Minority Report

They say that the crowd usually outsmarts the remnant, until the remnant gets one very, very right…and then look out!  In that spirit, here’s a look at what the minority is thinking right now…

A minority of people like the Intel/MacAfee deal.  An even smaller minority believe that it means anything for the markets.

A minority of people think that Europe’s seen the worst of it.

A minority of people are bullish or even sanguine about US equities, an even smaller minority believe that the S&P 500 can actually hit the $96 consensus earnings target for 2011.

A minority of people are aware that this 3rd quarter is lapping some of the toughest year-over-year economic comps in history.  This is because last year’s 3rd quarter was itself lapping the catastrophic 3rd quarter of ’08.  Percentage gains of the magnitude of last year’s will be tough to come by and only a minority of people understand this.

A minority of people expect the status quo in Washington to continue and an even smaller minority believe that the incumbents should even bother showing up.

A minority of people believe in the recovery at this point and an even smaller minority have noticed that Obama is not seeking credit for lukewarm reports anymore, he has instead begun blaming Republicans.  The President’s rhetoric about the success of the stimulus is now believed by a much smaller minority – those who are determined to convince themselves that he can do no wrong.

A minority of people realize that the GOP only needs to take 40 seats to regain control of the House and an even smaller minority are looking at this gridlock as a potentially positive catalyst for the stock market.

A minority of people believe that Apple will ever have any serious competition and an even smaller minority are aware of the fact that Android smartphones gained 900% more market share over the last quarter.

A minority of people are seriously concerned about China’s high wire act.  An even smaller minority understands how dependent each individual Chinese province is on keeping the real estate transaction fee machine humming.

A minority of people have connected the dots and figured out that even a gentle Chinese slowdown could prove catastrophic for mineral export-driven economies, especially in Latin America.

A minority of people understand the national ramifications of fraud charges against New Jersey municipal bond issuers.  An even smaller minority understands that if many states and counties were actually forced to tell the truth about their finances, the bond vigilantes would be on their doorstep.

A minority of people understand that the official unemployment rate is about to breach 10%.  An even smaller minority is willing to concede that between 10% and 11% may represent a peak once we get there, just like it did in the early 80’s.

A minority of people are watching the dollar anymore.  This was the last spring’s obsession and it did not survive the summer once stocks and the dollar lost their perfectly inverse correlation.

A minority of people are still discussing gold’s price, despite the fact that it’s still hanging around all-time highs.  This is a silence that may prove to be deafening.

This content, which contains security-related opinions and/or information, is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon in any manner as professional advice, or an endorsement of any practices, products or services. There can be no guarantees or assurances that the views expressed here will be applicable for any particular facts or circumstances, and should not be relied upon in any manner. You should consult your own advisers as to legal, business, tax, and other related matters concerning any investment.

The commentary in this “post” (including any related blog, podcasts, videos, and social media) reflects the personal opinions, viewpoints, and analyses of the Ritholtz Wealth Management employees providing such comments, and should not be regarded the views of Ritholtz Wealth Management LLC. or its respective affiliates or as a description of advisory services provided by Ritholtz Wealth Management or performance returns of any Ritholtz Wealth Management Investments client.

References to any securities or digital assets, or performance data, are for illustrative purposes only and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. Charts and graphs provided within are for informational purposes solely and should not be relied upon when making any investment decision. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The content speaks only as of the date indicated. Any projections, estimates, forecasts, targets, prospects, and/or opinions expressed in these materials are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by others.

Wealthcast Media, an affiliate of Ritholtz Wealth Management, receives payment from various entities for advertisements in affiliated podcasts, blogs and emails. Inclusion of such advertisements does not constitute or imply endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation thereof, or any affiliation therewith, by the Content Creator or by Ritholtz Wealth Management or any of its employees. Investments in securities involve the risk of loss. For additional advertisement disclaimers see here: https://www.ritholtzwealth.com/advertising-disclaimers

Please see disclosures here.

What's been said:

Discussions found on the web
  1. bitcoin loophole reviews commented on Sep 19

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More on that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2010/08/23/minority-report/ […]

  2. Bitcoin Era Review commented on Sep 21

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More to that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2010/08/23/minority-report/ […]

  3. bitcoin signal robot commented on Sep 29

    … [Trackback]

    […] Information to that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2010/08/23/minority-report/ […]

  4. 메이저놀이터 commented on Oct 18

    … [Trackback]

    […] Here you can find 80317 additional Info to that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2010/08/23/minority-report/ […]

  5. DevOps services commented on Nov 05

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More to that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2010/08/23/minority-report/ […]

  6. Intelligent Automation commented on Nov 28

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More to that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2010/08/23/minority-report/ […]

  7. automated regression testing commented on Dec 02

    … [Trackback]

    […] There you can find 35228 additional Information to that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2010/08/23/minority-report/ […]