Listen to 'Ripples' and 'Running to Stand Still' to Understand Our Stock Markets

So tomorrow we may get the bailout . I have no idea if this will work or what will work. The world has financial cancer. It’s a virus and it’s everywhere. The good news really is the panic has been very contained for all the damage it has caused. I am most amazed by the civility. we should be may more upset.

I rarely talk about music on this blog. I don’t know why because I love music. I play it all day in my office and I love my iPod.

I was listening to music on my flight to New York and as usual I listened to a few of my favorite anthem songs. One of them is ‘Ripples’ by Genesis .

Ripples is a word that could best describe the market environment we face for the next 5 years.

As much as there has been civility around the current chaos, the long lasting ripple effects are completely unknown. We are in unprecendented financial turmoil and the world is interconnected like never before. I am not scared, and remain very optimistic, but I am not insane. I am not going to leverage myself to the markets, any markets in this moment in time.

In fact, I have never had this much cash at my funds disposal or so many people offering me money to invest (the most insane thing of all). In the hedge fund world I live, it is stupid not to take cash when you have earned the right. I am a little different though because I like my lifestyle and like the flexibility in my life right now.

I am reading as much as I ever have and don’t feel anybody has a real grasp on the markets. The FLY is even distressed and he has had an amazing year.

I will let the first big ripples of this meltdown settle out before I delve deeper into the markets.

I am thinking of another song , this one ‘Running to Stand Still ‘, by U2 to describe the feeling I have gotten by managing my portfolio the last 7 months. I have never worked harder for so little. I pride myself on thinking myself NOT insane so will keep focused on doing less and writing more to bide my time and build my network to best leverage and pound the next fat pitch I see.

Trust me, there are always fat pitches. You can’t be running like a madman on a wheel and hope to see as many though.