Finance Markets

[Malcolm Robinson]

Has the Fed just made the stock markets a one way ride, in the short term anyway, or has the USA now got the biggest council estate in the world?

[Malcolm Robinson]

No takers........how about this then.

If you had purchased £1,000 of Northern Rock stock one year ago, it would be worth ziltch today.

With HBOS, you would have £16.50 left of the original £1,000.

With XL Leisure, you would have less than a fiver.

And if you had purchased £1,000 of Seguro Air Lines stock, you would have a measly 49p.

However, if you had purchased £1,000 worth of Tennent's Lager one year ago, drank the lot of it, then re-cycled the cans at an aluminium plant for a cash refund, you would have £214.

And so, based on the above information, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle

[threegee]

An even bigger mistake than the Northern Rock fiasco!

It seems that the solution to licencing the creation of too much money is to print more of the stuff. Mr Mugabe should be proud!

If Joe & Josephine Public knew how the fait money system really worked it would be back to barter in a big way. You could establish a corner in lager and I'll go for something a bit stronger.

[Malcolm Robinson]

An even bigger mistake than the Northern Rock fiasco!

It seems that the solution to licencing the creation of too much money is to print more of the stuff. Mr Mugabe should be proud!

If Joe & Josephine Public knew how the fait money system really worked it would be back to barter in a big way. You could establish a corner in lager and I'll go for something a bit stronger.

Looks like it might not be as straightforward as it at first seemed, the guys who have to agree it need votes off J.Public and once they see how much it will cost them..........

The Swedish answer looks worthy of closer inspection though, if it has to go that way.

[threegee]

So what's the "Swedish answer"?

The profligate Mr Brown has now dug a hole so deep that there's really no way out. Not one any populist politician could countenance anyway. Back to the gold standard? Halve public spending overnight? The solution will be imposed not chosen - the deep recession I've been calling for a while now!

Been reading his party con. speech high on the word-count for that now meaningless four letter word "fair". Not very fair to blame World forces for a situation you've had a good hand in creating. Not very fair to tax the middle classes out of existence - the only ones who generate wealth that can you can keep in the Country! Not fair to use an archaic electoral system to cling on to a position no member of the public ever consented to you having in the first place.

There's no one at the helm, the rocks are tearing along the hull, and the Captain Gordo solution is to contemplate re-arranging the deck chairs.

[Malcolm Robinson]

So what's the "Swedish answer"?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/23/business...ss/23krona.html

[Malcolm Robinson]

Following the problems in the sub-prime lending market in America and the run on Northern Rock in the UK, uncertainty has now hit Japan.

In the last 7 days Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up and Bonsai Bank announced plans to cut some of its branches.

Yesterday, it was announced that Karaoke Bank is up for sale and will likely go for a song, while today shares in Kamikaze Bank were suspended after they nose-dived.

While Samurai Bank is soldiering on following sharp cutbacks, Ninja Bank is reported to have taken a hit, but they remain in the black.

Furthermore, 500 staff at Karate Bank got the chop and analysts report that there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank where it is feared that staff may get a raw deal.

[threegee]

Meanwhile, in the UK you are better off Barking at Banclays and it's HalifaX itself that needs the little Xtra help. Don't those slogans come back to haunt them when the Rocks are coming up fast?

If I were a BS/Bank director I'd be putting out a memo to branches to avoid even the hint of queue developing at the door. That alone might justify my ludicrous salary!

[threegee]

Well... that proved more than a tad prophetic! , eXcept they needed more than a little help. All the recent recapitalisation money disappeared into a black hole too.

No Malc, that's not a solution. Although - having got into this mess in the first place - there's no other way to go now.

The root problem is the fait money system itself, and the barmy capital ratios demanded by government(s). It was bound to collapse sooner or later. But that won't stop the politicians looking for scapegoats for their own idiocy. Brown is at the head of the pack here - Idiot in Chief!

Now my longstanding prediction a major recession is admitted by everyone. Sad to say the talk about a bounce-back in a year or two is just more wishful thinking. It's systemic, it's long-term, and the underlying problems haven't been addressed.

[Malcolm Robinson]

Northumberland County Council............23 million in an Icelandic bank???????

Council tax to leap next year??????

[threegee]

Northumberland County Council............23 million in an Icelandic bank???????

Council tax to leap next year??????

A drop in the (Atlantic) ocean! When the mortgage defaults get into full swing, and the redundancies soar, they'll be lucky to collect it at all!

Joe & Josephine Public hasn't seen the extent of the disaster yet. You can only take action against a tiny percentage. When that grows beyond normal controls all sorts of interesting things start to happen, and there's no longer much stigma attached to defaulting - it can even become fashionable! Like Gordon "Prudence" Brown you get a licence to blame someone else for your taking on too much debt - and enough people will then believe you.

i.e. There will be too many defaults to do anything about it. People will see others defaulting on their mortgage, etc. yet staying put, and so will be encouraged to do likewise. With the government owning the BSocs will it be politically acceptable to evict folks from their homes anyway?

People should be asking where the £500Bn is coming from to rescue our banks. Look at the Stock Market today and you have the vote that the unelected Mr Brown isn't prepared to favour us with.

The normal politico thing when you are deep in doo is to start a war you can win. Iceland looks as good as anything right now. How much oil do they have?

[Guest mrsvic]

Iceland looks as good as anything right now. How much oil do they have?

not as much as they would like...

[Malcolm Robinson]

The normal politico thing when you are deep in doo is to start a war you can win. Iceland looks as good as anything right now. How much oil do they have?

Lot of fish oil though, just think of all those omega 3's!