I am going to start a new thread on what imo is relevant science news related to markets. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/03/coaltoliquids/ Coal->Gasoline cheaply. This is why we need a pollution tax. If you don't, existing (polluting) fuels will continue to outperform cleaner sources of energy. On a side note, I wonder what temperature is required to do this. I mean, can I take some coal, and put it in water, and cook it on my grill and I get gasoline that I can put in my car? In other words, can I make my own gasoline? Does it make sense financialy? Coal is usually worth ~ $50 for 1 pound. How much gasoline (say 89 octane) can I make with that?
Must read article: "Recipe for Disaster: The Formula That Killed Wall Street" http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/17-03/wp_quant Probably hyped, but interesting nonetheless.
They can make coal fired plans virtually pollution free now. I posted this in chit chat a few weeks ago but here is a repost. This appears to be the future to me until zero point energy is pried out of the military labs. "PhysOrg.com) -- Underground nuclear power plants no bigger than a hot tub may soon provide electricity for communities around the world. Measuring about 1.5 meters across, the mini reactors can each power about 20,000 homes." http://www.physorg.com/news145561984.html
The future of nanotech looks strong: http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2009/06/mirkin.html
From that article: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The relationship between two assets can never be captured by a single scalar quantity," Wilmott says. For instance, consider the share prices of two sneaker manufacturers: When the market for sneakers is growing, both companies do well and the correlation between them is high. But when one company gets a lot of celebrity endorsements and starts stealing market share from the other, the stock prices diverge and the correlation between them turns negative. And when the nation morphs into a land of flip-flop-wearing couch potatoes, both companies decline and the correlation becomes positive again. It's impossible to sum up such a history in one correlation number, but CDOs were invariably sold on the premise that correlation was more of a constant than a variable. As Li himself said of his own model: "The most dangerous part is when people believe everything coming out of it." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This part of the article is interesting. The "constant" was house prices will always go up. But it was not constant.