media impact

A client called me today, curious about buying shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  He said, "I'm sitting at home, watching the stock market channel and I'm amazed.  I am seeing all of the shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac changing hands.  The stock prices are so cheap.  But, Tom, I thought these two companies were gone?  Can I still buy them — and maybe make a few bucks on them? (…)

That was the headline I found over at CBS Marketwatch.  As usual, the news media is whipping (anyone who will read) into a frenzy about Lehman Brothers.  More news may be forthcoming about Lehman — between the time I finish writing this and the time you read this. (…)

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. (…)

Exxon reported nearly $12 billion in profits for the previous quarter recently. $12 billion! More net profits in one quarter, than ever recorded in the history of mankind.
And what did the stock do? (…)

Nearly 20 years ago, when I worked in Chicago, I became friends with a gentleman named Joe Lopresti. Today, Joe is the President of Arlington Capital Management. (…)

Sometimes, trying to get your arms around a gigantic number (for example, the area of earth covered by land) just takes time. (…)

The line heard in every economic recession, and every single stock market pullback is: this time it's different. (…)

Bank Failures in Nevada and California
The headlines this past weekend showed that US regulators took over two banks Friday afternoon and sold them both to Mutual of Omaha bank. (…)

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? (…)

The stock market has been discounting (marking down the price) of Wall Street brokers and banks since May. The charts of all of these stocks began to turn down in the spring. (…)

Friday morning, October 5, the Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board (Donald Kohn) was quoted as saying "a one half point rate cut may be enough."
That headline sent the bond market into a tailspin. (…)