The Big Picture

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• 5 Can’t Miss Financial Sites
• “It’s Too Soon to Tell” plus Steve Liesman & Foie Gras
• NFP Chart Roundup
• New App: Space Images By Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Cuisinart Grind&Brew Coffee Maker $59

5 Can’t Miss Financial Sites Posted: 07 May 2011 03:39 PM PDT Absurdly  complimentary commentary from David Sterman about The Big Picture as part of his short list of five “can’t miss websites for investors.” The five are: 24/7WallStreet.com The Big Picture Notable Calls: Bespoke Investment Group RealMoney.com I am humbled by David’s comments about TBP: The Big Picture: Barry Ritholtz must never sleep. He runs an investment advisory firm and still finds time to spit out a ton of intriguing posts on his website (perhaps aided by members of his firm). Though he's an extremely experienced industry player, he takes on the role of David to Wall Street's Goliath, poking holes in the many myths that big Wall Street firms would have you believe. Most importantly, he has a plainspoken style accessible to novices and pros alike. He pays especially close attention to Federal Reserve policy, the housing crisis, Wall Street malfeasance and current ways of assessing the stock market's value. Best of all, he seems to have a lot of fun keeping up his blog, which makes it loads of fun to read. I do sleep — but I was never an 8 hour a day guy. (I never have used an alarm clock, either) > Source: 5 Financial Websites You Can’t Afford to Miss David Sterman Investing Answers, May 02, 2011 http://www.investinganswers.com/a/5-financial-websites-you-cant-afford-miss-2660

“It’s Too Soon to Tell” plus Steve Liesman & Foie Gras Posted: 07 May 2011 10:08 AM PDT "It's Too Soon to Tell" plus Steve Liesman & Foie Gras David R. Kotok May 7, 2011 Cumber.com ~~~ What a week. Osama got what he deserved. Obama gets deserved applause. He has turned the leadership issue on its head. Detracting republic rats are on the defensive. Mr. Trump now looks like the buffoon of the year. Initial unemployment claims surprised to the bleak side. Then the employment report on Friday countered the negative sentiment. Subsequent detailed analysis of that report calls the surprisingly strong initial reaction into question. We are reminded of two clichés: first, one data point does not make a trend, and second, the devil is in the details. Meanwhile, ECB President Trichet signaled deferral of an ECB interest-rate hike. He then danced magnificently around the questions posed by Steve Liesman. Steve, you did well, after a long flight to Helsinki. Hope you got to taste some vodka at the Russian restaurant après La Marseillaise. Great interview and a feather in your cap. The ECB faces enormous issues, ranging from the possible/impossible/improbable/likely/unlikely Greek Secession to the Greek debt-restructuring/behavioral-modification/muddle-through/political uncertainty on the other hand. Add to that the Finland-Germany resistance to more subsidies on the third hand. The ECB has a mess on all of its hands. Its member banks borrow cheaply and lend to Greece, Portugal and others. Jean-Claude Trichet needs to take a deep breath and enjoy a 2000 Château d'Yquem with some homemade foie gras obtained from Lilliane Khalil, restaurateur extraordinaire, at her small establishment on the Isle St. Louis in Paris: Aux Anysetiers du Roy, 61, rue St. Louis-en L'Ile. Find it on a corner, in a 300 year old room with about 40 seats. If you are not looking carefully, you will walk right by it. The European Central Bank commenced business twelve years ago. Talk about growing pains! We are reminded of the famous words of the late French president Francois Mitterrand when asked what he thought of the French Revolution now. He said: "It is too soon to tell." The ECB did not exist when he said it, but the reference is apt. Markets gyrated wildly. Dollar down, dollar up. Oil up, oil down. We are still in the oil/energy positions but have cut back the weight. Silver was tarnished. Cumberland sold its position; half near the top and the other half in the freefall. Oh, well, half a profit is better than no profit. Friday's whipsaw confirmed that the US industrial sector is still a winner. Glad we are overweight and haven't sold a share of those ETFs. In addition, the Muni bond rally has been wonderful. Earlier this week we commented on the latest outbreak of the evolving Whitney virus. (here for those who missed it). We hope to cover some of these items in the few minutes we have with Mark Haines and Melissa Lee on Squawk on the Street at 9:35 New York time on Monday morning, May 9. Enjoy the weekend. ~~~ David R. Kotok, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer

NFP Chart Roundup Posted: 07 May 2011 09:36 AM PDT Here are some of my favorite charts porn post-BLS release: click for larger graphics ~~~ Older Workers Face the Longest Periods of Unemployment Economix ~~~ Post WWII Recession Job Losses Calculated Risk ~~~ Labor Force Participation Rate Economix ~~~ Nonfarm Payrolls, 1960-2011 Chart of the Day ~~~ Temp Help BruceSteinberg.net ~~~ Comparing Recoveries: Job Changes Economix ~~~ Did I miss any other good ones?

New App: Space Images By Jet Propulsion Laboratory Posted: 07 May 2011 04:08 AM PDT Very cool App for iPad, iPhones, and Android: Space Images By Jet Propulsion Laboratory: > click for app

Cuisinart Grind&Brew Coffee Maker $59 Posted: 07 May 2011 03:58 AM PDT Whenever I mention one of my favored coffee makers — such as the Capresso 465.05 CoffeeTeam TS 10-Cup Digital Coffeemaker with Conical Burr Grinder and Thermal Carafe — invariably someone will email complaining about the $216 price tag. The Capresso is an awesome machine. You can get modestly better coffee from a French Press — I use one on occasion — but its nowhere near as convenient as the combination of a grinder/timer/thermos. Sleep late? No worries, piping hot coffee is waiting for you downstairs. This morning, I see that Amazon is running a one day special on the Cuisinart DGB-550BK Grind-and-Brew 12-Cup Automatic Coffeemaker for $59. AMZN list price is $189, but I have seen more typically  at $129 — and you can easily find it online for $99. Regardless, $59 is a good price for a decent grind & brew coffee maker. The Capresso equivalent (w/o the thermos carafe) is about $162. I just ordered the Cuisinart for our weekend place . . . > > Previously: Your Coffee Sucks!

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