Lots of investors have been pouring into the Chinese stocks in the last few years. Heck, I too have been sucked into the a love affair with them.

Who doesn’t like the story?

China is growing at over 10% a year. The middle class is expanding. Their economy is expected to surpass the U.S. economy in like 20 years. Most of the Chinese don’t even have basic things Americans take for granted- like toasters. What happens when they all buy televisions, microwaves and IKEA furniture?

Compared to other emerging market countries- there are lots of Chinese companies that are trading on the NYSE. In the last year, revenue was soaring at many of them. It seemed like easy money.

But in recent months, some cracks have started appearing with some companies.

China Green Agriculture (CGA), an organic fertilizer company, is the subject of a class action shareholder lawsuit that is alleging accounting irregularities. Never …

My Saturn dealership in Downers Grove, Illinois closed down this weekend. Joining it was the dealerships in Joliet, Illinois and Northwestern Indiana.

Apparently, the Naperville Saturn lives on- but obviously not for long- as the brand is closing. The Naperville Saturn is large and has been in business longer than some of the others which must be why they’re holding on a little longer.

I have owned my green 4-door Saturn since 1997. It was a “new” 1998 model at the time, just new in the showroom, when I bought it. The car now has 83,000 miles on it and has been on both the east and the west coasts.

And it still drives like it’s brand new.

A Tale of One Car

I bought the car at the Saturn of Alexandria, Virginia where the “salesperson” (I use those terms lightly because, as you recall, there was no negotiation on price at the Saturn dealerships …

The pundits are all saying that the housing “bottom” is upon us.

They base it on the uptick in sales that are occuring in less than a handful of states- including California, Arizona and Nevada.

In some places in those states, foreclosures have driven prices down below 1989 levels.

Houses in the Phoenix area that once sold for $300,000 are now listed for $50,000 and $70,000 by the bank.

How could there NOT be an uptick in sales?

The problem is- not many sales are occuring of “organic” properties (i.e. those not owned by the bank.)

Houses owned by normal sellers can’t compete with bank prices so those homes sit on the market. Yet, the bank prices are now setting the comps and essentially ARE the market in those areas.

In many other parts of the country where foreclosures, while plentiful, aren’t yet pushing down prices by huge percentages- can we say we’re at the “bottom”?

Chicago Prices …

A funny thing is happening to the American economy.

Remember all those stories with the dire predictions of labor shortages as the oldest of the baby boomers retire and Generation X, at half the size, not being able to fill all the job openings?

Surprise!

The Baby Boomers aren’t retiring after all.

And those that already have, are re-entering the workforce after the market collapse shredded their portfolios and the housing bust decimated the value of, probably, their largest asset.

In some cases, 60-year olds are competing against their 25-year old children for the same jobs. And, sorry to say, with the changes in technology, if you’ve been out of the workforce even 5 years (let alone 25), you’ll be at an extreme disadvantage.

From the New York Times:

It has been a humbling time. Mrs. Diamond, who has a master’s degree in library science and was chairwoman of the library committee at her sons’ …