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

• Michael Lerner and Ethan Hill (GOOD.is): The new Nostradamus, October 1, 2009. Can a fringe branch of mathematics forecast the future? A special adviser to the CIA, Fortune 500 companies, and the US Department of Defense certainly thinks so.

• Paul Lim (The New York Times): 10 years later, a much less expensive Dow 10,000, November 14, 2009. Investors may take some comfort now that the Dow Jones industrial average is back above 10,000 after slipping to around 9,700 at the end of October. But the return to 10,000 also serves as a bitter reminder that stocks have gone virtually nowhere, on balance, for more than a decade. Look a bit

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If You Thought the Housing Meltdown Was Bad… Doug Hornig, Senior Editor, (Casey Research):

…wait until you see what’s in the cards for commercial real estate.

That’s right, the next train wreck will be in commercial real estate. Couldn’t be worse than last year’s residential market crash? That remains to be seen. But it’s coming soon, probably as early as the second quarter of next year, and there’s nothing that can prevent it. The government will intervene, trying desperately to delay the day of reckoning, and may even succeed. For a while. But make no mistake about it, that train is going off the tracks no matter what.

Every part of the sector – from multifamily apartment buildings to retail shopping centers, suburban office buildings, industrial facilities, and hotels – has accumulated a huge amount of defaulted or nonperforming paper. It’s an impossible, swaying structure that cannot long stand.

Just ask Andy Miller.

Andy

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On Monday, Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (ICE) launched 40 new over-the-counter (OTC) energy contracts for North American natural gas, power, natural gas liquids and global oil products. Trading of the above contracts is scheduled to begin on Dec 7, 2009.  The new cleared oil contracts include a differential calendar swap contract and a differential trade-month swap contract based on the Argus Sour Crude Index (ASCI). The two ASCI swap contracts will be available from Nov 13.  These contracts will provide a set of complementary risk-management tools to the marketplace. Including these new products, the company now offers a total of 280 cleared OTC energy contracts, including nearly 190 new OTC contracts since the launch of ICE Clear Europe in Nov 2008. The transatlantic exchange, which operates in over 50 countries, is headquartered in Atlanta , with offices in New York , London , Chicago , Winnipeg , ...

IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. (ICE) reported its third quarter results yesterday.

The company swung to a GAAP net income of $86.9 million or $1.18 per share from a net income of $75 million or $1.04 in the year-ago period. Results came in 3 cents ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.15.

The quarterly results benefited from position limitations on speculators, sweeping regulatory reforms, lower expenses and record futures trading. The upside was also attributable to growth in the company’s core businesses, significant progress from new initiatives and stronger margins.

The company could benefit as more over-the-counter contracts are exchange-traded and cleared, but could suffer if U.S. regulators impose new commodity-market position limits.

Net revenues increased 27.2% year over year to $256.3 million. The growth was primarily attributable to 34% increase in consolidated transaction and clearing fee revenues in the quarter driven primarily by new products, strong trading volumes in ICE's futures and OTC energy segments, continued

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Thursday October 29, 2009

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PowerSafe Technology Corporation (PSFT.PK) subsidiary Amplification Technologies Inc. (www.amplificationtechnologies.com) (ATI), is offering higher performance thermoelectrically cooled discrete amplification single photon counting solid state photodetectors. These photodetectors are mounted on a two stage thermoelectric cooler inside a hermetically sealed TO8 package and can be operated down to a temperature of -30oC.

ADA-ES, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADES) today announced that Michael D. Durham, President and CEO and Mark McKinnies, Senior Vice President and CFO will present at the Wedbush Morgan

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United Community Banks Inc. (UCBI) reported third-quarter results on Friday. The company posted its fifth-straight quarterly net operating loss of $43.7 million, or 93 cents per share, compared to net operating loss of $39.9 million, or 84 cents per share in the year-ago quarter. The result also missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for a 91-cents loss. The company said total loans at quarter-end fell to $5.4 billion from $5.8 billion in the year-ago period. The decline was primarily driven by management’s efforts to reduce exposure to the residential construction market. The company’s residential construction loan book, which was 22% of total loans during the quarter, shrunk 25.8% to $1.2 billion. In terms of loan markets, approximately 36.2% of total loans originated in North Georgia, while about 28.5% came in from Atlanta . Net interest revenue grew 7.2% year over year to $63.0 million, while net interest ...

Equinix, Inc., provider of global data center services, reported yesterday that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Switch & Data Facilities Company, Inc. (NASDAQ: SDXC), a leading provider of data center and Internet exchange services, for approximately $689 million in cash and stock. The acquisition represents a significant market expansion for Equinix and will expand the company’s market presence by adding 16 new markets across North America, including additional 34 data centers in 22 markets in the U.S. and Canada.

The combination of the two companies will further strengthen Equinix’s position in the global data center services market by extending the company’s presence to 16 new markets across North America. Equinix will integrate Switch and Data’s data center business and operations in the U.S. and Canada. It will also increase the Global presence of Equinix leaving the new combined entity with 79 data centers in 34 markets and more

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Amid positive signals emanating from the uptick in housing prices and an improving outlook for consumer spending, the housing sector is gradually stabilizing. Both new and existing home sales have increased during the last four consecutive months and are now 32% and 17% above their recent lows, respectively. Single-family housing starts have also risen 37% from their low point, and inventories of homes-for-sale have fallen sharply.

Equity REITs rebounded nicely in the third quarter, recording total returns of 33% (total return FTSE NAREIT Index) vs. a 15% gain each for the S&P and the Dow. The strong third quarter returns marked the second consecutive record-setting performance of equity REITs after a dismal performance in the first quarter of 2009.

In what has been a volatile year, equity REITs gained approximately 29% (total return FTSE NAREIT Index) in the second quarter after falling 32% in the first quarter. So far in October, equity

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Amid positive signals emanating from the uptick in housing prices and an improving outlook for consumer spending, the housing sector is gradually stabilizing. Both new and existing home sales have increased during the last four consecutive months and are now 32% and 17% above their recent lows, respectively. Single-family housing starts have also risen 37% from their low point, and inventories of homes-for-sale have fallen sharply.

Equity REITs rebounded nicely in the third quarter, recording total returns of 33% (total return FTSE NAREIT Index) vs. a 15% gain each for the S&P and the Dow. The strong third quarter returns marked the second consecutive record-setting performance of equity REITs after a dismal performance in the first quarter of 2009.

In what has been a volatile year, equity REITs gained approximately 29% (total return FTSE NAREIT Index) in the second quarter after falling 32% in the first quarter. So far in October, equity

...

Amid positive signals emanating from the uptick in housing prices and an improving outlook for consumer spending, the housing sector is gradually stabilizing. Both new and existing home sales have increased during the last four consecutive months and are now 32% and 17% above their recent lows, respectively. Single-family housing starts have also risen 37% from their low point, and inventories of homes-for-sale have fallen sharply. Equity REITs rebounded nicely in the third quarter, recording total returns of 33% (total return FTSE NAREIT Index) vs. a 15% gain each for the S&P and the Dow. The strong third quarter returns marked the second consecutive record-setting performance of equity REITs after a dismal performance in the first quarter of 2009. In what has been a volatile year, equity REITs gained approximately 29% (total return FTSE NAREIT Index) in the second quarter after falling 32% in the first quarter. ...