Despite what those T-shirts say, old men don't rule. It's the pharmaceutical and banking industries that rule. http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-03-06/spare-me-your-transparency-please
And it's not just New York surgeons picking the healthier candidates to keep their mortality and mistake rates low; it's medical practitioners across the board everywhere. How many practitioners you think look forward to treating diabetics, many who are on three or four diabetic medicines a day?
Diabetics heal slower, get infections easier and often suffer amputations. DM is a nasty vascular-neuro-toxic disease. Listing calories on labels is akin to the seat belt law. Yea, it saves a few more lives, but studies show people because they feel safer drive more recklessly or, to put it kinder, spend more time driving beyond their actual driving skill.
And then there's the running-a-red-light-camera-at-every intersection fiasco. In California where violators can opt for traffic school to show their contrition, it became common price for offenders to compare their fines. The variation in those prices exceeded what one often sees on a slow day at NYSE.
"Dallas Buyer's Club," the movie two actors won academy awards for, had it correct: the FDA and big-pharma are two of your worst nightmares. Transparency is just another ploy to keep the rabble from getting too restive.
Now that's your real nightmare.
As always it's a personal decision.
http://money.cnn.com/2014/03/06/investing/bull-market-five-years/index.html?iid=Lead
JAPANESE CONSUMPTION TAX
The land of the rising sun is soon to become the land of rising consumer taxes. Everyone knows what the annouced consequences are suppose to be, cut national debt and create a surplus. That only leaves the un-intended ones. The future of Abernomics could rest in the balance.
http://www.bondvigilantes.com/blog/2014/03/04/japan-hikes-consumption-tax-in-april-will-retail-sales-spike-in-march-only-to-collapse-afterwards/
A lot of people either missed or ignored it. But here's a person who apparently didn't, a leading WSJ article recently about Freddie and Fannie, two government rip offs, politicians, bankers and their ilk refuse to let endure the ignoble death it so justly deserves.
Forget mom, apple pie, dyslexic children and Roth IRAs. This is a good old fashion example of American business done the Washington-Wall Street way.
http://davidstockmanscontracorner.com/2014/03/05/bruce-berkowitzs-bogus-bombast/
A quick, precise look at the European Central Bank and its meeting later today and how the euro might respond to any changes.
http://www.marctomarket.com
A FOLLOW UP ON ECB MEETING
What did and didn't happen.
http://www.fxstreet.com/analysis/daily-market-recaps/2014/03/06/
Most of us being of presumed sound mind and wearing life jackets realize the danger of getting too many folks on one side of the boat.
This may not be the best of the best analogies, but the constant deflation banter is sorta like if I hear about one more silly Kardashian episode, I am going to take a laxative.
You may not associate reflation with cathartics. But there's more than one way to get cleaned out. And for many investors reflation may just be the elixir nobody wants to swallow.
http://www.minyanville.com/business-news/markets/articles/Michael-Gayed-Oversold-Deflation-May-Mean/3/5/2014/id/54043
It will most likely take a while if not even longer than most think for any real progress between the differing sides in Paris now discussing the Ukraine crisis.
At some point if the talks drag on the market will find something else to trigger on. Think the EU debt crisis a few years back. Diddle and fiddle should come to mind here.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/05/us-ukraine-crisis-idUSBREA1Q1E820140305
Get prepared for more of what we call the Yellen Effect.
Judging from her recent remarks look for a few clouds but mostly clear skies for the stock market. Overall, the market isn't crazy-over valued here. Not yet. But keep your helmet handy.
And as difficult as it might be to believe, unfortunately there's plenty of time and room for offically-scanctioned screw ups. Yellen talks about meeting Congress' mandate for the economy. This is the same crowd who pushed for homeownership for one and all, creating along with their friendly banker colleagues in their obtuse zeal the subprime mess.
These are the same boys and girls who put a put option under the banking industry as part of the deal.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-05/yellen-says-economy-falling-short-of-congress-mandated-goals.html