Monday, August 29, 2011

Is Warren Buffett an economic indicator?

Considering his ability to influence markets, he seems so.

Buffet recently announced a massive investment plan of 5 billion dollars in Bank of America (in form of preferred shares, with a dividend of 6% a year and redeemable anytime at a premium of 5% ), which at this time was in dire need of credibility (and he made some...well, a lot of money in the process). BofA's stock rose 25%  and ended the day 9.44% ahead.

Good business which was made to look as philanthropy...?


If anything, taxes for the lower and middle class and maybe even the upper middle class should even probably be cut further. But I think that people at the high end - people like myself - should be paying a lot more in taxes. We have it better than we've ever had it.  ~ Warren Buffett

I was wondering where are the banks getting their money from right now (apart from people like Buffet, which lets face it...is rare!)?
The treasury which decided to lend at phenomenally low interest rates to encourage investment and get the economy going has certainly failed. A lot of banks have just gone and put that money in Fed. So who is gaining in all of this? 

You spend billions trying to bail out banks…with whose money?
Banks invest in toxic derivatives (nothing but financial weapons of mass destruction...all tax payer’s money originally invested in “good” securities) which with a slight disturbance leads to considerable erosion of wealth and then their default is paid for by using the tax-payers money (at a discounted rate).
This then is followed by an investment in the same banks by people like Buffett… giving the impression that one is doing philanthropy? Even in that philanthropy you are making substantial profit.

Hmmm...so, where is the taxpayer gaining in all of this? I suppose, financial markets don't quite have the ordinary taxpayer in their mind...do they?

In the end, Buffett is right...some earn extra-normal profits...at the expense of others.

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