• May 07, 2009

I haven't made any comments about these so-called stress tests for the banks because it was obvious (to me anyway) it was just the latest PR scam devised by Larry Summers (carried out by his puppet, Geithner) to exaggerate the financial health of the banking system. While I was confident the results of these “tests” would be ludicrous, I wanted to hold off until they were released so I could deliver the knockout punch. In short, it's clear these "stress tests" weren't so stressful,...

• May 05, 2009

As you might imagine, I am currently focused on writing the April AVAIA newsletter. In the past, I have discussed how the financial media deceives and lies to its audience. I have also discussed why it would engage in these tactics. As examples, I have written about Jim Cramer, Larry Kudlow and other hacks on CNBC. Over the next several weeks, I will be posting material here discussing a long list of what I consider to be hacks, followers, clueless individuals and those with financ...

• May 04, 2009

Last week I released a piece that no other (qualified) financial professional was willing to expose because (in my opinion) they don’t want the masses to know how event-driven media-hyped trading works. If everyone knew how the game is played, they wouldn’t be able to make the easy money.

• Apr 30, 2009

In just over three months, President Obama has equaled the destruction created by President Bush’s eight years in the White House. Given what lies ahead, I have no doubt he will surpass Bush’s record as the nation’s most disastrous president. I never thought I’d live to see a president exceed Bush’s record. Perhaps this is one of America’s new trends. It’s unlikely the polls will confirm this inevitable reality because the media will continue to blame...

• Apr 30, 2009

Here I continue from Part 1. Let me give you a brief example how the media has brainwashed the American public. In early April, the results of Obama’s approval poll were released. The results were as follows:   Obama’s approval rating: 66% (a new high and higher than Clinton and Bush)   Americans who think America is headed in the right direction: 36%   Americans who approve of Obama’s proposals for the banking industry: 33%   Ameri...

• Apr 29, 2009

I wanted to discuss this whole swine flu hype that’s been blown out of proportion to illustrate how the media creates illusions from what would seem to be valid information. This also relates to the investment world because today, virtually everything that hits newswires is spun further by the financial media. This of course is done intentionally.   In the end, most who jump aboard the hype - whether it’s the stem cell hype, the ethanol hype or the swine flu hype –...

• Apr 28, 2009

It’s a bit funny to see that the SIRI stock pumpers are still at it, despite facing nothing but absolute humiliation after making ridiculous claims and clinging onto their delusions of grandeur as the stock collapsed by over 95% after merger with XM. In the end, the stock price says it all. Since the dotcom bubble collapsed, reality has set in. SIRI has done nothing but fall; with good reason. The company has been very poorly run. It’s had a terrible strategy, ridiculous payouts for...

• Apr 27, 2009

I'll make this short and sweet so you will never forget it.  ALWAYS check the bio of every person you listen to or read articles from. If they have a past writing for realmoney.com, Thestreet.com or any other publications affiliated with Jim Cramer, run away as fast as you can.  There are a lot of these guys out there and they usually like to mention it somewhere along the way, either in an article or their bio because they think it's some symbol of credibility. Nothing coul...

• Apr 24, 2009

I ran across an interesting story about how Japan is using a somewhat innovative approach to deal with its own symptoms of what will eventually be recorded in history books as the global depression. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/business/global/23immigrant.html   The Japanese government is paying travel expenses (plus a little extra money), or about $3000 apiece for migrant workers who agree to return back to their homeland. They must agree never to come back to Japan for work. &nb...

• Apr 24, 2009

The news of Andrew Cuomo's letter to Congress revealing that former Treasury Secretary Paulson threatened to fire Bank of America's CEO Ken Lewis and oust the board if they tried to block the Merrill Lynch deal is not at all shocking to me. Nor is it a surprise that Bernanke “requested” this from Paulson. If you’ve been reading my articles, you know that the Treasury Department is the subordinate of the Federal Reserve.   http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodge...

• Apr 23, 2009

For anyone who believes any positive earnings reports from the banks, you probably also believe there will be a real recovery in the economy. These “earnings” are even less credible than those reported by the banks during the height of their Ponzi scheme in 2007. Earnings? From the banks? It’s laughable. Let me now state what I consider to be facts related to the bigger picture of this economic fiasco. Fact #1. All Major Banks Are Insolvent. This has been true now for over...

• Apr 23, 2009

Fact #5. Most of the Lost Jobs Will Not Return What no one seems to understand is the fact that these job losses are not temporary. Most of them simply aren’t coming back. I’ll guarantee it. The only jobs that will return are those that no one wants; the low-paying, no benefits, dead-end jobs. It’s the same situation that played out after the dotcom collapse. This is part of the reason why there’s been no real recovery since 2001. As I discussed in America’s Fina...

• Apr 22, 2009

Trillions of dollars for the bailouts haven’t satisfied the banks and automakers. They want more, and they’re spending your dollars to make sure they get it. According to the Associated Press, the top 10 recipients of the TARP spent about $9.5 million on lobbying during the first quarter of 2009.

• Apr 18, 2009

Previously, I discussed the fact that what Warren Buffett invests in doesn’t matter to you. Then I followed up by explaining how the media uses Buffett to make money. Here, I complete the lesson by showing you how Buffett uses the media to cash in. Similar to Britney Spears and other “celebrities,” Buffett also benefits from Hollywood antics. You see, Buffett has been made into a financial celebrity, just as Alan Greenspan and many others have. Media exposure is just as...

• Apr 16, 2009

In the previous part of this article we saw how what Buffett invests in doesn’t matter to you. Let’s look at an example how the media uses the Buffett name to make money. I’d like to direct your attention to a story by Reuters, published on August 22, 2008. “Buffett Sees Weak Economy Until 2009   Surely this is no news. Let’s see now. It’s the end of August, so there are four months left until 2009. A person would have to be a complete fool to think the...

• Apr 15, 2009

I decided to check out a couple of these so-called tea parties so I could confirm what I already knew.  Let me just say this.  I was disgusted by the naive nature of those in attendence...

• Apr 14, 2009

You might recall a recent article I wrote called "Madoff in Perspective" where I point out that the real Ponzi scheme is being ignored - that orchestrated by the financial industry.  I also make mention of this intentional fraud in America's Financial Apocalypse 2009 Update a few months earlier...    "What Madoff did was nowhere near as fraudulent as what the banking and mortgage executives did. Yet, he has become the latest scapegoat in this cycling pattern of booms and busts...

• Apr 14, 2009

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More U.S. chief executives got pay raises than had their pay cut in 2008, a year when billions in taxpayer dollars went to prop up struggling companies and millions of workers...

• Apr 11, 2009

Without a doubt, Warren Buffet is one of the leading investors in the world. There’s no disputing that. But let’s face it. His skills have been over-exaggerated by the media. Of more detriment, the media continues to deliver the message that what Buffett invests in matters to you. As you will see, he has been made into a god-like figure by the financial media for very precise reasons. Journalists lacking investment expertise often reference Buffett as a way to add credibility by as...

• Mar 27, 2009

The Savings & Loan Crisis had Michael Milken. The dotcom charade had Bernie Ebbers, Kenneth Lay, and Jeffery Skilling. These men have been selected as the scapegoats to distract the public away from the real criminals that caused each crisis. And now, the world’s largest real estate and banking crisis – much larger than all previous heists combined – has Bernie Madoff. He will serve the same purpose. Michael Milken was certainly involved in the S&L crisis, but he wasn&...

• Mar 20, 2009

I won’t go into any type colorful description of the “showdown” between Jon Stewart and CNBC’s Kim Cramer. If you’re reading this you already know about it.  What I want to talk about is the fact that this “highly anticipated showdown” was staged. In fact, it was the media that made it “highly anticipated.” It was the Hollywood theatrics used by the producers of both shows that made it a “showdown.” And chances are you feel...