Taleb betting on the collapse of government bonds

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-11/-black-swan-author-taleb-says-he-bets-on-collapse-of-government-bonds.html

Nassim Nicholas Taleb, who warned that unforeseen events can roil markets in "The Black Swan," said he is "betting on the collapse of government bonds" and that investors should avoid stocks.

"I'm very pessimistic," he said at the Discovery Invest Leadership Summit in Johannesburg today. "By staying in cash or hedging against inflation, you won't regret it in two years."

Treasuries have rallied amid speculation the global economic recovery is faltering, driving yields on two-year notes to a record low of 0.4892 percent today. The Federal Reserve yesterday reversed plans to exit from monetary stimulus and decided to keep its bond holdings level to support an economic recovery it described as weaker than anticipated. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index retreated 16 percent between April 23 and July 2, the biggest slump during the bull market.

 

Let’s get real. The U.S. is bankrupt. Neither spending more nor taxing less will help the country pay its bills.

Let's get real. The U.S. is bankrupt. Neither spending more nor taxing less will help the country pay its bills.

What it can and must do is radically simplify its tax, health-care, retirement and financial systems, each of which is a complete mess... http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-11/u-s-is-bankrupt-and-we-don-t-even-know-commentary-by-laurence-kotlikoff.html

Thousands of online banking customers have accounts emptied by 'most dangerous trojan virus ever created'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1302062/New-trojan-virus-Zeus-v3-empties-online-bank-accounts.html#ixzz0wJhjn8Yl

Thousands of online banking customers have accounts emptied by 'most dangerous trojan virus ever created'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1302062/New-trojan-virus-Zeus-v3-empties-online-bank-accounts.html#ixzz0wJuVG4kE

3.26% Guaranteed by US Government

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-19/treasury-futures-rise-a-fourth-day-as-slowing-growth-boosts-safety-demand.html Treasury 10-year futures contracts held gains from a three-day rally as economists said reports this week will show U.S. housing starts fell and a measure of the outlook for economic growth declined.

Two-year yields were near a record low as declines in stocks around the world boosted demand for the relative safety of government debt. The difference between yields on 10-year notes and Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, a gauge of expectations for consumer prices, narrowed to 1.71 percentage points, three basis points away from a nine-month low.

"U.S. Treasuries are still attractive," said Sungjin Park, who helps oversee the equivalent of $51 billion in debt assets as head of fixed income in Seoul at Samsung Investment Trust Management, South Korea's largest private investor. "A double- dip recession is inevitable" in the U.S., he said.

The implied yield on 10-year futures contracts for September delivery was little changed 3.26 percent as of 10:47 a.m. in Singapore, based on electronic transactions at the Chicago Board of Trade. The price was 123 7/32.

Finance ‘experts’ wish for Forex Tax

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jul/18/tobin-tax-financial-transactions

Finance experts call for 'Tobin tax' on foreign exchange trades

• Levy of 0.005% on $1m foreign exchange deal would be $50

• Billions of transactions a year would raise about $33bn

http://robinhoodtax.org.uk/

CLS 3^rd Party Participant list:

http://www.cls-group.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/TP%20List.pdf

Survey finds discrepancy in Unemployment figures: Real unemployment 22%, 28%

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/careers/what-is-the-real-unemployment-rate/19556146/ Raghavan Mayur, president at TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence, follows unemployment data closely. So, when his survey for May revealed that 28% of the 1,000-odd households surveyed reported that at least one member was looking for a full-time job, he was flummoxed.

World at Risk of Folding in on Itself: Deputy Doom

http://www.cnbc.com/id/38255206 World at Risk of Folding in on Itself: Deputy Doom

Wall Street Reform Bill passes – Goldman fined 550M

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_financial_overhaul;_ylt=AurfNYgWXRUmAoGwT3cReVKs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNsNWpwZWpsBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNzE1L3VzX2ZpbmFuY2lhbF9vdmVyaGF1bARjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzEEcG9zAzIEcHQDaG9tZV9jb2tlBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA3NlbmF0ZWNsZWFycw--
WASHINGTON – Congress on Thursday passed the stiffest restrictions on banks and Wall Street since the Great Depression, clamping down on lending practices and expanding consumer protections to prevent a repeat of the 2008 meltdown that knocked the economy to its knees.

A year in the making and 22 months after the collapse of Lehman Brothers triggered a worldwide panic in credit and other markets, the bill cleared its final hurdle with a 60-39 Senate vote. It now goes to the White House for President Barack Obama's signature, expected as early as Wednesday.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-07-15/goldman-sachs-to-pay-550-million-to-settle-sec-suit.html July 15 (Bloomberg) -- Goldman Sachs Group Inc. agreed to pay $550 million and change its business practices to settle U.S. regulatory claims it misled investors in collateralized debt obligations linked to subprime mortgages.

EES – PFG Webinar Archive

https://pfgbest.webex.com/ec0600l/eventcenter/recording/recordAction.do?siteurl=pfgbest&theAction=archive

Topic:  Automated Forex Systems for Spot FX-20100701 2033-2 Recording date:  Thursday, July 1, 2010 4:15 pm   Central Daylight Time (GMT -05:00, Chicago) Panelist Information:  Elite E Services Duration:  42 mins

Overview:This presentation will explain how to use automated Forex systems in spot FX using the MT4 trading platform and the advantages of using a system vs. not using a system. We will cover an actual trading system, the DRS system; offered by Elite E Services FX; a registered CTA. This system, after explanation, will be available for lease or purchase to anyone interested.

Roubini to Obama: Stop kicking the can down the road

"We have to recognize that Americans are adults," Roubini said during a radio interview with Tom Keene on Bloomberg Surveillance. "Then we have to speak to them straightforward about the risks and challenges that we have, rather than kicking the can down the road."

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-07-14/roubini-says-obama-should-address-nation-as-adults-tom-keene.html

Opera Browser

http://www.opera.com/browser/download/ Download

http://blog.taragana.com/index.php/archive/10-best-opera-widget/ 10 best widgets

“It’s T Time” – EES Releases DRS T for EES FX Subscribers

New features in DRS T:

• Individual vs. Group trailing stops
  
• Multiple trend entry filters (Bulls/Bears – Least Squares – Polynomial)
  
• Percent account lot size calculation
  
• Account protection
  
• Dynamic trailing stop
  

http://eesfx.com/portal/31-drs-t/148-drst-v2-new-version-good-results.html

http://eesfx.com/portal/31-drs-t/142-drs-t-live-demo-test.html

Information about DRS T is available free at http://eesfx.com – use of the EA is for subscribers only.

Click here to subscribe

EES - FX Trader Magazine - High Frequency Trading and Market Stability

EES - FX Trader Magazine - High Frequency Trading and Market Stability

How to send messages to skype using an Expert Advisor from MT4

http://articles.mql4.com/495

Russian spy blunder – wrote down passwords

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10446390.stm The funniest aspect of the careers of the 10 alleged Russian "agents" arrested in the US is how inept they were - and how apparently unsuccessful.

They have not even been charged with espionage, only with not registering as agents, or representatives, of a foreign government and with money laundering.

…Another couple, "Donald Heathfield and Tracey Foley", the "Boston Conspirators", also seem to have been doing rather too well. Their accounting of $64,000 (£42,500) given to them reads like the expenses of a British MP - "meals and gifts $1,250"; "education $3,600"; "business (cover) $4,900" etc.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-29/u-s-espionage-claims-recall-cold-war-spy-mania-russian-government-says.html The U.S. Justice Department's claims that it broke up a Russian spy ring are "regrettable" and reminiscent of the Cold War at a time when relations are improving, Russia's Foreign Ministry said.

"Such actions are completely unfounded and serve unseemly goals," the ministry said today on its website. The allegations are "in the spirit of cold war spy mania," according to the statement.

YOU SPYING ON ME? - 'Invisible ink', coded messages... - Ring's 'femme fatale'... - Moscow calls claims 'baseless and improper'... - Busted!

FBI used high-tech spycraft...