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Subject: James de Rothschild
Smooth sailing unlikely

Inefficient market portends bumpy recovery

Inefficient markets have consequences that may be prickly for incautious investors.

Markets can be inefficient for different reasons and persist for long periods. The transition between one type of inefficient market to the next is usually a period of strife and uncertainty which may last five to fifteen years. Looking back at how the economy emerged from previous transitions, I note that in each new period, equity prices started at reasonable levels. This was true at the beginning of the Roaring Twenties, the Post WW II Period, and the Reagan Era. It is as if markets, recognizing prior inefficiencies ‘reset’ and start over. However, for the current market to ‘reset’, it will be necessary for equity prices to fall considerably, which will have dire consequences.

Featured articles on inside pages

Stock buybacks

Warren Buffett attacks buyback schemes

In the 2005 Berkshire-Hathaway annual report, Warren Buffet points to the unethical aspects of the buyback-option schemes so common in the US stock market. He noted that "Too often ... the deck is stacked against investors when it comes to the CEO’s pay. ... every dime paid out in dividends reduces the value of all outstanding options"
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Securities Analysis

Mark-to-market nonsense

Banks, by their nature, are insolvent, requiring government guarantees of their liabilities to protect against bank runs. Over the last fifty years, the percentage of bank liabilities guaranteed by the government has fallen considerably, while banks, free from the shackles of the Glass-Steagall Act, have become increasingly complex.
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US Politics

President Obama's Lincoln moment

In mid 2009, Barack Obama found that Lincoln's saying, "You can't fool all of the people all of the time," applied to his presidency. Profligate spending and unpopular health reform ended Obama's honeymoon. More ...

US equities

GAO pooh-poohs a Boomer bust

In 2006, the GAO issued a report saying that the retirement of the Baby Boomers should not have a negative effect on stock prices. This article reviews the GAO reasoning and concludes that the conclusion is not credible. More ...

US Bonds

Bond demand exceeds supply for a decade

Over the decade, 1995-2004, the demand for US bonds of all types has surpassed new bond issues in eight of the last ten years. This is the reason that bond prices have held firm, even in 2003, when net new issues reached almost $1.8 trillion. More ...

World Economy

Signs of US losing its groove?

Thirty years ago, US income from abroad was more than double the amount of income that the US paid to the rest of the world. This year, or the next, this foreign income surplus may disappear forever. Is the US 'losing its groove'? More ...

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2010-08-13 13:08