Green Investing

The Dollars and Cents of War

Michael E. Douroux — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:00:27 -0500

"The additional 30,000 troops for Afghanistan will cost an additional $30 billion per year, or roughly $1 million per soldier per year. (It's an extraordinary sum especially considering how relatively little enlisted soldiers are paid; meanwhile, private contractors in Afghanistan now outnumber U.S. forces, The WSJ reports.)"

Have We Become a Nation of "Mama's Boys"

Michael E. Douroux — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:04:19 -0500

or "The United States of Wussess"? Read on...

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Will it take 20 years for the U.S. to learn its lessons like Japan?

Michael E. Douroux — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:48:50 -0500

As indicated in my previous post, in its struggle to get back to reality, Japan has finally brought in a new breed of politician who is actually delivering on the campaign promise of bringing real transparency to how government spends the peoples' money.

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A Real Reality Show That Matters: Politicians Who Walk The Talk

Michael E. Douroux — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:18:42 -0500

Japanese flock to first-ever open budget debate
"In a major break with the past, new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has introduced a public review of the budget. His party, which ousted the long-ruling conservatives in August, has promised to cut wasteful spending and make policymaking more transparent.

The review has gotten plenty of air time on television and seems to be reviving public interest in politics, which many Japanese have come to see as largely irrelevant to their lives.

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Dealing with Reality

Michael E. Douroux — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:07:57 -0500

The Fed stated in documents released from it closed-door meeting held earlier this month that in its efforts to fuel the recovery it is holding to its bank lending rate at basically zero. It acknowledged that there is the possibility, although "relatively low" in their estimation, that it "could lead to excessive risk-taking in financial markets" causing another speculative bubble.

The Fed anticipates that it could be five or six years before employment levels and the economy return to consistent health.

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Dr. James Galbraith's Rx for Wall Street Reform

Michael E. Douroux — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:25:27 -0500

"The post-op on the great crash of 2008 continued in Washington Thursday as the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) held a hearing on financial reform.

'Unfortunately, the regulatory regime that failed so terribly leading up to the financial crisis is precisely the regulatory regime we have today,' Treasury Secretary Geithner declared. 'We need comprehensive financial reform.'

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The Dilemma: Bull or Bear?

Michael E. Douroux — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:22:12 -0500

Bull:

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Privatizing Gains and Socializing Losses

Michael E. Douroux — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:22:42 -0500

"Repealing Glass-Steagall was 'obnoxious' and a bipartisan 'absurdity'...

The end result of the repeal was you have 'taxpayers subsidizing risk-taking' on Wall Street...

'It's the most anti-capitalist thing I've ever heard of in my life.'

...Glass-Steagall wasn't regulation, 'it was common sense'..."

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"Job Losses Could Trigger Round 2 of Banking Crisis"

Michael E. Douroux — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:10:18 -0500

"The unemployment rate now stands at 10.2%, yet stocks are at a 2009 high. The bulls will tell you not to worry; the unemployment rate is a lagging indicator. True as that may be, Charlie Gasparino author of The Sellout, has a word of warning: the jobs data may be a leading indicator when it comes to the health of our banking system.

One of Gasparino's sources, Calyon Securities banking analyst Mike Mayo (who warned of the credit bubble before the crash) tells him, if unemployment rises to 11%, 'there could be an issue where we have round 2 of this crisis.'

Why?

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Elizabeth Warren, chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel for bank bailouts

Michael E. Douroux — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:23:15 -0500

"The numbers are bleak -- unemployment has surpassed 10 percent for the first time since 1983 -- and Warren is not surprised.

'Let's face it,' Warren said, 'This is sort of how we went about the rescue -- we rescued at the top and we left the bottom to kind of fend for itself -- and that's showing up in the unemployment numbers.'

Warren went on to explain that the report is really about the guarantees the Government made to protect banks' assets while leaving the public out to dry.

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Time.com -- " Why It's Time to Retire the 401(k)"

Michael E. Douroux — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:15:45 -0500

"...upgrading the 401(k) alone won't save the nation's retirement-savings problem.

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Geithner "Burned Billions," Shafted Taxpayers on CIT Loan

Michael E. Douroux — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:27:45 -0500

"William Black, professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law is dumbfounded. 'We put ourselves on the hook in a completely inept way where we lose first. We lose entirely as the taxpayers.'

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Focus on MSNBC's Dylan Rattigan

Michael E. Douroux — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:57:41 -0500

The host of MSNBC’s Morning Meeting is one example of an increasing number of people from across the spectrum with high-profile platforms who are stepping out, asking the hard questions and won’t quit until we get some straight answers and solutions to the same unresolved systemic problems that brought us to the edge of economic meltdown.

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The Cheerleaders vs. The Chicken Littles

Michael E. Douroux — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:47:17 -0400

There are those cheerleading type experts with the perpetual, frozen smiles who maintain that the necessary measures have been taken to deal with the financial crisis, the economy is now showing signs of recovery, all is under control and we're back on track with the market in rally mode since March leading the way.

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The Rage of Anxiety

Michael E. Douroux — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:53:00 -0400

"But I can't help thinking that both the victim and the alleged killer are casualties of a treacherous economy, which continues to batter the ordinary American while the experts proclaim recovery is upon us."

http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/moneyhappy/199067

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PIMCO's Bill Gross: Assets Are $15 Trillion Overvalued...Keep The Fantasy Alive

Michael E. Douroux — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:52:23 -0400

"PIMCO's Bill Gross with a great monthly letter. Here are the key points:

- Over the past 30 years, paper asset prices rose 2X as much as they should have based on economic fundamentals

- This was the result of leverage

-The asset price rise in turn pumped up the economy's fundamentals (Soros's reflexivity)

-The government wants to restore the "old normal" (2007) not the 'new normal' (slower growth as asset prices return to trend)

-Therefore... The Fed will keep rates at 0% for at least 18 months into sustained 4% growth

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Legalize It: Insider Trading Is a Victimless Crime...

Michael E. Douroux — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:22:18 -0400

"But of course, there's a reason why it's not legal. Allowing insider trading would annihilate the concept of a level playing field in the market. Altucher says hogwash. That's just an illusion. 'There's already no level playing field,' he says. This problem of insider trading is 'so widespread' retail investors are already at a disadvantage."

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America on a "Shaky Bridge Over a Volcano"

Michael E. Douroux — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:46:03 -0400

"A year after the financial collapse of 2008, indeed some firms are reigning in risky behavior.

'But, the rest of the financial industry does not warrant as much optimism,' says Leo Tilman, president of L.M. Tilman & Co. and author of 'Financial Darwinism: Create Value or Self-Destruct in a World of Risk.' 'We're seeing a lot of very similar behaviors that have led to the previous crisis.'

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Nouriel Roubini: Big Crash Coming

Michael E. Douroux — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:39:25 -0400

"Dr. Nouriel Roubini, professor of economics and international business at the Stern School of Business at NYU and chairman of RGE Monitor, is perhaps best known for his prescient predictions of the financial market collapse in 2005.

Index Universe (IU.com): You've said that you're worried we're already sowing the seeds of the next crisis. Where do you see that most directly?

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PBS Frontline - "The Warning"

Michael E. Douroux — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:29:46 -0400

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/warning/view/

Time to start thinking Financial Conservation!

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The Next Big Bailout? FHA Facing "Cataclysmic" Default Rates

Michael E. Douroux — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:37:46 -0400

http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/352663/The-Next-Big-Bailout-FHA-Facing-%22Cataclysmic%22-Default-Rates?tickers=FNM,FRE,XHB,TOL,PHM,LEN,XLF

Now Online...

www.financialconservation.com

Housing Better But Has Not Bottomed

Michael E. Douroux — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:15:49 -0400

http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/352636/Housing-Better-But-Has-Not-Bottomed-Tilson-Says?tickers=kbh,hov,len,xhb,hd,fnm,fre

Now Online...

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"Bernanke Is Wrong! The Economy Is Getting Worse, Not Better" - Yahoo! Finance

Michael E. Douroux — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:23:07 -0400

http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/342659/Bernanke-Is-Wrong!-The-Economy-Is-Getting-Worse-Not-Better-Schiff-Says?tickers=%5EDJI,%5EGSPC,SPY,DIA,TBT,UDN,GLD&sec=topStories&pos=9&asset=&ccode=

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"Dow Unchanged Since 9/11 But Don't Bet Against America" - Yahoo! Finance

Michael E. Douroux — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:20:48 -0400

http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/330627/Dow-Unchanged-Since-911-

NowOnline...

www.financialconservation.com

Commitment and Your Green Business

JD Carr — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:40:03 -0400

The entrepreneur who practices green living in the home or community organization can easily become a committed green business owner. You just have to find the willpower and long-term commitment to a set of green business strategies. Here are five tips for getting started with transforming your business into a green business.

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