Archive for January, 2008

  • Worst January Ever
    , January 31st, 2008 at 9:37 am

    With one day left, this could be the worst January ever. Through yesterday’s close, the Dow is down -6.2%. The record is -8.6% from 1916. [...]

  • The Fed Cuts Again
    , January 30th, 2008 at 2:17 pm

    Fifty points this time. Here’s the statement: The Federal Open Market Committee decided today to lower its target for the federal funds rate 50 basis [...]

  • Thoughts on the Economic Stimulus Package
    , January 28th, 2008 at 4:03 pm

    From the Onion: Congress agreed on an economic stimulus package that would give individual taxpayers a rebate of up to $600. What do you think? [...]

  • Sysco’s Earnings
    , January 28th, 2008 at 12:15 pm

    I’m on the road this week, so posting will be on the light side. There are a few things to mention. First, Sysco (SYY) reported [...]

  • Donaldson Increases Dividend 10%
    , January 25th, 2008 at 1:09 pm

    Good news from Donaldson (DCI). The company raised its per-share dividend to 11 cents from 10 cents. This is the 22nd straight year that DCI [...]

  • Harley’s Earnings
    , January 25th, 2008 at 12:27 pm

    Harley-Davidson (HOG) reported Q4 earnings of 78 cents a share, four cents below estimates. Last year, HOG made 97 cents for the fourth quarter. The [...]

  • The Yield Curve
    , January 25th, 2008 at 10:46 am

    Here’s a colorful chart: This is the point I’m trying to get across. I believe the Fed’s rate cut was NOT a cut to prop [...]

  • French Trader Surrenders $7.14 Billion
    , January 24th, 2008 at 11:44 am

    Ever heard of Jerome Kerviel? Me neither, but he’s apparently the rogue trader behind Société Générale’s $7.4 billion trading loss. That’s more than Amaranth ($6.6 [...]

  • The Fed's Charter
    , January 24th, 2008 at 10:41 am

    Just in case anyone’s curious, here’s what it says: FEDERAL RESERVE ACT SECTION 2A—Monetary Policy Objectives The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System [...]

  • The Fed’s Charter
    , January 24th, 2008 at 10:41 am

    Just in case anyone’s curious, here’s what it says: FEDERAL RESERVE ACT SECTION 2A—Monetary Policy Objectives The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System [...]

  • Soros “The worst market crisis in 60 years”
    , January 24th, 2008 at 10:15 am

    Now celebrating 10 years of predicting the end of the world, George Soros takes a huge dive into the pool of confirmation bias: Everything that [...]

  • Earnings from Stryker and Danaher
    , January 24th, 2008 at 9:39 am

    After the close yesterday, Stryker (SYK) reported earnings of 66 cents a share, which was a 20% jump over last year. For 2008, the company [...]

  • Editors at MarketWatch Keeping It Real
    , January 24th, 2008 at 9:35 am

    You can already see Murdoch’s influence. (Via ValleyWag)

  • Bullpen IPO
    , January 23rd, 2008 at 3:49 pm

    Randy Newson, a rookie relief pitcher with the Cleveland Indians, is having an IPO. Of himself. He’s selling 4% of his future earnings. There are [...]

  • Buy at 10, Sell at 3
    , January 23rd, 2008 at 3:44 pm

    I have to admit that this is getting fun. The bears are getting smushed. The saying “buy on rumors, sell on news” should be replaced [...]

  • Another Rough Day
    , January 23rd, 2008 at 9:43 am

    The market opened much lower again today, but the real action is in the bond market. Rates are plunging. The three-month T-bill just broke below [...]

  • Good Day for Us
    , January 22nd, 2008 at 4:37 pm

    Our Buy List was down -0.21% for the day compared with a -1.11% drop for the S&P 500. Until late in the day, we were [...]

  • Wall Street Rocked By Panic Selling!
    , January 22nd, 2008 at 4:24 pm

  • What the Fed Wants to Do
    , January 22nd, 2008 at 1:23 pm

    I find myself in the unfamiliar position of defending the Federal Reserve. Please bear with me because this is strange for me but what they [...]

  • Fasten Your Seatbelts!
    , January 22nd, 2008 at 7:56 am

    7:56 am: I’m going to abandon traditional blogging today in favor of quick updates. The market will open 90 minutes from now and the Dow [...]