The Kirk Report

Thoughts, Themes & Theories

• New trading season, same old worries

• Traders are ready for a September to remember

• Welcome back to the jungle!

• The economy is slow no matter how you slice it

• Investors' concerns about a slowing global economy are trumping their worries about the troubled financial system

• Auto makers in the U.S. again reported weak monthly sales

• Despite lower oil prices, little relief for consumers

• What's up with the bonds?

• Here comes Frannie?

• How the Fed can fix the world

• What's another $30 billion down the drain?

• Now that summer is behind us, the performance race to the end of the year will begin. For what it is worth, the hedgies are well-motivated

• The hedge fund industry's favorite trade

• According to Bloomberg, WDCI has overtaken LEAG in viewers per day

• How Jamie Dimon manages risk

• A number of prominent value investors have unloaded their stakes in beaten down financials, booking hefty losses in the process

• According to Fitch Reports, $29 billion of option adjustable rate mortgages issued between 2004 and 2007 reset in 2009 and $67 billion reset in 2010. The potential average payment increase is estimated to be 63%.

• More bottom calling in the housing market

• Housing stabilization will lead the overall recovery

• Fundamentals of real estate market bottoms

• So, with that in mind, let's take a look at investor sentiment in the home builders

• The death of the credit card economy?

• "Recent sector behavior has shown signs of rotation, rather than trending, which is consistent with continued weak money flow readings." - Dr. Brett Steenbarger

• How to play the bull countertrend rally

• Three sectors that will lead next bull market

• Many wealthy investors shift to cash

• Did you know that individual ownership of US stocks has fallen to a record low?

• Capitulation watch continues

• "Clearly, the Year of the Rat has lived up to its name since Rats have a tendency to be opportunistic with an eye for a bargain, but are unwilling to pay too much for anything." - Jeffrey Saut

• "We've suffered through a curious bout of bottom-calling in the last six weeks, but price action still doesn't point to the final demise of this bear market." - Alan Farley

• Rough market conditions keep IPOs on the sidelines

• Indeed, greed and fear rule the markets

• Move over S&P 500 - an investment benchmark for the masses

• The big reduction in overall short-interest looks like a global bet that funds will flow to the US and that the dollar will continue to gain while the oil price falls

• A golden cross for the U.S. dollar

• Economists who say economic conditions can be used to explain the outcome of almost every presidential election since at least the 1950s are perplexed

• The psychology of oil prices

• Commodities derailed

• Energy is the place to look for value

• Oil at $80 a barrel?

• A tiny windmill for your roof?

• Light shines on solar-energy stocks

• Hedges in flight

• Thoughts from across the pond

• 50 stocks set to shine in September

• The weakest U.S. banks

• What's on Harry's death list?

• Morningstar recommends six cheap stocks to short

• A stock screen you can run on your own for finding market leaders

• The earnings calendar is quiet this week

• Looking for a few moving average crossovers?

• If you find a trend, plan for its reversal

• To cope with recent volatility, you may want to gravitate toward using weekly charts

• "Trading bigger positions in a bad trading market is ill advised. In markets that move in percentage points and turn on a dime, we should be trading smaller." - Eric Bolling

• With buybacks, look before you leap

• What George Kleinman learned this year trading commodities

• Jeff White on some quick-hit trading

• Study Harvard's Endowment for investing tips

• CXO offers a few ways to evaluate trading advisory services

• Think you're a trader? IRS may disagree

• For mutual fund lovers - 9 essential fund facts

• How to find the right ETF for your portfolio

• Jim Lowell's top ETF picks

• A quick retail ETF checkup

• A hard assets ETF based on Jim Rogers’ Index launced today

• Exchange traded notes or ETNs are starting to catch on

• As of today, the most overbought and oversold U.S. ETFs

• You may not make a whole lot of money, but you can still save a little

• Some banks are hurting so badly for funds that they are offering terrific deals to ordinary depositors

• But, be careful with new REX agreements

• Time to explore the world of master limited partnerships?

• Do you use use SogoTrade? If so, let me know what you think

• Which airlines are most likely to lose your luggage?

• 20 tech habits to improve your life

• Recommended readings for our times

• SaneBull's live stock market monitor

• No time to think?

• Things you don't say to your wife

• "If you want happiness for an hour--take a nap. If you want happiness for a day--go fishing. If you want happiness for a month--get married. If you want happiness for a year--inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime--help someone else." - Joel Osteen

Happy 5th Anniversary

Five years ago this very day, I started The Kirk Report. What a wonderful experience it has been. Let me take this as an opportunity to simply say thank you for reading the website and for sharing my journey.

This website has brought me much joy. From the thousands of emails I've received saying that I've been helpful to the people I've been able to meet, know, and learn from, no matter what the future has in store, this endeavor has been an amazing success far beyond my original expectations. If I had it all to do all over again, I wouldn't hesitate for a second.

Admittedly, it will be interesting to see how the next five years unfold and how this website will evolve. From day one I decided to create a no-nonsense, ad-free website which was focused primarily on the market. I also desired to create a forum and free exchange of ideas that was void of hype and hyperbole not commonly found back then. Basically I wanted to write posts geared specifically for little guy investors and traders who also shared my own desire to think for themselves so they can significantly improve their returns on their own in their own way. For the most part, I believe I've hit those goals and the very same objectives remain in place for the foreseeable future.

Over time, especially as I've learned how others use this website, I have also modified my approach and what I publish. For the most part, this was done to limit and narrow the website's appeal to those investors and traders who are genuinely committed to doing the work that investing and trading well requires and who understand the importance of independent thinking and strategies. For example, this website won't appeal to those who seek stock tips, personal advice, or other short cuts. It also won't appeal to those who only seek out opinions that confirm their own views and bias and those who don't want to think for themselves. In my view, far too many investors delay their success by being stuck hoping that the key to their financial success rests in the work, opinions, and skills of others. If I've learned anything about life and the markets is that we all control our own financial destiny and the sooner we step up and take full responsibility for it, the quicker we'll achieve every goal we set.

So with all of that in mind, here's to a very Happy Anniversary! May the next five years bring as much joy and opportunity and thank you for making The Kirk Report part of your world.

Hump Day

Good morning. Premarket futures are lower as another hedge fund bites the dust and oil prices continue to fall as concern rises over a "worldwide recession." Although the premarket futures don't show it, there are a few positives out there if you're looking to find them including some.....[READ]