Today’s links: Idiots from Harvard, Idiots from JP Morgan and other stuff
Here’s what I was thinking and reading about when I wasn’t worrying about my dog’s seemingly sudden weight problem. Out of the blue the other day, my mom told me, “He’s fat”. I blame the hot dogs that some nameless friends of mine have been sneaking him. I probably need to work him out more too. But I digress. Here’re the links and commentary:
Defining Benefits Down – I linked to David Merkel’s controversial article about The Death of the Middle Class being a good thing yesterday. Today he’s back with more controversial analysis, including doozies like this one: “Employees are incapable of making intelligent investment decisions in aggregate, much as they like the feeling of “control.”
What’s In Store Following Yesterday’s Big Gains? – My buddy Jordan Kahn does a great job of framing the latest market moves and what they mean for your portfolio. Sneak preview: “The question now is will it be more similar to 1998 when the Fed action sparked a lasting rally or more like 2008 when there was more downside to come?”
Who’s more scared now, the bulls or the bears? – From yours truly. Tell me your answer.
Draghi Opens Door to Bigger Role for ECB – Who’s Draghi? Is he magic? I’m sure Draghi can fix everything with a bigger door. Or wait, a bigger role with a door. Wait, what is the point of any of this anymore? Surely he can do better than this guy has done lately: DSK Claims Alleged Rape Began With Maid’s ‘Suggestive Look’. Right? Right? I mean, these guys are brilliant! Geniuses! The ECB, the IMF…let’s get the World Bank on the phone, they’ll have some answers too, I’m sure. Suggestive looks, indeed.
Five ideas Wall Street can take from McDonald’s – I didn’t link to editor-in-chief David Callaway’s article just to earn brownie points. It’s a good article. Read it. We’ve at least seen McDonald’s follow the market demand for less fried crap and more veggies and fruit…though I’m not sure you can call those sliced red things you get on those things they call “burgers” over there “tomatoes”. Plastic red slices of wetness. Mmm, good! (I do love me a MickeyD’s on occasion though).
Jamie Dimon: Address to HBS MBA Class of 2009, Class Day June 21, 2009 – And finally to follow up on David’s link above about McD’s and Wall Street, how about this video classic. I wonder if Dimon would be applauded at anywhere but a place like Harvard where they crank out idiots who create things like “mortgage back securities” and even convince idiots like former Harvard Prez, Larry Summers to invest Harvard’s assets in such crap. Seriously, Harvard is perhaps the worst school in the world. Think about it. Anyway, you gotta this Jamie Dimon idiot talking about things like ETHICS. Yeah, when we think of ethics in 2011, we usually think of the CEO of JP Morgan who was telling his investors about how safe his balance sheet was as he was borrowing $85 billion from the taxpayer a full year after he said he’d been forced to take such welfare. Ethics? From the CEO of JP Morgan in 2011? Seriously? Sigh.
