This is a guest contribution by Damien Hoffman, editor-in-chief of the very popular Wall St Cheat Sheet blog. Make sure to put this site on your must-read list.

Nouriel Roubini and His Acolytes

Following the incredible popularity of my post “Is Nouriel Roubini a False Prophet?“, I’ve decided to do a little introductory lesson for those more interested in avoiding charlatans …

Cold Reading is a primary set of techniques employed by phony psychics and market prognosticators. When cold reading, the primary objective of the sender is to ensure that the recipient perceives the statement/prophecy to be a hit. Here are a few classic techniques used by Ms. Cleo and Nouriel Roubini:

TECHNIQUE 1. The “Rainbow Ruse”: Indicate one trait

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Save the World Air, Inc. announced this morning that it has received positive feedback from several private parties who, in cooperation with the company, have installed the MagChargR™ on their vehicles, including boats, automobiles and RVs. MagChargR™ is a breakthrough product which enables the conventional engine to burn fuel more completely, unlocking an increase in horsepower and torque while saving in fuel costs.

“I was very excited to get a MagChargR from STWA for my 25′ Advantage performance boat. Anything that can boost gas mileage and HP while reducing emissions is a very good thing,” commented Mr. Robert Torbett, a realtor from Peoria, Arizona. “We had one little glitch on the installation relating to how the throttle body fits on the engine manifold, but STWA figured out a simple fix and I was then able to install the MagChargR on my boat in about 15 minutes. It was actually much easier

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The following two charts (and the comments in between them) are part of a very interesting article by James Hamilton. The collapse in oil prices last fall acted as a key economic stabilizer and helped ameliorate the economic decline. It showed up in two key places. The first was in the trade deficit numbers, which have shown a very dramatic improvement over the last year (see here and here). The other place it showed up was in retail sales, since a dollar spent at the gas pump is a dollar that can not be spent elsewhere. Since last Christmas, prices at the pump have climbed sharply, as shown in the first graph. While prices are still far below the levels of a year ago, the current levels are high enough to start hurting, especially those who have seen their incomes drop due to the ...

The transfer from High Power to High Energy has been the thrust of Superlattice Power since their inception. The stumbling block that commercially manufactured batteries run across is anodes such as carbonaceous materials (either graphite or MCMB) undergo passive layer formation on the surface which limits the cycle life and deteriorates the battery time over the life of the battery. Anodes using silicon or metal oxide aren’t any better in common usage, deteriorating performance over time. Superlattice tackles this crucial issue and developed an innovative series of metallic anodes for utilization along with the proprietary high capacity cathode material.

The company has already enabled large scale production of phase pure cathode material. This translates into the ability to produce all the necessary materials by tailoring their physical properties and chemistry utilizing the abundantly available and less expensive metal elements, thereby improving performance and

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Steve McDonald of Investors Daily Edge doesn’t want to see you get ripped off at the gas pump again. He recommends two Oil ETFs that will play out as part of the “the best buying opportunity since the market collapse of the late 70’s.”

This from Steve:

It’s time to stop worrying about the bottom of this market and start taking advantage of the carnage the gross mismanagement of this country’s affairs has left us. Oil is a good place to start.

$40 Oil? Are you kidding me? This is what I call a slap in the face investment. It’s so obvious it’s hitting you in the nose.

This temporary worldwide slow down, and it is temporary, has pushed oil down to a point most people never thought they’d see again. After all the speculation driven price increases of the past few years, it is a nice break, but it won’t

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Obama Link FestBarack Obama Hedge Fund Link Fest(http://HedgeFundBlogger.com) I have received many congratulatory emails over the past day from hedge fund/investment professionals in India, Switzerland, London and Singapore all thankful that Obama was elected. I found that interesting in itself and also saw a flood of articles come out discussing Barack Obama and the hedge fund industry, or Obama and the finance/investment industry in general.Yesterday I published this piece: Barack Obama & Hedge Funds... Here are excerpts and links to many of these discussions:(I never discuss my own political views through this site throwing my opinion around regarding hedge funds is enough. I don't support any of these articles one way or another but simply provide them as an aggregation of what has been put out ...

The transfer from High Power to High Energy has been the thrust of Superlattice Power since their inception. The stumbling block that commercially manufactured batteries run across is anodes such as carbonaceous materials (either graphite or MCMB) undergo passive layer formation on the surface which limits the cycle life and deteriorates the battery time over the life of the battery. Anodes using silicon or metal oxide aren’t any better in common usage, deteriorating performance over time. Superlattice tackles this crucial issue and developed an innovative series of metallic anodes for utilization along with the proprietary high capacity cathode material.

The company has already enabled large scale production of phase pure cathode material. This translates into the ability to produce all the necessary materials by tailoring their physical properties and chemistry utilizing the abundantly available and less expensive metal elements, thereby improving performance and

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Hybrid Technologies, Inc. (HYBR.OB), known for its ability to convert almost any vehicle into an all-electric vehicle (EV), finds itself having to educate a public more attracted to the idea of electric power than ever before. The unpredictable cost of gasoline has created a torrent of interest in electric cars, but many people still have only the sketchiest understanding of what it means to own and operate one. Below are some of the most common questions Hybrid staff has had to answer:

Question: You say plug-in electric vehicles are pollution free, but what about the pollution created at all the power plants needed to generate the electricity?

Answer: Even after counting emissions from electric generating plants, EVs produce 98% fewer pollutants than gas cars. Energy produced under the controlled conditions of a power plant results in less pollution than energy produced in individual gas burning cars, even if

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The commodity correction continues. And it's getting more painful by the minute as big trading houses like Lehman and Merrill Lynch go belly up or are forced into mergers. I think we're seeing a margin call on a global scale. The good news is it should bring incredible opportunities for long-term investors. The bad news is we could see a lot more pain before this is over. A "margin call" is when an investment, bought with borrowed money, decreases in value past a certain point, and an investor either has to put up more money or sell the investment. And we're seeing margin calls as Lehman and others liquidate their trading books. What's more, we're seeing margin calls in oil. Speculators pushing prices down Now, here's where I eat ...

By William Patalon III Executive Editor Money Morning/The Money Map Report Although consumers and businesses have gotten a bit of a reprieve at the gas pump as of late, the escalation in oil prices we’ve seen over the past year has led to some major changes in overall consumer behavior. Many car-owners have dumped their gas-guzzling pickup trucks and SUVs at the nearest used-car lot and used the proceeds to buy some gas-sipping rides. Companies with large distribution networks have redesigned their shipping schedules, crafting more efficient routes that accommodated larger truckloads. The upshot: Gasoline sales tumbled during the first half of the year as domestic demand fell to its lowest level in five years.  In fact, the U.S. Department of Transportation reported that Americans drove almost 5% less in June than a year ago, and also said that the buses, subways ...