This post provides links to a number of interesting articles I have read over the past few days that you may also enjoy.

• Jim Jubak (MSN Money): 3-step strategy for a twitchy market, November 19, 2009. Many investors are deeply suspicious of the 60% run-up in stocks this year and are itching to sell. But then what? Here’s how to take some gains now while setting up a profitable 2010.

• Randall Forsyth (Barron’s): Treasury yield plunge sends warning, November 20, 2009. Collapse in note yields suggests economic distress will keep Fed on hold well into 2010 or beyond.

• Gordon Chang (Forbes): When in doubt, blame Bernanke, November 19, 2009. According to Liu Mingkang, China’s chief bank regulator, low American interest rates and the falling dollar have “seriously affected global asset prices, fueled speculation in stock and property markets

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Recently, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) quipped on the floor of the House that the GOP health care plan amounted to: "1) Don’t get sick, and 2) If you do get sick, die quickly." Yesterday, John Boehner (R-OH), the top GOP man in the House, finally unveiled the official GOP plan...and did little to disprove Rep. Grayson. The GOP plan would allow firms like WellPoint (WLP) and Aetna (AET) to continue to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions. It would not offer any subsidies to the working poor to help them get covered, and would not require people to buy health insurance, or for employers to offer it. It would make it harder for people to sue if they are injured by medical malpractice. The use of contingency fees by lawyers in malpractice suits would be strictly limited. Thus, for example, if the doctor misread your ...

Neil Barofsky, the U.S. special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) plans to audit a federal guarantee granted last year to protect Citigroup Inc. (C) from potentially massive losses. The U.S. special inspector general is in charge of keeping a check on bank bailouts and will convene a team to audit the Citigroup guarantees. The appointed team will examine why the guarantees were given, how they were structured and whether the bank’s risk controls are adequate to prevent government losses. The Federal Reserve, the Treasury and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in November 2008 guaranteed a $306 billion pool of Citigroup mortgage assets aiming at preventing the collapse of the U.S. banking system amidst a global financial crisis. Citigroup’s guarantees came on top of $45 billion of bailout funds obtained last year through TARP. The audit is a result of the questions ...

The Dow Jones Industrial Index on Thursday breached 9,000 for the first time since January and the Nasdaq Composite Index notched up a 12th consecutive advancing day (the first time sine 1992) as favorable reactions to earnings and economics reports propelled stocks and other risky assets higher. Meanwhile, the usual debate on the outlook for the economy and shenanigans of financial institutions again dominated the video channels over the past few days.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke’s bi-annual testimony on Capitol Hill (and an expected grilling by Alan Grayson) and other highlights of the week’s trials and tribulations were captured on video and are included in this video-o-rama compilation. Strutting their stuff were a star-studded cast including the likes of Martin Feldstein, Stephen Roach, Bill King, Nouriel Roubini, Sheila Bair, Mario Gabelli and George Friedman.

The compilation starts off with an interview with Harvard’s Martin Feldstein about his “double-dip” economic

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Representative Alan Grayson (D-Fla) is proving that Ron Paul isn’t the only one with a pulse up on Capitol Hill. Grayson is going after the “Citigroup Three” – Ben Bernanke, Tim Geithner and Vikram Pandit – in an attempt to bust up the Wall Street crony alliance.

Grayson is doing what any Congress member worth his or her salt should have done a long time ago. He’s calling for an inquiry into the $300 billion government guarantee extended to Pandit’s Citigroup. Put simply, he’s asking who should be held responsible for putting the taxpayer – you and me, dear reader – on the hook for a third of a trillion dollars of toxic Citigroup assets.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what Grayson is putting to the special inspector general of the TARP program Neil Barofsky courtesy of Tyler Durden at ZeroHedge.com.

1. How was the deal negotiated by Citigroup,

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With investors trying to figure out the most likely direction of stock markets, the US dollar, government bonds, commodities and gold attracted a fair bit of attention - also from the producers of this week’s video footage.

Commentators in the selection below include Josh Rosner, Byron Wein, Stephen Jennings, Paul McCulley, Ed Yardini, Doug Kass and David Rosenberg.

The compilation kicks off with Congressman Alan Grayson uttering some harsh words at The Big Picture Conference - Capitalism After Crisis & Recession, and concludes with a fun ditty - a Wild Life Boogie, AKA The Economy Song.

Yahoo Finance, Tech Ticker: Cost of Fed expansion of balance sheet is $30K per American

“Those were just some of the harsh words Congressman Alan Grayson of Florida had this morning regarding Washington’s handling of the financial crisis so far. His remarks were part of The Big Picture Conference - Capitalism After Crisis &

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Rep. Alan Grayson recently quizzed Federal Reserve inspector general Elizabeth Coleman about the trillions of dollars lent or spent by the Federal Reserve and where it went. Bottom line: Coleman doesn’t have a clue.

Follow this link to watch the video.

In the video clip below, Rep. Alan Grayson asks the Federal Reserve Inspector General, Elizabeth Coleman, about the trillions of dollars lent or spent by the Federal Reserve and where it went, and the trillions of off balance sheet obligations. Coleman responds that the Inspector General does not know and is not tracking where this money is.

You can’t make up stuff like this!

Source: YouTube, May 6, 2009.

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The watchdog agency overseeing the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) said Friday that the Treasury Department paid banks $78 billion more for assets than they were worth.

The Congressional Oversight Panel said the Treasury dispersed $254 billion for capital purchases of bank assets worth about $176 billion under the TARP program.

“The loss estimate is conservative,” said House Financial Services Committee member Rep. Alan Grayson, (F-Fla.). “It could turn out that those assets in the end are worthless.”

The $700 billion TARP program has been under scrutiny since it began in October because of a general lack of understanding of how the program is being run and where the money is going.

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