Main News

 

 

Downturn doubts voiced in credit derivatives report -- [at FT Investor]
By Stacy-Marie Ishmael MarketWatch
7/16/2007 11:06:06 PM

 

EPSTEIN'S SUBPRIME EXPOSURE: http://www.nypost.com/seven/07172007/business/epsteins_subprime_exposure_business_roddy_boyd.htm
By RODDY BOYD
Jeffrey Epstein, one of the world's most reclusive investors, appears to have gotten his ultra-rich clientele tangled up in one of the now infamous Bear Stearns hedge funds, Securities and Exchange Commission documents show. Known for hobnobbing with everyone from Bill Clinton to leading...

 

HEDGE DOUGH NO GO FUND $$ DRY UP: http://www.nypost.com/seven/07172007/business/hedge_dough_no_go_fund__dry_up_business_roddy_boyd.htm
By RODDY BOYD
Big Wall Street firms' love affair with lending cash to hedge funds specializing in trading mortgage-backed securities is officially over as margin requirements are getting tougher, making an already brutal market even more costly. For the past five years, hedge funds specializing in...

 

U.S. Auto Loan Static Index And Collateral Trends Report: Upgrades Continue At A Record Pace Despite Rising Losses
Rating performance of U.S. auto loan asset-backed securities (ABS) continues to be solid, even as early losses in the nonprime and subprime sectors-especially for the 2005 and 2006 vintages-are creeping up. Adequate credit enhancement continues to protect investors in spite of the rising losses, as shown by the recent positive rating momentum for auto loan ABS. Since the start of 2004, Standard & Poor's has raised 299 ratings on public auto loan transactions and has lowered none.
To learn more, click or copy and paste the URL below:

http://standardandpoors.rsys1.net/servlet/cc5?kHiQUBSAQTVsLgHxhilpuHQJhuV2VTU

 

Barron's Picks Five Clean Tech Stocks for a Greener Future

 

 

US - The Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho (PERSI) has smashed its own records for the past two decades by delivering a 20% annual return.

 

Texan alternatives plan US - The new chief investment officer at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) has revealed plans to boost the fund’s allocation in alternative assets to 30%.

 

 

Surge In Biofuels Pushes Up Food Prices
World Bank Group - Washington,DC,USA
Data released by China 's statistics bureau last week showed the economy was worth 21.09 trillion yuan in 2006, about 2.65 trillion dollars based on last ...
See all stories on this topic

 

Releasing a “special comment” yesterday, the ratings agency expressed its feeling on private-equity-owned companies and their apparent tendency to be a bit more far-sighted than their public counterparts in terms of investing in their businesses.

Full Story...

 

Refco: When Smart Money Isn't So Smart
MSNBC - USA
But a recent report on the spectacular collapse of Refco -- the once-dominant commodities broker that was laid waste by a massive accounting fraud -- paints ...
See all stories on this topic

 

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Yield Curve Corner

 

Metals - Gold steady at higher levels on rising oil prices, weak ...
Forbes - NY,USA
Looking to the week ahead, gold traders will be waiting for Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's testimony to the US Congress on Wednesday and Thursday, ...
See all stories on this topic

 

Treasuries Rise on Speculation Subprime Losses Are Deepening
Bloomberg - USA
This week also brings government inflation data and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke's semiannual testimony on the economy and monetary policy. ...
See all stories on this top

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Natural Disaster Corner

 

Climate Prediction  http://www.nws.noaa.gov/predictions.php

World Meterological Organization http://severe.worldweather.org/

Tornadoes: http://www.disastercenter.com/tornado.htm

Great Sat Pictures of events:

 

Japan quake victims shelter, future uncertain
July 17, 2007 04:48 AM ET
KASHIWAZAKI, Japan (Reuters) - More than 12,000 people prepared
for a second night in evacuation centers in northwest Japan
on Tuesday after an earthquake the previous day killed nine
people, injured more than 1,000 and triggered radioactive leaks
from a nuclear plant.
http://links.reuters.com/t/Y2MF9/J3L79/GX/JAW90?a1=nl_usmorningdigest

 

 * Japan investigates 'nuclear leak' *
Japanese authorities look into a possible second radioactive leak at nuclear plant following an earthquake.
Full story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6902142.stm

 

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Iranian Situation

 

 

Iran Is Found To Be a Lair of Al Qaeda
Intelligence Estimate Cites Two Councils
BY ELI LAKE - Staff Reporter of the Sun
WASHINGTON — One of two known Al Qaeda leadership councils meets regularly in eastern Iran, where the American intelligence community believes dozens of senior Al Qaeda leaders have reconstituted a good part of the terror conglomerate's senior...

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Avian Flu

 

Avian influenza  (Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response (EPR))
Avian influenza (Western Pacific Region)
Influenza and avian influenza (European Region)

Avian influenza (Fact Sheet)

Q&A: Avian influenza: am I at risk?

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Plansponsor.com

 

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Opalesque’s Corner

 

- SEC may have to alter hedge plans or scrap them altogether
- Regulate public alternatives firms as funds, panelists say, Senate Majority Leader Reid says Senate may act on tax rise for fund managers in 2008
- Dutch pension fund to double $716m hedge fund stake by December
- Survey: 12% of world`s central bankers to include alternatives in new, more aggressive asset mix
- Fitch Survey: Banks concerned by hedge fund leverage and dominance in CDS space, Can Wall Street be trusted to value risky CDOs?  Lo: Models end up breaking down, Processing OTC derivatives trades gives banks, custodians tough time
- Opalesque Exclusive: Microfinance, a growing asset class with big rewards
- Hungarian fund managers to launch first onshore Central and Eastern Europe hedge fund, Former Pfizer execs` shop opens L/S equity hedge fund, JPMorgan launches four 130/30 funds in Europe, Independence Investments launches 130/30 U.S. Mid-Cap Core, Large Cap Value Strategies
- Ackman`s Target move puzzles, `Ackman touch` typically directed to financial restructuring
- Blog blasts Grassley - already a past winner of NakedShorts` eagerly sought Moron du Jour Award - for his savagely cynical assault on Robin Hood Foundation
- Ritchie Capital Life Insurance Funds disclose $817m debt
- Moody`s downgrades Private Equity, warns creditors: `If interest rates go up, deals will not look very attractive`, Goldman, JPMorgan stuck with debt they can`t sell to investors
- Private equity group Apollo Management decides against flotation
- Bank of New York Mellon aims to be wealth management powerhouse
- Credit Suisse head joins Fairfield Greenwich as partner, Ron Panzier named Chief Executive Officer of MayerCap, KBW names new fund manager, Andre du Plessis leaves Watson Wyatt
- Resurrection Advisors launches fund valuation division, Hedge Fund Solutions & Risk Management announce partnership
- Soros/HBK backed Swiss reinsurer Glacier Re to launch industrial insurer
- European surprises: Single market-neutral hedge fund with greater net inflows than entire universe of long-only equity funds, $7.2 billion goes to U.S. venture capital in Q2, Distressed debt assets already top 20'06 total, PE funds raise $137bln in H1, Foreign inflows into Asia funds picking up
- How hot investments burn the little guy: Commodities trades can rapidly sour
- Art becomes part of balance sheet of private clients, financial motives over passion
- Philanthropy becomes an investment class
- New report says worldwide nuclear renaissance is a myth
- Portrait: Culture, people: How Thames River Capital seeks to broaden distribution and diversify revenues and profits sources
- Over one-third of UK schemes struggling to recruit trustees
- Germany`s Union Investment sees demand for SRI and portable alpha
- Browder says computer confiscation led to team`s move to London, Hermitage fund still invests in Russia
- Singapore`s GIC reorganizes management for succession
- Select Diversified Portfolios rated 4 Stars by S&P
- News Briefs: John Mack, ex-Bush donor, hosts Clinton fundraiser, SEC and BaFin sign regulatory cooperation arrangement
- .And finally: Man calls 911 to save him from police
- Logon: http://www.opalesque.com/main.php?act=archive

 

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Misc. Items of Interest

 

Riskiest U.S. Housing Markets
7.17.07, 6:00 AM ET - Matt Woolsey
Due to lending conditions, borrowers' habits and regional economics, these areas are more vulnerable to market downturns than others.

 

Al Qaeda's Weak Attempt to Parade Osama bin Laden

 

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Funnies, Facts, Quotes, etc….

 

gallimaufry gal-uh-MAW-free, noun:

A medley; a hodgepodge.

 

As tasty as a truckload of rats
July 16, 2007 08:13 AM ET
BEIJING (Reuters) - Live rats are being trucked from central
China, suffering a plague of a reported 2 billion rodents displaced
by a flooded lake, to the south to end up in restaurant dishes,
Chinese media reported.
http://links.reuters.com/t/PH6DI/J3L79/GX/JAW90?a1=nl_usmorningdigest

 

1998:  The United Nations completed the statute establishing the International Criminal Court, which began sittings four years later.

1945:  Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, and Harry S. Truman met at the Potsdam Conference, the last Allied summit conference of World War II.

1944:  German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was seriously injured when his car was forced off the road by British fighter-bombers.

1862:  Abraham Lincoln's wartime Congress passed the second Confiscation Act, a precursor to the Emancipation Proclamation.

1763:  John Jacob Astor, founder of a renowned family of Anglo-American capitalists, business leaders, and philanthropists, was born in Waldorf, Germany.

1683:  Turkish forces began the Siege of Vienna against the Habsburg Holy Roman emperor Leopold I.

1453:  French forces routed the English in the Battle of Castillon, the concluding battle of the Hundred Years' War.

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Conference, Courses, Books, Papers

 

Great Research Sites:

 

Merrill Lynch research Link to full report including important disclosures see example

 

John Mauldin’s Weekly Analysis

 

James Altucher’s Website:

 

Other useful sites:

 

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Index Corner

 

The CSFB/Tremont Hedge Fund Index www.hedgeindex.com.

The Cogent Dynamic Averages http://www.cogenthedge.com/home/inv_strategy.asphttp://www.cogenthedge.com/home/inv_strategy.asp

The Dow Jones Indices: http://www.djhedgefundindexes.com/index.cfm?event=viewPremiumContent (free registration)

HFRX Indices https://www.hedgefundresearch.com/hfrx_reg/index.php?fuse=login&1170880431

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Regulatory Info

 

 

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Disclaimer

 

The information contained in this document does not constitute an offer or solicitation to sell any security or other type of vehicles to or by anyone in any jurisdictions, nor should it be regarded as a contractual document. Under no circumstances should the information provided on this document be considered as financial advice, or as a sufficient basis on which to make investment decisions. The information contained herein has been gathered by Investor DNA, LLC from sources deemed reliable as of the date of publication, but no warranty of accuracy or completeness is given. Investor DNA, LLC is not responsible for and provides no guarantee with respect to any of the information provided herein or through the use of any hypertext link. Past results are no indication of future performance. All information in this newsletter is for educational and informational purposes and does not constitute investment, legal, tax or accounting advice. All materials are the property of the respective publishers, as referenced by header and appropriate hypertext links.