that is more than most investors would get in a balanced mutual fund

I dont understand this constant fascination and frankly “need” for there to always be a conspiracy.

just about every piece of evidence offered here is circumstantial – isn’t the american way supposed to be about justice and innocent until proven guilty – you have not offered proof.

secondly, there are always going to be people, companies, groups who are just better at playing the system.

capitalism may not be a zero sum game, but the stock market is pretty close to that notion. there will always be winners and loosers and always an element of insiders cornering and mastering things.

but what really annoys me is this idea that there is some corrupt alternate society and group of people completely in control and directing all of these things.

are you aware of just how many moving parts there are in a stock market, government, societal structure and how difficult it would be to actually to pull off this kind of thing

it’s the same as all the conspiracy nonsense about things like 9/11 or the kennedy murders

grow up and stop looking for these ridiculous things

if you want to talk about a real travesty talk about how the developed world has “conspired” (to use a word that will be appealing to all of you) to set the international system of trade up so that there are real winners and losers.

whilst you are all bleeting about GS making a few extra million/billion and all of you missing out on a few extra points in your portfolio there are people around the world starving to death because their economies cant get off the ground because of how we have set the system up.

my final point to all of you is to grow up and get some perspective

http://www.InsideGoldmanSachs.blogspot.com

http://www.GoldmanSachsExposed.blogspot.com

Beware of the pieces put out by the GS pr department. That would include the Portfolio.com piece on conspiracy, and Market Watch’s “Even Jack Bauer could not stop the Goldman Conspiracists. Beware …Goldman releasesm these pieces to the public to keep us looking the other way. They would glady admit to the above allegations/conspiracys as long as we dont find out the MARKTETS ARE FIXED!

wwww.GoldmanSachsExpose.blogspot.com

When will we get past this idea that any suggestion that parties are colluding to rig markets, bribe politicians, or otherwise acting in bad faith, is a “conspiracy theory,” and that all “conspiracy theories” are crazy, and by their very nature deserving of ridicule? In fact, criminal conspiracies are EXTREMELY COMMON. I’m a prosecutor in a small county in Georgia, and just in my county, we have multiple prosecutions for conspiracy every year. Nearly all of these conspiracies, in one way or another, involve some small group of connected insiders that uses a position of power to reap an illegal profit.

Not only is this scenario not “kooky” or even uncommon, it is something that has repeatedly occured throughout history, and has corrupted federal governments the world over. Why is it that we can talk frankly about the “Russian oligarchy” without batting an eyelash, while any suggestion that a similar problem might have arisen within our own government is written off as a luny “conspiracy theory”? Even after some of our own top bankers have been proven to engage in regular business relations with the Russian oligarchy?

I promise you that I am not crazy. I do not believe that we’re hiding aliens at Area 51, or that anyone other than Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated JFK. But I do believe that all of the objective evidence available at this moment points to extreme corruption and criminality in both our federal government and our largest corporations. So, rather than snide comments about “conspiracy theories,” let’s have a serious conversation on the merits. The future of our country may well depend on it.

Thanks for your reply,

Shanky

Im not saying that I won’t write about this sort of stuff, but I am not interested in turning this site into a conspiracy theory site. I write about these kinds of things when there appears to be some real solid facts to back up the theories. I feel like the information involved in this post does that. What I am not going to do, however, is start writing about how every little move up in the S&P is some great big conspiracy (as some other sites do).

Trust me – I will use this as a forum to help small investors as best I can. That’s basically the only reason the site exists in the first place, but please bear in mind that maintaining a high level of credibility and integrity also help me do that. Throwing out random accusations without real solid evidence is no way to achieve the goal of helping people.

Thanks for the nice words. I really have the best readers around.

MT and ZH do have the market cornered, but there is no “cornering” OUR freedom I hope. What the does “I’ve gotten a ton of emails on this stuff in recent weeks” represent? The ground is swelling and the people need informative, bright and respected bloggers like you to spread the observations they see.

Do you think Immelt or Murdoch are goning to let us know the truth? “This is a free site that I write in an attempt to shed light on the markets and give people some FREE guidance from someone who has been around the block more than a few times.” Well, give your readers what they are asking for. Now more than ever you have a chance to be a difference maker. Use the power of your pen (pc) to motivate your readers to learn more and pursue the truth at least. This has gone beyond being a conspiracy theory. This is anarchy IMHO.

I really appreciate your blog and all your efforts to effectively communicate some very important and timely information to your readers. I visit every day and link to your articles all the time. By not covering this topic now is like treason in my eyes. I hope you consider your “tons of emails” as enough evidence to pursue this topic further. Right now we need all the experienced people we can get to make a difference.

Thanks for all you do,

Shanky