<p>sold some 6/29 spy 149 puts for .25.</p>
<p>What parts of the fed statement are wrong?</p>
<p>I think that we will continue to see what we have seen for the past few years. Slow growth with mild reported inflation. That means unemployment will remain elevated, capacity will be under utilized and corporations will continue to make modest profit increases. Obamacare is a jobs killer so it will probably take two to three years to work through that. What am i missing?</p>
<p>Fed expects robust employment growth around the end of 2013. I think that the Fed is nuts on this issue. I suppose that I could dig out other bullish remarks but I think that one should suffice on their wishful thinking. You could also read Bullard’s remarks from last week. I think that Bullard was restrained just saying that the Fed is over-optimistic.</p>
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<p>That too.</p>
<p>At best, the ACA will be a moderate to major distraction for small businesses which will impede hiring. The ACA should result in additional jobs in the healthcare industries and I expect that accountants will do well as someone has to track the stuff required for compliance and enforcement.</p>
<p>It’s been a crappy five years in job-hunting and I’ve seen that first-hand. To take away the punchbowl where so many haven’t even had a sip is pretty cruel.</p>
<p>EMM1, thanks. A friend of mine bought a little xiv today.</p>
<p>Intc is not going to be an issue for me.</p>
<p>As I said this is a bigger issue financially…</p>
<p>[iShares</a> S&P National Municipal Bond Fund (MUB) Real-Time Stock Quote - NASDAQ.com](<a href=“http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/mub/real-time]iShares”>http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/mub/real-time)</p>
<p>However, I am in the BCEagle91 camp. My childrens’ happiness and well being are my primary concern. </p>
<p>The markets do not fool around, do they?</p>
<p>I’ve been waiting for this bond selloff for a long time - too long. Since I haven’t owned any since 2009, I missed out on the runup.</p>
<p>Well… since interest rates were so far below where they would be without fed intervention, this is not a surprise. Interest rates are still a little low. </p>
<p>What I am really losing is the cap gains that I made since the qes started. That is ok as long as inflation doesn’t go crazy as I mentioned earlier. Not as fun as it used to be to look at the brokerage statements though. :)</p>
<p>I looked at the munis for sale at Schwab and I didn’t see anything enticing even with the sell off. </p>
<p>The issues of the interest rate rise go way beyond me. What is going to happen to lenders that lent money long term at below market rates? What is going to happen to the elderly and those that ran into the bond market the last 2 to 3 years? What about the financial firms that borrow short and lend or invest long? Use leverage? Housing? </p>
<p>The Fed is talking about tapering and investors freak out. Looks like investors got a little too aggressive. The Tepper effect. Just buy everything. Leverage up too.</p>
<p>I’m thinking of buying some more long term spy calls and put spreads. Anybody buying anything?</p>
<p>Sold 6/28 iwm 90 puts = .19. Bought 1/18 spy 125 calls, bought 156 - 146 - 137 ratio puts.</p>
<p>“In the past year a group of synthetic proteins called CRISPR-Cas RNA-guided nucleases (RGNs) have generated great excitement in the scientific community as gene-editing tools. Exploiting a method that some bacteria use to combat viruses and other pathogens, CRISPR-Cas RGNs can cut through DNA strands at specific sites, allowing the insertion of new genetic material. However, a team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers has found a significant limitation to the use of CRISPR-Cas RGNs, production of unwanted DNA mutations at sites other than the desired target. “We found that expression of CRISPR-Cas RGNs in human cells can have off-target effects that, surprisingly, can occur at sites with significant sequence differences from the targeted DNA site,” says J. Keith Joung, MD, PhD, associate chief for Research in the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Department of Pathology and co-senior author of the report receiving online publication in Nature Biotechnology. “RGNs continue to have tremendous advantages over other genome editing technologies, but these findings have now focused our work on improving their precision.””</p>
<p>[Powerful</a> gene-editing tool appears to cause off-target mutations in human cells | e! Science News](<a href=“http://esciencenews.com/articles/2013/06/24/powerful.gene.editing.tool.appears.cause.target.mutations.human.cells]Powerful”>Powerful gene-editing tool appears to cause off-target mutations in human cells | (e) Science News)</p>
<p>I didn’t realize that these kinds of tools exist today. Apparently the bugs aren’t worked out but the concept of making genomic changes with a web browser blows my mind. This is pretty scary stuff that they are playing with but the potential seems really huge. This seems like one of those things that may be practically useful in 10-15 years.</p>
<p>Doct, good luck.</p>
<p>BCEagle91, that is an exciting development. Maybe, that procedure can get rid of tumors someday?</p>
<p>I’m hoping the bottom isn’t in. I’m buying in small increments 5 - 10 contracts at a time. If it goes a lot lower, I’ll be buying in much larger amounts. I’ve got a lot of dry powder right now.</p>
<p>Wow… Ok…</p>
<p>Another one of my favorite subjects…</p>
<p>[Commissioner</a> Jones recommends Covered California exclude Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Cross of California from participating in Small Business Exchange](<a href=“California Department of Insurance”>California Department of Insurance)</p>
<p>I happen to like Dave Jones.</p>
<p>This is what I’m thinking too but you already knew that:</p>
<p>[Bernanke</a> speaks, and markets go wild ? what next? - MarketWatch](<a href=“Bernanke speaks, and markets go wild — what next? - MarketWatch”>Bernanke speaks, and markets go wild — what next? - MarketWatch)</p>
<p>I remember someone else posting his writings when they came out, but Matt Taibbi just published a rather scathing article on the ratings agencies.</p>
<p>[The</a> Last Mystery of the Financial Crisis - Yahoo! Finance](<a href=“The Last Mystery of the Financial Crisis”>The Last Mystery of the Financial Crisis)</p>
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<p>BCEagle91 and RacinReaver great links. Thanks. </p>
<p>I dont know for sure…China is a wid card. My opinion.
Tlt and mub reversed and they are up on the day. I think things are ok now.</p>
<p>I cut my positions down last week in stocks. I dont think I am going to buy much. My positions are small enough I dont have to watch the market. I think I will keep it that way. Not everything is about money as BCEagle91 memtioned earlier today. </p>
<p>Taibbi should win the pulitzer prize or whatever is appropriate. I dont see anybody better than him. He is an ant fighting elephants but he does a great job. </p>
<p>From BCEagle91’s post…yeah the ecomomy matters. Rates matter too. I think the markets are ok now with the reversal of the bond market today. We will see.</p>
<p>I bought an annuity around 2004, MetLife Prime Elite something. Its supposed to protect my beneficiaries from adverse market fluctuations so it has a guaranteed death benefit which is roughly the highest market value of the portfolio at any point in its time. It automatically deducts $30 as fees per year. The last time I looked at it was end of 2012 3Q and the death benefit value back then gives me an ROI about 33% after fees were deducted. I have to look at it if its still doing ok. </p>
<p>I received e-mails of buy alerts for some stocks early this morning. Well, not really buy alerts. I am just supposed to look at those stocks if they dropped at certain support levels and determine if I will buy or not. I didnt have time to look at the indicators so I didnt pull the trigger like DocT. </p>
<p>I also looked at LQD last night and today. The decline is not as bad as the 2008 red waterfall and the 2011 steep decline from Nov. 7 to Nov. 24.</p>
<p>A few months ago I watched an episode of HBOs VICE about some newly built ghost towns in China. A total waste of money. Nobody is living there. </p>
<p>I glanced at Taibbis headline a few days ago. Its in my reading list. There is just so much going on right now. Doesnt help if my house is full of teenagers during the weekends. Thanks for the reminder Racinreaver because my reading list is quite long.</p>
<p>$compq bounced right at trendline support from Dec 2012.</p>
<p>I forgot to add that you shouldn’t chase TZA. If you’re late don’t bother.</p>
<p>Well…that was not quite the close I was expecting.</p>