Today’s links: Horses, banks and presidents

Here’s what I was reading and thinking about today when I wasn’t dreaming about getting a horse. I need a horse.

Terrible Optics Watch: Obama to Accept Dem Nomination at Bank of America Stadium– It’s a good thing Obama and the democrats have been leading the charge on prosecuting fraud, robosigning, front-running, insider-trading and balance sheet lies at Bank Of America. It’s a good thing they’ve put the former CEO and Chairman of Wamu, BofA, and Merrill Lynch in prison for telling investors that they had trillions of dollars of assets that were only worth a few cents on the dollar on their balance sheets in 2007 and repeatedly in 2008 as they were begging the previous administration for trillion dollar handouts and legalized accounting fraud. Oh wait. Did we get any justice for any crooks at any Too Big Too Fail Bank yet? No? Maybe there were no crimes committed. Ha! Boy, accepting a political nomination at a stadium that was built with tax dollars for a private investor who owns a professional sports team that sold the rights to name the stadium to a bank that is fully funded and only in business because of ongoing taxpayer support and which then gives millions of that same taxpayer money to the guy accepting the political nomination in the stadium built by taxpayer funds. I am sick and tired of explaining to people that the entire premise of both the Republican and Democrat parties of political tax-favoritism and welfare for the elite is not capitalism, is not Constitutional and is not moral. Thank you, Obama and the Democrats for making this point for me so well with this choice of location…and logo (see my photoshopped logo below).

Four banks set to bid for mortgage securities – Hmm, one of the only four banks who are being allowed to look at, value and bid on a bunch of assets that the government used taxpayer money to buy from AIG which is now sorta mostly owned by the US Treasury but is still a publicly-traded stock that private investors profit on and is now being sold at a huge discount so that the four banks can make huge profits for Bank of America shareholders off of taxpayer losses. Did you see the welfare bank’s name on the welfare stadium that the welfare sports team plays in that our current puppet Republican/Democrat Regime head is going to accept his nomination in? I really am sick and tired of explaining to people that the entire premise of both the Republican and Democrat parties of political tax-favoritism and welfare for the elite is not capitalism, is not Constitutional and is not moral.

Occupy Wall Street’s Next Phase: Avoid Cooptation in Election Season – Speaking of being sick of the farce that is the Republican/Democrat differentiation, here’s some enlightened commentary about how hard it is going to be for #OWS to remain anti-partisan/non-partisan. From the article: The election season is in full swing, and Democratic tentacles are reaching out to caress the Occupy Wall Street movement and its new, Black partner, Occupy The Dream. How does OWS fight the temptations of cooptation? “If nonpartisanship means avoidance of Obama’s wars and the destruction of due process of law, or requires hobnobbing with local politicians who all happen to be Democrats and Obama boosters – then it is a shallow and technical assertion.” What the people need, and the movement must provide, is the Truth. Now that is some truth already!

Let’s hit a couple investment/trading-related links before I go back and dream about my horse.

Earnings Reports Continue To Receive Applause – I mentioned in yesterday’s column that I was buying FFIV calls before their earnings report. The stock is up $15 today and I’m locking in some of those profits, but as Jordan notes — there’s probably more upside to come for those companies that deliver like F5 did last night.

What’s Up? What’s Down? – David Merkel with a absolutely fascinating look at the top 50 inflationary items and the top 50 deflationary items in the PPI. And more importantly, he comes away with some investment conclusions. Fascinating stuff.

Best tech trades for earnings season – My favorite tech trader outlines some of the tech stocks, calls and puts that he is buying in real-time right now.  Are you on the same side he is with Google, Netflix, Apple and Riverbed into their respective calls? Jay Somaney is a must-read every day for every tech investor.