Brokers

Pretty sad story reported recently…but sad, as in pathetic. (…)

In one of my most recent posts I discussed the "ready to explode" product issued by brokerage firms called "auction rate preferred securities."
Well, that didn't take long. (…)

"Mr. Valentine has set the price!"
Or, in this case Mr. Bernanke sets the price. (…)

You may not have heard of the term "auction rate preferred securities."
Yet.
If you have not, you probably will soon. (…)

Let's talk about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
How could these two companies be "OK" a week ago — and now this week they seem on the brink of disaster? (…)

 Looking at relative strength changes really helps to drive home underlying themes in the market. (…)

Oh boy, these kinds of headlines are never good.
Two former Bear Stearns portfolio managers were arrested this week, not because they did a poor job of managing money. (…)

Do you remember the television program, "Who wants to be a Millionaire"?The show was actually featured in a terrific book "The Wisdom of Crowds" by James Suriowiecki. (…)

The period we're in now is not necessarily a "bull market" or a "bear market" but more like a structurally "fair market." I didn't make that up on my own — Tom Dorsey, from Dorsey Wright and Associates in Richmond coined that term. (…)

There was an article distributed nationwide, written by the Associated Press, and carried locally in the Asbury Park Press on March 22, 2008. (…)

All these firms hold the same investments.
There is STILL considerable risk in the group.
Why did this happen to just Bear Stearns? (…)

UPDATE: Sunday evening, 03/16/2008: Bear Stearns to be acquired by JPMorgan Chase for $2.00 in stock swap deal.
That is NOT a typo!
The stock closed at $30 on Friday. On Thursday, it was $57.00. (…)

The news surrounding Bear Stearns on Friday morning was not good! There are several important elements to this story. (…)

Most Wall Street recommendations to buy are based on projected future revenues and/or projected future earnings. Projected. Or you could say, "predicted". (…)

Most Wall Street recommendations to buy are based on projected future revenues and/or projected future earnings. Projected. Or you could say, "predicted". (…)

The beauty of the Point & Figure chart is that the chart has no preconceived bias. (…)

I've labeled this “the yikes spiral” because typically this happens when certain markets are in free fall. (…)

The big reason why the market fell apart this summer was because the financial stocks — the brokerage firms in particular — really struggled. (…)