Monday, July 08, 2013

Financial Sarcasm Roundup for 07/08/13

I've got a busy week ahead with attendance at SEMICON West / Intersolar in San Francisco taking up much of my time.  There is still time enough for sarcasm.

The US-EU trade talks are proceeding on schedule.  I predicted last week in my previous Financial Sarcasm Roundup that the eavesdropping revelations would not derail these talks.  Free trade deals are too important to political elites and their business elite patrons to let an unflattering news item get in the way.  Besides, elites love excuses to hob-nob, get their photos taken for PR campaigns, and eat fancy chow like caviar.  Trade negotiations are the perfect venues for such fun.

Thomson-Reuters had to learn the hard way that pre-releasing survey data to premium customers is wrong.  This is the moral equivalent of front-running in brokerage, which is clearly forbidden because it gives inside parties an unfair advantage.  I laugh at the stupidity of hedge fund managers who build algorithms primed to jump at a two-second release.

Temp jobs are booming in the US.  I've been telling people for years, on my blog and in person, that assembling a portfolio of income streams from multiple projects is more resilient than staking your entire professional reputation on a single capricious employer.  Americans who don't read my blog are going to learn this the hard way once they lose their full-time jobs.

Big investors in Asia and Europe still say they're not backing away from US Treasuries.  They're dumber than ever.  Money managers outside the US must be sweating bullets when they watch the value of what's on their books.  Any panic selling of bonds will spike real interest rates here in the US.  We've only seen small jumps in interest rates so far thanks to the Fed's meaningless platitudes on the non-end of QE.

If any of you wonderful genius readers want to link up with me during the SEMICON West / Intersolar conference at Moscone Center, I'm easy to find.  Just wait around the trade booths that have free booze and hot chicks.  If you're a hot chick yourself, email me and ask to hang out with me during the conference.  Attach a full-length photo so I don't waste my time.  You'll have to adhere to my schedule because there are lots of places I need to visit.  Ladies, here's your chance to be arm candy for Yours Truly and impress the locals.  Don't miss out.