Archive for taipan
Taipan is a retired commodity broker, forex trader and portfolio manager who enjoys following the forex, stock, and commodities markets and drawing upon his 40 years or so of trading experience to post articles to a series of blogs. While Taipan is not always right with his forecasts he usually offers some interesting insights into markets. Actually if he weren't so modest he would tell you that in the big strategic picture he is almost always right. Taipan is very distrustful of statements made by stock brokers, stock analysis, so called forex experts, and in general talking heads. The investor who thinks that the playing field is level and that he can depend upon MSNBC and CNN for inside trading information has got to be at least a little nuts. If you want to trade well you had better develop your own style and your own sources of reliable information. This blog will attempt to provide market trading information that will be helpful. However, always keep in mind that any decisions made to trade using this information are your sole responsibility. Taipan has been around long enough to know that the markets can make a fool out of anyone so never blindly follow what someone else suggests. To trade well you have to think well and the thoughts need to be your own.
Extreme Challenges May Destroy Next President’s Agenda
When one looks at the enormity of the extreme challenges that the next President of the United States will face one has to question the sanity of John McCain and Barack Obama. It is highly likely that during the next term severe consequences will take place as a result of the misdeeds, misjudgements, fraud, and in some cases inaction on the part of the Bush administration.
2Aug2008 | taipan | 0 comments | Continued
Obama Change in Tactics May Prove Fatal
Barack Obama, once the darling can do no wrong presidential candidate of the media, seems to be on a slippery downward slope since his highly publicized foreign tour to the Mid East, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Europe.
“Barack Obama has long been his party’s presumptive nominee. Now he’s becoming its presumptuous nominee,” wrote Dana Milbank, a columnist for the Washington Post.
“As he marches towards Inauguration Day (Election Day is but a milestone on that path) Obama’s biggest challenger may not be Republican John McCain but his own hubris.”
31Jul2008 | taipan | 0 comments | Continued
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Shares on Their Way to Zero
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac made the giant crazy sized long running American real estate bubble all possible. Released by congress from capital-ratio requirements and backed with a line of credit at the Treasury, they were able to buy a nearly unlimited amount of mortgages, which kept home mortgage financing flowing to a lot of people who had no ability to repay the mortgages. Today, Freddie or Fannie finance more than 80% of all new mortgages in the United States.
22Jul2008 | taipan | 0 comments | Continued
Jim Rogers on Fannie Mae Freddie Mac Bailout
The legendary investor, Jim Rogers, had a few hot words to say about the Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac rescue plan announced by Ben Bernanke and Hank Paulson over the weekend.
“I don’t know where these guys get the audacity to take our money, taxpayer money, and buy stock in Fannie Mae,” said Jim Rogers from his new home in Singapore in a Bloomberg interview . “So we’re going to bail out everybody else in the world. And it ruins the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet and it makes the dollar more vulnerable and it increases inflation.
14Jul2008 | taipan | 0 comments | Continued
Forex Market Implications of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Growing fears on the part of stock investors and forex traders that mortgage backers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may collapse and have to be taken over by the US government contributed to a wild trading day in the US stock market and the forex market on Friday.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shares have been hammered this year as the mortgage and US housing market crisis have become worse and worst witrh no end in sight. Together Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac insure almost fully 50% of the mortgages on American homes which runs into the many trillions of dollars. The two implicitly US government backed companies have had their shares prices hammered over the past year as losses on their loan portfolios mount. Their shares have now lost over 75% of their value and may not have bottomed out even at truly distressed prices.
12Jul2008 | taipan | 0 comments | Continued
End of Warren Buffet Era?
Warren Buffet is a skilled communicator in all aspects of life. Communication is the real key of leadership and has been key to Buffet’s long term success. Along with having the right investment strategy at the right time. However, in an age of rapid change and a restructuring of the world investment order Buffet’s buy and hold strategy may not produce nearly as good results in the future.
Warren communicates openly and frankly with his investors and makes sure that he can communicate effectively with the managers of a company before he buys it. In a global market that level of communication may be difficult to emulate when you may be interested in buying stock in a company located half a world away and immersed in an entirely foreign culture.
22Jun2008 | taipan | 0 comments | Continued
Hello Eugene,
Thanks for taking the time to read the post and for your comment.
Sadly, most Americans are still in a ...
Quite right,too.
When confronted by such experts I immediately ask why, if they're so clever, they're working ...
A very interesting and informative post, Taipan, even if depressing.
I'm certain I don't fully understand all the intricaties of ...
This is nice blog that is related to Stock Market Investing Courses that Investing in stocks is a more risky ...
