The Kirk Report

Stimulus Stew Posted: 09 Feb 2009 04:06 PM CST Americans have doubts, but support government action Spending more than $800 billion is the easy part Taking apart the $819 billion stimulus package "The stimulus package the U.S. Congress is completing would raise the government's commitment to solving the financial crisis to $9.7 trillion, enough to pay off more than 90% of the nation's home mortgages." - Mark Pittman The National Debt will reach 100% of GDP during the Obama administration Who is going to pay for all of this? Uncle Sam's Growing Portfolio Stimulus stew Big stimulus risks for both sides Bank Bailout Plan revamped CEOs head to Washington Fannie & Freddie to channel mortgage rescue Why the stimulus will fail Instead of stimulus, do nothing – seriously The US downturn looks to be getting worse when it should be getting better A comparison of job losses in recent recessions Americans are spending, but within their means Here is what the new, leaner American economy looks like What's your new plan B? Are Americans showing a false sense of safety? In Florida, despair and foreclosures Fed's Yellen sees dynamics similar to Depression SEC looks to reassure investors A sentiment overview Sentiment check - the bears are losing their conviction Why analysts keep telling investors to buy It's a bull market for economists An interesting market worksheet Dow distortions Stocks are getting no cheaper Stock valuations are extremely low Stock market value ratio trends In sum, this is a Missouri market! MACD lines show some promise Keep an eye on the amount of new highs & lows "We could be in for a protracted sideways market for the bulk of 2009." - Declan J. Fallon "If inflation is double-digit nasty or deflation rampant, hold on to your cash. It's going to be a rough ride." - John F. Wasik US inflation pressures hit fresh 50-yr low "I believe investors should be ready to shift gears when the deflationary environment ends and a new inflationary cycle starts." - Louis Navellier Don't believe the historians and economists who say America's best days are behind us Scientific concerns over Antarctic ice sheet Rise in silver has gurus watching for more bull-market signs Oil ETF is under pressure from monthly contract roll A hedge fund gambles on death Sam Zell's empire, underwater in a big way Big pharma's costly debt addiction Hotel industry operating metrics are showing no signs of improvement Inadequate loan loss reserves at numerous Minnesota banks Undercapitalized bank list grows Barron's shredded Jim Cramer again over the weekend Doug Kass defends Jim Cramer Investing via Media Market Timing Barron's top 1,000 advisers The world's advanced economies are already in depression IMF outlines dire consequences if world fails to act on banks Gordon Brown pins economy hopes on China Is China immune to crisis? This week's earnings preview Google - the next victim of creative destruction? Citigroup hides mystery meat in balance sheet John Mack fights back Bank of America = FrankenBank What's hot at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters? Another earnings surprise for Solera 15 companies that might not survive 2009 10 standout growth and value stocks Dividend rockets! 5 cash-rich stocks being given away CAPS screener Stockcharts' predefined scans Scanning for crossovers Richard Estes' Buy, Buy, Buy Scan Michael Daumer's Momentum Buy Signal Scan The new old virtues How to identify and trade trend days Using Gann to trade the main trend CXO examines the turn-of-the-month strategy as it pertains to falling markets What are your beliefs about trading? An examination of firms that marginally miss or beat analyst forecasts How volatility-loving options traders think A trading pit is called a pit for a reason Which color of paint should you use for your home office? Three plants to consider for your office or home Having a tough day? 13 ways to deal with it Did you know that over the 10 years through January, an investor holding the stocks in the S&P's 500-stock index, and reinvesting the dividends, would have lost about 5.1 percent a year after adjusting for inflation? Is fundamental indexing all that it's made out to be? There's a growing interest in dividend ETFs Van Eck launches new Municipal Index ETF Preferred stocks may harbor fewer risks, more rewards Madoff's Mayhem The Do's and Don'ts of lending money to family What's the best tax-prep software? Nine tips to avoid overspending Less stuff = Less stuff = more freedom! Credit scores available for free Learn something new this week "When you make a mistake, don't look back at it long. Take the reason of the thing into your mind and then look forward. Mistakes are lessons of wisdom. The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power." - Hugh White This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

On Hold Posted: 09 Feb 2009 07:48 AM CST Good morning. Premarket futures are under pressure as Wall Street is put on hold for another day. Plans to announce the highly anticipated bank bailout have been put on hold until 11:AM tomorrow. In addition, the stimulus plan has still not passed, even though there is some confidence they can reach a final vote soon. Additional headlines include news that the U.S. bank bailout to rely in part on private money, the Treasury has announced that insurers will be eligible for TARP funds, and the government is considering a forced bankruptcy for GM & Chrysler. Finally, regulators closed three more banks on Friday. Other than more earnings reports, nothing of significance is on today's calendar beyond any new details on the bailout and stimulus. Obama is scheduled to speak to the country at 8:PM regarding these plans. It is difficult to know whether Wall Street will continue the "buy ahead of the news" trade we saw last week as more details leak out, but the main focus obviously will be the reaction once the plans are revealed tomorrow. Have a great Monday!

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