] While global markets fret over the prospects of war in
] Iraq, an Irish Internet trading exchange is doing nicely
] offering futures contracts on how long Iraqi leader
] Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) will hold on to power.
]
]
] Dublin-based Tradesports, better known for taking punts
] on soccer, allows investors to bet whether President Bush
] (news - web sites) will be re-elected, who will win the
] Oscars (news - web sites) -- even how much snow will fall
] in New York.

Time Runs Out for Saddam at the Betting Exchange

] Economists led by 10 Nobel laureates on Monday attacked
] President Bush's $695 million tax-cut proposal, arguing
] that the cuts fail to address the problems facing the
] U.S. economy and will add to long-term budget deficits.
] Their signed statement, to run this week as a full-page
] advertisement in the New York Times, comes as Congress
] prepares to examine the details of the Bush proposal.

Economists Blast Bush Tax-Cut Proposal

] Tim W. Wood of Cycles News & Views sees what market
] timers call "a re-test of the October lows." In plainer
] English, that means investors are nervously eyeing the
] stock market's major indexes. The S&P 500's recent low of
] 782.96 was reached Oct. 7.
] "If those lows are indeed violated, the bear should be
] back in full force," says Wood in his monthly report. The
] S&P 500 (SPX: news, chart, profile), which represents
] America's largest companies, was trading at 860 on Monday
] morning.

Market timers foresee imminent crash for stocks

Good stock picks for 2003.

The New World Disorder: Growth Sectors for the Economy

] "Stalking yield is trickier than ever -- you need to
] build enough of the right kind of returns into your
] retirement portfolio so that you cut risk down to size.
] Here are some of your choices."

Jubak's Journal

] "Oracle Corp. (NasdaqNM:ORCL - News) Chairman Lawrence
] Ellison, who resigned from Apple Computer Inc.'s
] (NasdaqNM:AAPL - News) board of directors in September,
] exercised options and acquired 70,000 shares of the
] computer maker, a regulatory filing on Friday said."

Oracle's Ellison bought 70,000 Apple shares

] "Workers should have a one-year holiday on the tax they
] pay to fund Social Security in the first $10,000 of
] income, the Business Roundtable said Thursday.
] The tax holiday would give all workers up to $620.
] Employers would also get up to $620 per worker."
] We can jump start economic growth if our government
] takes action that helps put cash into the consumers'
] pockets to stimulate demand and ignite our economy,"
] said John T. Dillon, chairman of the roundtable and CEO of International Paper.

Okay, last time it was $300 dollars was suppose to spur the economy. Now looks like it is about $600 dollars that is going to spur the economy. I don't know about you, but I think my original $300 tax rebate is still sitting in the bank.

Also, it is not the consumer that is holding out on purchases. Consumer spending is still going strong in regards to durable goods such as housing and new cars. Corporations are the ones scared of spending, they are still in layoff mode. Until corps. start spending, hiring and and making real money, that is when we know the economy is on the move in the right direction.

CEOs want $300 billion stimulus package

] "When Alan Greenspan runs out of rate-cut ammo, there are
] tricks he can try to help the economy."

For the Fed's next trick

] "Sure the Fed is worried that falling prices could damage
] the economy. But there's a difference between competitive
] dynamics and deflation."

Very good read!

MSN Money - Jubak's Journal

"All but 1 percent of U.S. stock mutual funds lost money in the third quarter, the worst performance in at least four years, according to a survey released Monday."

In third quarter, 99 percent of stock funds lost money