Archives

March 2007 Archives

House of Cards - 2007-03-29
The rickety house of cards that Alan Greenspan and his mortgage buddies built--one bad loan at a time--took another hit this week. New home sales plummeted 4% in February to their slowest pace in more than six years.

Buzz-Saw Economics, Part 2: Wine on My Mind - 2007-03-28
As I headed out to the suburbs of Santiago last Tuesday to visit the world's first winery to list on the New York Stock Exchange, I expected to have a day of snooty sophistication. But I got a look at the "other Santiago" along the way.

Just One Word--Nanotech - 2007-03-27
In the 1967 film “The Graduate,” it may have been the shapely legs of Mrs. Robinson that caught the eye of young Ben Braddock, but it was Mr. McGuire’s sage advice that captured the ears of the investment world.

Iran's Manipulation of Oil - 2007-03-26
Over the last few days, Iran has single-handedly pushed oil to a three month record high. And as long as they continue defying the global community, the sky is the limit for oil prices.

Apple's Next Evolution - 2007-03-22
By the time the Bruce Springsteen figured out that there was on, the world of television had radically changed. Those old rabbit-eared three-channel sets had long since gone the way of the dinosaurs. An evolved and fifty-seven-headed behemoth now ruled the airwaves.

Hope Doesn't Pay the Bills - 2007-03-22
While they're busy patting themselves on the back for hating Exxon and morons who drive Hummers in the city, machete-wielding Nigerians continue to murder.

Direct from Chile: Buzz-Saw Economics, Part 1 - 2007-03-21
SANTIAGO, CHILE: Twice in my life have I ever heard--let alone tolerated--the sound of power tools outside my bedroom at midnight. Once was in 2005, in Northern Tibet, China. The other time was this Monday night in Santiago, Chile.

Painful Premonitions at the Pump - 2007-03-19
Of all places to experience déjà vu, mine came to me at the gas station this weekend. Something tells me you might have had a similar feeling, too.

From the Sub-Prime to the Ridiculous - 2007-03-16
Here in Santiago, Chile, the sun is bright. The future is also bright for the national economy of Chile, but as many U.S. investors homeowners are now learning, capitalism can bring cataclysm if not carefully implemented. Today's commentary from Peter Schiff highlights the theater of the absurd that sometimes unfolds in boardrooms and trading markets.

Home Builder Stock Outlook - 2007-03-15
Wealth Daily Editor Steve Christ take tackles the outlook for home builder stocks for 2007 and 2008.

The Hottest Stock Exchange on the Planet - 2007-03-14
Since the beginning of 2002, the major American indices have posted modest gains. The Dow Jones has tacked on a healthy 22.5% while the NASDAQ and SP500 have gained 22.3% and 22.2% respectively. And while those gains aren't bad...they're not even in the same ballpark as Canada's TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V), which has laid claimed a 200%+ increase over the same period of time.

Special Report from Colombia - 2007-03-13
Un Nuevo Mundo. Even if your Spanish is limited to Mexican menu literacy or Ricky Martin lyrics, you probably understand this phrase. It translates as "A New World," and it bears great historical importance for the past, present and future of the Americas.

Microsoft vs. Linux and Dell, Round 2 - 2007-03-13
When it comes to overnight success stories, Michael Dell’s is certainly one for the books. After all, how many 19-year-old college kids manage to rack up nearly $6 million in first-year sales by storming the walls of an industry giant like IBM?

Canada's Nuclear Alternative Gaining Steam - 2007-03-12
The future demand for Canadian oil sands is practically assured. Over the next decade, the U.S. is going to reduce its reliance on Middle Eastern oil. President Bush confirmed this during his last two State of the Union Addresses. But Bush's plan to develop renewable energy sources won't have a significant effect on our energy consumption for a long time, perhaps more than 20 years.

Breaking Oil's Expensive Grip - 2007-03-08
Peak oil or not, the price of crude continues to climb. Driven by increasing worldwide demand and a supply pipeline that is both more costly to produce and found more and more in the hands of our enemies, oil seems destined to edge higher over the coming years.

Diving into Latin America - 2007-03-07
PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Back in Baltimore, it's snowing and below freezing. In Mexico, the blue water is as clear as President Bush's choice: adapt to the Latin American climate or get swept up in a new tide of populist rage.

Cisco and the Long Tail - 2007-03-06
Ever since Chris Anderson coined the term “the long tail,” the business world has been abuzz about what the Wired editor managed to uncover. As with Malcolm Gladwell’s “tipping point” before him, the truths that Anderson revealed have taken the conference room by storm--particularly within the tech industry.

Don't Worry, Be Happy! Part II - 2007-03-05
Last September I wrote and article with the same headline (Part I) shortly after the gold market had a big selloff. In that article, dated September 13, 2007, I told investors to not worry, that gold would be going much higher. On that date, the New York spot price was $590 an ounce.

The Sub-Prime Inferno - 2007-03-02
What started as a mere brush fire in the sub-prime mortgage market has now quickly turned into a five-alarm blaze. Fed by tinder-dry bundles of risky loans, the fire has now singed the fingers of investors and lenders alike on one bad deal after another, as the notices of defaults begin to pile up in mailboxes around the country at a record pace.

Sign Your Country on the Dotted Line - 2007-03-01
Old research habits die hard. Actually, it's my belief that knowledge should not be compartmentalized - you know what you know, and latent awareness can only help. Now, why does my linguistic training apply to fossil fuel?

Opportunity Amid the Carnage - 2007-03-01
Tuesday morning started just like all of the rest of them: the cat woke me up, my wife had taken all of the covers and the kids were carrying on and getting ready for school. But after tuning into to CNBC in those early morning hours, one thing was perfectly clear - this wasn't going to be an ordinary day for the markets. Dow futures were down over 80 points.