09.06.07 Notes and News

...Hedge funds outflows hit 7 year high in July. Millions middle class folks are in the markets through their 401k and IRA accounts, which makes news like this something to keep an eye on once in a while. More here...
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...Paris based think tank warns on "quite significant" U.S. slowdown this year. Since there are railroad tracks near where I live, I watch the volume of daily train traffic as one barometer of how things are going. I can also keep an eye on the local terminal of a nationwide trucking company, and see how many doors they are working on their docks, and how many tractors and trailers are sitting idle in their yard. Simple but useful tool.
...On the other hand, for the local restaurants and traffic congestion on the roads, it seems pretty much like business as usual. Don't see where there has been much cutting back there.
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...Lenders now starting to tighten standards on credit cards, auto and personal loans. Credit cards can be dangerous to your financial health. Plastic surgery may be needed. Did you know that some credit card companies consider you a 'deadbeat' if you pay your entire balance off monthly? Credit card companies make billions of dollars in penalty fees.
...Banks are "...raising interest rates, adding new fees, making the due date for your payment a holiday or a Sunday on the hopes that maybe you'll trip up and get a payment in late," says Robert McKinley, founder and chairman of card research firm Cardweb.com and Ram Research, in this PBS program.
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...Food additives may cause hyperactivity in children. All those things that are put into our food to make them taste better and extend shelf life may sometimes have side effects, it seems.
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