Main News

 

Home loans to bad credit risks: An insider reveals the tricks of the trade.

 

Banks and hedge funds facing billions in losses on European rates bet
Investment banks and hedge funds are facing billions of dollars in losses and writedowns on complex European interest rate trades, just months after problems with sub-prime mortgages and structured credit appeared to be easing.
http://mail2.efnmail.co.uk/r/374986/MTk4MTI1OjE3NzU0/

 

Feds eye Bear fund dealings with banks: report
Reuters via Yahoo! News Wed, 25 Jun 2008 2:22 PM PDT
Prosecutors are looking into whether two former Bear Stearns hedge fund managers, who were indicted last week on conspiracy and securities fraud charges for misleading investors, also broke the law in their dealings with banks, BusinessWeek reported on Wednesday.

 

 

Hedge Funds Fear Backlash From Congress<http://www.hedgefund-index.com/newstoday.asp>
Source: The Wall Street Journal
U.S. hedge funds are concerned about a post-election backlash from Congress against speculative trading strategies if prices of oil and other commodities are pushed higher during the winter. More...<http://www.hedgefund-index.com/newstoday.asp>

 

SEC Proposal Would Reduce Credit Raters' Role
By: Christopher Faille, Senior Financial Correspondent
Posted: 06/25/2008 3:20:03 PM ET
http://www.hedgeworld.com/news/read_news.cgi?section=legl&story=legl2241.html

 

Hedge Funds Take Chance On Aggressive Type of ETF<http://www.hedgefund-index.com/newstoday.asp>
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Hedge funds are embracing an aggressive type of exchange-traded fund -- and that makes some of these hedge funds riskier than they may appear. More...<http://www.hedgefund-index.com/newstoday.asp>

 

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox yesterday announced the kickoff of an ambitious effort to examine fundamental questions about the way the SEC acquires information from public companies, mutual funds, brokers, and other regulated entities, and the way it makes that information available to investors and the markets.

Full Story...

 

Plan to bar funds from commodities garners few fans
By Laura Mandaro MarketWatch
6/24/2008 2:39:00 PM

A proposal to ban large pension funds and other institutional funds from commodities trading gets sharply criticized, with a U.S. senator who is working on legislation to curtail energy speculation also arguing against the ban. 

 

Wednesday , 25 Jun 2008
BMO Capital Markets Bart Melek suggests that rising food and energy inflation and the equity market are “adding luster for gold.”

 

How to Be a Real Sophisticated Investor
By: Chidem Kurdas, New York Bureau Chief
Posted: 06/25/2008 2:03:49 PM ET
http://www.hedgeworld.com/news/premium/read_news.cgi?section=edsk&story=edsk291.html

 

LJM Names Risk Officer, Preps New Funds
By: Jacob Bunge, Financial Correspondent
Posted: 06/25/2008 5:39:30 PM ET
http://www.hedgeworld.com/news/read_news.cgi?section=mfad&story=mfad1321.html

 

FOF Manager Blasts India's 'Me Too' Long/Shorts
By: Martin de Sa'Pinto, Senior Financial Correspondent
Posted: 06/25/2008 2:50:43 PM ET
http://www.hedgeworld.com/news/read_news.cgi?section=dail&story=dail15088.html

 

PGGM: 'ETFs have serious drawbacks'
http://www.ipe.com/news/PGGM_ETFs_have_serious_drawbacks__28358.php

 

China Invades Africa | by Richard Behar
With its resource hungry push into the sub Sahara,
Beijing puts the planet to the test. Read Behar's
six-piece inquest into China's newest venture.
http://trax.fastcompany.com/k/w/mailman/fasttake/20080625/china_africa

 

Rogers: Poor performance in China, India presents Japan opportunity
June 24, 2008 Tuesday
Infovest21 News

 

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Yield Curve Corner

 

Greenspan sees U.S. recession more likely than not
There is a greater than 50% chance that the U.S. will slide into recession as inflation makes further interest-rate cuts unlikely, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said. "A rebound at this stage is not something I think is in the immediate outlook," he said. Reuters (24 Jun.)

 

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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: http://www.osei.noaa.gov/Events/Current/TRCfengshen177_N7.jpg

 

Floods and droughts make mild diseases deadly
June 25, 2008 03:24 AM ET
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Extreme floods and droughts brought on by
climate change can turn normally harmless infections into significant
threats, international researchers said on Tuesday.
http://links.reuters.com/r/YMQP2/DRADG/SDS14/8WKVX/EOLI9/YT/t

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Iranian Situation and Other Man Made Disasters

 

U.S. and allies stress diplomacy in Iran nuclear row
Reuters via Yahoo! News Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:35 AM PDT
U.S. President George W. Bush believes the Iran nuclear issue can be solved diplomatically in a process involving allies including Israel, the White House said on Wednesday.

 

Iran's Guards say U.S. to face "tragedy" if it hits Iran
Reuters via Yahoo! News Wed, 25 Jun 2008 2:16 AM PDT
Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned the United States on Wednesday it would face a "tragedy" if it attacked the Islamic Republic.

 

 

Geopolitical Diary: A U.S.-Iranian Dance of Diplomacy
June 25, 2008 0202 GMT
The possibility of the United States establishing a diplomatic presence in Iran provides significant insight into the relationship between the two countries and the continuing importance of Iraq.
http://www.stratfor.com/geopolitical_diary/geopolitical_diary_u_s_iranian_dance_diplomacy

 

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Opalesque’s Corner

 

- Opalesque Exclusive: Canada`s new funds part 3: Arrow Maple Leaf fund of funds, investing in Canadian-based funds and looking to add 3-5 managers over the next few months
- Fund launches: Opalesque Exclusive: RWC Partners hires two from Sofaer, to launch Asia hedge fund, Mirae Asset MF launches Global Commodity Stocks Fund, Ex-Citi executive launches $1bln clean-technology fund, Hedge firm Marshall, GaveKal form Asia venture, Update: Barclays Capital in strategic Shariah hedge fund move
- Performance: Goldman Sachs quant funds rebound in 2008
- Fund Closures: SN Capital shuts down EUR375m fund
- Strategies: Hedge fund Harbinger discloses HBOS short position, Performance and an easy way to get leverage: Why hedge funds love levered ETFs
- Trends: PwC survey finds hedgies report more frequently than most other alternative asset managers
- World Wealth Report : World now has 10m millionaires, Merrill Lynch and Capgemini Group report says, World`s richest cut exposure to property and hedge funds, Wealth grows in BRIC countries, Gulf leads world wealth growth
- Institutions: Pension alternatives investments top $860bln, jumps 40% in a year - Watson Wyatt and Global Investor, Pension funds heading for buyout deals, Banning pension funds from commodities could backfire
- Regulatory: Plan to bar funds from commodities garners few fans
- Commodities: Commodities boost inflation, Coal best performing commodity this year, hedge funds pile in, Comment: Too few sellers to cool feverish oil market, Merrill Lynch: Fundamentals, not speculators, are to blame for rising prices
- Indices: FTSE Launches New Alternative Energy Index, New Index family takes different angle on commodities
- Exchanges: Qatar sells 25% of bourse to NYSE Euronext, Hong Kong plans to start commodities exchange to trade oil, CSX shareholders deciding fight with hedge funds,
- Legal:  Hedge funds look at Bear/Cioffi indictment for lessons
- Comment: The strange financial physics of the inverse bubble, or how to call the opposite of a bubble
- People: Polar Capital hires chief risk officer from Credit Suisse, Lehman Brothers brings back former executives
- Banks offer finance to tempt ABS bidders as some tranches yield 20%
- Asia: Aspect Capital opens office in Asia, Goldman Sachs launches its Hudson Street third party research brand in Asia
- Sovereign Wealth Funds: Kuwait sovereign wealth fund says its January investments in Citi, Merrill totaled $5bln, Dubai sovereign wealth fund shuns partners in GBP1.4bln race for Trillium, Sovereign wealth funds - energy futures speculators?, Sovereign wealth funds and emerging governance issues
- Service Providers: Viteos launches PIPES specific middle office service and fund administration offering, Shoreline Trading Group expands execution services, includes The Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa
- Barclays unveils GBP4.5bln share sale to Qatar and Sumitomo
- Activist News: Hedge funds declare war on Expro sale
- News Briefs: ICICI Ventures may list $1.5 bn realty fund on London bourse, Absa Capital and Plexus Asset Management list SA`s first fundamental indexing ETF, Global property market to fall by third over 2008
- ...And finally: Man gets arrested for beating up his mother because her pet dog killed his pet skunk
- Logon: http://www.opalesque.com/index.php?act=archive

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Misc. Items of Interest

 

 

Slideshow: Apple vs. Microsoft -- Who is Winning the
Epic Battle | by Rachel King and Chris DannenLike Pepsi
vs. Coke, the war between Apple and Microsoft may never
end.
http://trax.fastcompany.com/k/w/mailman/fasttake/20080625/apple_vs_microsoftous_notbuy

 

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Funnies, Facts, Quotes, etc….

 

forlorn ur-LORN; for-, adjective:

1. Sad and lonely because deserted, abandoned, or lost.
2. Bereft; forsaken.
3. Wretched or pitiful in appearance or condition.
4. Almost hopeless; desperate.

 

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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.