Some Random Thoughts On the Day

Here’s a couple of random musings on a slow news day:

Did Bernanke appear overly nervous today? That was my take and I was rooting for the guy to make a good impression. The BofA-Merrill deal has become politicized and someone is going to have to pay the price. My guess is that it’s Gentle Ben. No perp walk but I couldn’t help visualizing his reappointment flying out the window. Somehow it doesn’t work for a Fed Chairman to keep intoning “I don’t recall” from the witness chair. If you think about it, that’s a sad commentary on our current times.

There’s a report out tonight that Japan is going to sanction Citi for lax oversight of money laundering activities. How many times has this bank screwed up on blocking and tackling. It really is unmanageable — break it up and end the pain. They shoot horses, don’t they?

How close is Boeing to screwing the pooch? Building a new aircraft of the complexity of the Dreamliner is always a bet the firm sort of move. Boeing has been rolling those dice for decades and coming up sevens and elevens. Have they finally tapped out? I have a hunch this one is going to get ugly. The latest delay that calls for reinforcing certain parts of the plane sounds like more of a fundamental engineering problem as opposed to the production issues that have plagued the plane. Can you see a government bailout looming?

And finally, I think that the Obama veto or promised veto of the defense bill because of the inclusion of the F-22 program is going to set up a confrontation with Congress. This isn’t about Democrats and Republicans but about a good old fashioned pork program. Congress smells a president that can be rolled and this will be the test case. So far Obama hasn’t shown he can stand up to them and he seems to be drawing a line in the sand on this one. If he backs down look for a tumultuous period and troubles for the Democrats in 2010.

That’s it. Kind of an opinion dump so don’t be shy about telling me I’m so far off base I can’t even see the ball field.

About Tom Lindmark 401 Articles

I’m not sure that credentials mean much when it comes to writing about things but people seem to want to see them, so briefly here are mine. I have an undergraduate degree in economics from an undistinguished Midwestern university and masters in international business from an equally undistinguished Southwestern University. I spent a number of years working for large banks lending to lots of different industries. For the past few years, I’ve been engaged in real estate finance – primarily for commercial projects. Like a lot of other finance guys, I’m looking for a job at this point in time.

Given all of that, I suggest that you take what I write with the appropriate grain of salt. I try and figure out what’s behind the news but suspect that I’m often delusional. Nevertheless, I keep throwing things out there and occasionally it sticks. I do read the comments that readers leave and to the extent I can reply to them. I also reply to all emails so feel free to contact me if you want to discuss something at more length. Oh, I also have a very thick skin, so if you disagree feel free to say so.

Enjoy what I write and let me know when I’m off base – I probably won’t agree with you but don’t be shy.

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