Articles by A. Lass on ArticleSnatch.com

Agricultural Commodity Prices Find Support

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:05:26 -0500

Sara Nunnally, Editor, Smart Investing Daily Agricultural commodities have had a bumpy ride over the past month. At the end of January, we started following two agricultural securities: the iPath Dow Jones UBS Grains ETN (JJG:NYSE) and the PowerShares DB Agriculture ETF (DBA:NYSE). If you recall, I introduced these two exchange-traded assets by noting two technical formations -- a broadening descending wedge and a gap-up. I told you that gap-ups can sometimes be filled, and we waited to jump into JJG and DBA to see if we had more upside movement. We did, but over the past few days, JJG has since dropped back to fill its gap. Now that the gap is filled, that level becomes a support point. For JJG, we see that this has happened. On Feb. 23, JJG bounced from an opening price of $51.44 and climbed more than 2 dollars to close at $53.49. JJG has since moved higher. But why this sudden change in prices? Is it just a technical formation, or has something changed fundamentally for agricultural commodities? **End Summary** Topics: Agricultural commodities]]> supply and demand projections]]> coc]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Sara is Managing Editor of Smart Investing Daily. As Senior Research Director and global correspondent, Sara Nunnally's diverse resume includes studies in art history, computer science and financial research. She has appeared on news media such as Forbes on Fox, Fox News Live, and CNBC's Squawk Box, as well as numerous radio shows around the country. Most recently, Sara co-authored a book with Sandy Franks called, Barbarians of Wealth.

Is Toll Brother's Turnaround a Sign of Recovery - or Looming Disaster?

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:49:36 -0500

Justice and I have written at great length here in Taipan Daily as to various disparities that are cropping up in the U.S. There is, of course, the fashion in which small-cap stocks have been gapping down and away from large-cap blue chip stocks, as skittish investors seek stolidity over growth – a sure sign, Justice notes, of exhaustion on the part of the bulls. I don’t know how much longer investors will find respite in blue chips, mind you, because these stocks share a growing gap between corporate value and share price. The Expectation Gap At its current level of 28.84, the Dow Jones Industrials’ current price-to-earnings ratio is roughly double its historical average. To give you a sense of scale, Apple Computers (AAPL:NasdaqGS) – home of Steve Jobs, the genius responsible for the hottest toys in the universe – currently features a P/E of 32.55. We have also written about certain “factual gaps,” like the distance between the economy Washington touts and the one almost anyone who can see perceives daily. **End Summary** Topics: ]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

Three Marketing Giants Adjust to the New âPost-Crashâ Reality

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:24:23 -0500

Never let it be said that America cannot adapt to changing circumstance. After 18 months of recession (and three months of “growth” purchased wholly with borrowed and invented money), and with official unemployment slated to remain at roughly 10% for the foreseeable future (and unofficial unemployment somewhere closer to 20%), three iconic marketing giants have stepped up to the plate, squinted steely-eyed at the pitcher, and swung for the fences. The first batter in the box (and yes, I was up waaaay too late last night watching the Yankees drub the Phillies in the last game of the World Series) is Dallas-based 7-Eleven Inc. Senior merchandising and logistics VP Kevin Elliott figures that “the consumer is really pinched as far as discretionary income.” He’s been seeing a lot of success with products that “really resonate on a value basis,” like the store-branded “7-Select” beef jerky line the chain introduced last year. Your Most Basic Post-Crash Needs So now 7-Eleven is launching a new wine label: “Yosemite Road.” It will start off by offering a chardonnay (described as zesty, with notes of apricot, peach and honey), and a cabernet (“full bodied with juicy plum overtones”). **End Summary** Topics: Adam Lass]]> Consumer]]> Retailer]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

Follow the Money: Washington to Wall Street...

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:15:03 -0400

Follow the Money: Washington to Wall Street" By Adam Lass, Senior Editor, WaveStrength Options Weekly This American company has gained 777% the old-fashioned way: selling junk in backroom deals. As regular readers know, I am a Ford man. Back when I was a kid, you had to make three really important choices. First, you had to pick a political party. Didn"t matter how well you knew the candidates "" you picked a party and that"s what you were. We are talking Democrat or Republican here. Libertarians weren"t much discussed, and backing the Socialists could get your parents blackballed at work. And if you wanted peace around the dinner table, you just went with the same side your folks did. Second, you had to choose "your" baseball, basketball and football teams. We didn"t have rotisserie leagues back then, so there was no "Ã la carte." You picked your guys, and you defended their every move in the schoolyard and on the stoop "" with fists if need be. Prudent Choices To this day, I still follow the Mets and the Knicks over the Orioles and Wizards. **End Summary** Topics: Ford]]> Goldman Sachs]]> Geely]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://www.taipanpublishinggroup.com/taipan-daily-092809.html

How They Roll in Washington, Part Deux

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:01:23 -0400

Every time they think theyâ€™re out, Washington pulls them back in. Like so many other major financial players, Bank of America (BAC:NYSE) has an office in Washington D.C. I donâ€™t mean a branch office, but rather a shop full of sharp guys and gals dedicated to assuaging various regulating agencies and occasionally promoting the bankâ€™s agenda to the White House and on Capitol Hill. We are told that this was a sleepy little outfit a few years back mostly just accountants and out-of-favor MBA types sentenced to a relative hinterland. The real action, the place to be for any up-and-comer looking to cut a swath back then, would have been the main headquarters in Charlotte or on Wall Street. Back then, the Washington office would receive maybe two calls a day from legislators or their staff interested in the fine details of finance. That Was Thenâ€¦ But that was before the great crash of 2007/2008, wherein our banks discovered that their vaults were full of the same crap they had been peddling to the masses... and the great coup attempt that followed it, wherein a triumvirate of those same Wall Street bankers tried to take over the country. **End Summary** Topics: Washington]]> Banks]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

GM and Chrysler- The Eternal Second Act

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

GM now has 219 new CEOs to tell it how to run its business. Good luck making decisions now, boys. This is how they roll in Washington and Detroit. Over the past few months weâ€™ve read endless arguments as to the wisdom, morality and necessity of allowing two out of our three major auto manufactures to go bankrupt. In the end, both Chrysler and General Motors claimed that they simply couldnâ€™t continue under the backbreaking load of promises they had made over the years. Even when the federal government bailed them out repeatedly, they still couldnâ€™t make the nut they owed to stockholders, bondholders, current and former workers, suppliers and dealers. So they bid them all a fond adieu and sought the protection of the courts, which, after a brief (24 hours maybe? 48?) session of deep consideration and fervent hand-wringing, wiped their books clean. Shameless If you or I were to do this, there would be a certain amount of shame and pain involved. We would be forced to give up assets and meet certain commitments going forward. We would most probably have difficulty borrowing in the future. (Who, after all, could possibly trust us? **End Summary** Topics: automakers]]> GM]]> Chrsyler]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://www.taipanpublishinggroup.com/taipan-daily-072009.html

Christmas In August

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Just how desperate are things going to get for American retailers? Waaayyy desperate. We already know that the optimistic early reports regarding consumer confidence were way off the mark. Rather than the nice rise they were hinting, or even just a modest, flat run, we saw a plunge from 54.8 in May to 49.3 in June. This is a critical setback far beyond the net loss of 5.5 points, as it moves the index back into the negative zone below 50 (wherein consumers generally feel that things stink). Personally, I was always rather suspicious of that May reading, as most of the raw data that the conference board supposedly considers was downright awful, and yet they managed to gin up a positive report that flew in the face of all evidence and most all common sense. Of even greater import, I saw that the pros the big outfits and funds that move the market werenâ€™t buying it either. The sell signal was clear as day on the charts, so I told my readers at the time to short the dickens out of all of that misplaced optimism. **End Summary** Topics: retailers]]> Sears]]> bankruptcy]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://www.taipanpublishinggroup.com/taipan-daily-071309.html

The Hot Zone Is Here

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

These facts are not subject to dispute. And they could earn you as much as 236% gains. Our task here at Taipan Daily is to keep you apprised of the important things that are just out of view. Sometimes these are hard-to-find bits of information from overseas. Or perhaps a critical thread is concealed within a cloud of complex information. Frequently they are ugly truths that have been deliberately hidden by obfuscating bureaucrats or hyperbolic CEOs. And sometimes, the facts you need to know are hiding in plain sight, like Poeâ€™s purloined letter. This is one of those circumstances. There is something very important going on right now! And you probably already know about it. But youâ€™ve been inundated with so many unpleasant little factoids,â€ youâ€™ve begun to tune it out. Heck, youâ€™ve probably read some of them here. But itâ€™s my job to help you see the forest for the trees especially when that forest is already smoldering. Studied to Death For the better part of the past year, you have been hearing stories about the H1N1 influenza virus, a.k.a. swine flu. **End Summary** Topics: England]]> Pharmaceuticals]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://www.taipanpublishinggroup.com/taipan-daily-070609.html

Waiting for Washington's Bark

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?â€ To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.â€ The dog did nothing in the night-time.â€ That was the curious incident.â€ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Silver Blazeâ€ Over the past few weeks (Months? Years? Goodness how the time slips away), Justice and I have gone on at some length as to how, when and why Washingtonâ€™s loose fiscal habits will inevitably induce inflation. And yet, recent headlines would seem to put the lie to this concept. Washington reports that despite all the billions in stimulus monies it has been pumping out, wholesale prices only rose some 0.2% in April, while consumer prices rose a mere 0.1%. Needless to say, the Fed jumped all over this ostensible lack of inflation at its most recent FOMC meeting, claiming that there was no reason whatsoever to raise target interest rates above their current range (0% to 0.25%). Something doesnâ€™t quite add up. If the murderer is in the house, why isnâ€™t the dog barking? Because the murderer is coming, but heâ€™s not quite here yet. **End Summary** Topics: Bailout]]> Federal Reserve]]> Stimulus Package]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

Taipan Daily: Stealing the Crown's Prerogative

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

As regular readers of this column know, I am an avid reader of history. An episode of particular interest to me is the long tussle between France and England during the mid and late 17th century. This period fascinates me, because you can make a strong argument it saw the birth of modern financial practice. It also foreshadowed the inevitable end of reliable currency. At one point in this struggle, Spain and France had a stranglehold on the source of all wealthâ€ as it was then known: the gold and silver mines of Central and South America. At the time, this was thought of as an unbeatable advantage. It didnâ€™t matter if England and Hollandâ€™s respective economies were more vibrant and productive than those of Spain and France. If England and Holland could not mint coins, they would go broke,â€ and would have to sue for peace. Unintended Consequences Strangely enough, this effort yielded the exact opposite result. When they came up shy of specie, businessmen in England resorted to letters of credit backed by literal reserves stashes of family gold and silver plate and flatware held in jewelersâ€™ vaults. **End Summary** Topics: U.S. Treasury]]> Currency]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

The Invisible Plague

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

There is a myth in this biz that if it bleeds, it leads.â€ The idea is that what truly makes mainstream media moguls happy is guts, gore and conflict. Drama sells, and sells well. Death, war and sex sell even better. Itâ€™s commonly held that when Frederick Remington cavilled to William Randolph Hearst that conditions in Cuba were not bad enough to warrant hostilities, Hearst told Remington to shut up and draw: You furnish the pictures and I'll furnish the war.â€ The truth is, as always, somewhat more complex. Yes, a good tale of death and destruction will hold the publicâ€™s interest for a while. But it has to be something they can easily wrap their minds around. And it has to go somewhere if itâ€™s going to have legs. Just Because Itâ€™s Boringâ€¦ An example: For a week or so, the H1N1 Virus a.k.a. Swine Flu was the talk of the town. Old folks in Asia and Europe were dying, elementary schools in NYC were closing, men in white isolation suits were rushing about doing things that looked important, and the international authorities were bandying about scary words like Level 5 Epidemic. **End Summary** Topics: Swine Flu]]> H1N1k]]> WHO]]> Gains]]> GSK]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

The Keynesian Road to Ruin 60 Years of Booms and Busts

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The Keynesian Road to Ruin 60 Years of Booms and Busts By Adam Lass, Editor, WaveStrength Options Weekly The Keynesians only know one trick: crush the dollar, and then crush it some more. Editor Adam Lass examines Keynesians hold on the levers of power and how Taipan Daily readers can profit. I have to begin this column with a confession. For some weeks now, I have been making fun of George A. Akerlof and Robert Shillerâ€™s book, Animal Spirits, without actually having read it cover to cover. I suppose I could complain that the stack of books teetering on my bed stand is already high to do serious damage, should it ever come unbalanced and collapse on me in the night. I might even point out that I did skim through a good bit of a colleagueâ€™s copy while he was at lunch certainly enough to pick up on the veins of Keynesian thought that lie just beneath the surface of the tome, like gristle in a cheap steak. But thatâ€™s really not much of an excuse, considering the scorn I have piled on the treatise and its authors. **End Summary** Topics: Consumer]]> Dollar]]> Gold]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://www.taipanpublishinggroup.com/taipan-daily-061109.html

Taipan Daily: The Great Oil Price Shell Game

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The shell game is one of the oldest cons on record. Greek historians tell of ancient Egyptian slicksters stripping rubes of spare coins in the shadow of the pyramids. We have concrete evidence dating back to 1670, wherein Richard Hull writes of rogues cheating farmers at thimblerigâ€ at ye old faire. The con was supposedly brought to the colonies by a Dr. Bennett, who was infamous for his ability to hide a pea amongst three walnut shells. Jefferson Randolph Smith a.k.a. Soapy Smithâ€ set up mobs of shell men throughout the Midwest and Alaska before he was caught out and shot in Juneau in 1898. Today we are once again seeing the rise of this classic fiddle. I am not talking of impossible games of Three-Card Monte played on dark side streets off Times Square or such. Rather, I am speaking of the grand swindle that is being foisted on us concerning oil prices. Itâ€™s Not Under That Nutâ€¦ If you peruse the newswires, you will see numerous reports that claim to explain why crude oil has hit $70 a barrel, and where it is headed next. **End Summary** Topics: Oil Price]]> Crude]]> Dollar]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>