#96: Stocks Move Up; Retail Sales, Bernanke, Hugh Hefner

Monday Randomosity

• New year, and new girlfriends for Hef. LOL.  These are the twins.  Yes, indeed.
• Check out the market internals from today.  More advancers than decliners.  Just saying.  We don't like to see the market go down, but if the majority of stocks are advancing even though the indexes aren't, is it horrible technically?
• Remember the last couple of years, I laughed at those worried about inflation. Even the Fed members who were yapping their mouths about inflation.  They were wrong.  Now, the Fed is really trying to grease the skids of this economy.  And Obama will do the same.  So is now the time to start anticipating an inflationary economy down the road?  Probably.  That's my guess.  May not show up for a bit, but these guys are trying to get this thing going again.
• Could be the next bubble is in Treasuries.  Anyone want to buy long-dated Treasuries here?  C'mon.  No way. 
• The folks who want to inject even more government regulation (”read interference”) into your life insist that the wheels have fallen off the economy because of too little government regulation over the past three decades. Wrong.  From Orange Punch.  Click the link to read the crazy numbers of regulations George Bush has added during his terms.
• Add a $175 tax per dairy cows to fight global warming?  Those alarmists have crazy covered!
• Where did you come from?  Where did you go?  Where did you come from, Cotton-eyed Joe?
• I've had my iPhone for about 2 months now.  I've added about 6-pages worth of apps.  The new-ness of it all has worn off, but I love this phone.  Can't imagine going back to the "old way."  I don't search blogs and the app store much these days, but did see that Craigslist has an app out now.

 

Monday Randomosity

• The auto bailout is taking shape. $15B to get them through until 2009 and they're supposed to figure out something by then to fix it.  As the bailout money runs out, because of their bad business model, they'll be back where they are today.  Unless a miracle happens.
• The Supreme Court refuses to hear Obama's citizenship case.  You know, this is the thing where some believe his "certificate of live birth" was a phony and that he was born somewhere else on the planet.  I don't buy into the conspiracy theory, but I think this is good news for Arnold Schwarzenegger who can now Photoshop himself a certificate of live birth from South Dakota and run for President in 2012.
• Price of gasoline lowest in 5 years!  Woo!
• Christie Hefner stepping down as chairman and CEO of Playboy ($PLA).  What about the TV show, Girls Next Door?  Wow, shares up 21% today, just over $2 a share.  Yikes.
• Over half of rescued borrowers default anyways.
• Has the stock market hit bottom?  I think so, but wouldn't rule out a retest.  Read the last blog entry for my thoughts.
• Level 3 ($LVLT) to shed 8% of workforce.  Shares down to 81-cents.  Wow, I remember trading options in this back in 1999.  It was much higher then. 
• Don't tell me how it ends up (to date), but I'm half-way through season 3 of The Office via Netflix ($NFLX) streaming.  Streaming to the TV via the Roku wireless box.  Right now, Jim is with Karen, but there's the whole Pam-thing going on and I imagine Jim and Karen won't last.