Phoenix Picked Clean, Private Equity Descends on Atlanta. Bloomberg Barry’s favorite collection of sentiment cycle charts. Ritholtz France’s ‘Rich’ Tax = Deals on Paris Mansions. CNBC The Greatest Fake-Art Scam in History? Vanity Fair

“The easiest way to get people to do what you want them to do… is to start with people who want what you want.” Seth’s blog Koch Sued by Executive Claiming He Was Held Captive. Bloomberg Michael Belkin Predicts 40% Stock Market Drop. Ritholtz via WSJ Robert Friedland’s Ivanplats to raise $300-million at $4.75 a share. Globe and Mail  also: Ivanplats IPO… Continue Reading

“The question is not what you look at,” Thoreau wrote, “but what you see.” Ritholtz’s rules of investing (part II). Washington Post Blackstone Sees Payoff From London Projects Banks Shunned. Bloomberg Qatar Looks Favorably on Glencore-Xstrata Deal, Premier Says. Bloomberg Argonaut Gold to buy Prodigy Gold in share, cash deal. Reuters That Blurry Line Between Makers and… Continue Reading

Petromanas Energy Inc. ($PMI), an Albanian-focused oil and gas explorer backed by Royal Dutch Shell, was discussed in the Energy Report recently by National Bank analyst Darrel Bishop. Highlights below. Shpirag-2 well site in Albania – Photo: Petromanas TER: One of the jurisdictions you follow is unusual —Albania. Can you explain the investment thesis and the current opportunities? DB:… Continue Reading

My big bro Adam (pictured) has become a budding businessman after several years of thumbing his nose at commerce. This is a good thing as he’s very talented and competitive. Adam now has to deal with frustrating client emails, the way I used to in spades running the Pacific Website Co. I made a million… Continue Reading

Central Banks Can’t Inflate Market Prices Forever: El-Erian. CNBC Tom Bradley: Investors, be skeptical of these current ‘sure things’. Globe and Mail The case for a 40% drop in the markets.  Marketwatch  See also: TBP Conference Presentations. Ritholtz The lore of iron ore: The most important commodity after oil deserves more attention than it gets. Economist Photo: Reuters

PIMCO to open first Latin American office in Brazil. Bloomberg Al Gore has thrived as green-tech investor. Washington Post Source: New Yorker How Quicken Billionaire Dan Gilbert is Giving Back to Detroit. Forbes Gtg golf with my bro, Bethpage… #brocup

Return to Bretton Woods, by CIO Scott Minerd. Guggenheim Partners China Gets Back to Work. Dealbook World’s richest man Carlos Slim bets on Mexican gold mining. Mineweb Will Iraq’s energy boom postpone peak oil yet again? Telegraph Life of a salesman. Washington Post Listen: Antony and the Johnsons – Fistful of Love. Youtube

Since we first wrote about Petroamerica Oil Corp. ($PTA.v) on August 16, shares of the Calgary/Bogata-based oil and gas junior have risen over 50% to 52-week highs (chart). Obviously something is up so we decided to take a closer look to see why shares in PTA have more buyers than sellers. What first attracted us… Continue Reading

The rial-ity of Persia-stroika. FT Alphaville A war for oil and competing pipe dreams. Ritholtz Chinese copper consumption falls. Bloomberg French rich up in arms about higher taxes. Dealbook Listen: One Direction. PianoGuys

One of the most common ways to become wealthy is to come up with an idea that requires capital (such as buying a building or a company) and pitch it to a sophisticated investor. If the investor wants to back the idea, the pitcher may get a piece of the action for coming up with… Continue Reading

KKR’s George Roberts: Energy Is Next ‘Huge’ Opportunity. Bloomberg Private equity’s ‘golden’ hangover. Fortune Mormonism, private equity, and the making of a candidate. New Yorker Twitter: Welcome to the Dick Costolo Show. NYTimes If Only T. Boone Pickens Had Died. Businessweek Listen: Pachelbel’s Canon Remix. PianoGuys

Meet the largest landowner in America. Fortune

Clueless Capital: An Interview With the World’s Youngest, Most Charmingly Oblivious Hedge Fund. NYMag “Avoid the Canadian tradition of nit-picking the ambitious and original.” Conrad Black: As Quebec decays, Toronto seizes greatness. National Post Robert Frank: Texas Postal Worker Is Artist Behind Hermes Scarves. CNBC Photo: Hermes Blood, Sweat, and Piers (Morgan). Vanity Fair

Richard Branson’s big idea for building a better version of capitalism. Economist How Strong Is the Art Market? WSJ Paulson Funds Said to Further Cut 2012 Losses Last Month. Bloomberg An Indian flash crash. FT Alphaville The love affair between the super-rich and London property is souring. CNBC How to Run Your Hedge Fund From Jail. Bloomberg Jamie Dimon on the… Continue Reading