February 13, 2012 - Quote of the Day
'There is one peculiarity about mass psychology in that when you are in a bubble, you can't see it. Bubbles are invisible when you are inside the bubble,' said the charming Jim Dines, of The Dines Letter.
Entries by DougD
Getting Something for Nothing
I just contracted to buy all the gasoline I want at 14 cents a gallon. No, I have not struck oil in my backyard, or come into an inheritance from a long lost Kuwaiti relative. That is the de facto price that PG&E is billing me for a full charge on my all-electric Nissan Leaf.
They're Not Celebrating in Celebration
I am in Orlando, Florida today to appear as the Keynote speaker at the 2012 Money Show. A search for a nearby bank took me to the surreal suburb of Celebration, a city developed by the Disney people during the mid-1990's. Created to evoke small town USA circa 1940, the berg tastefully replicates an America
February 10, 2012 - Quote of the Day
'Total credit market debt in the world has gone from $80 trillion to $200 trillion in the last ten years, an 11% annual rate, while GDP has grown by 4%. This can't continue. It's a simple matter of arithmetic,' said Kyle Bass, of hedge fund Hayman Partners.
Dinner With Joseph Stiglitz
The great thing about interviewing Joseph Stiglitz over dinner is that you don't have to ask any questions. You just turn him on and he spits out one zinger after another. And he does this in a kibitzing, wizened, grandfatherly manner like one would expect from a character that just walked off the set of
February 9, 2012 - Quote of the Day
?We?ll still operating off of Jackson Hole, 2011 when Ben Bernanke delivered his famous speech preceding quantitative easing,? said foreign exchange trader, Ira Harris.
The One Bright Spot in Real Estate
After my weekly dump on residential real estate, I feel obliged to reveal one corner of this beleaguered market that might actually make sense. By 2050 the population of California will soar from 37 million to 50 million, and that of the US from 300 million to 400 million, according to data released by the
A Short History of Hedge Funds
Legendary Fortune Magazine editor, Winslow Jones, created the first hedge fund out of a shabby office on Broadway Avenue in New York City in 1948, and generated monster returns over the next 20 years. He got the idea of a 20% performance bonus, now an industry standard, from ancient Phoenician sea captains who kept a
February 8, 2012 - Quote of the Day
?You can reduce discretionary spending down to zero and it won?t have much impact on our fiscal problems because it?s such a small proportion of the total,? said Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve.
Only Hours Left to Beat My Price Increase
Due to the overwhelming surge in new subscriptions last night, my website crashed, preventing many subscribers from renewing at the old $1,997 annual rate BEFORE THE February 7 deadline. I am therefore extending my special offer for just 24 more hours. After that, at midnight EST, Wednesday February 8, prices for both of my products