Tuesday, August 30, 2011

We're HIRING: Sr C#/WPF Developer (Prop Trading Firm, NYC)

Call or text 203-29-QUANT 203.297.8268 if you have any questions and are
qualified for this role or others posted.

Please speak clearly if leaving a voicemail, and let me know the role you are
applying for and if you have sent a resume or not. You may call or text at any time. All discussions and messages are fully confidential...
If QUALIFIED &AUTHORIZED FOR USA WORK, email resume onto QuantRec
@gmail.com & Quant at QuantRec dot com.

Goto http://www.QuantRec.com for updates on jobs,
bookmark it! you can fax in resume to 206-202-7703 as well.

PLEASE BE SURE TO INCLUDE your salary requirements (2010 base/bonus), location
preferences, and for my notes where you have been interviewing or been submitted to in the past 6 months (as there are multiple opportunities if you are a solid techie).
Must currently be in USA and be Green CARD/US CITIZEN/h1b with enough years left
on visa (at least 3 years). Also include the best times to reach you over the near term.
Candidates MEETING MOST OF the SPEC below will be contacted
PROMPTLY.
-----------

Sr C# GUI Developer (WPF)
Prop Trading Company/ NYC
Description
The role is a full-time position in our IT team.  Working primarily in C#, and secondly in C++ on Linux, the candidate would take over responsibility for all aspects of the front end of the system, including the servers that assemble and distribute the data to the traders' desktop.. The job is technically demanding and professionally rewarding.  We are looking for a senior technician to take major role in extending our trading functionality on our new platform. Responsibilities include:
  • Developing systems for new markets, new products and new trading opportunities
  • Designing new ways to display data and allow traders to control the system
  • Improving the scalability and performance of our interfaces

Qualifications
Qualified candidates should hold at least an undergraduate degree.  You should be able to demonstrate skill in C# and familiarity with C/C++ application development.   This is a hands-on development role.  Candidates must have experience of developing user interfaces for large-scale fast-moving data sets.  In addition, candidates must have experience of at least some of the following:
  • Displaying real-time financial market-data
  • Creating server-side caches of displayable data
  • Understanding of TCP/UDP/IP and the networking stack
  • .NET WCF and WPF
  • Python scripting

Candidates must have strong interpersonal skills:
  • Team orientation
  • Ability to present information clearly and succinctly
  • Drive and commitment to resolve problems
  • Build good relations with clients
  • Show attention to detail
  • Enthusiastic self-starter who takes initiative with minimal supervision.
  • Flexible team player who effectively prioritizes and juggles multiple concurrent projects.

We're HIRING: Senior C++ Trading Systems Engineer (Prop Trading Firm/NYC)

Call or text 203-29-QUANT 203.297.8268 if you have any questions and are
qualified for this role or others posted.

Please speak clearly if leaving a voicemail, and let me know the role you are
applying for and if you have sent a resume or not. You may call or text at any time. All discussions and messages are fully confidential...
If QUALIFIED &AUTHORIZED FOR USA WORK, email resume onto QuantRec
@gmail.com & Quant at QuantRec dot com.

Goto http://www.QuantRec.com for updates on jobs,
bookmark it! you can fax in resume to 206-202-7703 as well.

PLEASE BE SURE TO INCLUDE your salary requirements (2010 base/bonus), location
preferences, and for my notes where you have been interviewing or been submitted to in the past 6 months (as there are multiple opportunities if you are a solid techie).
Must currently be in USA and be Green CARD/US CITIZEN/h1b with enough years left
on visa (at least 3 years). Also include the best times to reach you over the near term.
Candidates MEETING MOST OF the SPEC below will be contacted
PROMPTLY.
-----------
Senior C++ Trading Systems Engineer
Prop Trading Firm / NYC

Description
The role is a full-time position in our IT team.  Working in C++ on Linux, the team develops our general trading logic, execution algorithms, core infrastructure, and market data handling, the most challenging and performance critical aspects of our trading system. The job is technically demanding and professionally rewarding.  We are looking for a senior technician to take major role in extending our trading functionality on our new platform. Responsibilities include:
Developing systems for new markets, new products and new trading opportunities
Integrating new trading algorithms and strategies into the trading platform
Improving the speed and scalability of our trading systems

Qualifications
Qualified candidates should hold at least an undergraduate degree in Computer Science or Engineering.  You should be able to demonstrate skill in C/C++ application development and competence with software development tools.
 This is a hands-on development role.  Candidates must have experience of C/C++ development on Linux, and of developing and deploying high-performance low-latency distributed systems.  In addition, candidates must have experience of at least some of the following:
Developing financial exchange connectivity
Simulating financial trading; replaying market-data
Understanding of TCP/UDP/IP and the networking stack
Focus on software performance; experience of profiling and optimizing
Developing with a template-based C++ library, ideally Boost
Designing infrastructures for robustness, easy monitoring and support, smooth upgrades and deployments

Candidates must have strong interpersonal skills:
Team orientation
Ability to present information clearly and succinctly
Drive and commitment to resolve problems
Build good relations with clients
Show attention to detail
Enthusiastic self-starter who takes initiative with minimal supervision.
Flexible team player who effectively prioritizes and juggles multiple concurrent projects.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

WE'RE HIRING: Application Management Lead - New York (Top Financial NYC)


Call or text 203-29-QUANT 203.297.8268 if you have any questions and are
qualified for this role or others posted.

Please  speak clearly if leaving a voicemail, and let me know the role you are
applying for and if you have sent a resume or not.  You may call or text at any time. All discussions and messages are fully confidential...
If QUALIFIED &AUTHORIZED FOR USA WORK, email resume onto QuantRec
@gmail.com & Quant at QuantRec dot com.

Goto http://www.QuantRec.com for updates on jobs,
bookmark it! you can fax in resume to 206-202-7703 as well. 

PLEASE BE SURE TO INCLUDE your salary requirements (2010 base/bonus), location
preferences, and for my notes where you have been interviewing or been submitted to in the past 6 months (as there are multiple opportunities if you are a solid techie).
Must currently be in USA and be Green CARD/US CITIZEN/h1b with enough years left
on visa (at least 3 years).  Also  include the best times to reach you over the near term.
Candidates MEETING MOST OF the SPEC below will be contacted
PROMPTLY.
-----------
Application Management Lead - New York
Top Tier Financial Comany


Prime Services IT provides technology solutions to support the business
CMR IT main responsibility is to develop IT solutions for Hedge fund counterparty risk, Collateral Management, Client Valuations Group, and Global Netting for front office, globally. In addition, Collateral Optimization Unit (COU) is a new department setup within the front office to ensure that the firm has transparency and necessary controls in place to monitor the quality, funding and cost of collateral. In addition, with the Dodd-Frank regulation coming in to effect mid 2011 a number of business processes are set to change, which in turn will require technology processes to be re-aligned.
An integral part of the 2011 CMR roadmap is an aggressive technology build out which aims to provide the necessary front to back solutions for the Collateral Management, Margin, and Risk business. To be successful, CMR will need to continue to partner with Front Office sales and trading teams, Middle and Back Office operations, Risk, Finance and other technology teams including infrastructure and support.
Main Function
The successful applicant will be responsible for leading a team of 3 based in NY for the regional applicaiton management function within a larger global Service Delivery team for an IT team which has 220 FTEs, 30 projects and 8 stakeholders groups.
This role will focus on the day to day maintenance and support of a suite of applications (including at least one Category A application for the bank), owning the interface between the development and business teams, close user interaction during incidents, providing a quality gate for functionality being released into a production environment, and respond to user queries, data requests, and other similar functions.

Main Duties
The support models for these applications are at various stages of maturity, and the quality of processes in each reflect this – the successful applicant will have an opportunity to improve the functions and provide direction and improvements in these..
Work closely with the development team to ensure the support processes are clearly set and adhered to.
Work closely with the business users, to ensure the support process strategy is appropriate, and implement improvements where appropriate with buy in from the global SDM team.
Work with the Configuration Management team as a quality gate into production environments.
Be able to clearly communicate plans, status, and progress to internal management, and external stakeholders.
Person Requirements
Basic Qualifications
Bachelors Degree
5 years + experience in Application Management delivery
Preferred Qualifications
Effective leadership, interpersonal and communication skills.
Excellent communication skills with both IT and business at all levels
Good knowledge of techniques for planning, monitoring and controlling projects.
The ability to find ways of solving or pre-empting problems.
The right candidate will present well, be action-orientated, with a focus on continuous improvement in all areas of work.
Known for high energy and productivity the right candidate will be able to deliver quality results with a challenging, positive, influential style
The successful candidate will demonstrate creativity and pragmatism with an ability to conceptualize and deliver at speed.
A passion for delivering support practices to a high quality, with an enthusiasm for whole team success
An intimate knowledge of service delivery, and the role of Application Management within the wider software change process
Appreciation of the approach to working with remote teams, and managing local resources
A proven track record of managing, motivating and leading a team of high performing Application Management staff
Strong track record of delivering improvement within existing Application Management teams
An ability to appreciate and understand the roles of Project Managers, Developers, QA, Configuration Management, users, and key stakeholders
Including a demonstrable ability to work with them to improve the process from inception to production
Experience in Collateral Management, Margin, and Risk would be nice.

WE'RE HIRING: Senior Java Developer - Web/Portal Envrionment/Top Financial/NJ

Call or text 203-29-QUANT 203.297.8268 if you have any questions and are
qualified for this role or others posted.



Please  speak clearly if leaving a voicemail, and let me know the role you are
applying for and if you have sent a resume or not. 
You may call or text at any time. All discussions and messages are fully confidential...

If QUALIFIED &AUTHORIZED FOR USA WORK, email resume onto QuantRec
@gmail.com & Quant at QuantRec dot com.



Goto http://www.QuantRec.com for updates on jobs,
bookmark it!
you can fax in resume to 206-202-7703 as well. 



PLEASE BE SURE TO INCLUDE your salary requirements (2010 base/bonus), location
preferences, and for my notes where you have been interviewing or been submitted to in the past 6 months (as there are multiple opportunities if you are a solid techie).


Must currently be in USA and be Green CARD/US CITIZEN/h1b with enough years left
on visa (at least 3 years). 
Also  include the best times to reach you over the near term.

Candidates MEETING MOST OF the SPEC below will be contacted
PROMPTLY.

-----------
Senior Java Developer - Web/Portal Envrionment
Top Tier Financial Company/ Jersey City

100-150K base +bonus (Depends on Level - They're flexible on level to get it filled).

Update 8:23:  There are two open head count for this role.  Mgr wants to fill both ASAP.   The role has shifted a little from below description, he wants developer who is a little more front-end developer and little less server side, though in future role will balance out and be equal parts both - very important to advertise so we dont scare right people away.      NEW REQUIREMENTS:  Person will be  working 80% on client side with JSF, Javascript and AJAX and 20% Server Side with Java on Linux. 

Update 8/11:  The Mgr wants to fill this role immediately for fear of loosing.  He's open to hiring someone with anywhere from 2-20 years of experience so long as they have in his words... "Passion" for their work.    

Person Does NOT have to have financial experience.  They want someone with some combination of Server Side Core Java and Client Side Web Java, ideally with JSP, JSF and AJAX.   They'd also like experience with GUI tool called SEAM ,but not required.   Person also needs to have basic SQL.




Prime Services – Core Prime Brokerage Portal group is looking for Senior Java Developer. This is permanent position in the fast pace environment. The person will be responsible for developing variousPrime Portal Web applications.
We are located in Jersey City NJ. Candidate must have prior hands on experience of building web applications using java.
Main Function
 Candidate will be responsible for design, development and maintenance of the prime broker web based applications.
Person Requirements
Basic Qualifications?
· 7+ years of experience in OO Analysis and design and design patterns
· Must have prior experience working in financial company and preferably in Prime Brokerage business
· Must have prior experience building web presentation technologies such as JSP, JSF and AJAX
Preferred Qualifications
· Strong core Java (J2SE and J2EE) development skills, preferably through release of Java1.6
· Experience with Object relational mapping (ORM)
· Hands on experience using Weblogic or similar application server
· Proficiency with Ant and SVN or CVS
· Strong background in using XML
· Proficiency with IDE-based development, preferable Eclipse
· Unit testing and System testing experience
· Hands on experience in SQL, Stored Procedure, Sybase/SQL Server
Nice to have:
· Hands on experience with Coherence cache
· Hibernate experience
· Experience with JMS
· JBoss application server experience
Additional requirements:
· Analytical mind and enthusiastic, positive attitude
· Must have ability to work independently as well as within a team
· Excellent oral and written communication skill

Thursday, August 18, 2011

We're HIRING: Sr Java Developer Web/Portal Environment/NJ

Call or text 203-29-QUANT 203.297.8268 if you have any questions and are
qualified for this role or others posted.



Please  speak clearly if leaving a voicemail, and let me know the role you are

applying for and if you have sent a resume or not. 
You may call or text at any time. All discussions and messages are fully confidential...

If QUALIFIED &AUTHORIZED FOR USA WORK, email resume onto QuantRec
@gmail.com & Quant at QuantRec dot com.



Goto http://www.QuantRec.com for updates on jobs, bookmark it!
you can fax in resume to 206-202-7703 as well. 


PLEASE BE SURE TO INCLUDE your salary requirements (2010 base/bonus), location
preferences, and for my notes where you have been interviewing or been
submitted to in the past 6 months (as there are multiple opportunities if you
are a solid techie).


Must currently be in USA and be Green CARD/US CITIZEN/h1b with enough years left
on visa (at least 3 years). 
Also  include the best times to reach you over the near term.

Candidates MEETING MOST OF the SPEC below will be contacted PROMPTLY.
-----------
(Depends on Level - They're flexible on level to get it filled).

Update 8/11:  The Mgr wants to fill this role immediately for fear of loosing.  He's open to hiring someone with anywhere from 2-20 years of experience so long as they have in his words... "Passion" for their work.    

Person Does NOT have to have financial experience.  They want someone with some combination of Server Side Core Java and Client Side Web Java, ideally with JSP, JSF and AJAX.   They'd also like experience with GUI tool called SEAM ,but not required.   Person also needs to have basic SQL.




Prime Services – Core Prime Brokerage Portal group is looking for Senior Java Developer. This is permanent position in the fast pace environment. The person will be responsible for developing variousPrime Portal Web applications.
We are located in Jersey City NJ. Candidate must have prior hands on experience of building web applications using java.
Main Function
 Candidate will be responsible for design, development and maintenance of the prime broker web based applications.
Person Requirements
Basic Qualifications?
· 7+ years of experience in OO Analysis and design and design patterns
· Must have prior experience working in financial company and preferably in Prime Brokerage business
· Must have prior experience building web presentation technologies such as JSP, JSF and AJAX
Preferred Qualifications
· Strong core Java (J2SE and J2EE) development skills, preferably through release of Java1.6
· Experience with Object relational mapping (ORM)
· Hands on experience using Weblogic or similar application server
· Proficiency with Ant and SVN or CVS
· Strong background in using XML
· Proficiency with IDE-based development, preferable Eclipse
· Unit testing and System testing experience
· Hands on experience in SQL, Stored Procedure, Sybase/SQL Server
Nice to have:
· Hands on experience with Coherence cache
· Hibernate experience

In euro-zone crisis, German leader Angela Merkel’s OPTIONS ARE LIMITED!

In euro-zone crisis, German leader Angela Merkel’s OPTIONS ARE LIMITED!

"
So far, those steps have fallen short, and concerns have mounted among investors that large countries such as Italy and Spaincould fall victim to the crisis, unnerving world stock markets and contributing to fears of a renewed recession.
Analysts see the outcome of Merkel’s meeting Tuesday with French President Nicolas Sarkozy as a sign that no new grand solutions are in the offing. What she called “magic wand” ideas — such as the introduction of a common “eurobond” backed by all 17 nations in the currency zone — are being set aside.
Instead, Merkel is essentially waiting for budget cuts and economic reforms promised in Greece, Italy and elsewhere to take hold, and for new initiatives approved by European leaders in recent months to get up and running. That could take months, if not longer, given the pending legal challenges and required parliamentary action in the 17 member countries — not to mention the time needed for economic reforms to bear fruit."

"Japan's Nikkei stock average fell for a second straight day on Thursday, hurt by the yen's persistent strength and fears the U.S. might be heading for another recession, with many investors on the sidelines ahead of U.S. economic data."

"Japan's Nikkei stock average fell for a second straight day on Thursday, hurt by the yen's persistent strength and fears the U.S. might be heading for another recession, with many investors on the sidelines ahead of U.S. economic data."

" The market turmoil sparked by the downgrade of the USA's triple-A credit rating caused mutual fund investors to sell U.S. stock funds at a rate not seen since the financial crisis in October 2008"

" The market turmoil sparked by the downgrade of the USA's triple-A credit rating caused mutual fund investors to sell U.S. stock funds at a rate not seen since the financial crisis in October 2008"

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Sell in May. & go away! :)

Sell in May. & go away! :)

"Recession signals in the world’s largest economy are flashing red again."

"Recession signals in the world’s largest economy are flashing red again."

Foreclosure Filings in U.S. Plunge 35% to Four-Year Low, RealtyTrac Says

Foreclosure Filings in U.S. Plunge 35% to Four-Year Low, RealtyTrac Says

"U.S. foreclosure filings dropped 35 percent last month to the lowest level in almost four years as lenders and state and federal agencies increased efforts to keep delinquent borrowers in their homes, RealtyTrac Inc. said.
A total of 212,764 properties received default, auction or repossession notices, the fewest in 44 months, the Irvine, California-based data seller said today. Filings fell on a year-over-year basis for the 10th straight month, and were down 4 percent from June. One in 611 households got a notice.
“The downward trend in foreclosure activity has now taken on a life of its own,” RealtyTrac Chief Executive Officer James J. Saccacio said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the falloff in foreclosures is not based on a robust recovery in the housing market but on short-term interventions and delays that will extend the current housing market woes into 2012 and beyond.”

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

WHAT IS LLOYD'S WALL OF WORRY?

WHAT IS LLOYD'S WALL OF WORRY?
"Fear remains the overriding emotion in US and global markets, despite this morning's stock market jump.

In the US, investors are waiting to hear from the Fed regarding QE3 measures, while market watchers everywhere are most concerned about the situation in Europe.  

Are stocks as cheap as they're going to be? No one can know. But at 28 blocks, "Lloyd's Wall of Worry" has reached a new record for the year. And since anxiety continues to run high, value investors should continue to look for deals."

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Dear Goldman: Stop Cheating Your Customers, Everyone Else - Goldman Sachs Says AIG, Fannie, Freddie Threatening to Sue Over Mortgages

Dear Goldman: Stop Cheating Your Customers, Everyone Else - Goldman Sachs Says AIG, Fannie, Freddie Threatening to Sue Over Mortgages

What Does the S&P Downgrade Mean, If France Is Rated Higher Than USA?

What Does the S&P Downgrade Mean, If France Is Rated Higher Than the U.S.

"The United States still has a higher per-capita GDP than most countries, including both the U.K. and France. Last year, the U.S. GDP grew 2.9 percent—almost double the U.K.’s 1.4 percent and France’s 1.5 percent. Between April and June of this year, the U.S. GDP grew 1.3 percent while the U.K. economy grew 0.2 percent. A June forecast from the Bank of France estimated that the country’s economy would grow 0.4 percent in the second quarter. (U.S. growth, granted, is still slower than it used to be.)"

Startling Sell-Off Doesn't Mean It's Time to Start Buying Stocks: UBS

Startling Sell-Off Doesn't Mean It's Time to Start Buying Stocks: UBS

“The burden of proof right now is on the economy to show that it is not moving back into recession,” he said, noting that the probability of recession has become “significantly higher” than it was three weeks ago “because of the equities sell-off.” 
As he explained, “These things feed into each other. The repricing of equities that has just taken place will clearly impact business and consumer sentiment.”

QuantRec.com - Harrison from Minyanville -Testing Other Side: Lows 2009

Testing Other Side: Lows 2009

We're HIRING: Java Developer - NYC/Hong Kong

Call or text 203-29-QUANT 203.297.8268 if you have any questions and are
qualified for this role or others posted.



Please  speak clearly if leaving a voicemail, and let me know the role you are
applying for and if you have sent a resume or not. 
You may call or text at any time. All discussions and messages are fully confidential...

If QUALIFIED &AUTHORIZED FOR USA WORK, email resume onto QuantRec
@gmail.com & Quant at QuantRec dot com.



Goto http://www.QuantRec.com for updates on jobs, bookmark it!
you can fax in resume to 206-202-7703 as well. 

PLEASE BE SURE TO INCLUDE your salary requirements (2010 base/bonus), location
preferences, and for my notes where you have been interviewing or been submitted to in the past 6 months (as there are multiple opportunities if you are a solid techie).


Must currently be in USA and be Green CARD/US CITIZEN/h1b with enough years left
on visa (at least 3 years). 
Also include the best times to reach you over the near term.

Candidates MEETING MOST OF the SPEC below will be contacted PROMPTLY.
-----------
Java Developer - NYC/Hong Kong
Top Tier Financial Company
  
$$$ is open
 
Top Tier Financial company is aiming to hire an experienced Java developer, with at least 5 years of experience, but 10+ would be more suitable for Equites and Options HFT and AMM business.    The developer will focus on server side Java development.  This position will provide direct support to trading desk and be responsible for all technology used by trading desk.  The development aspect of the role will focus on server side core Java operating on Linux.   The troubleshooting and support aspect of the role will require person to be comfortable with Perl and Shell for monitoring environment, automation and other support and troubleshooting activities.      As this development will have responsbility for all technology utilized by trading desk the role will also require person to support C# GUI as well as Database technology, though the role will focus more on Java and UNIX, Perl, Shell so background with GUI and SQL can be lighter.  
 
Position will start in NYC office and transition to Hong Kong office Q1 of 2012. 

Monday, August 8, 2011

Fear Index VIX Up 50%, And In Backwardation, Confirms Fully Fledged Bear Market

Dubbed the fear index, the VIX, which measures volatility via options action on S&P 500 equities, behaved just as crazily as it did during other systemically important shock events, like the 2008 financial crisis, the fall of Bear Sterns, the flash crash of 2010, and the 2007 credit market meltdown, according to FT Alphaville.
Indeed, the VIX hit absolute levels not seen since the May 2010 flash crash, when it reached 48 on May 21, 2010, according to Dow Jones.  The VIX term structure has actually flipped and is now in backwardation, after having been in contango only a few weeks ago, when the S&P 500 recovered from a small correction back on July 22, as VIX and Moreshowed.  The VIX has spiked 174% since then while the S&P 500 has declined 20.2%.
What’s VIX telling us?

QuantRec.com - Real Estate Short Time?

Real Estate Short Time?

"So what about housing? Commentators are now busily rehashing S&P's blunders in the years leading up to the collapse in property values, a shrill reminder that there once were firms called Washington Mutual (JPM), Wachovia(WFC), Bear Stearns, and Merrill Lynch (BAC). Residential real estate, like the rating agency's credibility, remains fragile.

Chief among housing market concerns is the degree to which the downgrade will damage consumers' already dour outlook for the economy. Today's housing market continues to be highly-sentiment driven, with conditions fluctuating week-to-week, even within individual markets. On the morning after the debt-ceiling agreement last Monday, the phones at my real estate firm were busier than they had been in weeks, with everyone from hedge fund managers to contractors expressing relief that with a deal struck, we could all get back to work.

Focus has now shifted to figuring out what this downgrade actually means. A dreary task for an already pessimistic group. Last month, the University of Michigan's widely watched consumer sentiment index slipped to its lowest level in two years. And employment, which is inextricably linked to housing, is really just a reflection of confidence. Given the vast uncertainty already stemming from Friday's historic downgrade, American consumers are not likely to be overly eager to embark on large-scale purchases. Like homes.

Second, persistently low interest rates have gone a long way to buoy home prices, enabling would-be buyers to either buy more house or at the very least keep housing costs under control. If US debt holders begin demanding higher interest rates for owning Treasuries, home financing costs would rise. And while this would bode poorly for home prices, the Federal Reserve, working closely with the Treasury Department, has given every indication that it will bankrupt the country before allowing market forces to push up interest rates in any material way."

QuantRec.com - Jim Rogers: Stop Buying Gold; Buy Agriculture Stocks

QuantRec.com - Jim Rogers: Stop Buying Gold; Buy Agriculture Stocks

"Jim Rogers is good at what he does. Really good. This masterful investor co-founded with George Soros the Quantum Fund. A fund that posted astonishing returns of 4200% in 10 years, over the same period the S&P gained a mere 47%. Rogers retired 31 years ago in 1980 at the age of 37, but is still active as a private investor.
Clearly one of the most successful investors of all-time, Rogers buys value. Accordingly, in 1999, he predicted a "Supercycle" commodity bull market, raw material prices advancing for longer than in any previous uptrend led by gold and silver. At that time, gold was trading near its low at $252, the lowest real price in nearly a 100 years, and silver at $4, the lowest real price in 5000 years."

Rogers Explains How What Is Going In US/EUROPE So Alike to Zombie Bank Crisis In Japan

Rogers Explains How What Is Going In US/EUROPE So Alike to Zombie Bank Crisis In Japan

Sunday, August 7, 2011

"This is a dangerous moment for the world. It is still possible that the growth scare of recent months will prove a false alarm."

"This is a dangerous moment for the world. It is still possible that the growth scare of recent months will prove a false alarm.

Ending Moral Rot on Wall Street, Part 1: William D. Cohan

Ending Moral Rot on Wall Street, Part 1: William D. Cohan

"What will it take for Americans to finally get the message that much ofWall Street, in its current form, is a corrupt enterprise in need of a top-to-bottom overhaul, a task that the year-old Dodd-Frank law, for all its verbosity, barely attempts?
There is ample evidence in the detritus left behind by the ebb tide of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. There are the thorough -- and thoroughly damning -- reports (along with thousands of pages of accompanying internal Wall Street documents) produced by the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission and the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. More was exposed by Anton Valukas, the chairman of the Chicago law firm Jenner & Block LLP, in hisinvestigation of the accounting shenanigans engaged in by a handful ofLehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (LEHMQ)’s executives in the months leading up to that firm’s spectacular bankruptcy in September 2008."

QuantRec.com - What Does Downgrade Mean for Stocks?

QuantRec.com - What Does Downgrade Mean for Stocks?

"The meaning of this downgrade is that the agency does not believe our government can repay its debt. The agency has good reason to feel this way since our politicians seemingly could not get this deal completed, and were not happy with the end result. Analysts estimate that the new rating will cost our government an additional $100 billion annually. Citizens have voiced their concerns, saying this could lead to higher interest rates, including rates for such items as mortgages and college.
I expect treasury bond investments to decrease during the short term as confidence within our nation is at an all time low. In addition to investor confidence I believe this change could affect consumer confidence. Consumers are not confident in our nation or their job security and as a result will spend less.
In the end politicians' individual agendas prevented them from dealing with the issue of the debt ceiling in a proper way. They could have handled this problem much better and developed a plan that is attainable. We can not change what has happened. We can only try and move forward. We held this rating for much longer than we deserved. It would be equivalent to an American citizen with $500,000 in debt trying to get a $100,000 loan on $75,000 of income. While that is a metaphor it somewhat describes our government's situation except our government does not make payments on its debt."

Not sure why commentators are still bullish?

"U.S. equity futures plunged, signaling the market may extend its worst slump since the bull market began in 2009, while the dollar and oil slid as the loss of America’s top credit rating fueled concern the economic slowdown will worsen. New Zealand and Israeli stocks sank.
Futures on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index expiring next month lost 2.6 percent to 1,166.60 at 7:22 a.m. in Tokyo following a two-week slump that dragged the gauge down 11 percent and erased its 2011 gain. The dollar lost 1 percent versus the Swiss franc and slipped at least 0.3 percent against the yen and Australian and New Zealand dollars. Oil sank 3.2 percent to $84.11 a barrel in electronic trading. Israel’s TA-25 Index plunged the most in almost 11 years today, with a 7 percent loss led by Discount Investment Corp."

If America's good days are over, so are China's

If America's good days are over, so are China's

"Be careful with what you wish,” goes an old saying. “Because when it comes true, it may not be good for you.”
Everyone who follows closely US-Chinese economic relations cannot help but be puzzled by China’s bold statement, after the S&P downgrade of US debt, that “America’s good day’s over.“
While China, as America’s largest foreign investor in US Treasuries, has every reason to be concerned about the ability of the US to fulfill its credit obligations to its lenders, such statements are unfair and unjust, and are against China’s long-term interests.
China’s statement is unfair and unjust for a number of reasons: First, China’s credit to the US isn’t a direct loan negotiated under strict financial conditions, as is the case with IMF loans to heavily indebted countries, but an investment, the purchase of US government bonds in the open market. Second, it is assumed that China applied due diligence before it pursued such an investment, and determined that such investment was to the best of its own interests. If now China thinks otherwise, it can just unload its holdings, as any prudent investor would do in a market system. Third, in an era of low interest rate environment for dollar denominated assets, investing in US Treasuries has been a good choice to park dollars. Japanese, Korean, European, and American investors did that, and so did China—in fact those investors have fared really well in the last year. Forth, the dollars that China used to purchase US Treasuries aren’t hard saved money of the Chinese people, but money earned from selling Chinese goods to American consumers, which brings us to the second part of our argument."

Saturday, August 6, 2011

QuantRec.com - This Time, Corporate Profits May Not Save the Day

QuantRec.com - This Time, Corporate Profits May Not Save the Day

"
But after the Dow Jones industrial average plummeted nearly 700 points last week — pushing stocks down 11 percent from their late April peak — Wall Street investors are finally waking up to what Main Street households have known all along: The already bad economy is getting worse. And the laundry list of problems that could tip the economy into another severe downturn, if not a recession, is growing only longer.
First, there’s the debt-ceiling debate in Washington, which isn’t over yet as a special Congressional panel will try to find $1.5 trillion in additional savings by November. On top of that, there are the still-growing debt problems in Europe.
“There’s a growing sense the Continent is in denial and investors will continue to stress those markets until something gives,” said Jack A. Ablin, executive vice president and chiefinvestment officer at Harris Private Bank. “Bailouts don’t appear to be cutting it.”
And, on another front, it remains to be seen whether the Federal Reserve will step up again to try to stimulate the economy, as it did last November when it started to buy Treasury securities in hopes of keeping interest rates low."

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Accurate overview of current negative economic data from WSJ!

"exbronxite wrote:
I would believe a LOT of people are questioning these numbers on ‘new hires,” as they should. Is this, in fact, new jobs created by the ‘private sector,” or are they just new hires brought on to replace people who left those jobs due to attrition? Or, even worse, are they middle-class, trained and experienced, formerly well-paid, white collar workers who have been let go by their chosen profession and have now taken jobs with Dunkin’ Donuts on the overnight shift, or with the local hardware store, just to make some money? Considering what we just heard about layoffs just this past weekend, you MUST look at these numbers with a jaundiced eye."

Seeing ads on Linkedin asking me to 'trade with Jim Cramer' (Bear Stearns before crumbling!)

Seeing ads on Linkedin asking me to 'trade with Jim Cramer'  (Bear Stearns before crumbling!)

Monday, August 1, 2011

WERE HIRING: Java Developer/Web UI (TOP FINANCIAL, NJ)

Call
or text 203-29-QUANT 203.297.8268 if you have any questions and are qualified

for this role or others posted.



Please 
speak clearly if leaving a voicemail, and let me know the role you are applying

for and if you have sent a resume or not. 
You
may call or text at any time. All discussions and messages are fully
confidential...


If
QUALIFIED &AUTHORIZED FOR USA WORK, email resume onto QuantRec @gmail.com

& Quant at QuantRec dot com.



Goto
http://www.QuantRec.com for updates on jobs,

bookmark it!



You
can fax in resume to 206-202-7703 as well. 



PLEASE BE SURE TO INCLUDE your salary requirements (2010 base/bonus), location
preferences, and for my notes where you have been interviewing or been submitted to in the past 6 months (as there are multiple opportunities if you are a solid techie).


Must currently be in USA and be Green CARD/US CITIZEN/h1b with enough years left
on visa (at least 3 years). 
Also include the best times to reach you over the near term.
Candidates MEETING MOST OF the SPEC below will be contacted PROMPTLY.

-------------
Java Developer w/ CQ5 and Web UI (HTML, Javascript)
Top Tier Financial Company/  NJ
Associate/Team Member Level, eg: 3-7 yrs experience
90-110K base +bonus

Main Function


Java Developer within the Web Portal Services team. Our team is
responsible for a suite of integrated web applications and web content
management platforms delivering content for public and authenticated
websites. These applications integrate with many critical systems
across all of Web Portal Services including our authorization engine,
usage analytics system, and search platform. Work includes redesigning
highly used and scalable web-based applications.
Main Duties

Responsible for full life cycle development of new and existing
applications and components.
Work as a team player in a global development group participating in
requirements and data analysis, design as well as development.
Communicate and collaborate between the infrastructure, development
and business groups.
Strong analytical skills, self-motivated and capable of working in a
dynamic environment that demands multi-tasking.
Ability to generate ideas and efficiently mock up proposals and demos
Person Requirements

Basic Qualifications:

B.S. degree in computer science or related field with emphasis on technology
Four+ years of experience in Java programming
One+ year of experience with CMS/WCM
One+ year SQL experience
Preferred Qualifications:

Hands on experience with Adobe CQ5 is a plus
Hands on experience with J2EE (JDBC, servlets, collections, threading
knowledge, OO concepts) design, development and implementation,
including writing unit test cases, and delivering quality code
Working experience in financial industry
Knowledge of the HTTP protocol, security basics, and user navigation
Web UI experience (HTML, DHTML, CSS, JavaScript, XML, XSL, AJAX, GWT,
Flash, FLEX) or willing to develop UI experience
Strong SQL skills with Stored Procedure knowledge.
Knowledge of relational database techniques and architecture - Oracle
Knowledge of XML and schema design and validation techniques.

QuantRec.com - Ten Signs The Double-Dip Recession Has Begun

QuantRec.com - Ten Signs The Double-Dip Recession Has Begun

"Inflation
There is almost nothing that damages consumer confidence as badly as a rapid rise in prices.  Starbucks recently increased the price of a bag of coffee by 17% because wholesale prices have risen by almost twice that rate in the last year. Cotton prices nearly doubled in 2010 but has fallen this year. But, apparel is made months in advance of when they reach store shelves. Summer clothing prices are up as much as 20%. That may change in the fall, but for the time being, the consumer’s ability to buy even the most basic clothing has been undermined. Consumers today pay more for sugar, meat, and corn-based products as well.
Investments have begun to yield less
Part of the recovery was driven by the stock market surge which began when the DJIA bottomed below 7,000 in March 2009. The index has risen above 12,000 and the prices of many stocks have doubled from their lows.  As result, American household nest eggs that were decimated by the collapse of the market have rebounded and enabled people to splurge on themselves. However, the market has stumbled in the last quarter. The DJIA is up only 1% during the last three months and the S&P 500 is down slightly. Americans, though, have have few other places to put their money.. Ten-year Treasuries yield about 3%. Gold was a good investment over the last year, but it has begun to falter as well.  The market may not be a friend to investors for quite some time."