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Fraud*
According to the Collins English Dictionary 10th Edition fraud can be defined as: "deceit, trickery, sharp practice, or breach of confidence, perpetrated for profit or to gain some unfair or dishonest advantage".[1] In the broadest sense, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation. Defrauding people or entities of money or valuables is a common purpose of fraud, but there have also been fraudulent "discoveries", e.g. in science, to gain prestige rather than immediate monetary gain
*As defined in Wikipedia

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Michael Lewis Exposes Goldman

From Zero Hedge:
Michael Lewis Exposes Goldman's Prop Trading In Flow Clothing

We have long noted that Goldman's feigned change of heart to eliminate its prop desk is nothing but a sham, as the very same traders will continue pursuing principal strategies but merely be given the additional layer of protection that they are "client facing" i.e., make fake flow markets. Today, Michael Lewis confirms this speculation, and identifies precisely how not only Goldman, but all banks are abusing Frank Dodd using legalistic loopholes that do nothing at all to change the actual role of the principal trader, whose existence has always been predicated upon accumulating positions primarily in OTC products (nobody makes money trading stocks any more) and selling when the firm so desires.

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Read the rest here

Another Goldman Sachs Scheme

Is the selling of 50-year bonds just an innovative scheme or money-making flim flam for Goldman Sachs that buyers should avoid? But even Lloyd Blankfein will be long gone when the bonds mature!

The following commentary is by Evan Newmark - The Wall Street Journal
Mean Street: Goldman Sachs' Suckers Bond Trade

Are you still unsure whether we’re in the midst of a giant bond bubble?

Well, Goldman Sachs sure isn’t. Today, it is selling $1.25 billion in 50-year bonds to retail buyers at a yield of 6.125%.

Do you believe that Goldman would be selling these bonds a week before the Fed meets if it thought interest rates were heading much lower?

meanstreet

If you think so, I happen to have some fresh 100-year Mexican bonds to sell you -– and those have about the same yield as the Goldman paper.

How many times must investors be warned? Always judge Wall Street by its actions, not necessarily its words.

Remember Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo?

He had a nasty habit of talking up the U.S. housing market all the while he was unloading millions of Countrywide shares. A week and a half ago, the SEC forced Mozilo to pay $68 million for his habit.

Of course, there’s nothing dishonest about Goldman’s bond offering. It is a seller of 6% paper and there are plenty of yield-hungry buyers who still see the coming of the next Great Depression.

Indeed, just earlier this month we had Goldman economist supremo Jan Hatzius painting a pretty dire picture of the U.S. economy. Prospects for the economy were either “fairly bad” or “very bad.” Hatzius ended up putting 25-30% odds on a double-dip recession.

But Hatzius’ words are very different from Goldman’s actions. If Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein actually bought into Hatzius’ downbeat disinflationary scenario, do you think Goldman would be issuing these bonds?

Of course not. He would wait until the 10-year Treasury fell further to 2% or lower. But Blankfein’s not waiting. He’s a trader and he smells a good trade.

Why anyone would want to be on the other side of a Blankfein trade is a mystery to me. But today’s bond buyers don’t care about a seller’s motivations. They don’t care about inflation risk.

And they don’t care about terms. The Goldman bonds are callable after just five years. Goldman can buy them back at its choosing.

No, today’s bond suckers care only for yield. And that’s what the Goldman 6.125% yielding bonds have — even if investors are taking 50 years of risk in return for that yield.

Demand for the offering was so great that Goldman quintupled its size.

And you can be sure that the 50-year bond will be end up a huge success. At least for Goldman Sachs. Those who end up owning the bonds may find otherwise.

Read the article here