“For years I kept these memos away from anything related to politics. But more recently I began to discuss issues facing the United States, and this has required some mention of policy and thus of politics. I’ve tried very hard to be non-partisan, with a goal of not having readers know my leanings…Because I found America’s recent presidential election – and especially the results – so fascinating, I’m going to move explicitly to the field of politics, but with the same goal of non-partisan expression…If you believe the exit polls, people who were positively influenced by the handling of Sandy could have made up all or more of Obama’s 2.8% margin of victory. If it’s true that Sandy was the deciding factor for 15% of the electorate, and if it caused just a fifth of those people to switch to Obama, that means without Sandy, Romney would have won. I find it shocking that the choice of a president for four years could turn on something as fickle as the weather.” [Howard Marks]
Hurricane Sandy
Area Nonpartisan Hedge Fund Manager Still Working Out How People Could Cast Their Vote For President Based On A Little Rain
By Bess Levin
“I have extreme problems with my office due to the hurricane and that is where I am focused,” Cooperman wrote in response to a request for comment by Absolute Return about the reelection of Barack Obama, whose rise to power Cooperman previously likened to that of Adolf Hitler and who, by the by, is still yet to send a handwritten thank you note for “Inspired: My Life (So Far) in Poems,” the self-published memoir of Cooperman’s 14 year-old granddaughter. That comes through, maybe then he has something to say about the events of last Tuesday. [AR, earlier]
Former Mayor Still Has His Finger On the Pulse Of New York, And If It Were Up To Him He’d Give The City What It Wants On Sunday: A God Damn Party
By Bess Levin
As you may have heard, things are not going so well for New York City* of late. Lower Manhattan has been without power for days. A hundred or so houses that once stood in Queens are now rubble. Staten Island has been destroyed. Those living uptown and in other areas that emerged relatively unscathed are dealing with survivor’s guilt. In spite of all that, Mayor Bloomberg has declared that the Marathon, scheduled for this Sunday, will go on, a decision that has been met with major outrage by people who believe the considerable resources that go toward putting on the race should be put to more critical use elsewhere, that the city does not need the strain of putting up an additional 40,000 people, that the supposed economic benefit would be a drop in the bucket of what NYC needs, that the generators sitting in Central Park right now could be helping those sitting in darkness, and that considering dead bodies are still being pulled of the water, it’s generally “too soon.” One guy who’d beg to differ? Ed Koch. Twenty-five years out of his mayorship, he still gets these people and while the media would have you believe holding the marathon has caused an enormously heated debate, he’s here to tell you that’s bull. New Yorkers want this and if Koch were still King? He’d be throwing a parade come Sunday, with A-Rod as Grand Marshal. Read more »
Guy Who Shares The Same Name As “Hedge Fund Analyst” Spreading Lies About Hurricane Sandy On The Internet Would Appreciate Not Being Mistaken For Said “Hedge Fund Analyst” Spreading Lies About Hurricane Sandy On The Internet
By Bess LevinFor those of you who do not keep up with the drama in the Twitter universe, many, many people are very angry with a user who goes by the name @comfortablysmug, for spreading false information during the worst of Hurricane Sandy that included claims that ConEd workers were “trapped in a power station,” that ConEd was shutting down “ALL power in Manhattan,” and that the New York Stock Exchange was under three feet of water. These reports turned out to be complete lies and @comfortablysmug was shamed in the town square, outed, and forced to offer a “sincere apology to the people of New York,” noting that “while some would use the anonymity and instant feedback of social media as an excuse,” he would take “full responsibility” for his actions. Many in the media, however, are still quite miffed and one guy who’s really pissed? The dude who happens to have the same name (in real life) as comfortablysmug AKA Shashank Tripathi. Read more »
Knight Capital is experiencing “power issues” and told clients to trade equities elsewhere, according to a memo from the company. No new orders are being accepted, said the Jersey City, New Jersey-based company, which almost went bankrupt in August after a computer error flooded the market with unintended trades. [Bloomberg, earlier]
Layoffs Watch ’12: UBS Tells Employees Not To Bother Themselves With Figuring Out How To Get Into Work (Ever Again)
By Bess Levin
Earlier this week, before a natural disaster struck the East Coast, UBS announced that it would be calling it quits on its fixed income experiment and focusing on wealth management, letting go of approximately 10,000 employees as it transitioned back to its tax evading roots. That was Monday morning, and while the bank had said that it planned to start cuts on Tuesday, most people assumed that the Swiss would wait at least 24 hours between the time Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy told residents to seek safety from the storm on their roofs or power for the many who lost it was restored or NY/NJ/CT mass transit started functioning again to can a bunch of staff. Those people, however, thought wrong. Apparently when UBS higher-ups decide to do something, neither wind nor rain nor is gonna stop them. Read more »
[Stephen Foley via Felix Salmon]
Good News: You Probably Won’t Have To Swim To Work Tomorrow (Or Pretend To Work From Home)*
By Bess Levin
..according to Reuters, which reports “The U.S. stock market is expected to be closed on Tuesday” and while “every effort is being made to reopen markets” Wednesday, a final decision will be made once there is a better idea of the havoc Sandra will wreak, both downtown and, more importantly, in areas market participants are located. In related news, think of the dogs of Goldman Sachs. Read more »
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