BR’s insight that many of those complaining now were fighting the tape all year is dead on. separate trading from logic.

What if Fed & banksters engineered a plan to “stabilize” the markets by buying S&P options while waiting for ligh buying volume to sell into and this has continued month after month waiting for that buying volume. The referees have become players without any disclosure, think this will affect public confidence?

The fact is, we are all finding out how powerful a force they are, mainly because they can change laws.

We hear about, this broker house, or that guy, saying they are concerned about some arcane law coming up for a vote, FSB-5150 or whatever………..and we pay zero attention.

Mea Culpa, in march the accounting changes, and in the summer the earnings upped to 75 bucks, fly in the face of all logic unless you understand the government, which I did not.

From a logical business standpoint, those two items did not change the basics of business, and thus I stood aside for the most part. Well, I was flat wrong, government has the total power to change laws at a whim when the want too, which changes the rules.

It’s kind of like a Black Swan in reverse. So, shame on me for not knowing, which is how I treat all business setbacks.

So, yeah, I believe in manipulation, how and why and knowing it when you see it is key.

If you go back to the inception of the PPT, by Regan, what was he doing at the time. Getting the Saudi’s to lower the price of oil to bankrupt the Soviet Union who had invaded Afganistan.

IMHO, certain folks always view everything as a war. Buffet talked about Pearl Harbor, as a reference to put it in perspective. War is a tough ass thing, most do not want to deal with, as I grow, I feel it’s not a bad mindset to take.

The President himself called the market bottom….it was almost like he knew something…..

” The Bush White House couldn’t illegally fire nine U.S. attorneys without the political motivation being discovered and a major investigation launched”

Ooooo a major investigation. What you witnessed was the crippling of our Justice department, in a very in-your-fat-face manner. The objective was achieved and no one prevented the desired outcome for the perps. (in other words – they got away with it, who the fuck cares that you heard about it).

Now, you’re looking at about $4Trillion dollars of unaccounted for “mystery” dollars that have flowed into US equities over the last ten months, coupled with an equally inexplicable, insatiable demand for US Government debt and you think it’s insightful to say, “It’s not the PPT”? Who the fuck cares “WHO” it is? You walk away from a crooked card game, and you don’t get points for figuring out who rigged it. What guys like you haven’t figured out yet is that Main Street ain’t comin’ back, no matter how awesome the Ponzi looks.

Seriously, it’s no wonder we can find millions to unquestioningly buy into global warming, despite the coldest December on record and accept that Saudi Arabia wasn’t involved in 911, despite 15 of the 19 hijackers being Saudi. All’s someone has to do is label the truth “conspiracy theory” and every mush-minded fool that’s afraid of being exposed for what they truly are will go running the other direction.

Way to go, America!

Mr Ritholtz,

Sorry this seems to be a sore topic with you, but I’m not certain I understand what you are saying. I read your book, and I read your blog, but your point of view IS a little hard to understand. I would say that we don’t know what the Presidential Working Group does, so all options are on the table. Speculate freely. Some ideas make more sense than others. The Bush administration, in particular, did a great many things secretly, but you are adamant that the government would never secretly prop up the markets, despite all the other market manipulation they do in the open. You just don’t think it works that way?

You think the PWG is an advisory group who discusses market health, but doesn’t have the power to spend money, and that’s the job of Treasury and the Fed? Wouldn’t Geithner be a member of this PWG? Even though the Treasury apparently uses the same power as Congress to spend freely from our treasury, that’s when they’re wearing a different hat? Are you saying that Paulson only took money to benefit specific banks, and would never prop up the markets to benefit all? Is it unthinkable for our government to secretly interfere in the markets? If they do it openly, wouldn’t they also do it secretly if they thought it was needed?

——-

Dutchess you have an incredibly melodious voice that comes across even in your spoken word on this blog. A lovely post…much what you say is also worth folks reading and thinking about.

Nice!

Blue Horseshoe loves Anacott Steel.

You ask how they couldn’t avoid a big market crash if there is no PPT.

What appears to me is that the crash ushered in a lopsided administration that was leaning enough to one side to bring in a huge change in US public health care. This was a change that has been resisted for decades. Coincidence? Not in my mind. :)

Are the markets manipulated? Who cares? As I have said before here: Never worry about what you can’t control. That is what hell is for

Following a collapse there’s plenty of pieces to build it up again (especially if the fed can provide more pieces free of charge to the banks). Once the rest of the market sees the tower growing they are keen to join, but in this game you’re not sure when supply of pieces will get thin and when/where participants will start to take out their pieces. The tower can still grow, but the footing isn’t as solid. Of course what we saw in 08 was quite a few pieces removed from near the bottom.

Sorry this seems to be a sore topic with you, but I’m not certain I understand what you are saying. I read your book, and I read your blog, but your point of view IS a little hard to understand. I would say that we don’t know what the Presidential Working Group does, so all options are on the table. Speculate freely. Some ideas make more sense than others. The Bush administration, in particular, did a great many things secretly, but you are adamant that the government would never secretly prop up the markets, despite all the other market manipulation they do in the open. You just don’t think it works that way?

You think the PWG is an advisory group who discusses market health, but doesn’t have the power to spend money, and that’s the job of Treasury and the Fed? Wouldn’t Geithner be a member of this PWG? Even though the Treasury apparently uses the same power as Congress to spend freely from our treasury, that’s when they’re wearing a different hat? Are you saying that Paulson only took money to benefit specific banks, and would never prop up the markets to benefit all? Is it unthinkable for our government to secretly interfere in the markets? If they do it openly, wouldn’t they also do it secretly if they thought it was needed?

We have don’t know exactly what this group does, but you are absolutely certain that is does not do anything to prop up the market, because… exactly why are you certain of this? You think they’re Fed and ex-Fed types who advise the president impartially, with no thought to interfere in the markets? Warren Buffet and others?

I will believe you if you say you can just tell by the way markets behave. You do not need to offer proof, as you demand of the skeptics. I will just believe you.

Whatever that shit is just for folks like us who like to research.

The person was trying to say folks were “Conspiracy Theorists” tied into “Knights Templar.” Give me a break from the disruption.

BUT…maybe WE ARE RELATED if you know Charlemagne!