Sunday, October 30, 2011

2011 Daylight Saving Time Ends: Date to Set Clocks Back

[Only Kent Breaking World News]It’s nearly that time of year again when Daylight Saving Time ends and we all have to turn the clocks back. For some of the world that began today but for the U.S. and Canada it’s another week away.

This year daylight savings time ends for most in the US and Canada, and also Mexico’s northern border cities at 2:00 am on Sunday November 6. According to timeanddate.com, DST will end in the rest of Mexico one week earlier on October 30. Remember then to turn your clocks back from 2am to 1am local time in the early hours of Sunday, 6 November for most of the US and Canada.

You may have noticed that in the first paragraph we mention the ‘majority’ of Americans. In fact the federal government does not compel every US state or territory to observe daylight saving time. Those US states or territories that do not observe DST are Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and most of Arizona except for the Navajo Nation Community, according to another timeanddate.com article.

For those that do observe DST though, next year daylight savings time will begin again on November 11, 2012 when clocks will go forward one hour. Remember the old adage, “spring forward, fall back” to help you remember which way to turn your clocks! Many people disagree about the advantages of observing DST and every year seems to prompt more debates about whether it should still be observed. Originally turning clocks forwards for the summer seemed to stretch the day by providing lighter evenings but many feel the tradition to be outdated.

For now though adjusting the clocks twice a year is still on the agenda so remember November 6, 2am, to turn your clocks back and gain that extra hour in bed!

Friday, October 28, 2011

【孤男寡女】(Bong TrovKa Oun) Khmer Dubbed

Needing You
Actor: Andy Lau, Sammi Cheng
Director: Johnny To, Wai Ka Fai
Run Time: 95 Minutes
Distributor: Mei Ah Entertainment
Synopsis: Kinki is a dutiful yet moody executive assistant in the company. She is transferred to Andy's division due to "office politics". The new comer cannot cope with the new environment : Rumours have it that her new boss Andy is a womanizer and Kinki is unwilling to work with the womanizer! However, life is mysterious. Their relationship is improving from working together. Gradually, Andy's dedication to work, his constant care and concern over her move Kinki's heart, but her seed of love dares not grow because of seemingly reviving relationship between Andy and his old flame Ah Ying. Meanwhile, Kinki's new acquaintance Roger, an up and coming e-world mogul, proposes to Kinki....

【孤男寡女】(Bong TrovKa Oun) Khmer Dubbed Part 1


【孤男寡女】(Bong TrovKa Oun) Khmer Dubbed Part 2


【孤男寡女】(Bong TrovKa Oun) Khmer Dubbed Part 3


【孤男寡女】(Bong TrovKa Oun) Khmer Dubbed Part 4


【孤男寡女】(Bong TrovKa Oun) Khmer Dubbed Part 5


【孤男寡女】(Bong TrovKa Oun) Khmer Dubbed Part 6


【孤男寡女】(Bong TrovKa Oun) Khmer Dubbed Part 7


【孤男寡女】(Bong TrovKa Oun) Khmer Dubbed Part 8


【孤男寡女】(Bong TrovKa Oun) Khmer Dubbed Part 9


【孤男寡女】(Bong TrovKa Oun) Khmer Dubbed Part 10


【孤男寡女】(Bong TrovKa Oun) Khmer Dubbed Part 11


【孤男寡女】(Bong TrovKa Oun) Khmer Dubbed Part 12


【孤男寡女】(Bong TrovKa Oun) Khmer Dubbed Part 13


【孤男寡女】(Bong TrovKa Oun) Khmer Dubbed Part 14

Market Rally On Strong Buying Interest

Equity stock market extends the gain in previous weeks. Investors that trimmed the portfolio at recent bottom become nervous because the hope of buying back at lower price vanished as market manipulators no longer initiate sell-off. Market participants have adapted to the sell-off and then short covering rally cycle that market manipulators use to make profit. As a result the strategy does not work anymore, and it appears that market manipulators are preparing for the next strategy.

The sudden surge in stock market is due to nervous investors replenishing the portfolio on the fear of missing a rally. Buying interest outnumbers the amount of profit taking selling. Market manipulators maintain small long positions and is looking for the next move. As market participants are still very cautious, market manipulators may not abandon the selling strategy. On the other hand, the strategy of creating market panic and to make profit on market participants to drive market further down will not work because small investors have thin portfolio and learn to wait for any dip to buy rather than to sell on fear.

Since market participants do not see another sell-off for several weeks, investor confidence increases. Institutional investors have cash on hand to increase portfolio holding as the amount of client redemption is less than previously expected. Individual investors are nervous to have sold at market bottom. Recent rally in equity stock market creates wealth for investors and increases the buying interest. Selling pressure is minimal as small investors have trimmed the portfolio to minimum since market bottom in 2009. There is some profit taking among investors that bought at the bottom. But the dip would attract small investors to replenish the portfolio. Despite the increased buying interest, market participants are still worry about panic selling initiated by market manipulators.



U.S. rating likely to be downgraded again: Merrill
The United States will likely suffer the loss of its triple-A credit rating from another major rating agency by the end of this year due to concerns over the deficit, Bank of America Merrill Lynch forecasts.

The bipartisan congressional committee formed to address the deficit -- known as the "super committee" -- needs to break an impasse between Republicans and Democrats in order to reach a deal to reduce the U.S. deficit by at least $1.2 trillion by November 23.

If a majority of the 12-member committee fails to agree on a plan, $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts will be triggered, beginning in 2013.


U.S. Downgrade Threat Reemerges: Why the Markets Don’t Care
As telegraphed as it may have been in the 4 months leading up to this summer's debt ceiling showdown, and as ham-fisted as the message was ultimately delivered, when Standard & Poor's actually cut the AAA credit rating of the United States that hot Friday evening of August 5th, it still shocked the world.

It's not as though Fitch and Moody's haven't warned Washington that it is on an unsustainable fiscal path, or that investors haven't taken note of the fact Exxon Mobil or Microsoft are in better shape to repay debt than Uncle Sam.

So far the CDS (credit default swap) market has not paid much attention to another downgrade. The cost of insuring yourself against the risk of a U.S. default is currently hovering about 30% below the peak in August and clearly trending lower.

The irony in all of this is that the S&P's downgrade had the inverse effect on the treasury market. The yield on the 10-year note fell from about 2.5% in early August to 1.75% in late September as investors sought the unmatched safety and liquidity that only the U.S. government bond market can offer - credit rating be damned.

On a side note, the second largest shareholder of Moody's is none other than Warren Buffett, who was not only critical of the action taken by Standard & Poor's, but said he felt the "U.S. deserved a AAAA credit rating."


Here’s How This Rally Isn’t Like the 2010 Rally
Fall 2011 is starting to look eerily like a repeat of Fall 2010 — a eurozone scare sends the market into a tailspin, recession fears pop up everywhere, the Fed agrees to buy some more stuff, recession fears evaporate and the market pulls out of its dive and starts a big rebound.

And while big-cap stocks in the S&P 500 and Dow have burst out of their two-month trading range, the rest of the market has not, with the Russell 2000 and S&P mid-caps still stuck in their respective ruts.

“In other words, the equity rally still appears on the narrow side compared to prior bounces over the last few years,” Strategas analysts write.


Barton Biggs: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly in This Market
For Barton Biggs, there's a good, a bad, and an ugly part of the current market environment. This 50 year veteran of Wall Street has told his grandchildren to seek their fortunes in other ways - even though he still personally thinks "the investment business is a great game" and has no intention to retire.

The good news is things could be worse.

But the bad news is investors now face continuously agonizing tests of their convictions. The heightened volatility requires ongoing "market judgments" that must be made correctly for fund managers to outperform.

As for the ugly, he won't personally get involved in the "craziness" of leveraged and inverse ETFs.

As of Wednesday, Biggs said he raised his net long position (or stock market exposure) to 72% from 40% in September. While most would consider that a fairly bullish stance, Biggs sees it as being a "cowardly lion" and worries that if markets continue to rise he'll "have to scramble to keep up."

One thing he's not worried about is the possibility the U.S. could soon get hit with another downgrade. "Credit (ratings) agencies are a joke," he says.


Americans, Once Again, Miss Out on Stock Rally
Americans have been in full flight this year, withdrawing $84 billion from U.S. equity mutual funds through Oct. 11 versus $83 billion for all of last year, according to TrimTabs Investment Research.

Investors have lost confidence in the markets due to their volatility, but the asset drop is also driven by a move to more cash-like investments and ETFs, said Leon Mirochnik, a TrimTabs analyst. "I don't think it's a loss of confidence in fund managers, absolutely not," Mirochnik said.

And that is coincident with the first wave of baby boomers entering retirement. Most have known relatively stable and rising equities markets in their personal investment histories, so the past five years has shaken their confidence in stocks, such that they've switched to ultra-conservative investments such as cash and bonds, and they're not looking back.

There is also a major move by investors to exchange traded funds, which are cheaper to own and less volatile than stocks, and they offer the ability to buy and sell throughout the day, unlike mutual funds.

Unfortunately, if the current rally has legs, it will once again mean individual investors have missed out on big gains as they did in the big 2009 rally after the 2008 crash. The S&P 500 has soared 84% since March 2009.

Todd Rosenbluth, a mutual fund industry analyst at S&P Capital IQ, said the S&P 500's move back into positive territory this year bodes well for a sustained rally as investors tend to react to the benchmark index's moves. That could well get the investing public creeping back into stock funds.

Mirochnik said "there's still a lot of cash on the sidelines, so we could have a nice little rally in the next few months and into the first part of next year."


Believe It or Not Wall Street Doesn’t Dominate the Top 1%
It turns out the finance sector only makes up 14% of the top 1% of American earners, says this CNN Money report. Executives in other industries make up more than 30% of America's richest cohort. Medical professionals compose close to 16% and lawyers are 8% of the top 1%.

Lots of bankers, traders and hedge fund managers will still take home big six figure paychecks, but for many it will likely be less than they earned the prior year. Bonuses on Wall Street may fall as much as 40% from a year ago, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Don't expect any tears to be shed on their behalf. "Everyone is above average," Michelle Leader of footnoted.com tells Daniel Gross in the accompanying interview, referring to the huge sums of money still made on Wall Street. The average salary financial services employee in 2009 was $311,000, according to New York's Comptroller's office. Meanwhile, Leder says, even if the rank and file may earn less this year she's not expecting the top earners of CEO's of the major banks to take a big hit.


In Cautious Times, Banks Flooded With Cash
Bankers have an odd-sounding problem these days: they are awash in cash.

Droves of consumers and businesses unnerved by the lurching markets have been taking their money out of risky investments and socking it away in bank accounts, where it does little to stimulate the economy.

Before the financial crisis, banks were desperately scrambling for deposits, offering free iPods and interest rates averaging more than 3 percent. New branches sprouted up to gather that cash.

The banks that survived were flooded with cash as depositors flocked to the relative safety of government-insured accounts. The average one-year C.D. rate today is less than 0.4 percent, according to Bankrate.com.

Even as interest rates have fallen, bank deposits have grown at an impressive clip of almost 5 percent a year, according to Trepp, a financial research firm. This summer, as businesses and consumers withdrew their money from stocks, bonds and money market mutual funds because of fears about the debt crisis in Europe and another downturn in the United States, deposits surged to a record level of more than $8.9 trillion.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

美擬月球設禁飛區


【東方日報】美國太空總署(NASA)以保護歷史文物為名,建議在月球設劃禁飛區,禁止宇航器材或任何私人太空船,未經准許接近太陽神十一和十七號太空人的登月遺址。

除了包括中國、印度、日本等國家未來有探月或登月計劃,美國民間亦有活動鼓勵研製登陸月球表面的探測器。太空總署月球商務負責人凱爾索認為,制訂保護月球上歷史及科學文物的指引刻不容緩。報告已在七月出爐,但有意見認為,美國變相宣稱在月球擁有主權,此舉可能違反國際協定,侵害其他國家進行探月工程和其他太空探索計劃的權利。

NASA亦被指在追查一宗意圖出售月球石案件中小題大做,七十四歲老婦戴維斯因為企圖出售一顆其亡夫留給她的月球石,NASA和警方今年五月大費周章在一間餐廳將她拘捕,期間老婦被嚇至失禁,然至今仍未被起訴。

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

網民發現 iOS5密碼鎖保安漏洞

【星島日報】平板電腦iPad的用家每次開機後,都要輸入4字密碼,即使電腦失竊落在賊人手裏,對方也無法啟動,得物無所用。不過,有網民發現上周才推出的新操作平台iOS5有保安漏洞,密碼鎖根本不能發揮保護作用。只要把智能機套蓋在iPad顯示屏上,把機套開開合合,再略施小計,即使不知道密碼也可以開機。

  這種磁力智能機套是蘋果公司的產物,主要作用是保護平板電腦的顯示屏。這種機套帶有磁性,屏幕可以感應到機套是打開還是合上,打開便代表開機,合上便代表關機,理論上開機後還要輸入4字密碼才能進入主畫面。

  但蘋果迷網站「9to5Mac發現,把智能機套開開合合,便可以令iPad開機。方法是把智能機套放上顯示屏上,再把機套打開,再按一下「cancel」,電腦便會自動開機,毋須輸入密碼。

Monday, October 24, 2011

FOXY發聲明 終止服務

【自由電子報】國內知名P2P下載軟體FOXY(小狐狸)因嚴重侵權,造成多家唱片、影視公司權益受損,其名義負責人李憲明、負責廣告業務的張希寧等人紛紛被判刑,兩人為展現誠意祭出程式碼,從遠端將網友的FOXY移除,還發聲明稿終止FOXY服務。

FOXY是由「景昌資訊」負責人李憲明及「威信誠」科技公司負責人楊朝雨(已歿),共同開發出繁體中文P2P軟體,由於軟體中具有強制預設分享檔案功能,所有使用者都變成提供檔案的傳輸平台。曾有警局還因此筆錄曝光,警政署因此下令員警不得在警用電腦上安裝FOXY軟體。

負責人被判刑 主動關站獲緩刑

李憲明為了增加網站的瀏覽人數,以獲取較高廣告利益,與威旭數位科技負責人張希寧合作,對外招攬廣告,引起華納等十多家唱片、影視公司不滿,聯合提告求償;李憲明一審被板橋地方法院判刑一年六個月,上訴後因拿出誠意,委請工程師強制關閉網站,唱片公司監控發現違法下載流量變少,智慧財產法院因此給予緩刑五年;另張希寧也主動關閉廣告功能,獲緩刑五年。

遠端移除程式 實測62萬人還在用

記者昨天試著使用FOXY,一開啟時程式便立即自動移除,聲明則指出:「由於FOXY…不當的操作造成了嚴重的機密外洩行為,導致台灣法院認定這是一套具有爭議性的軟體。經過協調後,FOXY已決定正式終止服務。」

不過,記者測試其他多台電腦,發現部分電腦仍可繼續使用,且使用人數仍高達六十二萬餘人。記者嘗試與業者聯繫,因官網無法連線而作罷。

維基解密財困暫停發布密件


維基解密周一表示,由於欠缺資金,正要暫停發布受關注的美國外交密件,現時要集中力量籌集經費,維持可以存在下去。

維基解密始創人阿桑奇稱,由於Visa, Mastercard和其他大企機的封鎖了捐款,被迫暫停發布活動,現時要積極籌集經費。

阿桑奇在倫敦的記者會上,譴責上述的封鎖,他認為,財政封鎖是由於政治上的考慮和維基發放了成千上萬的美國機密文件。

他表示,來自這些金融機構的惡意封鎖,使維基解密缺少了大約95%的收入。

他說,已就封鎖在全球作出法律行動。但他承認,事件已成生死存亡的威脅,若然不在今年之內解除,納基便不能繼續運作。

(法新社)

Sunday, October 23, 2011

【Tremors】YouTube Movie


Natives of a small isolated town defend themselves against strange underground creatures which are killing them one by one.

【Tremors】YouTube Movie Part 1


【Tremors】YouTube Movie Part 2


【Tremors】YouTube Movie Part 3


【Tremors】YouTube Movie Part 4


【Tremors】YouTube Movie Part 5


【Tremors】YouTube Movie Part 6


【Tremors】YouTube Movie Part 7


【Tremors】YouTube Movie Part 8

Friday, October 21, 2011

Calm Market Without Panic Selling

Equity stock market grinds higher on relatively thin trading volume. It has been observed that when trading volume is thin, market has more probability of going higher. The support may be coming from incremental buying from individual investors who have trimmed the portfolio but cannot buy back at lower level. Feeling uncomfortable with low return from money market and painful memory of missing the stock rally at 2009 bottom, individual investors replenish the trimmed portfolio while stocks are still cheap despite some loss on prior selling.

Since the downgrade of major US banks a few weeks ago, market manipulators have not initiated selling to create panic among market participants. As previously mentioned, the strategy to create panic selling is not working any more as market participants learn the trick and is no longer selling in a panic for market manipulators to take profit. As a result, during market manipulators' last selling, day traders and individual speculators follow market manipulators during the two days when market makers are actually selling. When market manipulators stop selling, day traders and individual speculators follow closely and do not oversell. As a result, there is not enough room for market manipulators to liquidate the positions with thin trading volume.

As the selling strategy no longer works, market manipulators remain on the sideline and wait for another opportunity. There may be an event that can create panic selling. Or market manipulators may change to new strategy which is not recognized by market participants. Since market is flooded with capital and there is no other investment opportunity that can provide satisfactory return, market manipulators should remain in the equity stock market which is highly manipulative and speculative.



Cain 999 plan: Road to a Fair Tax
Ultimately, Cain wants the country to adopt a Fair Tax. He's not the first presidential candidate to propose it. In 2008, for instance, Mike Huckabee made it a central part of his economic plan.

In essence, it's a national sales tax that would replace the current tax code entirely and all the credits, deductions and exemptions that go along with it.

A Fair Tax, like any tax that applies across the board to everyone regardless of income, would hit the poor harder than others.

To correct for that, all taxpayers would receive a monthly rebate check equal to what someone at the poverty line would pay under the Fair Tax. That would mean poor people would get back the tax they paid in.

"Every serious effort to score the Fair Tax by the Treasury Department, Joint Committee on Taxation and the Brookings Institution has concluded that a rate significantly higher than 23% would be necessary for it to be fiscally neutral," Bartlett said.

Experts have also expressed serious concern about both the administrative complexity and potential for tax evasion in terms of how the Fair Tax would interact with state and local taxes.


Consumer Confusion: Sales Up But Confidence Down — Here’s Why It Makes Sense
A strange economic trend appears to be emerging with American consumers. Retail sales have been trending higher while consumer confidence is at a 30-year low.

What accounts for the increase in sales is the top earners in the country are doing fine.

But, there's another larger group that's struggling to get by, which explains the consumer worry. "Eighty percent of consumers are in a depression," says Davidowitz.

It's this growing gap between the haves and have-nots that is responsible for the Occupy Wall Street movement, says Davidowitz.


Are US Financials a Buy?
Even as financial shares on Wall Street have slumped as much as 40 percent in the past year, the investment community remains divided about whether it is now a buy or still a sell for the lenders.

But fund manager Bill Smead disagrees, saying the sell-off in the shares of U.S. banks this year is exactly the reason to be buying into the sector.

"The second thing is... we feel like we're getting close to the end of that down-swing because the people that are overweight financials are paying a very, very stiff price for it right now," he said, adding that while financial stocks could still see some pain, investors with a medium to long term horizon could do well.

"The biggest reason that we're still scared of the banks is Europe," Young said. "That situation...is still far from being resolved, despite these short-covering rallies that we see from time-to-time."


A recipe for stock market volatility
In an interview, he argued that abnormally high stock market volatility will persist so long as no major asset class offers attractive long-term returns.

Because of this situation, many investors who are in the stock market are little more than fair-weather friends. They remain in equities not because they are excited about the stock market’s long-term returns, according to Tint, but instead because they have no good alternative.

And with the markets as susceptible as they are to investor emotions, it’s possible that “animal spirits,” to use Keynes’ famous phrase, could prop up the stock market for a while longer.

Nevertheless, Tint concludes, “It’s hard to imagine that this decade won’t be a disappointing one, not just for stocks but for all asset classes.”


Foreigners are buying U.S. homes
International purchases of American homes are ramping up, and a new Senate bill designed to boost the ailing real-estate market would encourage globe-trotting investors to buy even more.

The bill, co-sponsored by Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Mike Lee (R.-Utah) would grant a U.S. visa to international investors who agree to spend at least $500,000 on residential real estate here.

Foreigners seem to have more confidence in the U.S. real estate market than Americans do. Almost half of buyers surveyed by NAR cited the profitability or safety of their investments as the main factor that persuaded them to buy.

"With the economic distress in Europe," said Miller, "people are still looking for safe havens for investing and the U.S. is perceived globally as safe."

Sunday, October 16, 2011

【Ant Attack】BBC HD

Documentary about the world of the African driver ant, a sinister army of 20 million sisters which thrives by ravaging the forest, killing every thing it can pin down.

Friday, October 14, 2011

法賭場破隱形墨水眼鏡出千集團

【星島日報】法國警方粉碎了一個利用高科技手法在賭場行騙的老千集團,拘捕了三名意大利人和法國南部兩名賭場職員,懷疑他們利用隱形墨水在啤牌上留下標記。當該三名意大利人在撲克賭桌上博彩時,戴上特製的隱形眼鏡,看到那些標記,先後贏了數以萬歐羅計的巨款,但上得山多終遇虎,最後東窗事發被捕。傳媒形容這是歐洲歷來最聰明的行騙手法。

  法國警方人員相信,這個犯罪集團已經在歐洲各地多間賭場內,利用這種手法出千,直到本周在康城賭場重施故技時,引起懷疑及被揭發。

  今年八月,那三名意大利人在法國康城太子賭場(Princes Casino)博彩時,贏了四萬四千歐羅(約三十萬港元)。本周,他們又在短短數小時內,在同一間賭場的同一張賭桌上贏了二萬歐羅(約二十一萬港元),引起賭場職員懷疑。

  當們以為袋袋平安準備離開賭場時,被工作人員截住。賭場人士認出他們不是第一次贏大錢,報警求助。

  探員深入調查後,發現那張賭桌所使用的撲克,每一張的背面都用隱形墨水做了標記。交叉代表「King」,一條代表「Ace」。警員又發現三人所戴的隱形眼鏡也是特製的,用紅外線看到那些隱形墨水標記。

  探員懷疑,該三名意大利人與犯罪組織有聯繫,並相信有賭場職員與他們勾結,裏應外合,在撲克上造手腳。太子賭場和另一間位於尼斯的賭場各有一名職員被捕。

Small Investors Portfolio Trimmed At Bottom

Equity stock market rebound began when small investors lose confidence and sell at bottom. Market advances continuously and small investors cannot buy back shares sold at bottom price. The last time market makers initiate selling is when several major US banks are downgraded. Market makers selling is followed by desperate investors. Since then smart investors are accumulating at bottom. Small investors who have sold stocks earlier have been waiting for market makers to sell again which have not happened yet. Market participants observe the selling cycles and sell stocks in advance hoping for buyback later. However market makers selling strategy is fading as investors are no longer accelerating market movement with panic selling. Market makers have less room to take profit.

Market makers did not make significant profit in the last selling as market participants did not push market further down after market makers sold the market for two days. Market participants loss confidence but day traders were afraid of risk in short covering rally. Instead, speculators learned to buy at dip and to take profit after rebound. Panic investors trimmed down the portfolio on speculation of further market decline but were unable to buy back at lower price.

Market makers are currently holding mostly in cash. There may be small amount of stock accumulation in the last two weeks while there is no heavy selling. If market makers have not retreated from market, there should be some turbulence in the market soon. It is unsure whether market makers change the strategy of selling. The next market movement will indicate the strategy as market dynamics has changed since market makers selling strategy is launched during market peak early this year. Market makers realise that selling at current market valuation cannot create panic selling by herding behaviour among the majority of market participants.

It has been mentioned in past posts that one of the threat to economic growth as well as social stability is the concentration of wealth. Recently, the protest in Wall Street shows the tension between Wall Street elites and main street population. Currently the demonstration does not have serious effect on equity stock market. Market participants should not overlook the development in future.



The Perils of Leverage
Folks with higher incomes and access to credit, he points out, are able to maintain their customary standard of living and continue to shoulder their debts without much discomfort. But lower-wage earners and those with less access to credit, along with the 14 million or 15 million unfortunates who have lost their jobs, are really hurting.

A disturbing prospect that, all things considered, doesn't imbue us with confidence that this market can sustain any significant rally.


Short Selling Rises Most Since 2006
Investors are increasing bearish trades around the world by the most in at least five years, convinced the lowest valuations since 2009 will prove no barrier to losses after $11 trillion was erased from equities.

Short selling, where traders borrow shares and sell them, hoping for a decline, is increasing even as equities approach the cheapest valuations on record. The MSCI All-Country World trades at 11.8 times reported profit, compared with 11.9 in the five months after Lehman’s collapse. The measure’s average price-earnings ratio since 1995 is 21, data tracked by Bloomberg show.

Equity valuations are already pricing in a recession and stocks are unlikely to fall much below the lowest levels of last week, according to Binky Chadha, the New York-based chief U.S. equity strategist at Deutsche Bank AG.

“Valuations and short interest are approaching Lehman levels,” Chadha said in a telephone interview on Oct. 6. “It’s not very easy to continue to take larger and larger short positions.”

About 4.1 percent of NYSE shares have been borrowed and sold, up from 3.5 percent at the end of July, data from the bourse shows. U.S. short sales are rising at the second-fastest pace on record after the 2008 financial crisis, according to exchange data dating back to 1995.

Bearish bets last increased faster in March 2009, the same month the S&P 500 began a bull market that doubled its value. The surge in equity prices came seven months after NYSE short interest climbed to an all-time high in July 2008.

Bets that Hong Kong stocks will fall have risen to the highest level since January 2008 amid falling home sales in China and concern that the world’s second-largest economy is slowing.

“The market is so undervalued right now it’s kind of hard to take a short position,” Garbarino said. “But at the same time given the economy, it is hard to be long.”


No Recession for U.S. as Forecasts Improve
“The U.S. economy doesn’t look like it’s double-dipping at all,” said Allen Sinai, president of Decision Economics Inc. in New York. “But it is a crummy recovery.”

The debt crisis in Europe will “likely slow the economy to the edge of recession by early 2012,” Andrew Tilton, senior economist at Goldman Sachs in New York, said in note last week to clients. He sees growth falling to a half percent in the first quarter of 2012.]

Greater consequences could come from the financial links between the two economies and the impact of the crisis on the U.S. stock market and general confidence.


Herman Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan: Break for the rich?
Herman Cain has a plan to radically reform the nation's tax system and make things a lot simpler for taxpayers.

Problem is, it could end up adding to the deficit and shifting the tax burden away from the wealthy and onto the poor, according to some leading tax experts.

"Every change in the tax system shifts who pays how much. If you're trying to be revenue neutral, there's always going to be winners and losers," said Williams.

"We did focus a lot on how do you address the poverty problem," he said. "Clearly, the current system is not working. The advocates of the present system haven't been able to show results for 40 years," Lowrie said.


Class warfare: Who pays fair share of taxes?
Both Republican presidential candidates and President Obama think many Americans aren't paying their fair share of income tax.

They just have very different ideas of who should be paying more.

At issue for the Republicans is the fact that an estimated 46% of Americans don't owe any federal income tax. That's because many of them earn so little that the standard deduction and personal exemption absolve them of liability.

"Everyone should pay something because we all benefit," Bachmann said on a campaign stop this summer. "We need to broaden the base so that everybody pays something, even if it's a dollar."

One issue that unites the Republican candidates is that they don't want to raise taxes. And they are opposed to Obama's plan to ask the wealthy to pay more.

This year, Williams estimates that 75 million households, or 46%, will not pay any federal income tax. Half make so little that the standard deduction and personal exemptions eliminates their liability. Nearly two-thirds of households that pay no tax make less than $50,000.

Most of these households, however, do pay federal payroll taxes to support the Social Security and Medicare systems. Of those that pay neither income nor payroll taxes, the majority are elderly.

The wealthy, however, are the main beneficiaries of the nation's tax code, Williams said. While they still pay some tax, their liability is greatly lowered by various tax rules, particularly the 15% rate on capital gains.

Few of the Republican candidates have laid out specific plans to reform the tax code. But depending on how they do it, they could end up socking the rich with bigger bills.

"Most of the tax breaks go to the wealthy," Williams said.


How to Tame the Volatile Stock Market
Oops — investors on Friday made a $400 billion mistake. That's the amount by which they left the U.S. stock market underpriced over the weekend, judging by Monday's dramatic 3% rise in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Maybe stocks have been spasmodic of late because investors are caught between punitively low rates on short-term savings and a darkening outlook for company profits.

While we're trying to figure out the cause of recent volatility, here are some steps worried investors should take.
1. Keep a Historical Perspective.
It's true that stocks have swung more wildly since summer than they did in the spring, and that this year looks kookier than last. But we're not in new territory.

2. Reduce Your Margin for Error.
Value stocks have historically tended to outperform during economic downturns. The best approach for nervous investors now is to focus on value stocks, excluding banks.

3. Average Your Costs.
But, despite the experience of the past decade, it's also true that the market generally goes up over time. Mathematically, the power of a rising market has historically offset the savings of dollar cost averaging and then some. So decide on an asset allocation that's right for you and then put your money to work.

4. Reconsider Your Risk and Reward Assumptions.
If you're still waiting for the stock returns of the 1980s and 1990s to reappear, stop. During those years stocks did twice as well as normal, on average. Plenty of economists think even the concept of "normal" needs a reset. U.S. stocks returned about 7% a year after inflation over the past two centuries, but that period saw America's rise from a farm economy to the richest nation on earth. Growth in coming decades might be more modest, not least because the country has been on a borrowing binge that will need to be wound down.


GE to build large solar panel factory in Colorado
General Electric Co. will build the largest solar factory in the U.S. near Denver.

Solar installations are growing fast, but solar panel prices have fallen precipitously in the past year, driven in part by a glut of panels on the market. The addition of new solar panel factories around the globe has coincided with reduced demand for solar in Europe and especially Germany, by the far the world's largest solar market.

The falling prices have led to the bankruptcies of three solar panel makers in the last two months, including Solyndra, a panel maker that collapsed despite receiving a $535 million loan guarantee from the federal government.

The factory will produce so-called thin film panels made from cadmium telluride. These panels are less efficient at converting the sun's rays into electricity than traditional crystalline silicon panels, but they are cheaper, and therefore produce power at a lower cost.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Beyond - 真的愛妳

無法可修飾的一對手 帶出溫暖永遠在背後
縱使囉囌始終關注 不懂珍惜太內咎

沉醉於音階她不讚賞 母親的愛卻永未退讓
決心衝開心中掙扎 親恩終可報答

春風化雨暖透我的心 一生眷顧無言地送贈

是妳多麼溫馨的目光 教我堅毅望著前路
叮囑我跌倒不應放棄

沒法解釋怎可報盡親恩 愛意寬大是無限
請準我說聲真的愛妳

仍記起溫馨的一對手 始終給我照顧未變樣
理想今天終於等到 分享光輝盼做到

Sunday, October 9, 2011

江澤民現身搶鏡 破病危傳言 專家料對十八大有影響力



【明報專訊】10個多月未公開露面、一度被亞洲電視及日本《產經新聞》誤傳死訊的前國家主席江澤民,昨天上午現身北京紀念辛亥革命100周年大會主席台,雖然看上去有些衰弱,步履蹣跚,坐立均需人攙扶,但精神不錯,未見消瘦。

江澤民的出現,吸引了全場傳媒的注意力,風頭蓋過全場。中國問題專家多認為,江澤民的重新露面,既粉碎了他瀕臨死亡的傳言,亦反映明年中共十八大的人事安排已有初步結果,而江澤民對此保持了一定的影響力。

85歲的江澤民此番突然露面,令曾經誤報其死訊的傳媒大為緊張,《產經新聞》昨日在網站刊登道歉啟事,就7月7日發布快訊和號外(網絡版)誤報江澤民去世道歉,稱「刪除了標題及稿件內容,向相關人士及讀者致歉」。《產經新聞》7月7日曾援引日中關係消息人士的消息稱「7日獲悉,中國前國家主席江澤民已於(7月)6日傍晚在北京去世」。

誤報死訊 亞視《產經》道歉

最先於7月6日誤報江澤民死訊的亞視則再度道歉,高級副總裁葉家寶表示,很開心見到江澤民健康現身,又重申,他們已第一時間向江澤民及其家人、市民公開道歉,有關方面亦未與他們聯絡。

據中央社報道,昨天在大會開始前,現場已傳出江澤民將露面,一些攝影記者更透過高倍數長焦鏡頭發現,主席台上胡錦濤左側的位置上,放有「江澤民」的名牌。

坐立需攙扶 記者蜂擁拍攝

當迎賓曲奏響時,在胡錦濤之後入場的江澤民,由隨從一路扶持下進場,立刻成為現場中外媒體的焦點,但因他步伐較緩慢,令他與胡錦濤之間的距離被拉得很開。他雖然步履艱難,但仍不忘向台下鼓掌的觀眾揮手致意。到座位後,江澤民仍需隨從協助才順利坐下,江澤民的位置在胡錦濤左側,介於胡錦濤與總理溫家寶之間。他一坐下,就立刻露出笑容與胡錦濤攀談;演奏國歌及紀念大會結束時,江澤民都需隨從在一旁攙扶,才能站得起來。

在胡錦濤20分鐘的演講期間,江澤民仍是現場多數中外攝記鏡頭的焦點。胡錦濤結束講話返回座位時,江澤民主動伸手向他致意。

當全國政協主席賈慶林一宣布散會,台下獲准攝影的少數官方傳媒記者立刻蜂擁上台,對着江澤民猛攝;反而把胡錦濤冷落在一旁。離場時,胡錦濤一直跟在被攙扶着的江澤民背後。

昨天出席大會的元老,除江澤民外,還有前人大委員長李鵬、前全國政協主席李瑞環、前國家副主席曾慶紅、前中紀委書記尉健行以及宋平、羅幹等人,但剛出書的前總理朱鎔基就未見露面。

醫生﹕活動自如 不可能嚴重中風

前港區全國人大代表吳康民和時事評論員劉銳紹均認為,江澤民的露面,顯示他對明年中共十八大最高領導層組成仍具一定影響力。

本港內科專科醫生吳志豪看畢江澤民露面的畫面後形容,「他(江澤民)活動自如,雖然需要他人攙扶,但在他這個年紀很正常。」江澤民早前被傳腦幹死亡、中風及患柏金遜等疾病,吳志豪分析,江澤民可以拍手、記者蜂擁上前時他對鏡頭有反應、離座站起時亦很迅速,而且會對着胡錦濤微笑,雖不排除江曾有肺炎或腦出血等嚴重感染而一度命危,但絕不可能是嚴重中風及腦幹死亡。

明報記者

Small Investors Turn Negative On Market Outlook

Equity stock market ends nearly at the same level as previous week after sinking to week low on the second day of week. Market climbs back on low volume without selling by market makers. It appears that market makers have stopped pounding on the market. Selling at the beginning of week is mostly from small investors including day traders and individual speculators.

After many weeks of selling effort by market makers, market participants begin to loose confidence in equity stocks and some impatient investors even start to trim down portfolio holding on hope of buying back at lower price in the future despite significant cash holding in the portfolio. The stake of equity stocks is being accumulated in the hands of group of market participants with confidence in market valuation.

In the current highly manipulative market, the action of market makers is influential on market movement. In the last two weeks, market makers take little action despite market participants speculation. There is no sign that market makers have retreated from the market. It is expected that market will have more activities in the coming week when market makers return with capital inflow into market.




Beware: Psychos on the Street
Psychopaths are less vicious than traders.

This may seem harsh, but a recent study determined that traders were more ruthless than psychopaths. They wanted to win, even if, in so doing, they didn't make more money.


As Banks Struggle, Fed Racks up Huge Profits — for Taxpayers
This is a difficult time for America's large banks. Bank of America, still suffering from an intense mortgage hangover, is a single-digit stock. Morgan Stanley has been getting hammered for its exposure to European banks. New regulations, consumer anger, and a slowing economy are taking a toll.

Unlike the type of banking that Bank of America and Citi conduct, the type of banking that the U.S. central bank conducts is reliably profitable. We noted a year ago that the Federal Reserve, America's central bank, is a big moneymaker.

Thanks to the second round of quantitative easing, in which the Fed purchased $600 billion in Treasury securities, the Fed's holdings have expanded. The Fed reported that in the first six months of 2011 it turned over $40.45 billion to Treasury. Last week, the Fed's balance sheet stood at about $2.83 trillion, including more than $2.6 trillion in securities. And through September 29, the next-to-last day of Fiscal 2011, Fed earnings had contributed $82.5 billion in revenues to the government for the fiscal year, according to the Daily Treasury Statement.


The Picture for Kodak Is Not Pretty
Kodak, the maker of photography film for well over a century, once enjoyed 80% market share for film. The firm first started its decline in the 1980's when Japanese competitors like Fuji film took business with lower prices.

More than cheap film, the emergence of digital photography is what really killed Kodak's business. Ironically, Kodak invented digital photography back in 1975. Unfortunately, for them, they have not been able to leverage the technology in a profitable way.

Was there mismanagement and complacency at Kodak? Probably. Was the acquisition of Sterling Drug for $5.1 billion a poor use of capital? Yes. But in the end, the company was mainly a victim of what economists call 'creative destruction': technology simply changed too much for Kodak to handle.


A Huge Housing Bargain -- but Not for You
The largest transfer of wealth from the public to private sector is about to begin. The federal government will be bulk-selling the massive portfolio of foreclosed homes now owned by HUD, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to private investors -- vulture funds.

These homes, which are now the property of the U.S. government, the U.S. taxpayer, U.S. citizens collectively, are going to be sold to private investor conglomerates at extraordinarily large discounts to real value.

You and I will not be allowed to participate. These investors will come from the private-equity and hedge-fund community, Goldman Sachs and its derivatives, as well as foreign sovereign wealth funds that can bring a billion dollars or more to each transaction.
In the process, these investors will instantaneously become the largest improved real estate owners and landlords in the world. The U.S. taxpayer will get pennies on the dollar for these homes and then be allowed to rent them back at market rates.

The entire massive HUD REO Portfolio is quietly managed by a handful of private firms already, a group listed as Management and Marketing Contractors.

These M&M companies are principally owned by and employ former high-ranking government officials from the various germane agencies -- the Treasury, HUD, FHA and others. And they will provide the necessary access to the current government employees who are tasked with bringing this program to fruition. Once the privatization is complete, those government employees will move from their positions, and many will take up new employment at one of the M&Ms or the new vulture funds.

It is probable, however, that once the privatization has occurred and the properties are generating rental income for the investors, the initial investors will cash out by forming real estate investment trusts (REITs), real estate operating companies (REOCs) or limited partnerships (LPs) that will be made available to retail investors.


Emerging Equity Bears Turn Bullish
The longest losing streak for developing-market equities in more than a decade is turning investors who shunned the stocks a year ago into buyers after valuations fell to the lowest levels since March 2009.

Emerging-market equity funds have posted nine straight weeks of outflows, with investors withdrawing $2.6 billion in the seven days ended Sept. 28, according to data compiled by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based research firm EPFR Global.

“The fundamentals of the emerging-market economies are pretty strong,” said Kelvin Tay, the Singapore-based chief investment strategist at UBS Wealth Management. “On a medium-to longer-term basis, the emerging-market space looks far better than advanced nations.”


Shorts Scramble After Headlines From Europe, Stocks Rip Higher
Shorts covered furiously after an FT report that EU finance ministers are talking about ways to recapitalize European banks, along with the WSJ report about Dexia’s bad-bank plans.

As Tom Lauricella points out, though, the EU finance minister comments in the FT report were made in a press conference hours ago. I swear somebody’s got a headline-reading algo out there that covers shorts and buys stocks any time there’s a vaguely positive FT headline about Europe.

These market swings are still not signs of healthy trading, even when they end in the green. Nothing much actually changed in the last 40 minutes of trading today.


3 Reasons Why Stocks Should Start to Rally
Things are so bad; it may actually be good for stocks. Unless major support gets broken, stocks should stage a strong end of year rally. But, if support gets broken the S&P may fall well below 1,000 fast.

The combination of the steep summer sell off and multi-week range bound trading thereafter has created a bear flag (a technical formation). Such a bear flag would have deeply bearish implication for the S&P and the broader US stock market. The measured target for a bear flag bottom is S&P 895.

The challenge for investors will be to balance the expectation for a market bottom with the potential for a continued sell off.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

蘇富比拍賣中國書畫破紀錄

【明報】香港舉行的蘇富比秋季拍賣會中,中國書畫拍賣總成交額達7.38億元,創該拍賣行中國書畫拍賣的最高成交額。

另外,一件明代永樂青花如意垂肩折枝花果紋梅瓶以1.68億元高價成交,刷新了明代瓷器拍賣世界紀錄。

蘇富比稱,此次中國書畫拍賣364件拍品為歷年最多,而拍賣額大幅超越拍賣前逾2億元的估價。其中全場最高成交拍品──張大千《黃山自畫像》以4660萬元成交,而之前的估價只有800萬元。

Monday, October 3, 2011

Investors Herding For Safety

Equity stock market rebounds for one day and then continues to fall again. Investors do not anticipate strong rebound and take quick profit as soon as possible. Day traders recognize the pattern and start to sell down market when rebound fades away.

Market participants lose confidence in stocks and are begining to trim down portfolio holding in anticipation of buying back at lower price in the future. Market makers, day traders, hedge funds, institutional and individual investors appear to align in interest in a seller market.

The amount of shares in circulation on the hands of traders is increasing. On the other hands, the amount of sideline cash is also immense. Asset price is suppressed by market makers and traders. Market paricipants know that the price is attractive but do not have confidence due to manipulation. Long term investors are holding large cap stocks for decent dividend and relative stability.



S.E.C. Weighs Action Against Standard & Poor’s
The staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission is considering recommending civil legal action against Standard & Poor’s over its rating of a 2007 collateralized debt offering.

The S.E.C. staff said it may recommend that the commission seek civil money penalties, disgorgement of fees or other actions.

S.& P. has been under fire for its recent downgrade of United States long-term debt, as well as several bad calls it made leading to the financial crisis and economic meltdown that began in 2008.

The "Risk On" trade is back today sending stocks and commodities sharply higher, and the US 10-year Treasury yield back up towards 2%. Meanwhile, as of Monday's close the S&P 500 dividend yield remained higher than the 10-year T-note, a move seen only 20 times in the past 58 years on a quarterly basis according to S&P research. The phenomenon rewrites the rulebook for yield-seeking investors, as the broader stock market offers more than a traditional bond investment.

"We're looking at that (the S&P 500 dividend yield) saying 'where do you want to put your money? Where is a safe place to put your money?' Right now it doesn't seem like there's any safe place, but it's where are you going to get the most bang for your buck?'" says Andre Julian, chief financial officer at OpVest.

Specifically, Julian believes the safe haven of the stock market is in large cap multi-national stocks that offer a good dividend. "Think about it, corporations have $2 Trillion in cash on the side… remember there's a lot of growth right now in these companies, their earnings are really strong," he says.


Fund Goes Down Blind Alley
Real-estate developer Stephen Ross and his partners spent more than a year digging into U.S. banks, including more than 100 with loans to local bakeries, gas stations and amusement parks.

But the deeper they went, the worse things looked. As a result, Related Cos., the New York firm in which Mr. Ross is chief executive, gave back the money it raised from roughly 150 investors, including hedge-fund manager David Einhorn. The firm did find several investments it was interested in but was outbid.

With the clock ticking on its 18-month deadline, Messrs. Ross, Blau and Beal sent a letter to investors Aug. 18 informing them that the fund would be liquidated. Investors received roughly 97 cents on the dollar after expenses. Mr. Einhorn, one of the investors, declined to comment through a spokesman.

"While we are disappointed that we were not able to acquire a banking franchise and execute the SJB business plan, we refused to compromise on transactions that did not offer both an appropriate margin of safety and attractive returns," the letter said.

Mr. Ross said there is "a lot of money to be made in the future of banks," especially in online banking. "We want to be back in it. The question is when."


Solyndra bankruptcy may be a total loss for taxpayers
During the weeks of nasty congressional hearings and even nastier columns in the press since solar panel maker Solyndra declared bankruptcy, it's been widely assumed that the debacle cost the government over half a billion dollars.

But it's not as though Solyndra is completely worthless. The company has some assets it could sell. It has that state-of-the-art factory, all the equipment inside, and a sizable inventory of solar panels.

Solyndra bankruptcy may be a total loss for taxpayers

tweet3EmailPrint..Steve Hargreaves, On Friday September 30, 2011, 6:29 am EDT
During the weeks of nasty congressional hearings and even nastier columns in the press since solar panel maker Solyndra declared bankruptcy, it's been widely assumed that the debacle cost the government over half a billion dollars.

That huge loss may not come to pass.

As the guarantor of the loan the company received to build a state-of-the-art factory in Fremont, Calif., the government is on the hook for the $527 billion Solyndra ultimately borrowed.

But it's not as though Solyndra is completely worthless. The company has some assets it could sell. It has that state-of-the-art factory, all the equipment inside, and a sizable inventory of solar panels.

During bankruptcy hearings earlier this week, Solyndra chief financial officer W.G. Stover said the company had $859 million in assets and $749 million in liabilities at the start of 2011.

How much those assets are worth now that the company has folded, and where the federal government stands as creditors line up to get their money back, are questions that will be hashed out in bankruptcy court over the next few weeks or months.

But some are optimistic Washington can recoup a big chunk of its cash.

"The federal government owns the assets of borrowers that default and can manage or sell them," Mark Muro, policy director at the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program, wrote in an article earlier this week. "It's conceivable that taxpayers will not lose any money."

The Solyndra curse

The path forward: While many analysts don't paint such a rosy picture, they do seem to think the best outcome for Solyndra and its creditors would be for another company to come in and buy it whole.

It's generally thought that Solyndra's bankruptcy was caused by its technologically advanced panels becoming uncompetitive with cheaper traditional solar panels as the price for those traditional panels fell. Yet it's possible another firm could tweak the design, infuse it with cash, and attempt to make a go of it.

Split up: The other option is that Solyndra will be split up and sold off in parts. This is bad news for anyone the company owes money to.

The firm's most valuable asset, the equipment it uses to make the panels, is custom made and highly specialized. It's not useful for anything else besides making the specific type of panel Solyndra made.

The other assets are the panels themselves. Solyndra has a whole warehouse full of unsold solar panels. Kann noted that they work just fine, and third parties would be able to service them. But finding a buyer for panels that come with no warrantee will be a challenge.

Most of the company's buildings were leased, so there's not much property to sell. The new factory Solyndra built with the government's money is 300,000 square feet. Solyndra does own that factory, but it's unclear how much it's worth.

Another manufacturing facility the company owned nearby that was almost twice as large sold for $42.5 million late last year, according to The Register, a San Francisco area real estate journal.

In the end, it seems like the government will get some of its money back, but it may not be close to the $527 million.


A summer many investors would rather forget
The United States lost its top-of-the-line credit rating for the first time. The financial system of Europe seemed ready to collapse. Money managers sifted through data for signs that the economy was about to slide into a new recession.

Even if the next corporate earnings season, in October, shows that companies are still making money, it may not be enough to calm the markets until the bigger questions about Europe are answered.

Europe's debt problems are "going to continue to overshadow everything else in the market until we have a resolution," said Stephen Auth, chief investment officer at Federated Investors.

The European Union is wrestling with crippling debt in a handful of nations. If those nations can't make payments, banks that hold their national bonds will suffer deep losses, and lending could tighten worldwide around the world -- possibly leading to a widespread recession.

Investors overlooked fundamentals of individual companies and made bets on the whole market. On more than half the trading days since Aug. 1, more than 400 of the stocks in the S&P 500 rose or fell as a group, according to Bespoke Investment Group.

Perhaps the best investment over the quarter was the very thing everyone fretted about -- U.S. government debt.

Treasury prices soared even after the S&P ratings service knocked American debt down one notch from the highest level on Aug. 5. On Sept. 22, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note hit a record low, 1.71 percent. Bond yields fall when prices rise.

"Investors are no better than hyperactive first-graders playing musical chairs and trying to out-anticipate the other," he said. "This is no different. They start to think the market is oversold, and they should buy it when it's cheap."

Some experts say investors should hold their noses and buy stocks anyway. "We remain positive regarding stocks relative to bonds and cash and view the current pullback as an opportunity," Bill Stone, chief investment strategist at PNC, wrote in a note to clients. "Stock valuations are attractive at the moment."

Assuming, he added, that corporate earnings don't collapse -- another sign that uncertainty rules right now on Wall Street.


With Firestorm Nearing, Traders Stand Their Ground
We’ll proffer the usual, technical explanation: Yesterday’s ups and downs were caused entirely by algorithm-driven machines with nothing more on their tiny digital brains than a bunch of zeroes and ones. And if they had a smattering of human help, the humans undoubtedly applied the same tried-and-true tactic that has carried the day for the hedgies time and again in recent months – i.e., letting the index futures fall on thin volume, exhausting sellers overnight; then inducing a short-covering panic ahead of the opening bell.

Has this outcome been factored into “the markets”? Yes and no. While it would appear that expectations of Greece going belly up are nearly universal, we cannot predict whether the event will cause a tsunami that takes Italy and Spain (and France?) with it. For their part, traders seem to be taking the Zen attitude that we shouldn’t worry too much about those things that we cannot change. There is no question that the markets have been extremely volatile, reflecting the nervousness of traders and speculators still in the game.