The ATM that dispenses gold
Gold to Go... shopper admires the machine
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3672229/The-ATM-that-dispenses-gold.html#ixzz1QyTf4qel
Saturday, July 2, 2011
The ATM that dispenses gold
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3672229/The-ATM-that-dispenses-gold.html#ixzz1QyTf4qel
Friday, July 1, 2011
The 25 Best Hedge Funds Of Q2 2011
Based on our calculations here are the 25 best hedge funds of second quarter:
| Fund | No. Stocks | Q2 Return |
| Corriente Advisors | 3 | 17.7% |
| Hawkshaw Capital Management | 4 | 14.0% |
| LaGrange Capital | 8 | 13.4% |
| Manatuck Hill Partners | 10 | 12.6% |
| Lane Five Capital | 6 | 11.5% |
| Icahn Capital LP | 9 | 10.4% |
| Criterion Capital | 8 | 9.8% |
| Accipiter Capital Management | 8 | 9.4% |
| OrbiMed Advisors | 38 | 8.7% |
| Arrow Capital Management | 9 | 8.4% |
| Solus Alternative Asset Mgmt. | 4 | 8.1% |
| Akre Capital Management | 13 | 7.3% |
| White Elm Capital | 8 | 7.2% |
| Silver Capital Management LLC | 11 | 7.0% |
| Halcyon Asset Management | 2 | 6.9% |
| Amber Capital | 6 | 6.8% |
| JANA Partners | 9 | 6.7% |
| ValueAct Capital | 9 | 6.5% |
| Visium Asset Management | 67 | 6.5% |
| Scout Capital Management | 10 | 6.2% |
| Gates Capital Management | 10 | 6.1% |
| Healthcor Management LP | 25 | 6.0% |
| MHR Fund Management | 1 | 6.0% |
| Brencourt Advisors | 10 | 5.9% |
| Trian Partners | 6 | 5.8% |
Read more: http://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/2011/07/01/25-best-hedge-funds-of-q2-2011/#ixzz1QuRTC4Qc
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-25-best-hedge-funds-of-q2-2011-2011-7
Internal Latency Checker - DPC
http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml
If any kernel-mode device driver in your Windows system is implemented improperly and causes excessive latencies of Deferred Procedure Calls (DPCs) then probably drop-outs will occur when you use real-time audio or video streaming applications. For an explanation of this effect see Background information below.
The DPC Latency Checker tool determines the maximum DPC latency that occurs on your Windows system and thus enables you to check the real-time capabilities of your computer. DPC Latency Checker works independent of any external hardware. Using this tool may be helpful in the following situations:
If any kernel-mode device driver in your Windows system is implemented improperly and causes excessive latencies of Deferred Procedure Calls (DPCs) then probably drop-outs will occur when you use real-time audio or video streaming applications. For an explanation of this effect see Background information below.
The DPC Latency Checker tool determines the maximum DPC latency that occurs on your Windows system and thus enables you to check the real-time capabilities of your computer. DPC Latency Checker works independent of any external hardware. Using this tool may be helpful in the following situations:
- You experience interruptions (drop-outs) in a flow of data processed in real-time, for example an audio stream, video stream or a sequence of measuring data, and you want to find out the reason for this problem.
- You want to verify that your Windows system is configured properly so that it is capable of handling real-time data transfer before you install the corresponding streaming application.
- You want to check if a particular computer system is suitable for streaming applications, for example before you buy this system.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Eurocrats one step closer to Tobin Tax
http://www.cityam.com/news-and-analysis/fury-eurocrats-vote-tobin-tax The tax would levy a 0.05 per cent fee on the total value of “every type of financial transaction” that goes through any institution in Europe, pushing up the cost of economic activity at a time when the region is struggling to stage a convincing recovery.
It would hit the foreign exchange markets particularly hard
It would hit the foreign exchange markets particularly hard
Kitco offices raided - 175 tax agents issue warrants, seize documents
Quebec tax authorities raided the offices of one of Canada's largest gold trading and research firms, Kitco Metals Inc., probing whether the company and several others may have illegally avoided paying more than C$150 million (US$154 million) in Quebec sales taxes.
Revenu Quebec hasn't pressed any charges. But in a statement, it said it had reason to believe that Kitco, a privately owned precious-metals trader and research firm based in Montreal, worked with several entities and individuals in a scheme involving gold-bullion and gold-scrap transactions that allowed them to inappropriately collect provincial tax credits.
The agency also said it had reason to believe another privately owned Montreal gold wholesaler, Carmen International Inc., was involved in a similar scheme, as well as 124 other scrap-gold and precious-metals companies that served as intermediaries, or were complicit in the alleged fraud.
The total value of the alleged illegal transactions amounted to a total of C$1.8 billion and allegedly defrauded the government of more than C$150 million in taxes, the agency said.
Kitco said in a statement that Revenu Quebec's claims are unfounded and that it intends to contest the allegations. Joseph Chesir, one of the founders of Carmen International, declined to comment when reached over the phone Friday.
Revenu Quebec said 175 tax agents issued warrants and seized documents at 70 businesses starting on Tuesday. A Revenu Quebec spokeswoman said the agency is reviewing the documents before deciding whether to press formal charges.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304778304576377852269636870.html
Revenu Quebec hasn't pressed any charges. But in a statement, it said it had reason to believe that Kitco, a privately owned precious-metals trader and research firm based in Montreal, worked with several entities and individuals in a scheme involving gold-bullion and gold-scrap transactions that allowed them to inappropriately collect provincial tax credits.
The agency also said it had reason to believe another privately owned Montreal gold wholesaler, Carmen International Inc., was involved in a similar scheme, as well as 124 other scrap-gold and precious-metals companies that served as intermediaries, or were complicit in the alleged fraud.
The total value of the alleged illegal transactions amounted to a total of C$1.8 billion and allegedly defrauded the government of more than C$150 million in taxes, the agency said.
Kitco said in a statement that Revenu Quebec's claims are unfounded and that it intends to contest the allegations. Joseph Chesir, one of the founders of Carmen International, declined to comment when reached over the phone Friday.
Revenu Quebec said 175 tax agents issued warrants and seized documents at 70 businesses starting on Tuesday. A Revenu Quebec spokeswoman said the agency is reviewing the documents before deciding whether to press formal charges.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304778304576377852269636870.html
Thursday, June 23, 2011
NFA uncovers D2W fraud
http://www.nfa.futures.org/basicnet/Case.aspx?entityid=0396774&case=11MRA00004&contrib=NFA
From D2W's website (which is active as of 6/23/2011):
From D2W's website (which is active as of 6/23/2011):
Scientists find city life more stressful than rural life
Scientists have confirmed what every urbanite has long suspected – life in the city is more stressful.
Researchers have shown that the parts of the brain dealing with stress and emotion are affected by living among the crowds.
The findings help shed light on why those who are born and raised in urban areas are more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression and schizophrenia than those brought up in the countryside.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2006988/A-rural-life-better-Living-concrete-jungle-really-stressful-make-vulnerable-depression.html#ixzz1Q7MIEACH
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Nebraska Nuclear Plant Level 4: Catastrophic situation says report from Russia
A shocking report prepared by Russia’s Federal Atomic Energy Agency (FAAE) on information provided to them by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) states that the Obama regime has ordered a “total and complete” news blackout relating to any information regarding the near catastrophic meltdown of the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant located in Nebraska.
According to this report, the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant suffered a “catastrophic loss of cooling” to one of its idle spent fuel rod pools on 7 June after this plant was deluged with water caused by the historic flooding of the Missouri River which resulted in a fire causing the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) to issue a “no-fly ban” over the area.
According to this report, the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant suffered a “catastrophic loss of cooling” to one of its idle spent fuel rod pools on 7 June after this plant was deluged with water caused by the historic flooding of the Missouri River which resulted in a fire causing the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) to issue a “no-fly ban” over the area.
Here's an interesting report from Pakistan's daily newspaper The Nation.
It cites a Russian regulatory agency as saying that the US is currently having a major nuclear emergency at the flooded plant in Nebraska and that the Obama Administration is trying to cover it up.
The Russian report describes the Nebraska situation as one of the worst nuclear accidents in the history of the United States.
Bear in mind that this report comes from Russia and Pakistan--two countries that aren't particularly happy with Obama right now.
But the FAA has enacted a no-fly zone over the Fort Calhoun nuke plant, which was damaged by a fire and flooding from the Missouri river.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/nebraska-nuclear-meltdown-2011-6#ixzz1PuuJ7iFB
Monday, June 20, 2011
Greece close to meltdown: Revolution, Power Outages, Chaos
'DON'T BE SURPRISED IF ATHENS GOES UP IN FLAMES'...
GREEK PM PLEADS FOR UNITY!
...warns against default - Greece faces power outages - Europe Wrangles
GREEK PM PLEADS FOR UNITY!
...warns against default - Greece faces power outages - Europe Wrangles
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13830466 For more than three weeks protesters have occupied the square opposite the Greek parliament. They have pitched their blue and grey tents and hung their slogans from the orange trees.
"We got the solution. Revolution," declares one poster. "Rise up people of the world," urges another.
Inspired by the Arab uprisings, they have dug in to oppose further spending cuts in exchange for a second bail-out by the EU and IMF.
The encampment, however, hardly crackles with revolutionary fervour. It has the feel of an anti-globalisation village, nestled in amongst Africans selling handbag copies and bright-rimmed sunglasses.
The Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou is depicted as riding the CIA/IMF plane. He is portrayed as a capitalist stooge.
The activists bicker amongst themselves about real democracy.
"We have no leaders here," said one proudly. They go into contortions about interviews in case by speaking out it is judged as assuming a leadership role.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
CIA fears military coup in Greece
This could be another Lehman moment
The difference in opinions over the Greek debt crisis between Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy may well be explained by the fact the French banking system is at more immediate risk from any meltdown than its German counterpart.
France is the most exposed of any developed country to Greece reneging on its huge debts.
The French are sitting on a £35billion exposure compared with £21billion for Germany, according to the Bank for International Settlements.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2004962/Greece-bailout-IMF-chief-warns-Greek-crisis-threatens-global-economy.html#ixzz1Pk33xdYw
Gold & Silver trading bans for US residents begin July 15th
Elimination of OTC Forex
Effective 90 days from its inception, the Dodd-Frank Act bans most retail OTC forex transactions. Section 742(c) of the Act states as follows:
…A person [which includes companies] shall not offer to, or enter into with, a person that is not an eligible contract participant, any agreement, contract, or transaction in foreign currency except pursuant to a rule or regulation of a Federal regulatory agency allowing the agreement, contract, or transaction under such terms and conditions as the Federal regulatory agency shall prescribe…
This provision will not come into effect, however, if the CFTC or another eligible federal body issues guidelines relating to the regulation of foreign currency within 90 days of its enactment. Registrants and the public are currently being encouraged by the CFTC to provide insight into how the Act should be enforced. See CFTC Rulemakings regarding OTC Derivatives located at the following website address, under Section XX – Foreign Currency (Retail Off Exchange). It is essential that OTC forex participants seek professional help to discuss possible operational and regulatory contingency plans.
Elimination of OTC Metals
As for OTC precious metals such as gold or silver, Section 742(a) of the Act prohibits any person [which again includes companies]from entering into, or offering to enter into, a transaction in any commodity with a person that is not an eligible contract participant or an eligible commercial entity, on a leveraged or margined basis. This provision intends to expand the narrow so called “Zelener fix” in the Farm Bill previously ratified by congress in 2008. The Farm Bill empowered the CFTC to pursue anti-fraud actions involving rolling spot transactions and/or other leveraged forex transactions without the need to prove that they are futures contracts. The Dodd-Frank Act now expands this authority to include virtually all retail cash commodity market products that involve leverage or margin – in other words OTC precious metals.
The prohibition of Section 742(a) does not apply, however, if such a transaction results in actual delivery within 28 days, or creates an enforceable obligation to deliver between a seller and a buyer that have the ability to deliver, and accept delivery of, the commodity in connection with their lines of business. This may be problematic as in most spot metals trading virtually all contracts fail to meet these requirements. As a result, although the courts’ interpretation of Section 742(a) is unknown, Section 742(a) is likely to have a significantly negative impact on the OTC cash precious metals industry. Here too, it is essential that those who offer to be a counterparty to OTC metals transactions seek professional help to discuss possible operational and regulatory contingency plans.
Small Pool Exemption Eliminated
Pursuant to Section 403 of Act, the “privateadviser” exemption, namelySection 203(b)(3) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“Advisers Act”), will be eliminated within one year of the Act’s effective date (July 21, 2011). Historically, many unregistered U.S. fund managers had relied on this exemption to avoid registration where they:
(1) had fewer than 15 clients in the past 12 months;
(2) do not hold themselves out generally to the public as investment advisers; and
(3) do not act as investment advisers to a registered investment company or business development company.
At present, advisers can treat the unregistered funds that they advise, rather than the investors in those funds, as their clients for purposesof this exemption. A common practice has thus evolved whereby certain advisers manage up to 14 unregistered funds without having to register under the Advisers Act. Accordingly, the removal of this exemption represents a significant shift in the regulatory landscape, as this practice will no longer be allowable in approximately one year.
Also an important consideration, the Dodd-Frank Act mandates new federal registration and regulation thresholds based on the amount of assets a manager has under management ("AUM"). Although not yet underway, it is possible that various states may enact legislation designed to create a similar registration framework for managers whose AUM fall beneath the new federal levels.
Accredited Investor Qualifications
Section 413(a) of the Act alters the financial qualifications of who can be considered an accredited investor, and thus a qualified as eligible participant (“QEP”). Specifically, the revised accredited investor standard includes only the following types of individuals:
1) A natural person whose individual net worth, or joint net worth with spouse, is at least $1,000,000, excluding the value of such investor's primary residence;
2) A natural person who had individual income in excess of $200,000 in each of the two most recent years or joint income with spouse in excess of $300,000 in each of those years and a reasonable expectation of reaching the same income level in the current year; or
3) A director, executive officer, or general partner of the issuer of the securities being offered or sold, or a director, executive officer, or general partner of a general partner of that issuer.
Based on this language, it is important to note that the revised accredited investor standard only applies to new investors and does not cover existing investors. However, additional subscriptions from existing investors are generally treated as requiring confirmation of continuing investor eligibility.
On July 27th, 2010, the SEC provided additional clarity regarding the valuation of an individual’s primary residence when calculating net worth. In particular, the SEC has interpreted this provision as follows:
Section 413(a) of the Dodd-Frank Act does not define the term “value,” nor does it address the treatment of mortgage and other indebtedness secured by the residence for purposes of the net worth calculation…Pending implementation of the changes to the Commission’s rules required by the Act, the related amount of indebtedness secured by the primary residence up to its fair market value may also be excluded. Indebtedness secured by the residence in excess of the value of the home should be considered a liability and deducted from the investor’s net worth.
h/t Ryan
READ FULL ARTICLE ON ZERO HEDGE
Friday, June 17, 2011
15 Million Lots available in MT4
EES FX ECN now offering 15 Million Lots in MT4 http://eesfx.com/ecn
MT4 normally restricts demo and live accounts to 1,000 lots. Of course, with 50:1 leverage, in order to trade 15 Million Lots, which is 1.5 Trillion, would require a deposit of 30 Billion.
1,000 Lots is 100 Million, so with a deposit of 10 Million, the 1,000 lot limit would be restrictive. 15 Million is a high enough limit that it is for most accounts high enough where only leverage limitations would be implemented.
http://eesfx.com/ecn
MT4 normally restricts demo and live accounts to 1,000 lots. Of course, with 50:1 leverage, in order to trade 15 Million Lots, which is 1.5 Trillion, would require a deposit of 30 Billion.
1,000 Lots is 100 Million, so with a deposit of 10 Million, the 1,000 lot limit would be restrictive. 15 Million is a high enough limit that it is for most accounts high enough where only leverage limitations would be implemented.
http://eesfx.com/ecn
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Bilderbergers promulgate their opinions
US Housing Crisis Now Worse Than Great Depression...
Since stimulus passed, 1.9 M fewer Americans working...
REPORT: Gold headed for $5K an ounce...
OPEC sees risk of price rise, shortage...
Bernanke: Failure to raise debt ceiling could result in severe market disruption...
Santelli: Bond Market Trading Indicates Little Fear Of Default...
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