED COMPLAINT (see infra). Such includes and as set forth in the case, inter alia,

A judgment had been entered in my favor in the case, United States District Court Case #3:93cv02065(AWT)(USDCJ Alvin Thompson), worth approximately now in excess of $300,000 remains unaccounted for and which could be used for payment to creditors, Los Angeles, etc..
Counsel Robert Sullivan on my behalf documented by way of certification upon investigation that Alan Shiff, USBCJ, had falsely stated a dismissal upon which false statement he predicated a retaliatory and spurious contempt proceeding against me causing substantial damage, and for which he sought Judicial Notice of those and related proceedings as did I in some of my filings.
The Order of Dismissal With Prejudice by Alan Shiff, USBCJ, owing to Defendant Coan’s failure to file anything whatsoever by the court’s deadline causing creditors and me substantial damages: [ Shiff Order of Dismissal With Prejudice on Coan’s Failure to File Page 1 Page 2 ]
Defendant Coan had filed an action against me to prevent me from suing him which necessitated me to fly to Connecticut for a hearing before The Honorable Robert N. Chatigny, Chief Judge, USDC, District of Connecticut, who denied Coan’s requested relief as to Coan but precluded my action against Shiff (although there is no immunity, judicial or otherwise, for criminal acts, ie., fraud connected with a case under Title 11, USC, etc.) . [ transcript in pertinent part - crossexamofcoanbypeia.pdf ]
Newly appointed judge, Maryanne Trump Barry, Donald Trump’s sister, was assigned the RICO case despite the conflict of interest in light of hundreds of thousands of dollars of illegal (drug) money being laundered through the Trump casinos by the RICO defendants, and despite my motion to recuse her which motion she heard herself and denied, and U.S. Trustee Hugh Leonard with whom I met personally refused to join or file a separate motion to recuse and not long thereafter left said office for private practice at Cole, Shotz, et als on retainer with the RICO defendants as his primary client.
Probative and evidentiary documents, affidavits, exhibits, including those turned over to FBI Agent Jeff Hayes in Long Beach, CA, had been given to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Lacey with whom I met personally at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark, N.J., at which time Samuel Alito was U.S. Attorney, and went over said documents and their probative value with him. Within approximately a month thereafter upon inquiry I was told that Jonathon Lacey was no longer with the office, that the file/documents could not be located, and that there was no further information available concerning contacting him or his location. I thereupon delivered by hand, copies of said documents to the office of then U.S. Attorney Alito, addressed to him, with assurance they would go directly to him. In addition to being inept [ I looked in on the one mob case he had brought, bungled, lost (accidently on purpose?) since I was suing some mob-connected under RICO and the court (I had known / previously met outside of court the judge Ackerman through a client) was absolute bedlam and a total joke since incompetent corrupt Alito brought in all 20 mob defendants (rather than prosecute one or a few to flip them first) who feigning illness had beds/cots in the courtroom along with their moans during testimony and had the jury in stitches. As much as I hate the mob, it truly was funny, if not so tragic.], Alito is also corrupt (and maybe corrupt because he is inept). After a reasonable (but still rather short) time I called to determine the status and was told that Alito was no longer with the Office of the U.S. Attorney, that he was (appointed) a federal judge, and that neither the documents nor any file or record of same could be located. Alito did parley the same / cover-up into quid pro quo direct lifetime appointment to the Court of Appeals, 3^rd circuit, despite the absence of judicial experience or successful tenure as U.S. Attorney (Maryanne Trump Barry as well). This is the same Sam Alito that now sits on the purported highest court in the land. The real application of the illegal rule ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’.

There is applicable insurance / surety coverage and neither LA, nor creditors, nor I should continue to have been damaged by this brazened corrupt and illegal scenario, which should be resolved in accordance with the meaningful rules of law apposite thereto.

Sincerely,

Albert L. Peia

611 E. 5^th Street, #404

Los Angeles, CA 90013

(213) 219-**** (cell phone)

(213) 622-3745 (listed land line but there are unresolved problems with the line, computer connection may be the reason but I hesitate to chance greater non-performance / worsening by their ‘fix’ so cell phone best for contact).

] Group of law professors' appeal comes after controversies involving travel and appearances at political events by several justices.

Why your local Hospital could soon shut down (Ad) http://www.stansberryresearch.com/pro/1011PSIENDVD/LPSILC43/PR [ The instant video from Stansberry and Associates is so well researched and succinctly presented that I’ve archived same on my website; also, because the facts and views presented comport with the facts and views I’ve presented on my site which I believe to be correct. This is a must-view, must-see that I strongly recommend!
The complete url: http://www.albertpeia.com/stansberrysinvestmentadvisory.flv ( 146mb – approx. 1 hr. 17 min. ) http://www.albertpeia.com/stansberrysinvestmentadvisory.mp4 ( 374mb ) Written text of presentation (without pictures / charts) http://www.albertpeia.com/stansberrypresentation.htm ]

Go to following pages for above links:
http://www.albertpeia.com/currentopics2ndqtr10108.htm
http://www.albertpeia.com
http://www.albertpeia.com/alresume.htm

http://www.albertpeia.com/wallstreetlunacy2ndqtr10108.htm

http://www.scribd.com/alpeia

You may post a comment on my blog on any topic: http://alpeiablog.blogspot.com

Thursday, March 10, 2011

March 9, 2011 posts

Business / Economic / Financial

] Official opens an investigation into allegations that the agency mishandled potential conflicts of interest in its response to Madoff's Ponzi scheme.

] Here is how I define a welfare program.

] While Washington bickers noisily over cutting a small slice of the federal budget, Sens. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, and Saxby Chambliss, a Georgia Republican, launch a campaign to convince the public that merely cutting spending will do little to tame the $14 trillion national debt.

]

] A battle over a proposed free-trade agreement with Colombia is undercutting U.S.'s pact with South Korea

This is the grim economic reality [ http://albertpeia.com/grimreality.htm ]. This manipulated bubble in this secular bear market based on b*** s*** alone is an especially great opportunity to sell / take profits while you can since there's much worse to come!

21 Signs Of Impending Doom For The 2011 Economy ‘If you are not aware of how rapidly the global economic situation is unraveling you need to snap out of it and start paying attention. The world economy was relatively stable in 2010, but here in 2011 things are deteriorating very quickly.

HOW IT WILL ALL END : Debt Jubilee or WWIII ? Bob Chapman talks about the crumbling economy and how it will implode.

Warning Of ‘Food Price Riots In The UK’ A senior economist at the worldwide bank HSBC has warned of civil unrest in Britain if food prices continue to soar.

Jesse Jackson, Jr.’s Communist Bill of Rights Kurt Nimmo | Jackson’s speech is like something right out of the CPUSA playbook.

Soros: Communist Chinese Model Of Order May Become “The Envy Of The World” “Western democracies provide less successful leadership than China”

Day Of Rage: Saudi Arabia In Veiled Threat To US Paul Joseph Watson | Saudi Foreign Minister threatens to “cut foreign fingers” in event of outside intervention after US sided with protesters.

Corporate Media Coverage of Libya is a Psyop Kurt Nimmo | Only by destroying the oil-based economy can the globalists forge ahead with their plan to implement world authoritarian government.

Soros: Communist Chinese Model Of Order May Become “The Envy Of The World” Billionaire investor George Soros has once again cited China’s dictatorship as the model for the rest of the world in a speech at an elite gathering in Europe.

Corporate Media Coverage of Libya is a Psyop In the interview here, war correspondent Keith Harmon Snow spells out how the lopsided coverage of the conflict in Libya is a Pentagon psyop. The psyop is particularly evident on CNN, especially on Anderson Cooper’s show.

This is the grim economic reality [ http://albertpeia.com/grimreality.htm ]. This manipulated bubble in this secular bear market based on b*** s*** alone is an especially great opportunity to sell / take profits while you can since there's much worse to come!

Will The Day Of Rage In Saudi Arabia On March 11 Send The Price Of Oil Into Unprecedented Territory? The price of oil is shaping up to be the number one economic story of 2011, and right now the eyes of the investing world are closely watching the developing situation in Saudi Arabia.

No Silver? No Problem: US Mint Would Like To Know If You Will Accept Brass, Steel, Iron Or Tungsten Coins Instead Wonder why the US mint has not sold a single ounce of silver so far in March? Here is a clue…

Paul: Let public vote on judges Texas Rep. Ron Paul said on Monday that Americans should have the same right to oust federal judges as Iowans did with their historic vote last November to remove three State Supreme Court justices.

Homeland Security Says It Has Every Right To Spy On Peaceful Protest Groups Steve Watson | The Department Of Homeland Security has decided it is reasonable for it to spy on dozens of peaceful groups.

Oil Shock: Banksters Ready QE3 Asset Bubble Kurt Nimmo | QE is forever.

TSA Worker Arrested for Impersonating a Police Officer Steve Watson | A TSA worker claimed he had the same authority as a police officer.

Obama Mimics Bush: Libyan Intervention Ahead Michael S. Rozeff | The American empire stands at the edge of disintegration.

Deluded TSA Worker Arrested After Telling Cop “I’m A Customs Inspector” The actions of a TSA worker who was pulled over during a routine traffic stop betray the general attitude of the TSA in recent month, that the agency is above the law and makes its own rules.

Why is Hillary Not Defending the Rights of Saudis to Protest? Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had been exhaustively in front of cameras promoting the right for people to protest in Egypt, Bahrain, Iran, and Libya.

Chinese military ‘growing fast’: think tank China is building its military capability at a rapid pace but it remains a “regional power with regional concerns”, the think tank IISS said in its annual report on the world’s armies on Tuesday.

Big Brother: The Orwellian Nightmare Come True When George Orwell (pen name of Eric Blair) first published his famous novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, it was the year 1949, and it told a dark story of what he envisioned life may be like in the future-in the year 1984.

Britain at risk of another financial crisis, Bank of England chief warns Britain risks suffering another financial crisis without reform of the country’s banks, the Governor of the Bank of England warns today.

Oil Price Shock; You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet The most common cause of a spiking oil price is supply shock. We may be seeing just such a phenonenon right now with the effective shut down of Libyan oil. But sometimes it’s excessive demand that does the damage.

The Fed Distorts The Economy With Inflation The Federal Reserve tells us we need inflation to overcome the overhang created by debt and its inflationary aspects. The inflation does not create jobs – it just distorts prices upward.

Spain town reintroduces peseta to boost economy A small town in northern Spain has decided to reintroduce the old Spanish currency – the peseta – alongside the euro to give the local economy a lift.

QE2: An Unmitigated Disaster

[video] Summer Bears Will Threaten Two-Year Bull Run

STOCKS DIVE, SILVER SURGES, TECH HAMMERED: Here's What You Need To Know

Oil And Gold Slip On Rumors Gaddafi Set To Flee Oil and gold pared some of their soaring gains today after a rumor began circulating that Moammar Gaddafi was seeking to reach an agreement with rebels that would allow him to safely flee the country in return for relinquishing power.

Interventionism Leads to Resentment and Anti-Americanism Last week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and I had the opportunity to raise some of my concerns regarding US government policy and the cost of our interventionism around the world.

Michael Moore’s Communist Rhetoric Distracts from Crimes of the Banksters Kurt Nimmo | Filmmaker says your hard-earned money is a national resource.

The Resistance Continues: More “The Answer to 1984″ Video Contest Entries Infowars | Another great batch of video entries.

Oil And Gold Slip On Rumors Gaddafi Set To Flee Paul Joseph Watson | Libyan leader has offered rebels deal to take power if safe exit of his family is guaranteed, according to reports.

Oil, Gold, and Silver Prices Up as Saudi Arabia Faces Unrest Kurt Nimmo | Protests planned in oil kingdom today as government promises to dispatch 10,000 troops to put down dissent.

Bill O’Reilly And Old Media: Not Waving But Drowning Paul Joseph Watson | The establishment is so terrified of new media, they dare not mention Alex Jones by name.

‘Egyptian army follows Israel, US orders’ Protests in Egypt gain momentum as revolutionaries say they are set to disclose information incriminating senior officials over their involvement in the violent crackdown on anti-regime protests.

Libya: ‘Eight SAS Soldiers Held By Rebels’ Eight SAS soldiers have been detained by rebels in Libya, according to Sky News sources.

Libya: Gaddafi Gunships Fire On Rebels Libyan helicopter gunships have fired on rebels advancing along the coast towards the capital Tripoli.

Chinese state media slams calls for protests China’s state media stepped up its criticism of calls for anti-government rallies on Sunday, saying stability is key amid concern that unrest sweeping the Middle East could spread to the Asian nation.

Zbigniew Brzezinski Spouts Globalist Agenda on Al Jazeera Zbigniew Brzezinski: We shouldn’t be the policeman of the world… but we should send troops and warships to Libya.

TSA, DHS plan massive mobile surveillance rollout Mike Adams | The DHS is America’s new secret police.

US Department of Imperial Expansion Tony Cartalucci | The illegitimacy of the current US State Department fits in well with the overall Constitution-circumventing empire that the American Republic has degenerated into.

Senior Fed Economist Calls Ron Paul a Pinhead Robert Wenzel | If you think destruction of a currency is no biggie, call Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe.

Bill O’Reilly: Who Is Alex Jones? Kurt Nimmo | Fox News anchor with ratings in decline feigns ignorance of growing alternative media.

People Of Earth: Prepare For Economic Disaster The Economic Collapse | It is not just the United States that is headed for an economic collapse.

Don’t Worry, the Economy is Going to be Just Fine The American Dream | Haven’t you heard? The coming economic collapse has officially been cancelled.

Rolling Stone: Glenn Beck Rips Off Alex Jones Infowars.com | Rolling Stone Magazine has posted a part two to follow up on its profile of Alex Jones earlier this week.

We’re On The March: More “Answer to 1984″ Video Contest Entries Infowars | More entries for “The Answer to 1984 is 1776″ video contest.

Texas Plans to Implement REAL ID in 2013 Tela Mange, Chief of Media Relations at Texas Department of Public Safety, has responded to an Infowars.com request for information on the state’s implementation of REAL ID.

MI6, SAS Working Together To Take Control In Libya Britain is to send teams of spies and diplomats into Libya to help oust Colonel Gaddafi, it emerged last night.

]

Wall Street Research Summary

Oil Price Shock; You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet The most common cause of a spiking oil price is supply shock. We may be seeing just such a phenonenon right now with the effective shut down of Libyan oil. But sometimes it’s excessive demand that does the damage.

Oil price rises as Libya tensions grow Crude oil rose by more than $1 as fighting in Libya intensified and amid reports of protests in Saudi Arabia’s oil-producing eastern region.

LSE head quits over Gaddafi cash: Resignation as top judge appointed to probe Libyan links Sir Howard Davies paid the price last night for the London School of Economics’ controversial financial links with Libya.

Gallup Reports Underemployment Surges To 19.9%, February “Jobs Situation Deteriorates”: As Bad As 2010 On one hand we have the Department of Truth about to tell tomorrow that NFP based on various seasonal and birth death adjustments increased by 250,000.

Utah Considers Return to Gold, Silver Coins It’s been nearly 80 years since the U.S. stopped using gold coins as legal currency, and nearly 40 since the world abandoned the gold standard, but the precious metal could be making a comeback in the United States — beginning in Utah.

National / World

Rolling Stone: Glenn Beck Rips Off Alex Jones Infowars.com | Rolling Stone Magazine has posted a part two to follow up on its profile of Alex Jones earlier this week.

This is the grim economic reality [ http://albertpeia.com/grimreality.htm ]. This manipulated bubble in this secular bear market based on b* s* alone is an especially great opportunity to sell / take profits while you can since there's much worse to come!

This is the grim economic reality [ http://albertpeia.com/grimreality.htm ]. This manipulated bubble in this secular bear market based on b* s* alone is an especially great opportunity to sell / take profits while you can since there's much worse to come!