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Subject: US SEC

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is an independent agency of the United States government which holds primary responsibility for enforcing the federal securities laws and regulating the securities industry, the nation’s stock and options exchanges, and other electronic securities markets. The SEC was created by section 4 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (now codified as 15 U.S.C. § 78d and commonly referred to as the 1934 Act). In addition to the 1934 Act that created it, the SEC enforces the Securities Act of 1933, the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and other statutes. (Wikipedia Feb 2010)

Corporate Governance:

Stock buybacks are still bad for investors

The evidence against the wisdom and fairness of stock buybacks continues to build, but the Main Stream Media still doesn't understand.

M. A. Gumport of MG Holdings has published the July 2010 edition of the Buyback Monitor, showing corporate stock profits for 275 firms over the period 2000-2010. Without buybacks, share prices for the group now would be at least 5.3% higher (nearly 10% higher after adjustment for foregone interest income).

The lack of attention to protecting long-term investors against the massive fraud of stock buybacks is just one more sign that it will be some considerable time before the US works its way out of the present financial morass.

This is a 'game-changer'

Economic recovery may wait until 2016

Economic systems and institutions tend to gradually corrode and become increasingly inefficient and unstable

The current economic crisis, which started with the market crash of 2008, is a ‘game-changer’ that requires effective leadership with a firm grasp of economic reality and a willingness to introduce sensible bipartisan reforms in many areas of financial markets.

Unfortunately, these conditions are unlikely to be met before 2016. In the meantime, history suggests that there are likely to be many false rallies and dashed hopes before true recovery begins.

Smooth sailing unlikely

Inefficient market portends bumpy recovery

Inefficient markets have consequences that may be prickly for incautious investors.

Markets can be inefficient for different reasons and persist for long periods. The transition between one type of inefficient market to the next is usually a period of strife and uncertainty which may last five to fifteen years. Looking back at how the economy emerged from previous transitions, I note that in each new period, equity prices started at reasonable levels. This was true at the beginning of the Roaring Twenties, the Post WW II Period, and the Reagan Era. It is as if markets, recognizing prior inefficiencies ‘reset’ and start over. However, for the current market to ‘reset’, it will be necessary for equity prices to fall considerably, which will have dire consequences.

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Featured articles on inside pages

Stock buybacks

Buybacks + options + hedge funds

Stock buyback programs are a legalized form of market manipulation, sanctioned under SEC Rule 10b-18 and that serve to drive up the price of a company's stock and to give false value to executive stock options.
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Securities Analysis

Can index funds protect you against inflation?

Historical evidence suggests that equities do not offer fool-proof protection against inflation. Inflation brings high interest rates, confounds accounting practices, and is associated with bad government. More ...

US Politics

America grows with legal immigration

Legal immigration has resulted in solid growth of the US population, despite declining birth rates and an increasing number of old people. This is good news for investors in stocks and real estate. Illegal immigration appears to be less than 5% of legal immigration, and legal immigration is at an all time high.
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US equities

Households save more and invest in equities

Government economic stimulus programs that have sent money directly to US households have resulted in more saving and less spending. Low interest rates have encouraged individuals to move from debt instruments into equities. More ...

US Bonds

Bond demand exceeds supply for a decade

Over the decade, 1995-2004, the demand for US bonds of all types has surpassed new bond issues in eight of the last ten years. This is the reason that bond prices have held firm, even in 2003, when net new issues reached almost $1.8 trillion. More ...

World Economy

Signs of US losing its groove?

Thirty years ago, US income from abroad was more than double the amount of income that the US paid to the rest of the world. This year, or the next, this foreign income surplus may disappear forever. Is the US 'losing its groove'? More ...

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2010-08-13 16:01