Clear Market Turbulence

Clear Air Turbulence, or CAT, is what pilots like to refer to as a 'bit of chop.' You can't see it coming and you don't know how long it will last, so you keep your seatbelt fastened and hope for the best. The financial markets are experiencing a 'bit of chop' at the moment, and for those of us that are airborne and at the controls (as opposed to lolloping around swimming pools) it's a kind of bumpy ride. I was saving this one for Phriday's Photo, but that seems a long way away so it gets an early posting...

Roughly translated, this sign says: "Spot Monkeys - please try to assume a relaxed position when panicking. Thank you."

D-Day Monday

Today has all the hallmarks of potential carnage, on a number of different fronts. I'm afraid I can't elaborate, except to say this was a perfect week for UDH Boy, VB (and even FVJ) to be off...not.

If Trywalker calls in sick it could be all over. Must dash...

Winter's Coming

There's any icing storm brewing. US Congress approved the PRAT package on Friday, but once the ramifications of this are digested it'll start to dawn on people that this is just clearing the snow off the path of the US financial system for today, at the expense of everyone else in the village.

There'll be a lot more snow and a lot more paths to be cleared before Spring.

Winter's coming. My advice is pack some warm clothes, head for the hills, and go skiing!

Rambling on an Alp last weekend

Same spot this morning (slightly different angle. No dog.)

Another Day At A Medium-Sized International Bank II

Being called off the golf course half way round, when your partner is quite literally having the round of her life, to gather the troops (all of whom were doing equally enjoyable things) and hot-tail it into the office late in the day on a bank holiday in order to conduct a critically important transaction on a New York Friday afternoon, only to find out that nobody of sufficient seniority (board level) can be contacted in order to grant approval to proceed, thereby wasting 4 hours of everybody's life... is just one thing that I won't miss about banking.

Incidentally, the orga-charts that were due out 5 weeks ago have still failed to materialise, meaning that reporting and communication lines remain arbitrary at best.

UDH Boy informed us that last week he had unexpectedly come across an orca-chart, but since we have no immediate use for a killer whale this wasn't especially helpful.

Phriday Photo X

Today, it seems, the future of the financial system is in the hands of the lawmakers. If Congress approve the TARP package, irresponsible banks will be allowed to clean up their houses by dumping large swathes of asset-backed-securities on the US Government's doorstep.

Speaking of huge, steaming piles of toxic crap, while rambling over a mountain last weekend we came across this...

The not-so-under-exercised hairy one uncovers possible evidence of living Apatosaurs on an Alp that time forgot

Previous Phriday Photos

Under Construction

Project Dennis does not yet have a single finished peice of code, so it might be fair to say that we could be getting a little ahead of ourselves with the business plan development. However, we think it's very important to establish the DNA of the organisation at an early stage.

Therefore, in true new-age West Coast iconoclastic style we are devoting a large portion of our resources to establishing a top secret mountain brainstorming retreat, where future employees (and founders) can lollop around on beanbags in a non-stressful environment conducive to lateral thinking. Everyone will be encouraged to entrepreneuralize, ramble and ski, although not necessarily at the same time.

Our accountant tells us we probably won't run out of money for weeks.

A Tiger In Africa offices (Swiss branch) emerging from a hole in the ground

Packages

There's a special feeling you get when waiting for a package. Whether it's a new book from Amazon, the plastic cutlery you bought on Ebay after returning from the pub a bit worse for wear, or, in my case an 8-foot golf swing trainer that I treated myself to last birthday and which now occupies the majority of the study. You get a little excited, a little nervous - the anticipation is palpable.

The financial world is waiting for its own kind of special package, of the rescue variety, from the US government. And boy are the markets all a-jitter. The sums involved are so vast they are basically beyond comprehension, although the general consensus seems to be that it will probably not be enough. More than a few people are unconvinced that the package is actually a good thing, and the US congress has decided it needs repackaging before it gets delivered to all the fidgety bankers. In the meantime, we wait...

While you're waiting for the numbers, here's a little puzzle to keep you thinking (courtesy TC):

What's the next number in this series? 1, 2, 6, 42, 1806, ...

I know Trywalker will probably get this in 3 nanoseconds, so rather than spoiling the game and posting the answer in a comment here, please email the next number to dan (at) atigerinafrica (dot) com, and I'll add the names of any brainboxes to this post. Then I'll pick a winner at random and mail them a $700 billion package (if I can get it through congress).

List of Brainboxes:-
Trywalker - (shock) please read all instructions before solving next time...
Daddy Papersurfer - eats equations for breakfast
UDH Boy - worked it out through the arb
lazy - isn't it past your bedtime?!
tNb - Before coffee no less! Respect...
HeadTeach - No trouble for a brain the size of Richmond. Please explain to orangepeel :-p
Jay - Using the "Depp Effect" ;-)
SparklyAph - With help from the underexercised hairy one {:op );
Bambambam - I'll try to find a harder one next time and you and Trywalker can go head-to-head