What’s the one factor most likely to boost the performance of students at grade schools and highs schools around the world? Is it small class size? Lavish spending per student? A supportive home environment? All of those things undoubtedly help raise students’ scores on standardized tests, but the correct answer may surprise you: The students who perform best are those who were taught by teachers who themselves were top students. And this could prove to be one of the great benefits that comes with economic hard times, since the pool of potential teachers even now is beginning to swell with overachievers whose intended job path will have been blocked at least temporarily by the severe downturn in the economy. Not that every prospective MBA is likely to head into teaching. Some who were expecting to become investment bankers may stray no further from the MBA track than a job in corporate finance. But given the fact that college business schools are still churning out many thousands of graduates for whom there will be precious few business jobs on Main Street, let alone on Wall Street, it would seem all but certain that at least some of them will wind up in teaching. The same is likely to hold true for government employees, who are about to experience a wave of layoffs more severe than any since the Great Depression. Schools are likely to feel the cutbacks as well, but most districts can be expected to do their utmost to preserve the status quo, such as it is. Teachers’ salaries are unlikely to rise, but even so, the traditional perks and benefits that come with the job �' including excellent health benefits, extravagant stretches of time off, and work weeks much shorter than in the business world �' are bound to
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
December Gold (737.60)
– Posted in: Current Touts Free Rick's PicksThe question of up or down over the near term looks like a coin-toss, although a Hidden Pivot support at 718.60 still appears promising for bottom-fishing if sellers get the upper hand. Please note, however, that a close beneath that number would hint of more downside to as low as 683.30. Alternatively, the futures would need to hit 782.30 to turn the hourly chart decisively bullish.
AAPL Apple Inc (90.78)
– Posted in: Current Touts Free Rick's PicksWe can afford to be patient bidding for January 70 LEAP puts (WAAMF) of 2010, since, if they don't come at our price, we'll simply move on to another opportunity. I'm encouraged to think we'll get them eventually, though, and that they will be very useful for calendar spreading our way to a profit. Today, bid 14.60 for a single contract, day order. _______ UPDATE: When the scumballs who make option markets in this vehicle step ahead of us by 20 cents to buy the LEAPs on the opening for 14.80, you know we're on the right track. Now, just so they don't start thinking they can "lean" on our bid, lower it to 13.70 for the rest of the day. ______ FURTHER UPDATE Cancel the order, since we were a step behind the plunge we'd sought to leverage.
E-Mini S&P (855.75)
– Posted in: Current Touts Free Rick's PicksA Hidden Pivot support at 766.50 identified here earlier is still my minimum downside projection for the near term, but another at 772.25 could also come into play. Either could be bottom-fished with a stop-loss as tight as 1.00-point. Alternatively, it would take a rally this week exceeding 927.25 to turn the hourly chart bullish.
QQQQ Nasdaq 100 Trust (28.52)
– Posted in: Current Touts Free Rick's PicksA by-now ancient downside target at 25.95 remains viable, but any rally to its associative midpoint at 29.98 should be viewed as an opportunity to get short. A top occurring near this Hidden Pivot may not occur so precisely as we would prefer, and put prices will be exorbitant in any case. Accordingly, I'll suggest naked shorting two November 30 calls (QAVKD) if the Cubes touch 29.95. A stop-loss at 30.12 should be used initially, but I'll post further guidance in the chat room if the order fills.
