A Faith-Based Recovery
Posted using ShareThis
29 November 2009
07 October 2009
Daily DeMark Deleted
I am the author of the (former) blog "The Daily DeMark." The blog was removed from Wordpress on October 3, 2009. The blog was deleted because legal action was threatened by Tom DeMark and his company Market Studies, LLC. Their concern was that the blog was set up to be a source of "official" information.
If you have found this blog looking for the Daily DeMark, and would like to be notified of any future writing by this author, please leave a comment and I will be in touch with you.
DD
If you have found this blog looking for the Daily DeMark, and would like to be notified of any future writing by this author, please leave a comment and I will be in touch with you.
DD
12 July 2009
The Daily DeMark
I have a new blog, dedicated to technical analysis of major indexes and commodity prices. You can find it at:
The Daily DeMark
The Daily DeMark analyzes major indexes and commodity markets using the indicators of Thomas DeMark and Fibonacci ratios. Additional consideration is given to obscure indicators. The analysis is provided for purposes of trend anticipation and trend exhaustion.
The Daily DeMark
The Daily DeMark analyzes major indexes and commodity markets using the indicators of Thomas DeMark and Fibonacci ratios. Additional consideration is given to obscure indicators. The analysis is provided for purposes of trend anticipation and trend exhaustion.
27 October 2008
Shakespeare on the Economy
Something I found:
To capitulate, or not to capitulate: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous losses,
Or to take arms against a sea of sellers,
And by opposing end them? To go bust: to lose more;
No more; and by going bust I say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That my brokerage account is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To go bust, to lose more;
To buy: perchance to recover: ay, there's the rub;
To capitulate, or not to capitulate: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous losses,
Or to take arms against a sea of sellers,
And by opposing end them? To go bust: to lose more;
No more; and by going bust I say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That my brokerage account is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To go bust, to lose more;
To buy: perchance to recover: ay, there's the rub;
20 October 2008
Obama 2008 - A Vote for Obama is a Vote Against Gravity
Quoted:
I am Barack Obama, and I approve this message.
America, it is time for us to wake up and do something about one of the biggest issues facing the country today. Gravity.
The current administration has done nothing, absolutely NOTHING to address the problems and concerns surrounding gravity. And yet, look at the devastating effects that gravity has on all of us...
Do you realize that gravity kills? The pressure that this natural force puts on all of us causes countless health problems as we age. Are you tired of wrinkles and various body parts sagging? Gravity. Think of all the construction site and warehouse accidents that happen each year because of falling objects... Gravity's fault.
Imagine with me, for a moment, a world in which no gravity existed. Why, we would all be able to jump 5 to 6 feet in the air! Every single one of us - rich or poor, black or white - could land an NBA contract and our financial problems would be solved forever, as we all would be making several million dollars per year. If we had the audacity to hope for a world without gravity, we all could afford to fly anywhere... using just our arms!
Now, I know that my conservative opponents will say that this is impossible. I know that they will say I'm a hopeless dreamer. They will compare this to my other policies and say that this goes against the natural order of things. But like other issues that I am passionate about, I believe that hope will overcome natural laws...
For instance, instead of accepting the fact that India and China have harder working people, better educated graduates, and more cost effective manufacturing methods, I say we adopt protectionist policies to keep jobs in America. Sure, I know Europe has been doing this for 25 years, and is currently suffering some of the highest unemployment numbers in their history. Instead of actually solving the problem by accepting reality and taking measures to develop infrastructure and our populace, I say we spend a bunch of money to delay the inevitable. I'm sure American companies would rather enjoy less profit and produce goods that are 3-4x prices you see on shelves now, than produce high quality goods at low prices that we all can afford. I have the audacity to believe that we can somehow defy the natural laws of market economics and save jobs here in America!
Instead of accepting the fact that measures that reward or punish teachers based on the outcomes of their teaching have not worked but actually HURT the public education system, I say we keep doing it! Let's not hold parents accountable for the outcome of their children's education, that would never work! Rather, let's punish good teachers for the bad parenting choices that their student's have endured, so that all the good teachers and administrators leave the system, leaving just a broken, underfunded, deficient shell. I know that we would be attempting to defy the law of risk and reward, but I am sure there are plenty of qualified teachers out there who want to put their careers and livelihood in the hands of a government planner in Washington DC.
Instead of deregulating healthcare, let's socialize everything. Now, I know that some people say that the cost of healthcare is high because there is a shortage of medical personnel, and because of the prohibitive costs of doing business as a healthcare professional in this country. I know that my Democratic party has been mostly responsible for this. And I know that socializing medicine doesn't actually solve the ROOT problem. I know that what this will actually do is drive down the quality of care for everyone, just like in Europe and Canada. But, hey, I believe that we can defy the natural laws of supply and demand, and doesn't that give you a good feeling? And isn't that what being healthy is all about... a good feeling?
Americans, join me this November in showing the world that 6,000 years of human history doesn't apply to us. That the policies that have failed in every free society since time began can somehow work. Let's vote against gravity.
I am Barack Obama, and I approve this message.
(Barack Obama didn't actually approve this. But I think he would. Thanks for reading. -DP)
I am Barack Obama, and I approve this message.
America, it is time for us to wake up and do something about one of the biggest issues facing the country today. Gravity.
The current administration has done nothing, absolutely NOTHING to address the problems and concerns surrounding gravity. And yet, look at the devastating effects that gravity has on all of us...
Do you realize that gravity kills? The pressure that this natural force puts on all of us causes countless health problems as we age. Are you tired of wrinkles and various body parts sagging? Gravity. Think of all the construction site and warehouse accidents that happen each year because of falling objects... Gravity's fault.
Imagine with me, for a moment, a world in which no gravity existed. Why, we would all be able to jump 5 to 6 feet in the air! Every single one of us - rich or poor, black or white - could land an NBA contract and our financial problems would be solved forever, as we all would be making several million dollars per year. If we had the audacity to hope for a world without gravity, we all could afford to fly anywhere... using just our arms!
Now, I know that my conservative opponents will say that this is impossible. I know that they will say I'm a hopeless dreamer. They will compare this to my other policies and say that this goes against the natural order of things. But like other issues that I am passionate about, I believe that hope will overcome natural laws...
For instance, instead of accepting the fact that India and China have harder working people, better educated graduates, and more cost effective manufacturing methods, I say we adopt protectionist policies to keep jobs in America. Sure, I know Europe has been doing this for 25 years, and is currently suffering some of the highest unemployment numbers in their history. Instead of actually solving the problem by accepting reality and taking measures to develop infrastructure and our populace, I say we spend a bunch of money to delay the inevitable. I'm sure American companies would rather enjoy less profit and produce goods that are 3-4x prices you see on shelves now, than produce high quality goods at low prices that we all can afford. I have the audacity to believe that we can somehow defy the natural laws of market economics and save jobs here in America!
Instead of accepting the fact that measures that reward or punish teachers based on the outcomes of their teaching have not worked but actually HURT the public education system, I say we keep doing it! Let's not hold parents accountable for the outcome of their children's education, that would never work! Rather, let's punish good teachers for the bad parenting choices that their student's have endured, so that all the good teachers and administrators leave the system, leaving just a broken, underfunded, deficient shell. I know that we would be attempting to defy the law of risk and reward, but I am sure there are plenty of qualified teachers out there who want to put their careers and livelihood in the hands of a government planner in Washington DC.
Instead of deregulating healthcare, let's socialize everything. Now, I know that some people say that the cost of healthcare is high because there is a shortage of medical personnel, and because of the prohibitive costs of doing business as a healthcare professional in this country. I know that my Democratic party has been mostly responsible for this. And I know that socializing medicine doesn't actually solve the ROOT problem. I know that what this will actually do is drive down the quality of care for everyone, just like in Europe and Canada. But, hey, I believe that we can defy the natural laws of supply and demand, and doesn't that give you a good feeling? And isn't that what being healthy is all about... a good feeling?
Americans, join me this November in showing the world that 6,000 years of human history doesn't apply to us. That the policies that have failed in every free society since time began can somehow work. Let's vote against gravity.
I am Barack Obama, and I approve this message.
(Barack Obama didn't actually approve this. But I think he would. Thanks for reading. -DP)
02 October 2008
Government is the Problem
When this democratic Republic was designed, our federal government was supposed to be responsible for four things:
1. National army / defense
2. Infrastructure (roads, utilities)
3. Postal service
4. Holding the states together... most political power was to be held at the state level.
Over the years, however, due to human greed and corruption and lack of watchfulness by citizens, power became more concentrated at the federal level. By 1887, the beginning of the end was near with the creation of the Interstate Commerce Commission. Private citizens felt they were being discriminated against by the railroads... so they turned to their government and asked for protection. What they got was an executive-branch regulatory body with LEGISLATIVE power. So much for checks and balances.
The funny thing was that the ICC which was supposed to PROTECT the common man, ended up becoming a tool which "big money" (in the form of the railroads) used to LEGALLY screw over Western farmers.
And so it went, and now we literally have tens of thousands of "independent agencies" which quasi-legislative power, that have the authority to jail or punish American citizens - i.e. the IRS, among others.
This is my point: when you get the federal government involved you give power to an entity that you cannot control. To demonstrate this, I will use an issue that I literally could not care less about: environmental regulation. Many people out there feel the need to save the environment and rainforests and endangered grasshoppers. Since corporations and other people do not care as much as they do about the issue, they do not make much headway. So, they decide to enforce their will on EVERYBODY, by getting it legislated. This is actually counter-productive, because now they have given their opponents just as much opportunity for control. Now it becomes a matter of who can contribute more to the elected official that holds that vote. And so it goes. Billions of dollars are spent as a power struggle between the "forces of good" and "forces of evil" go back and forth for decades, and little headway is made. On almost every issue (abortion, global warming, control of the markets, welfare, healthcare), this is how it has, how it does, and how it will go.
The only solution is to NOT get the government involved... or at least, not at the federal level. If it were handled at the state level, you might have some states that allow abortion and others that don't. Some states with strict control of environmental issues, and others that don't. You could literally pick your state based on your conscience.
The "No Banker Left Behind" bill is now just another example of a 125 year old American tradition of giving our central government more and more power, as we sit by and either:
(1) take it, or
(2) ask for it.
1. National army / defense
2. Infrastructure (roads, utilities)
3. Postal service
4. Holding the states together... most political power was to be held at the state level.
Over the years, however, due to human greed and corruption and lack of watchfulness by citizens, power became more concentrated at the federal level. By 1887, the beginning of the end was near with the creation of the Interstate Commerce Commission. Private citizens felt they were being discriminated against by the railroads... so they turned to their government and asked for protection. What they got was an executive-branch regulatory body with LEGISLATIVE power. So much for checks and balances.
The funny thing was that the ICC which was supposed to PROTECT the common man, ended up becoming a tool which "big money" (in the form of the railroads) used to LEGALLY screw over Western farmers.
And so it went, and now we literally have tens of thousands of "independent agencies" which quasi-legislative power, that have the authority to jail or punish American citizens - i.e. the IRS, among others.
This is my point: when you get the federal government involved you give power to an entity that you cannot control. To demonstrate this, I will use an issue that I literally could not care less about: environmental regulation. Many people out there feel the need to save the environment and rainforests and endangered grasshoppers. Since corporations and other people do not care as much as they do about the issue, they do not make much headway. So, they decide to enforce their will on EVERYBODY, by getting it legislated. This is actually counter-productive, because now they have given their opponents just as much opportunity for control. Now it becomes a matter of who can contribute more to the elected official that holds that vote. And so it goes. Billions of dollars are spent as a power struggle between the "forces of good" and "forces of evil" go back and forth for decades, and little headway is made. On almost every issue (abortion, global warming, control of the markets, welfare, healthcare), this is how it has, how it does, and how it will go.
The only solution is to NOT get the government involved... or at least, not at the federal level. If it were handled at the state level, you might have some states that allow abortion and others that don't. Some states with strict control of environmental issues, and others that don't. You could literally pick your state based on your conscience.
The "No Banker Left Behind" bill is now just another example of a 125 year old American tradition of giving our central government more and more power, as we sit by and either:
(1) take it, or
(2) ask for it.
08 September 2008
Freddie and Fannie
While I am not at all surprised that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were (illegally) seized by the US government over the weekend, I am disgusted. By seizing these mortgage companies, the US government has essentially bailed out a private company and the US taxpayer will have to pay the bill. Conservative analysts have put the debt at $200 billion dollars.
However, despite the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 that was intended to clean up Enron-style corporate corruption, rumors have been circulating that the accountants at Fannie and Freddie have been been more creative than a roomful of Seattle punk rockers on pot. A lot of analysts are now telling us that the "new" low number could be as high as $500 billion, and that when it is all told it could reach $1 trillion dollars of debt that is passed on to the American taxpayer. Our national debt has increased from $3-4 trillion dollars to $10 trillion dollars in the last 8 years. So, what's another $1 trillion dollars, really? Appaerantly, not much, by Hank Paulson's standards, the man largely responsible for this Constitutional violation.
I am outraged, but where could I constructively channel that emotion? This is not the first time this year that the government has gone far past the line... as they continually break laws, I know that the outrage will be numbed. It also has crossed my mind that not everyone is as obsessed with financial news as I am - probably a good thing. The point is... how many Americans even care that this has happened? How many Americans even realize how close we are to waking up one morning and finding ourselves in a socialistic/Communist-style regime (like China) or a fascist regime (like Britain in V for Vendetta)?
Something has to change. And, I fear, that we have perhaps waited too long. I fear that we might be past that place of no-return.
However, despite the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 that was intended to clean up Enron-style corporate corruption, rumors have been circulating that the accountants at Fannie and Freddie have been been more creative than a roomful of Seattle punk rockers on pot. A lot of analysts are now telling us that the "new" low number could be as high as $500 billion, and that when it is all told it could reach $1 trillion dollars of debt that is passed on to the American taxpayer. Our national debt has increased from $3-4 trillion dollars to $10 trillion dollars in the last 8 years. So, what's another $1 trillion dollars, really? Appaerantly, not much, by Hank Paulson's standards, the man largely responsible for this Constitutional violation.
I am outraged, but where could I constructively channel that emotion? This is not the first time this year that the government has gone far past the line... as they continually break laws, I know that the outrage will be numbed. It also has crossed my mind that not everyone is as obsessed with financial news as I am - probably a good thing. The point is... how many Americans even care that this has happened? How many Americans even realize how close we are to waking up one morning and finding ourselves in a socialistic/Communist-style regime (like China) or a fascist regime (like Britain in V for Vendetta)?
Something has to change. And, I fear, that we have perhaps waited too long. I fear that we might be past that place of no-return.
22 May 2008
545 People (Republished)
Interesting article I came across...
545 People - by Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, The Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court justices - 545 human beings out of 300+ million - are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con-game regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall.
No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole
responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300+ million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts - of incompetence and irresponsibility.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.
If the Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ .
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
There are no insolvable government problems. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, to lobbyists, and regulators Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like 'the economy,' 'inflation' or 'politics' that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people and they alone, are responsible.
They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses - provided we voters have the gumption to manage our own employees.
545 People - by Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, The Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court justices - 545 human beings out of 300+ million - are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con-game regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall.
No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole
responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300+ million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts - of incompetence and irresponsibility.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.
If the Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ .
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
There are no insolvable government problems. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, to lobbyists, and regulators Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like 'the economy,' 'inflation' or 'politics' that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people and they alone, are responsible.
They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses - provided we voters have the gumption to manage our own employees.
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