Friday, January 2, 2009

Are we following into "Japan" like depression??!

1/2/09

The following article or phrase I repost from other blogger. I have no credit of it. However, it is very correct fact information I want each of you to know. After reading those, whether you agree or not, I strongly believing his analysis.

Bernanke Correctly Judged Nothing

Bernanke considers himself an expert on the great depression and on the Japanese deflation as well. Trying to act quickly, Bernanke has come out blazing with 8 new policy tools, including the TALF, TARP, PDCF, ABCPMMMF, CPFF, TAF, and MMIFF to go on top of Open Market Operations, Discount Rate setting, and setting reserve requirements.

The result so far is deflation. The result in Japan was deflation.

There is only one way to defeat deflation and that is to not let the conditions that foster it to build up in the first place. What caused this deflationary bust is the credit boom that preceded it. What caused the great depression was the credit boom that preceded it. Hoover's policies and FDR's policies made the great depression worse.

Bernanke's policies are going to make this depression worse. Yes, I used the word depression. It may not be as big as the great depression, but the word "recession" does not do justice to what we are in and what is coming down the pike.

Obama's Bridge To Nowhere

John Maynard Keynes died in 1946, but to hear President elect Obama speak you would think he was going to be heading the treasury department. What does Obama propose to do when he takes office in January? Well other than raise taxes, and increase spending he believes in public works. That’s right, that’s his big plan. The same plan that didn’t help us during the Great Depression, or didn’t help the Japanese during their recession in the 1990’s, and they basically paved over everything they could.

When governments decide to follow the Keynesian philosophy they have to get the money for it, and there is only one place where that money can come from. The taxpayers will be paying the bill for all these new, and mostly useless, projects. This means government becomes bigger and has more control over the economy, it becomes more powerful, and governments don’t like to give up power or cut the fat out. Government is already too big, the expansion that Obama wants is practically Orwellian.

Aside from the government getting bigger and more intrusive there is the simple fact that Keynesian economics don’t work. When the stock market crashed in 1929 President Hoover, and later President Roosevelt decided that public works were the way to go. We built the Hoover Dam, put thousands of men to work on construction projects. Yet none of that prevented an even bigger stock market crash in 1936, and unemployment was never lower than 14%, that’s hardly an economic success story.

In the 1990’s the Japanese economy, suffering from a downturn fueled by deflation, the Japanese government desperate to keep unemployment low and to stimulate economic activity went on a building binge. They built bridges to nowhere that would have made Ted Stevens ashamed. All the building didn’t get the Japanese economy moving up until deflation ended, consumers started spending, and business became more productive.

Obama’s economic plan won’t accomplish any real economic growth. The only engine for economic growth is the free market. The Keynesian belief won’t add anything to the economy, but it will add to the debt, the tax burden, and increase the federal leviathan. If Obama goes through with his economic plans we can expect the economy to go from shaky to catastrophic. John Maynard Keynes is dead, it’s time his wrong headed economic philosophy join him.
Inquiring minds might be wondering why people, including some very prominent and otherwise highly intelligent professors believe in clearly discredited Keynesian Claptrap. The answer has to do with belief in something for nothing.

"Something For Nothing" Ideas Become Policy

1) Those with money control policies in Congress. In return for sponsoring policies that make no economic sense, corporations pour massive amounts of money into campaign coffers of those who will support whatever legislation the corporations want. The first thing corporations want is government sponsorship at taxpayer expense. The last thing corporations want is a free market.

2) Inflation (expansion of money and credit) is a stealth tax (theft), demolishing the middle class over time. Inflation allows government to collect more every year in property taxes, sales taxes, income taxes, etc., typically to pay for war mongering and social redistribution activities sponsored by the corporations that benefit from war mongering and social redistribution activities. The expansion of credit scheme "works" until it all blows up in deflationary bust every few generations.

3) Academia is a breeding ground for socialists. I discussed this aspect at length in ..... Academia likes to promote socialism and blame the free market for failures caused by excessive regulation.

4) People want to believe someone is in control. Even though it is crystal clear that the Fed is a huge part or the problem, people want to believe the Fed is in control. It is very discomforting to think the Fed has no idea what it is doing, so people simply refuse to accept the fact that the Fed has no idea what it is doing.

5) People want to trust the experts even though the experts screw them time and time again. The same thing exists in the stock market. People want to believe stocks will go up so they believe anyone who tells them stocks will go up.

6) There is an overwhelming propensity by everyone to seek something for nothing. People will listen to and vote for anyone promising something for nothing. Economic professors and members of Congress are both particularly adept at promoting something for nothing.

End of part of his analysis. Good luck on your investment in new year. If need help, please contact me.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

2008 World Stock Market Performance


1/1/09

Year of 2008 is in Historical Book in term of many categories. Of course, Dow & S&P were performed the worst since 1931(the year great depression) in term of percentage loss. Nasdaq tech was performed the worst ever in term of percentage loss too.

S&P 15mins chart

1/1/09

This is 15mins chart. Watch out for retrace.

Trading thoughts for New Year 2009

1/1/09

1. Be patient with trades and setups. Do not chase trades. Let them come to you. If you miss a trade, that's okay.

2. The best setups in this market focus on extremes. Buy extreme weakness and sell extreme strength.

3. Watch for accumulation patterns that form as prices base near lows. This will get you in on "bottom" trades early.

4. Ignore the market forecasters and pundits.

5. It's all about the charts. Price, volume, support, resistance, overbought and oversold indicators are all you need to make money.

6. Manage risk vigilantly.

7. Define your stop-loss and target before entering a trade, and stick to it!

8. Keep an eye on breakouts and watch for sectors that are well represented in breakout scans. These sectors will lead the next rally.

9. Do not watch CNBC.

S&P chart

1/1/2009

This is it. Let's watch if the 3rd time is different. Bears or Bulls. I know Chicago Bears are out of playoff but I am still Bears fan. As old saying in Wall Street, "As January goes, so does the year!!" Let's see how January goes(up or down)!!

2009 Outlook

1/1/2009

The S&P 500 will re-test the 750 lows in the first half of 2009, and we will close below 700 by the end of 2009. This bear market will not end in 2009.

Crude oil will stay below $80/barrel for all of 2009.

Gold will break out above $1000/oz.

The VIX will hit over 80 or make new high to 100 for the first time ever.

Unemployment rate will hit over 10.0%. Total Unemployment (U-6) will hit 20%.


Housing prices will keep dropping without finding any bottom.

Commercial real estate values will drop 30-40%. Land development, office space, warehouses, shopping malls, hotels, and resorts will do the worst. Large multi-family properties will do the “best” because they will house all the folks who will lose their homes.

20% of retailers will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The bailout money will run out in first half of 2009 and the Fed/Treasury will request an additional package…and be denied. This debate will drag on for months and months.

Numerous local municipalities and/or states will go bankrupt. Many states will be unable to pay out full unemployment benefits.

Yes,I am still very bearish. I do not see how our Bear Market(the worst since great depression as I pointed out in early 2008) can last for only 2 years. The last tech bear market lasted for about 2 1/2 years. In addition, the last 9 bear markets after world war II that all did not involve a global credit crisis! So, there are sure more disappointments ahead the hollow secular bear market ever.