Has this market been crazy for the last 3 months or what??

[mrmarket]

wow...that didn't suck today

[peanuts]

Holy crap, I HATE this market. It's not like I'm losing money. All said, I'm basically flat over the last few months. What I can't stand is this constant up and down by huge amounts.

Is there really that much money and fear floating around? Scary

[Websman]

Holy crap, I HATE this market. It's not like I'm losing money. All said, I'm basically flat over the last few months. What I can't stand is this constant up and down by huge amounts.

Is there really that much money and fear floating around? Scary

Feel the force Luke....errr...Peanuts. Be at one with the market...feel the market... Take control.

(sponsored by the VTP)

[peanuts]

Feel the force Luke....errr...Peanuts. Be at one with the market...feel the market... Take control.

(sponsored by the VTP)

I feel the market, master, and make my trade. And I feel the dark side go against every trade I make. The dark side is gaining in strength and size. Can Vulcan logic even be applied? My trade horizons are consistently shortened... like the world is shrinking... or is it the market?

[riverbabe]

I feel the market, master, and make my trade. And I feel the dark side go against every trade I make. The dark side is gaining in strength and size. Can Vulcan logic even be applied? My trade horizons are consistently shortened... like the world is shrinking... or is it the market?

It's becoming a losing battle having to play against the likes of "Watson." The old rules aren't working anymore. Fear is rising. Not like the good old days when retail had the advantage of quick flexibility and predictability from the fundies and technicals.

[mrmarket]

When I run my stock screen, it's just like when Forrest Gump emptied his net the first time he went shrimpin....nothing came out!!

[riverbabe]

Waxing philosophical this AM. First I got up way too early, misreading my clock that I had forgotten to reset after the power went out yesterday.

At 5:30 AM I went out in the dark to get yesterday's mail. We are currently enduring a USPS "pilot program" in which the mail is delivered sometime after 8:30 PM (closer to midnight I've been told). The good news we get our mail very early in the AM. The bad news -- it's yesterday's mail.

There were four Christmas letters that were doom and gloom, along the likes of "The good news: we finally sold our second home in Florida; the bad news: we took a major financial hit" and "our transmission died while we were passing a huge semi on the interstate at 75 mph; luckily we were able to coast to a stop without getting killed in the traffic; and we now have a new Volvo with a new transmission."

A letter from my uncle who is a retired Lutheran minister in Indiana, PA, with his annual card. This one, I'd like to quote: "This idealized design of the Peace Dove has been a favorite for many years. But it fails the reality check of the headlines. Kirk helped by sending me several Peace Dove designs by Pablo Picasso. To my surprise(!), Picasso, the surrealist, drew realist Peace Doves struggling with the reality check of the headlines. Hurrah! Then a cartoonist came to the rescue. In his sketch, he portrays the Peace Dove who has sought refuge in a bar. There are bullet holes in his wing feathers and tail feathers. All the other feathers are askew. Sitting on that barstool,the Peace Dove looks at the bartender wearily and says, 'I'll have a Manhattan Straight Up'. We need the artist who drew this card, we need the surrealist Pablo Picasso, and we need the cartoonist with his wit. This has been a hard year for Peace Doves. Every year is a hard year for Peace Doves..."

Last but not least, there was a privacy statement from my (major) bank (JPM, actually). Now, I very seldom read these, but this one fell open in the middle where the staples are. My eye fell on "H. Closing Your Account." The gist was, we can close this account at any time for any reason whatsoever and, "If you close your account, you may be charged an Account Closing fee." HUH????? In the account statement that accompanied this, I see that my year-to-date interest earned is 43 cents! I suppose I should be grateful??? Sorry for unloading here. The sun should be rising soon.

[billyjoe]

River,
.43 interest ! You must have like a million dollars in that account.

---------------billy

[riverbabe]

River,
.43 interest ! You must have like a million dollars in that account.

---------------billy

You're right! Actually, it's a checking account, so I guess I'm lucky to get anything at all. I wonder why they bother?

Update: After just hearing about the woman in Missouri who found $6.1 million in state unclaimed funds, I checked Ohio and New Jersey. Found my late sister-in-law. As her Executrix, I filled out the form and sent it in. The "amount" and "source" are "undisclosed" so it's got to be a big number! Right? (to be continued...)

[em26jamie]

You're right! Actually, it's a checking account, so I guess I'm lucky to get anything at all. I wonder why they bother?

Update: After just hearing about the woman in Missouri who found $6.1 million in state unclaimed funds, I checked Ohio and New Jersey. Found my late sister-in-law. As her Executrix, I filled out the form and sent it in. The "amount" and "source" are "undisclosed" so it's got to be a big number! Right? (to be continued...)

Right. Six figures. $0.00042...and you'll be charged for the check and postage.

[tiedyed1]

Many times these unclaimed funds are from an old mortgage escrow account that was refunded to an old address so it never made it back to the borrower.

Unless you specifically request it in writing, payoff letters rarely credit the escrow account and it is very common for those selling a home to forget to provide their mortgage company a new address.

I do mortgages in 13 States and always make sure to keep my borrowers on top of getting their escrow credited to the payoff or at least confirming their former lender knows where to send the check.

With unclaimed funds they never tell you the amount and, once you send in the proof of your relationship to be entitled to those funds, out of the blue one day you will get a check.

River I hope yours exceeds your .43 interest earned!

Happy Holidays; -Adam
tiedyed1

[riverbabe]

Adam, that is very helpful! I now have a few more states to check, and have notified my kids and friends. Thank you!!! River

Update: I just found my daughter "under $100" in Norman, OK!