Independence Day cheer

Happy Independence Day to all.

As we in America celebrate the 4th of July, the date commemorating the approval of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4th, 1776, I thought it would be instructive to take a look at the famed document itself, and the history behind it.

For those who would like to learn more about the signing of the Declaration of Independence, see the Wikipedia link above.

You may also want to read and compare the document's various drafts (first draft, reported draft, engrossed copy) which can all be viewed here at the Online Library of Liberty.

And lastly, some valuable thoughts on the Declaration and its principal writer, Thomas Jefferson. We should also mention Thomas Paine, whose pamphlet, Common Sense, became the widely read rallying cry for American independence from Great Britain.

For more on this, please see the following articles.

"Jefferson on American Liberty" - Gary Galles.

"Thomas Jefferson, Rebel!" - Frank Chodorov.

"The Sudden Emergence of Tom Paine" - Murray Rothbard.

"The Declaration of Independence" (Audio MP3) - Robert LeFevre.

Nasdaq credit rating junked.

S&P cut Nasdaq's credit rating to junk status citing debt burdens and its questionable strategy to buy a controlling interest in the London Stock Exchange. Financial Times reported that the exchange's counterparty credit & bank loan rating were lowered fromm BBB- (lowest investment grade rating) to BB+. The change will increase Nasdaq's borrowing costs should it wish to pursue aquisition targets. For an earlier look at the exchange consolidation trend that brought about Nasdaq's push for a stake in the LSE, please see "Exchange fever" .

Clean Money - John Rubino: Book review

Clean Money by John Rubino 274 pages. Hoboken, New Jersey John Wiley & Sons. 2009. 1st Edition. The bouyant stock market environment of the past several years is gone, and the financial wreckage of 2008 is still sharp in our minds as a new year starts to unfold. Given the recent across-the-board-declines in global stock markets (and most asset classes) that have left many investors shell-shocked, you might wonder if there is any good reason to consider the merits of a hot new investment theme, such as clean energy. However, we shouldn't be too hasty to write off all future stock investments. After all, the market declines of 2008 may continue into 2009, but they may also leave interesting investment opportunities in their wake. Which brings us to the subject of this review. John Rubino, author and editor of GreenStockInvesting.com , recently released a new book on renewable energy and clean-tech investing entitled, Clean Money: Picking Winners in the Green Tech Boom . In Clean ...

Seth Klarman: Margin of Safety (pdf)

Welcome, readers! Signup for free email updates at the Finance Trends Newsletter . Update: PDF links removed due to DMCA notice. Please see our extensive Klarman book notes below. New visitors, please check the Finance Trends home page for all new posts. Here's something for anyone who has been trying to get a look at Seth Klarman's now famous, and out of print, 1991 investment book, Margin of Safety . My knowledge of value investing is pretty much limited to what I've read in Ben Graham's The Intelligent Investor (the book which originally popularized the investment concept of a "Margin of Safety"), so check out the wisdom from Seth Klarman and other investing greats in our related posts below. You can also go straight to Ronald Redfield's Margin of Safety book notes . Related posts: 1. Seth Klarman interviews and Margin of Safety notes 2. Seth Klarman: Lessons from 2008 3. Investing Lessons from Sir John Templeton 4. ...

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