So should not a rising tide raise all the boats?
If the market is up 50%+, shouldn't shipping, rail and "real" stuff be up?

Didn't help the Titanic...

I haven't been home in a week, but PHX is an end user of the rail system and traffic dropped off a table in December and never got back up. Had a nice run in the fall(8x/day loong trains) now 4x/day, short train maybe.

Hahahahahahahahah

I expect another national trucking firm to go tits up, the price of gas is on the rise, and retail sales are going nowhere.

energyecon wrote:

note the alignment of the turn in the market with the start of the Fed purchasing MBS...

Wellll, then the market low could represent real values in an non-government, subsidized economy rather than the socialized one we seem to be experiencing. If there was any real risk to the stocks in Russell index, they would be worth less. Government intervention appears to have been priced in...

We need centipedes to make shoe purchases, to keep the trucks moving.

Well, Diesel does not seem to be jumping too quickly.
The next few months should be interesting.

Weekly U.S. No 2 Diesel Ultra Low Sulfur (0-15 ppm) Retail Sales by All Sellers (Cents per Gallon)

Did you buy the cruel shoes, concertina wire-laden on the inside, and a size too small?

Well, the good news - that is behind us.

A Siamese bunny!! We had rabbits a couple of times. They did nothing.

What is this word "rational" of which you speak?

"If this practice discourages use of consumer credit, it will have a negative impact on retail sales and will result in a slower rate of recovery from the ongoing recession," Macy's senior counsel Steven L. Franks told Mui.

It's just sooooo unfair to make people have to pay for what they buy. Shouldn't FedGov issue a card with unlimited credit and a zero minimum payment to everyone?

Anonymous Bosch wrote:

Shouldn't FedGov issue a card with unlimited credit and a zero minimum payment to everyone?

I want mine with a logo.

Guinea pigs do nothing like nobody has ever done nothing before.

We had rabbits a long time ago. Were hoping to have many more, but alas, I had to rename them Napoleon and Joe.

Citizen AllenM wrote:

My email still works, dodged another one.

The sysadmins around here have to be very careful when cleaning out old accounts on various systems. Occasionally they delete someone who's still here from one system or another. And you can guess what a user's first thought is when he logs in first thing and gets "user not found." Now more than ever -- much more.

Hi Citizen AllenM

hang in there. We in Phx are a mess.
I saw more vacant retail today, just like we figured for after the holiday non-sales.

Juvenal Delinquent wrote:

Guinea pigs do nothing like nobody has ever done nothing before.

That's not true. Guinea pigs are efficient little poop generators; they eat hay like there's no tomorrow.

One bankster will be wearing a new orange suit...
Ex-Exec Of Failed Georgia Bank Pleads Guilty - News Story - WSB Atlanta

/\

Pondering that Armstrong date - last week of May 2011 - 2012 POTUS race starts in earnest? Unemployment's "second derivative" hits a second peak? Debt service/Revenue figures for the FedGov peak?

Kahuna<

No, Mrs. Gnome and I are remodeling the bathroom so I am waiting for the dust to settle before making my purchase.
Mrs. Gnome has made it clear that she does NOT want a used fridge but will accept a kegerator.
I've got two CO2 tanks and a regulator already.
A friend is using them currently.
And I'm heading over there in a few minutes to sample his latest creations...

Cheers, Kahuna!

Hey landlord, I need to see you credit report, please

"Tenants are scrutinizing landlords to prove the landlords have the money to spend and allocate to that property"

Prominent properties get foreclosure notices, portend trend in 2010  | ajc.com

Oh yeah, memories from 1968 coming back to me now, the guinea pigs would just sit in a box and shit perfectly little cylindrical poops. joy joy

Barley - "Tenants are scrutinizing landlords to prove the landlords have the money to spend and allocate to that property"

And if it's good enough, do they then steal your credit.
I would hate to waste time stealing an identity only to find it's worst than mine.

I think my daughter's piggies ran in wheels sometimes. They had
the advantange (to me) of a short life span. Now when you have a cat,
you HAVE a cat. And parrots even more so.

Anonymous Bosch wrote:

Guinea pigs are efficient little poop generators

And they make great kabobs too. See:Peru

Reason enough to keep your gps pleasantly plump.

Yeah, but have you ever tried to milk a cat?

I think you can buy canned gp in South America.

those country club type prisons

Always wondered if the green fees were paid for or not.

I had a client go to one. No golf, I think.

HomeGnome - Mrs. Gnome has made it clear that she does NOT want a used fridge but will accept a kegerator.

I turned a chest freezer into a 4 tap kegger, that fits 6 kegs inside. Around 1/3 to 1/10th the cost of commercial ones of the same size. Most of the cost was the stainless steel everything.
You can pick up an older mini-fridge, buy the tower, taps, etc and still build it for well under half the price and look as good if not better.

You can compost those guinea pig droppings (and bedding), excellent for the garden.

lawyerliz wrote:

You mean my shoe purchase last week didn't do it?

no but mine did

lawyerliz wrote:

I think you can buy canned gp in South America.

Something to keep in the pantry in case of emergency...

How many did you buy. Doesn't count if made in China.

Anonymous Bosch wrote:

He was 53, slightly fat, and gray; not exactly a treat in anyone's eyes.

It depends what you're into.

I turned a chest freezer into a 4 tap kegger

did you name it after my handlesake?

Another 'Where Keynes Went Wrong' book review and other econ book reviews...
2009 December « Economic Perspectives

The threat of rape should NOT be a deterrent in our "justice" system.

Are there still a bunch of cargo cult boats still @ anchor in the far east?

It depends what you're into

and how old you might be, too

I'll tell you what I think if you tell me what you think

Ah, my first lesson in Grade 3

Barley - did you name it after my handlesake?

No, I just call it the keggerator, I don't name my tools.
If I were to name it, it would be "my precious"

that's the rumor

Some young kid was giving my Bro a hard time. The Brothers, with whom my Bro was getting along swimmingly, took the kid aside. He was a slow learner. The kid had some sort of accident.

Crisis = Opportunity

The people are starting to wear masks and scarves over their faces. I guess the smells
are starting. Poor Haitians. Any death toll reports that are reliable yet? I guess they are weeks away.

Barley wrote:

Grim - seriously?

Disease Ecology: Leprosy in Armadillos!!!

( in an alternate universe...)

THE FUTURE OF A SUM

The worst does not at present come to pass,
Not even what we feared would be the worst
Waiting in the passage of distress,
Corners, roundings block our view of it

Neither can we stay nor will it stay
As we come up to meet while it returns;
In logic’s crooked predetermined way
Nations fall and megacities burn

Can it be avoided, will it come
Whatever has been done or will be done?
Is nemesis the future of a sum?
Nothing’s old, I say, under the sun

But only those who turn their eyes askance
May in that corridor perceive, advance

Pavel
January 14, 2010

this might be good place for info on haiti
2010 Earthquake in Haiti

Plump dyed and 63? Maybe I should kill myself?

Its a good time to both buy and sell silver.

Like Rob Dawg, I only give snark about market directions.

HomeGnome - You come up with the some good quips

+1

• then you probably have no difficulty envisioning conjugal relations between The People of Walmart.*

+10

lol

Plump dyed and 63? Maybe I should kill myself?

Imo, that option is open to anyone at any time, but, you're not a "he". You'd fare (yes, it's "fare") well in the slam, you'd be very popular for legal advice.

Dinner time.

AFK...

A.R.M.adillos cause leprosy, as in people having a falling out with their homes.

How can we reconcile these two statements? More owners expect sales to fall than to increase in the first quarter from the NFIB survey, and two-thirds of SurePayroll customers indicated that they predict their revenues will be up in 2010 from the SurePayroll survey

How about...

NFIB is a broad national monthly survey of several thousand business owners, conducted by a national non-profit organization since 1986 using questionnaires, reminders and sampling/weighting techniques.

SurePayroll hired a temp to call a few of its customers a week ago Tuesday and published the results on the advice of its PR consultant.

Badger boy wrote:

I only give snark about market direction

Okay, somebody save this and feed it back later. I can take it. I raised three children, buried a spouse, and managed to make to here.

Silver is about to make a major move to 40 to 1 ratio to gold.

Have fun figuring out the number, it's the ratio that's important.

40 to 1 ratio to gold.

volker I read your posts. Can you give some rational for this. Historical, algorithims, plots over time. Serious. Not at all poking fun.

Wait 'till I put my eyeballs back in their sockets..'kay then

merchants of fear wrote:

save some money for the coming Hard Times.

We are in a liquidity trap. I have already encouraged people not to borrow. I also want to point out that they shouldn't save either. If you have extra money at the end of the month, don't buy stocks, bonds, CD, gold coins, etc. I would recommend you donate to the church, synagogue, mosque, temple or charity of your choice. Saving requires someone to borrow at the other end. So don't borrow and don't encourage other people to borrow by saving.

When hard times comes, money won't help you. Enrich your life with friends, family, community and most importantly, a sense of humour. You are going to need it.

It has already run so hard against NG...

ghostfaceinvestah wrote:

if you want to understand what the mortgage market is facing I highly recommend it.
http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/amherst-mortgage-insightgselosses.pdf 

Those charts are past ugly.
2010 seems to be the year RRE will die. And I thought 2009 was bad.

Here's a couple of good excerpts from the January NFIB small biz survey.

"The frequency of reported capital outlays over the past six months was
unchanged at 44 percent of all firms, holding at a record low level (data
first collected in 1979). Capital spending is on the sidelines. Spending on
capital projects remained at historic low levels, as did the demand for
credit to finance such projects. Plans to make capital expenditures over the
next few months rose two points to 18 percent, two points above the 35
year record low. Seven percent characterized the current period as a good
time to expand facilities, down one point from November and only a net
two percent expect business conditions to improve over the next six
months, down one point from November."

"So why hasn’t owner optimism soared like it usually does at the end of a
recession, especially one that cut so deeply into our economic fabric? The
answer is “hope and change.” There is little hope and the change that is
being delivered is far from encouraging. Washington is offering nothing
but higher taxes and fines and fees and more regulation. Congress is
passing bills with thousands of pages of hidden bombs that will go off as
the legislation is passed and implemented. Federal spending has soared
amazingly, yet been ineffective except at pushing the federal deficit to
incomprehensible heights, promising to double our national debt in just a
few years. The interest burden this will place on average Americans is
astounding. Uncertainty is the enemy of economic growth and investment,
and Washington, D.C., the usual source of uncertainty, is delivering plenty
of it. Confidence in our political leadership has tanked."

http://www.nfib.com/Portals/0/PDF/sbet/sbet201001.pdf 

If you are a small private U.S. company, your prospects are dismal.

If you are a small public U.S. company included in the Russell 2000 Index, your prospects are equally dismal...

But your stock is to the moon!

It's weird how the extremes in the boom and bust are so drastic...from easy easy money with little real regulation to a frozen credit market with tons of restrictions and regs coming with more taxes also when companies and consumers can least afford them.

merchants of fear wrote:

people are more wise to used car salesmen than political/economic policy makers

I thought that was why Mitt Romney didn't do so well. Too many people pictured him walking off that used car lot and straight in front of the cameras. I'd be he'd make an awesome car salesman, I'd be willing to bet he could even sell Chryslers !
~splat

that scene 

The credit pendulum swings way too far both ways...but the trick is to figure who profits from this extreme cycle. Not the average consumers or business...that's for sure. Cycles do finally present opportunities for fire sale prices for those who have cash.

When Rob Dawg gives you a straight answer, I will give you mine, okay.

The best posters here just post snark. Otherwise we might get some real content here.

splat wrote:

they've reacted like we were spit roasting Lassie.

Yep, really funny when people just don't want to know where their food comes from. Sure they'll have a steak, but don't tell them you picked out the steer and told the butcher how you wanted your cuts done.

Juvenal Delinquent wrote:

I prefer Javelinas

Not me, very gamy. Have had it smoked and BBQed, eatable but not my first choice.

and they've reacted like we were spit roasting Lassie

+10

Only DJ's shoe purchases move markets

josap,
The 'teaser rates' were easy especially...

rosethorn wrote:

Looks to me like the only thing driving silver is growth in ETF holdings.

Solar power systems are said to use a lot of silver...

We continue to find great deals on Craiglist. A pair of Ferragamo womens shoes almost new for $30. Normally $300 new. Very good quality, made in Italy and will last for years.

Juvenal Delinquent wrote:

Javelinas are hard to catch.

Easier to shoot them.

However we did catch a family of javelina by chasing them into our backyard. Rescue wouldn't come get them unless they were in a contained area. How they got miles inside the city we never figured out. The cops had been following them, they caused a couple of acidents, one got hit by a car. Game and Fish said they would pick them up but kill them. So we had to find a Rescue, they used a blow gun to dart them. Was a really interesting day in the culdesac.

Barley wrote:

In some places, fresh roasted armadillo is considered a delicacy

Kewl, always wanted something on the half-shell.

Oh, the humanity...

http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/5576/javelinms2.jpg

rosethorn wrote:

I think the anti-microbial properties of silver might provide some growth prospects.

Microbes would beg to differ.

Lead free solder blows, way too brittle.

Comrade Alexei Mikhailovich wrote:

Lead free solder blows, way too brittle.

But it saves the planet !

Even if it results in short MTBF, suffers from whiskering and has horrible cracking displacement on BGA parts with heating/cooling cycles.

I guess we'll have to have a few catastrophic failures before someone puts 2 & 2 together and re-discoveres why tin/lead was such a great solder for 100 years.
~splat

Badger boy wrote:

Haitian ambassador says "...US benefits from deal with the devil..."

Perhaps but I'd still like to see his birth certificate.

splat wrote:

I believe it has "complete BASTARD" stamped on it.

"complete stupid bastard"

FIFY

Comrade Misean is Dope wrote:

We're importing lead from off planet now?

Yes, lead is not a naturally occurring element and is more dangerous than plutonium. Sorry, I was reading 'green' propaganda again.
~splat

Ahhh, home and away from the doom machine.
That was tense today, three out of five were not in our small office, guess manglement leaked the day of discord.

I have seen bobcats, and even a mountain lion or two in the valley, when I used to live up on the West side of Black Mountain. I miss living out there, but the drive is now for the California super commuter crowd.

This year is going to suck. There is no way around the fact the band aids are bleeding through.

Double dip- here we come!

Someday this war's gonna end...

broward, are you trying to get put on the watchlist again?

Lawmakers seek to follow Google's lead on China - Yahoo! News

"A bipartisan group in the House of Representatives is hoping that Google's action will revive interest in the Global Online Freedom Act, which has passed various committees but so far has failed to reach the House floor."

"The offices of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D- Calif. , House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer , D- Md. , and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman , D- Calif. , didn't respond when they were asked whether the leadership will schedule a vote on the bill"

"It would require U.S. Internet companies to keep records of requests for information from the violating countries. The companies would have to notify the State Department and the Justice Department before they responded to requests from those countries."

Allen M:

I heard your state just sold the capitol building, among others.

PHOENIX -- The state sold more than 20 properties Thursday, including prisons, the state Capitol and both legislative chambers, for $735.4 million at a targeted interest rate at just over 4 percent.

State sells 20 properties for $735 million |
Phoenix News | Arizona News | azfamily.com
| Local News

poic wrote:

Why can't we solder with something safer like cadmium?

I've tried soldering with Cadbury, but it consistently resulted in me being hungry.

Nuke wrote:

The state sold more than 20 properties Thursday, including prisons, the state Capitol and both legislative chambers, for $735.4 million at a targeted interest rate at just over 4 percent.

Answers my question. Didn't think it would sell, who is the dumb a** er lucky buyer?

This country is becomimg a joke. State by state we must be giving the rest of the world a great laugh.

Nuke wrote:

The state sold more than 20 properties Thursday, including prisons, the state Capitol and both legislative chambers

Well, the occupants have been bought and sold for decades, so tit for tat then.

With a bit of elbow grease and a bit of a redecorating budget, they could convert it from a low class brothel to a high end whore house. The legislature, alas, is likely to protect its unique perogative, however.

Need more doom?

The fish off of Florida are dying from the cold snap they just had:

Record Cold Kills Thousands Of Fish - Miami News Story - WPLG Miami

Anonymous Bosch wrote:

Before doing any work on bridges we have to get baseline lead levels taken and periodic retests to determine contamination, if any. Elevated levels are reason to get the worker transferred to a non-exposure situation.

With so many precautions, how did so many well seasoned hatters gain control of the financial system?

Outsider wrote:

Need more doom?

No. My state just sold it's gov buildings. Makes me want to move, how embarasing.

Wonder how long before they get evicted for not paying the rent?

mp wrote:

Anyone seen the inventory bounce

I think they are hiding it in all those warehouses that were built in the Inland Empire and Phoenix area.

Boy, will those manufacturers be surprised when the orders stop coming in.

May be Krugman knows where it is?

Hey, Krugman!

You seen the inventory bounce thingy?

MLM wrote:

Small biz confidence is coincident.

And wickedly bi-polar.

yagij wrote:

If a representative has a leaky roof or a clogged toilet, how soon does it get fixed?

You mean the pond scu...erm...legislators still going to be using the building? Who TF would buy a building with such a dead beat tenant that has the ability to rewrite the rules at will?

mp wrote:

Hey, Krugman!
You seen the inventory bounce thingy?

Krugman is stockpiling
He's a one-man inventory bounce.

Comrade Misean is Dope wrote:

Who TF would buy a building with such a dead beat tenant that has the ability to rewrite the rules at will?

My thoughts exactly. Can the Legislature use eminent domain to take the property back by legal force if necessary? Also as the landlord, you have to know that they already have financial problems and can't make ends meet. How can you expect them to cover you for 20 years if they cannot even get through their own fiscal year on past income?

We still are the greatest country in the world.

You betcha!

I'm writing my own Post-AUpocalyptic game.

Tiger Woods' Harem versus the The Real Housewives of the Capitol Building Investors

MrM wrote:

Of course, "bounce" is in the eye of the beholder

You are suggesting that "skip", "hop", or "bobble" could be used in the place of "bounce"?

7 Bankruptcy's today.

Vision Care Holdings - Chapter 11

Bernie's Electronic/Appliance Chain - Chapter 11

Price Busters - Chapter 11

Protective Products of America - Chapter 11

The Las Vegas Monorail - Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Morris Publishing to File Bankruptcy

Lower Bucks Hospital - Chapter 11

Daily Job Cuts - Layoff News , Job Layoffs 2009 , Bankruptcy, Store closings and other Business Economy News

yagij wrote:

You are suggesting that "skip", "hop", or "bobble" could be used in the place of "bounce"?

Some people might sneeze at 0.4% growth, others might say it's twice more than expected

mp wrote:

I've been looking all over for the "inventory bounce" thing, but have been unable to find it.

Anyone seen the inventory bounce thingy that's so important to Q4 GDP growth?

Had a company we sell parts to tell us they expect to be up 30% this year [2010 will see 30% more business than 2009]... what they didn't tell you is 2009 was 70% off 2008 levels.

So lets say they produced 100 units in 2008... that means they only produced 30 in 2009... but a 30% increase in 2010 means they maybe produce 40 units this year. How is that for 's? [Note those weren't the actual numbers - just makes it easier to see the impact].

Now in fairness & complete disclosure... 2008 was a bubble year if there ever was one... and was something like TWICE the typical production levels of a decade earlier [if averaged].

So typical consumption was 50 units or there abouts - then 40 for 2010 doesn't seem quite so bad - only off 20% from long term trend which makes sense for a 'recession'. The damned bubble distorted everything - then and now.

MrM wrote:

Note that lean inventories and rising sales are the right mix to encourage businesses to build their inventories in what would be a big plus for the jobs outlook.

Or a move by holders of inventory to initiate fire sales to empty storage facilities in order to close them.

Well guys and gals, looks like Uncle Sam is going to set up shop in Haiti for a while. Things are bad as I had feared. Wonder how long we will stay? Should have some more info tomorrow, look at what units are being sent...but the early reports indicate they won't all be logistical...straws keep falling on the camel's back.... part of me can't really object this time, people need help.

I'll tell ya what we need.

We need a tax on taxes, so we can make homelessness less affordable.

My state just sold it's gov buildings. Makes me want to move, how embarasing.

Look on the bright side, josap. Maybe the sale includes the politicians inside.

Pheonix needs Hatians more than Hatians need Phoenocians.

Just a standard note- not really a sale, no property taxes, just a loan against the property.
I have not read the default provisions, nor do I wish to read them, then I would know all of the secrets, instead of just most of them;-}

Someday this war's gonna end...

Here's your inventory bounce:

Bernie's files Chapter 11, closing all stores | Hartford Business

CPI.....Option Expiration Day,,,,,,, FDIC Friday,,,Intel Numbers

Bring on Friday.

Hey 2010, time to start talking Mexican revolution again... courtesy of WSJonline:

A Revolutionary Idea in Mexico: Don't Have One This Century

There are some lurkers here who need to post.

You know who you are.

Citizen AllenM wrote:

Not much more to sell. Now we have to raise taxes to pay our way. This is going to be very very very interesting.

What does the cash burn look like - will they hit the wall before the election? One would think these guys were smart enough to hock enough stuff to be certain to be beyond Nov 2010 before they run out again - right? I mean they can add, subtract and divide - right?

I remember reading a study about a town up in Minnesota. Small town with mostly German roots... deep fried everything. Lots of meat and potatoes and beer...overweight and many considered obese. Very little heart disease, but they were all farmers and worked from sun up to sun down everyday except Sunday.

I really want to see that lease.
And it better be made public, this is the tax payers property at least in theory.

Of course when a body is dropped from a tall building I bet it can bouce higher than .4%

Vonbek777 wrote:

Very little heart disease, but they were all farmers and worked from sun up to sun down everyday except Sunday.

Food for Living Clinic

Yagij,"Yes,we can employees!" FIFY

Export volume up more than import volume... and yet our trade deficit increases. Peculiar.