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Why some market regulation is necessary and good for the economy


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2007 Jul 30, 4:16am   14,947 views  125 comments

by HARM   ➕follow (0)   💰tip   ignore  

We've had many posts on Laissez-Faire, anarchic capitalism vs. regulated markets here before, and I'm sure we'll have more in the future. Just saw this gem today (nod to Ben Jones) and wanted to share it with you. Here is a succinct real-world example of why I believe that some government regulation of credit/capital markets is necessary and good for the economy, and why private firms cannot always be trusted to "self-regulate" all the time.

Fund manager's fun sailing away

John Devaney, the CEO of United Capital Markets, a fund that specializes in buying and selling bonds that are backed by the mortgage payments, particularly adjustable rate subprime mortgages, has put his 142-foot yacht "Positive Carry" up for sale, according to a yacht broker's Web site.

Devaney's fund has run into trouble lately. A spokesman for the firm told Reuters on July 3 that it had stopped honoring request from some of its investors for redemptions, or withdrawal, of investments

"The consumer has to be an idiot to take on those loans," he said. "But it has been one of our best-performing investments."

Discuss, enjoy...
HARM

#housing

« First        Comments 109 - 125 of 125        Search these comments

109   OO   2007 Aug 1, 9:38am  

Bruce,

I like the Mutual fund's mark-to-close explanation. So I should have taken advantage of it and sell my mutual funds at close when a day like this happens?

I seldom trade in and out my funds, so I am wondering if the same day order can be executed by market close?

110   OO   2007 Aug 1, 9:43am  

Of course there is government intervention.

Hong Kong, Singapore government OPENLY bought back shares with taxpayer's money when stock market tanked during the 97 crisis. Since the Fed has literally unlimited USD printing ability, and given the credibility and ways of operation of this particular administration, PPT operation is not entirely unreasonable.

I myself never believe in a true China wall between the different government operations, especially when so much is at stake.

111   OO   2007 Aug 1, 9:45am  

HARM,

I just tried pen1s enlarge-ment, my comment was immediately sent into moderation.

112   Bruce   2007 Aug 1, 10:36am  

Sorry, OO, you get the price at closing, right? Executor has dinner on you.

Think of it as karma.

113   DennisN   2007 Aug 1, 10:49am  

"Or what was being bought at the end."

There are only 30 stocks in the DOW....If I wasn't so lazy I could figure out which components went up right there at the end. I know INTC went up 50 cents in the last few minutes because I follow that stock.

114   EBGuy   2007 Aug 1, 10:58am  

"History has not dealt kindly this vast increase in the market value of asset claims is in part the indirect result of investors accepting lower compensation for risk. Such an increase in market value is too often viewed by market participants as structural and permanent."
“To some extent, those higher values may be reflecting the increased flexibility and resilience of our economy. But what they perceive as newly
abundant liquidity can readily disappear. Any onset of increased investor caution elevates risk premiums and, as a consequence, lowers asset
values and promotes the liquidation of the debt that supported higher asset prices. This is the reason that history has not dealt kindly with the aftermath of protracted periods of lowrisk premiums.”

Above quote from "A Froth-Finding Mission" by HSBC Global Research on Randy's website. Was looking at it recently to see where we could be heading if we go back to "historic norms". Still trying to reconcile their Penninsula and East Bay data. They claim:
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA (MSAD) Q3 2005
Median Income: $69,572
Median Home Price: $804,363
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA (MSAD) Q3 2005
Median Income: $68,087
Median Home Price: $767,777

In fact, East Bay beats the Penninsula in their historic data too. Doesn't seem right to me.

115   DennisN   2007 Aug 1, 11:05am  

I think that low-class Redwood City skews the data downward.

116   Randy H   2007 Aug 1, 11:21am  

Our first CA home is in Redwood City. We paid $365K in 1996. It now comps for about $1.1mm. There's skewing going on there alright, not sure which way though.

117   Randy H   2007 Aug 1, 11:21am  

The Fed's OMC does buy and sell on the open market, but not equities. They buy and sell government paper.

118   Randy H   2007 Aug 1, 11:33am  

Who could coordinate the thousands of buyers it would require to bid up prices of massive DOW stocks, sopping up all the sell pressure, without being noticed? Unless you think the PPT controls all the mutual funds or something like that, then it just ain't happening.

I don't believe these type of things can be pulled off. Managing complex arrangements is already harder than herding cats. Add in something sinister and there's no way you're going to pull it off without being outted.

I'm sure there's some manipulation going on. But I'm afraid it's the old fashioned kind of manipulation for the old fashioned reasons: greed. Like the examples cited above. Or like when the hedge funds break an ETF like OIH from its underlying index. No complex explanations needed. A single "$" will suffice.

119   Malcolm   2007 Aug 1, 12:15pm  

Thanks Harm, I think defining it clearly helps, and your examples were along the same tangent I was going down.

120   PermaRenter   2007 Aug 1, 12:22pm  

The last 20 minutes surge of 180 pts going from negative territory to positive 150 was most definitely an act of PPT.

Yes, I agree. M3 will increase since government is now giving free money via plunge protection team.

121   Randy H   2007 Aug 1, 1:48pm  

Can you guys tell us, specifically, how the hell this shadowy "PPT" is able to do these trades, even though apparently wiki and everyone in the blogosphere knows about it? Yet they mystically defy arbitrage? If this is true, then it's too good to be true. I'll go raise a couple billion and start my own macro hedge fund.

122   PermaRenter   2007 Aug 1, 2:11pm  

>> I’ll go raise a couple billion and start my own macro hedge fund.

If you do that, you will be rewaded by Federal Reserve with billions of dollars of free money.

123   Peter P   2007 Aug 1, 5:40pm  

Can you guys tell us, specifically, how the hell this shadowy “PPT” is able to do these trades, even though apparently wiki and everyone in the blogosphere knows about it?

This shadowy group uses shadowy methods including, but not limited to, black magic, voodoo, and animal sacrifices.

Members of this elite group are also known to travel in black helicopters.

124   sa   2007 Aug 1, 11:33pm  

from CNBC,

trader: Merril Lynch & Goldman did the buying y'day. he said, there were a lot of shorts and they were forced to buy.

i didn't understand exactly what he meant.if someone here could explain what he meant, i would appreciate.

125   Different Sean   2007 Aug 1, 11:53pm  

maybe something to do with Bohemian Grove or the skull and bones...

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