by threadbear » Tue 24 Jun 2008, 14:47:04
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cashmere', 'T')hreadbare - IBs are making a killing on oil?
Prove it.
That statement is irresponsible if you don't have proof.
IBs are in trouble. As far as I can tell there are going to be one or more further BSs in the near future.
I don't think I said they're making a killing, but making back some of their losses. Likely. Does this mean oil depletion ISN'T a problem. NO.
The Great Oil Swindle:
Is it possible that gambling on oil futures might be a temptation for banks that are already underwater from a trillion dollars worth of mortgage-related deals that have “gone south” leaving the banking system essentially bankrupt?
And if the banks and hedgies are not playing this game, then where is the money coming from? I have compiled charts and graphs that show that nearly two-thirds of the big investment banks' revenue came from the securitization of commercial and residential real estate loans. That market is frozen. Besides, this is not just a matter of “loan delinquencies” or MBS that have to be written off. The banks are "revenue starved". How are they filling the coffers? They're either neck-deep in interest rate swaps, derivatives trading, or gaming the futures market. Which is it?
Of course, there is one other possibility, but if that possibility turned out to be right than it would cast doubt on the legitimacy of the entire financial system. In fact, it would prove that the system is being rigged from the top-down by our friends at the Banking Politburo, the Federal Reserve. Here goes:
What if the investment banks are trading their worthless MBS and CDOs at the Fed's auction facilities and using the money ($400 billion) to drive up the price of raw materials like rice, corn, wheat, and oil?
Could it be? Could the Fed really be looking the other way so it can bail out its banking buddies while they drive prices skyward
http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9138
Bear in mind what George Soros said, there is always some fundamental reality behind speculative bubbles--and in this case there are several good reasons for oil and commodities to be going up. Peak oil, climate change crop disasters, etc...But we can't discount the organized opportunism that accompanies these real events. Oil will never settle back down to a comfortable price and I'd be surprised if food did, either.