Wednesday, March 18, 2009

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein response to my email regarding stupid traders tax bill


Write your representatives regarding this stupid bill:
http://www.rallycongress.com/no2tradertax/1536/tell-congres-to-block-trader-tax/


Here is the response I got:

From:
"senator@feinstein.senate.gov"
To:
gustavo_couto@yahoo.com

Dear Mr. Couto:

Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns about the "Let Wall Street Pay for Wall Street's Bailout Act of 2009" (H.R. 1068). I appreciate the time you took to write and welcome the opportunity to respond.

As you know, on February 13, 2009, Representative Peter A. DeFazio (D-OR) introduced the "Let Wall Street Pay for Wall Street's Bailout Act of 2009," which would impose a tax of at least 0.25 percent on certain securities transactions. Representative DeFazio's bill has been referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means and similar legislation has not been introduced in the Senate.

I certainly understand your concern about the potential effects that this legislation could have on small businesses and investors. Like you, I am frustrated by many of the irresponsible practices that have contributed to the recession and instability in financial markets. While a tax on securities transactions may not be the most appropriate response, I support additional transparency and oversight of financial institutions that accept Federal assistance.

To that end, I introduced legislation with Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME) known as the "Troubled Asset Relief Program Transparency Reporting Act" (S. 133). This bill would prohibit firms receiving financial lifelines from the federal government from using such funds for lobbying expenditures or political contributions. Additionally, it would require that firms publicly disclose how they use the funds and abide by a set of responsible corporate governance standards. On February 4, 2009, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner announced a set of guidelines, similar to those contained in my legislation, requiring firms that accept lifelines to abide by policies that limit luxury expenditures and executive compensation. I am pleased that Secretary Geithner has taken this important step and will continue to work with the Treasury Department and my Senate colleagues to ensure adequate oversight and transparency of Federal funds.

Once again, thank you for writing. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841. Best regards.
Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein United States Senator

18/03 GLD Calendar - Daily Update

Sometimes, when you least expect, there comes a surprise!! I was looking at RUT by the closing this afternoon and got surprised when I saw GLD hitting an order.. What the heck, did I mess up my contingent orders??? Last time I checked GLD was at 86, what did I do wrong this time??? Nothing, GLD surged up and hit my contingent at the top. I had an order at 93 and here we go. Now I have a double-calendar... No problem, I can deal with it.

Probabilities of success:
97% Probablity of being adjustment-free Tomorrow
47% Implied probability of staying in the middle (for the next 2 weeks)
50% historical probability of staying in the middle (for the next 2 weeks)

Contingent orders:
Close trade if GLD at or above 97.60
Close trade if GLD at or bellow 86.24

18/03 OIH Condor - Daily Update

No much to report, the insurance is keeping the P&L flat while OIH moves up.

Probability of Success:
99% probability it will be adjustment-free Tomorrow.
90% historical probability it will be between break even by Friday before expiration
76.9% implied probability it will expire between break-even, paying out full ammount

Contingent orders:
a) Close CALL spreads for .09c (GTC)
b) Close PUT spreads for .09c (GTC)
1) Close 1x PUT spread if at or bellow 60
2) Close 1x CALL spread if at or above 85.10


18/03 XLE Double Diagonal - Daily Update

XLE continued to move up, now close to the first adjustment level. 44 is providing resistance thus far. Market moved beyond the 1 st. deviation volatility cone see dashboard.

Probabilities of success:
Per TOS there is 56% probability this trade will adjustment-free Tomorrow.
68% implied proability it will expire within the Break-even lines and pay out
75% historical probability it will be between break-even lines by friday before exp. week

Contingent orders
If XLE at or above 44.80:
a) Close PUT diagonal
b) Buy 3x 44/48 CALL Vertical spreads
c) Evaluate where to re-open PUT diagonal (not automatic, analyze risk profile)

If XLE at or bellow 32.65:
a) Close CALL diagonal
b) Buy 3x 33/28 PUT Vertical spread
c) Evaluate where to re-open CALL diagonal (not automatic, analyze risk profile)












18/03 RUT Iron Condor - Daily Update

RUT came within a few points from the stop loss. I was watching and noticed volatility didn`t drop by 5% as I estimated last night, making the stop higher than my original max loss for the trade.

Let me be positive about this trade: As per TOS, there is about 33% of probability the trade will be alright Tomorrow (see prob. of touching on risk profile). There is always a chance the market gets tired and fails from here. 33% chance... better than 0% :)

Contingent orders:
- Buy CALL spreads for .10c (GTC order)
- Buy PUT spreads for .10c (GTC order)
- Stop Loss @ or bellow 295, or @ or above 422.5 (Day Order)**
** Increase Imp.Vol by +5% to estimate down-side, Decrease Imp.vol by -5% to estimate up-side