The Mad Hedge Fund Trader is taking a break for the next few days to take Turkey with the expanded family. A 28 pound bird made the ultimate sacrifice, and will be accompanied with mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, potato salad, mince pie, and a fine Yamhill Chardonnay. I ate an entire pumpkin pie last night
The International Monetary Fund announced a new facility for members to address a short term liquidity crisis. The measure is aimed at beleaguered Europeans girding themselves for a steady worsening of their sovereign debt crisis in the hope of ?breaking the chain of contagion.?? But the measure is more of a squirt gun than a
Now it?s time for some cultural edification. I first became aware of ?Margin Call? as a pre-production project two years ago when news leaked out that the principal actors, Kevin Stacey, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, and Jeremy Irons, were reading the Diary of a Mad Hedge Fund Trader to learn about the industry and get
?Washington got the wrong message from the debt ceiling debate. They got the message that the downgrade didn?t matter very much when it came to the US Treasury?s ability to float debt. It?s the wrong message. We are watching a major economy like Italy having trouble getting financing from international capital markets. One day it
Come join me for lunch at the Mad Hedge Fund Trader?s Global Strategy Lunch, which I will be conducting in Portland, Oregon at 12:00 noon on Friday, November 25, 2011, the day after Thanksgiving. A three course lunch will be followed by a PowerPoint presentation and an extended question-and-answer period. I?ll be giving you my
The volatility index (VIX) is just not buying this sell off. Even with the Dow down over 300 today, the (VIX) has only managed a meager 3% gain on the day. With a move in equities of this magnitude, you would expect volatility to rise by 15% or more. If traders and investors really believed
How unpopular is Congress? Freshman senator Michael Bennet of Colorado, who recently compiled the results of a popularity public opinion poll showing how far in the dumps the Congressional reputation has fallen. Only Fidel Castro is more despised than our august representatives on capital hill. 40% IRS 16% BP during the Gulf oil spill 15%
I love it John. The analysis is great - and the trades are limited to a dozen or so vehicles I can follow. You make it so easy for us. The service continues to improve - alerts are more timely, text alerts are working nicely. My only wish is the webcasts were regularly posted same
?Europe is really too far away to get the American family to cancel that trip to Disney World. That is the guts of it,? said Federal Reserve Governor James Bullard.
I am writing this from the back of a taxi in Hong Kong?s Central district. My meetings with assorted bankers, hedge fund managers, Taipans, and the press stretched on longer than expected, with the result that I am now stuck in rush hour traffic on the way to the airport. So I might as