Analysts say speculative oil trading is to blame for gas prices at $4 a gallon. Congress considers regulation and legislation. What happened to market forces of supply and demand?In the 2005 movie Syriana an oil company executive quotes Nobel Prize winning and renowned economist Milton Freedman: “Corruption is government intrusion into market efficiencies in the form of regulations”, he says.
Over at "VOLUME SPIKE" (vsinvestor.com) we were running some screens today and found two unusual option and stock movers worth noting today. These two moves...
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PokerTek, Inc. (NDAQ: PTEK) shares soared 38% before noon as traders believed institutional investors were impressed with the company's presentation at the Goldman Sachs Lodging, Gaming, Restaurant and Leisure Conference.
PennyStocking students understand that while the Supernova chart patterns on commodity plays like Pyramid Oil Company (PDO), Fieldpoint Petroleum Corporation (FPP), Royale Energy, Inc. (ROYL) and Mexco Energy Corporation (MXC) make them seem like they’ll just continue to collapse for weeks and months just like your typical pump and dumps like KENTUCKY USA ENERGY INC [...]
A huge loss due to speculative investment in real estate is not a remote possibility. Studies show that non-professional brokers are more prone to such losses, while professionals who know the ins-and-outs of the trade have gained. Capital appreciation in real estate investing is certain as property values are constantly on the rise. While depreciation [...]
Nilam Resources Inc. Rated ‘Speculative Buy,’ Target Price $2.61 by Beacon Equity
Research
DALLAS, Apr 29, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Nilam Resources Inc. (NILR) has been
rated Speculative Buy with a price target of $2.61 by Beacon Equity Research
Analyst, Victor Sula, Ph.D.
The full report is available at
Anyone interested in receiving alerts regarding Nilam Resources Inc. research
should e-mail [...]
Risk management is a relatively new and evolving field. Risk management usually refers to the process of identifying, measuring, controlling, and minimizing uncertainties which may directly or indirectly affect a desired outcome of a system. A great challenge indeed.Any process or procedure we can think of holds many uncertainties. Risk management tries to identify these uncertainties, assign probabilities and possible harm to each and every one and acts to minimize those risks.Two of the most basic terms used by risk managers are pure risks and speculative risks. All risks are historically associated to one of the two families. Understanding the motivation and reason behind this differentiation is key to taking your first steps in risk management.Every risk is at its base a known series of possible outcomes with possible benefits or harms. Each possibility has a known probability of realization (otherwise it is not a risk but an uncertainty and is dealt with differently).Pure risks ar
...any of the following things are true.Science Fiction:You can't handle the idea that your audience is smaller than fantasy and more specific.You think science fiction is retelling Star Wars or Star Trek ad naseum.You believe that FTL travel is logical and implies 'hard' science fiction.You think populating all alien planets with human-like, intelligent, spacefaring peoples, but giving them different cultures, is good creature building.You think that sound actually travels through the vacuum of space and so your characters can hear distant explosions through the hull of a ship.You think that info-dumping in science fiction is normal. Alternately, you believe that it's okay to confuse the reader by using science that most people wouldn't understand in such a way that the reader still doesn't get it.You can't take criticism of your science or of your story itself.You think it's okay for your main character to be completely awesome and not have flaws.You believe that your family
What do these two have in common? Well, if you know the game show (Deal or No Deal), you might have an idea already, if not, I'll try to give a quick synopsis of it.In the game show, you have 26 briefcases with different money amounts in them (from .01 to $1 million). 25 are held by models on stage, and the other one you choose for yourself. You cannot see what money amount you have picked until the end of the game. After you have picked your case, you are asked to have 6 cases opened that are up on stage. Once these amounts are opened, they are no longer available. This is the first "round". The second round you open 5 cases, then 4, then 3, etc. After each round, the game show (in the form of a guy called the banker) offers you some money to take instead of what's in your case. The offer is based on a mathematical formula based on how much money is still available in all the cases, and how many cases are left. So if the cases with the large amounts have already been opened, your of
I want you!That's right, I'm going through with this idea, but I can't do it alone. I need help from everyone out there. I don't want this to be a project that I do by myself, because I certainly do not have any sort of authority to do such a thing. So, I'm asking for involvement from the community. That means writers, readers, bloggers, etc. If you like SF and F, then you're welcome to include your opinion.Here's more information:Get involved! Your opinion matters. Suggest books, discuss why you think those books should be in a canon, etc.Talk about this project. Spread the word! The more people that get involved the better!Tell me what you think! Do you think I should move this project to its own page? Should it stay here? What do you think needs to be considered in the criteria? Etc.Remember the criteria (I added some stuff):PopularityThis is not what it sounds like. No books should be chosen purely on the fact that everyone out there bought it, read it, and love
I want you!That's right, I'm going through with this idea, but I can't do it alone. I need help from everyone out there. I don't want this to be a project that I do by myself, because I certainly do not have any sort of authority to do such a thing. So, I'm asking for involvement from the community. That means writers, readers, bloggers, etc. If you like SF and F, then you're welcome to include your opinion.Here's more information:Get involved! Your opinion matters. Suggest books, discuss why you think those books should be in a canon, etc.Talk about this project. Spread the word! The more people that get involved the better!Tell me what you think! Do you think I should move this project to its own page? Should it stay here? What do you think needs to be considered in the criteria? Etc.Remember the criteria (I added some stuff):PopularityThis is not what it sounds like. No books should be chosen purely on the fact that everyone out there bought it, read it, and love
In the last year I've been realizing some growing trends that have made reading very difficult for me. Some of these trends have been in books that have gained popularity and the worst part of this is that these books become examples of good speculative literature when in reality they are not even good literature to begin with. We should not accept these trends, or allow these trends in any way to shape the direction of speculative literature. To do so could very well kill the genre, or at least kill its chances to be accepted by the academic world. It is already difficult for the literary academia to accept science fiction or fantasy as true literature and they will have no reason and no desire to accept it if they are forced to sift through dozens of books just to find one that is written well. So here they are (feel free to add to this):POV ViolationsI've read two books now that violate POV. One time I can accept, even two times doesn't bother me too much, but when it becom
In the last year I've been realizing some growing trends that have made reading very difficult for me. Some of these trends have been in books that have gained popularity and the worst part of this is that these books become examples of good speculative literature when in reality they are not even good literature to begin with. We should not accept these trends, or allow these trends in any way to shape the direction of speculative literature. To do so could very well kill the genre, or at least kill its chances to be accepted by the academic world. It is already difficult for the literary academia to accept science fiction or fantasy as true literature and they will have no reason and no desire to accept it if they are forced to sift through dozens of books just to find one that is written well. So here they are (feel free to add to this):POV ViolationsI've read two books now that violate POV. One time I can accept, even two times doesn't bother me too much, but when it becom
US Dollar Loses Ground on Renewed Speculative Selling The US dollar continued lower against the euro and British pound, as renewed speculative interest added to greenback-short positioning through early-session New York trade. A mildly positive Wholesale Sales report failed to lift the downtrodden currency, as forex traders took the dollar's recent strength to add to Euro positions. The European single currency rallied 65 points to intraday highs of $1.4170, but a later moderation in US dollar selling left it at $1.4142 through time of writing. The British Pound Sterling was similarly bid, setting a multi-week peak of $2.0475 before scaling back ahead of the New York session close. Poor performance in the Dow and S&P 500 allowed the Japanese Yen to hold its ground against the dollar, which remained nearly flat at 117.23 Yen Morning Wholesale Inventories data lent little support to US financial markets, falling below consensus forecasts and showing tepid growth through August. Whol
US Dollar Loses Ground on Renewed Speculative Selling The US dollar continued lower against the euro and British pound, as renewed speculative interest added to greenback-short positioning through early-session New York trade. A mildly positive Wholesale Sales report failed to lift the downtrodden currency, as forex traders took the dollar's recent strength to add to Euro positions. The European single currency rallied 65 points to intraday highs of $1.4170, but a later moderation in US dollar selling left it at $1.4142 through time of writing. The British Pound Sterling was similarly bid, setting a multi-week peak of $2.0475 before scaling back ahead of the New York session close. Poor performance in the Dow and S&P 500 allowed the Japanese Yen to hold its ground against the dollar, which remained nearly flat at 117.23 Yen Morning Wholesale Inventories data lent little support to US financial markets, falling below consensus forecasts and showing tepid growth through August.
Our personalities, it could be said, fall into six categories: Faithful, greedy, hateful, deluded, speculative and intelligent, and if we tend toward the speculative and intelligent, it’s a good bet that our spiritual life will progress in fits and starts because we outsmart ourselves.
More: continued here
West Ham striker Carlos Tevez is likely to leave for Inter Milan this summer.
Thaksin Shinawatra has set his sights on bringing Shaun Wright-Phillips back to Manchester City when his takeover is complete.
Italian club Parma are keen to sign Manchester United striker Giuseppe Rossi on a permanent basis, following his superb loan spell.
Preston North End striker David Nugent has reportedly set
How do I know that we are in the middle of a market mania? I’ve mentioned a few things about low volatility, risk not being discounted, valuations, etc. Today, I want to mention two other things: IPO mania and M&A mania. Near the apex of a bubble, IPOs and mergers and acquisitions become more and [...]
Bradford Anderson has signed a contract. The question is now what are they going to do with Spinelli.WARNING WARNING. May discuss long term spoilers and mummers. This is more a post about speculation but i will mention a few spoilers that may or may not end up really happening.click to read moreI have heard two theories on the subject. I will admit I am not the genius that came up with these.Theory Number #1 Spinelli is Kate Howard's hidden kid.Prospective fathers being Sonny or Jax (yes believe it not it looks like Jax and Kate have a history too surprise surprise)I am fairly certain if they go this route that after the two Spinelli & Sonny scenes we have had that Sonny is Spins daddy.Was Spinelli left at relative of Kate's so she could become a powerhouse in the fashion world? Remember Spinelli has implied he has his own paternity issues just like little baby Jake. Secrets seemed to have played a part so perhaps "cousin" Connie or Kate would have visited Damian. He would have k
From CCTVBlue chips helped Chinese shares regain lost ground on Monday, despite mounting government concern about the red-hot share market that prompted an industry watchdog notice over the weekend. In a notice released on Friday, China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) urged stock exchanges, securities dealers and other authorities to educate investors about the risks of stock market investment.These institutions must make investors understand that stock markets are risky and they should be cautious about entering the market, especially those who use all their savings or mortgage their apartments to invest in stocks, the notice said. Analysts said the government is increasingly concerned about the formation of a speculative bubble on the domestic equity markets. The capital markets siphoned more than 70 billion yuan (9.1 billion U.S. dollars) out of savings accounts in Shanghai in the first four months of this year, the Shanghai branch of the People's Bank of China estimated. T
First, let me say that this post should be seen as a compliment to Keith Strohm's "Why I Hate Christian SF." I don't agree with everything he says: for example, I don't think there should be art directed toward the Christian community. The only legitimate kind of religious art is liturgical art — that which is created as an aid for worship. All other art is art, pure and simple; and if a work of art contains Christian themes, it is because the artist is a Christian. If this is not true, if Christian art is a genre that's defined by its target audience, or by its plot, or any other external criteria, then anyone can make Christian art — believer or infidel. Michelangelo did not give us the Pieta because he was trying to create Christian art; he gave us the Pieta because he was a great artist who allowed his Christianity to penetrate and inform his art.But that's a minor quibble. Overall, I agree with Keith . . . and from a certain point of view, he yanked the rug out from under
Dear America,I, Billy Crystal, do officially announce my probationary entry into the 2008 Presidential race. Long have I stood on the sidelines and watched others run this country into the ground. Well, not anymore. With the exception of Scott Bakula, I am the most qualified man (and I stress the word man) for the job. I urge you to vote for me, if indeed I do run, which is uncertain because I don't want to committ to running until I know I can win, even though nothing is ever certain and I am 100% determined to run, but it sounds better to say I'm exploring the options. While I don't have any "platform" or "campaign ideas" or more than a "fifth grade education," it shouldn't matter. What should matter is that I starred in When Harry Met Sally and saw Meg Ryan fake an orgasm in a restaurant. That is much more important than an Iraq policy or a stance on the genocide in Darfur. What's more, I can do voices really well, so instead of faking a Southern accent, I can do an outdated Ho
It has been one month since I posted the Ultra-Leveraged, Speculative ETF Strategy on the site. I have actively been testing this strategy since I posted the idea. In the example, I had mentioned how we looked to take a bear market approach to the S&P 500 since it was approaching the 1999-2000 peak and the market has not corrected more than 4% in over three years. Here is the update as of March 7, 2007:
On February 8, 2007 the following purchases were made in the $145,000 portfolio:
Long SDS - Proshares Ultrashort S&P 500 ETF - Trading at $56.20
We take a $145,000 position in that ETF by purchasing 2,580 shares for a total cost of $144,996
Short SSO - Proshares Ultralong S&P 500 ETF - Trading at $89.47
We take a $145,000 short position in this ETF by purchasing 1,620 shares for a total cost of $144,941.40
Let us fast forward to the present day of March 7, 2007 and take a look at the portfolio’s performance.
Long 2,580 shares of SDS - Proshares Ultrashort S&P 50
For those of you who are risk takers, speculators, or just looking to make a quick buck, this next strategy may be for you. Going back to a previous strategy where we were utilizing leveraged ETFs to achieve greater diversification and less risk, we are now going to use those leveraged ETFs to massively leverage our portfolio.
As of February 8, 2007, the S&P 500 is currently trading at 1444 and its index tracking stock the SPY is currently trading at 144.60. The market for the month of February has been on a tear and my belief is that we are about to experience a short-term pull back. There are two types of ETFs, there are Ultra-short, which go up 2% for every 1% loss in the S&P and there are Ultra-Long, which go up 2% for every 1% gain in the S&P.
To idea of this strategy is if we are bearish on the market, we will buy the Ultra-short and sell the Ultra-long, giving us a 4x leveraged position without buying on margin. The opposite should be done for a bullish market
