Links!

While perhaps less fun than my ski videos, there are a few worthwhile articles:

Can Banks Foreclose on mortgages they don't own? (i.e. loans were securitized and sold). This could prevent many homes from being foreclosed and would only prolong the excess supply in the housing market. (The Big Picture)

Team MacroMan's Non Predictions (Set 1 Commodities, Set 2 Equities, Set 3 Rates)

Check out this really cool MP3 experiment (H/T TBP)

Contrarian Indicator

The Big Picture has a good follow-up to my post about contrarian indicators, check it out:

Article Here

3 links from the NYT on housing

NYT - The Bearish and The Less So on the Housing Market - interesting consideration of housing as a luxury good or a staple. I would tend to think its a luxury good, largely for one reason: if you win the lottery (the powerball or something mega), you buy a huge house. (via Reformed Broker)

Cool Rent v. Buy calculators from the NYT awhile back: here for the basic one and here for the advanced (with chart!)

Scott Adams Saves the World

The Dilbert creator's Saturday Essay in the WSJ this weekend was great. He explores how difficult it is to truly build a green home (through his own personal experience). One of my favorite lines:


The greenest home is the one you don't build. If you really want to save the Earth, move in with another family and share a house that's already built. Better yet, live in the forest and eat whatever the squirrels don't want. Don't brag to me about riding your bicycle to work; a lot of energy went into building that bicycle. Stop being a hypocrite like me. [emphasis mine]

And later:

Photovoltaic systems are a waste of money. But I'd do it again in a heartbeat, because I love the Earth, damn it. In my defense, the price of your future photovoltaic system will never come down unless idiots like me pay too much today. You're welcome.

Tuesday morning reads

Quick links:

Unemployment: Structural or Cyclical? - Similar to a preivous post I made that I'm too lazy to find right now

JetBlue Pilot curses at passengers via the PA system, then pulls emergency chute on tarmac (after grabbing a roadie)

Finalist dies in World Sauna Competition - Rick Reilly did a write-up on this a few months ago and now someone dies. Coincidence?


WSJ: Cheap Money isn't free - What does it mean when IBM can issue debt below 1%? Great for banks, sucks for you. Remember macro-econ about savers v. spenders?


If anyone would like to lend me $4 million (its in US Dollars, so that's cheap right?) I'll buy this house in Montana and you can all visit (WSJ House of the Day) OR $15MM will net you this bad boy (also in Montana)

WSJ Opinions: Why I'm not Hiring. Interesting (if politically motivated) take on why a medium business owner isn't hiring.

Anything interesting that I missed?