Kass: Ben Stein Blames You

This blog post originally appeared on RealMoney Silver on Jan. 28 at 8:10 a.m. EST.

"These traders, not economists or securities analysts, can turn the world upside down, make governments tremble, give central bankers colitis and ruin the lives of ordinary men and women saving for their children's college education or their own retirement. In America today, it is the traders, not the politicians or the generals or the corporate bosses, who have the power."

-- Ben Stein, New York Times "Can Their Wish Be the Market's Command?"

My Sunday morning routine is usually cast in stone. I typically wake up at around 5 a.m. EST and spend an hour or so writing my opening missive for Monday. Then, I read the obituaries -- I am, after all, still a short- seller! -- and then the Sports, Week in Review and Business sections in the New York Times. Thereafter, I work on solving Sunday's New York Times crossword puzzle. (I am proud to say that I have completed the last five in a row.) Next, I watch NBC's "Meet The Press," ESPN's "Sports Reporters" and ABC's "This Week With George Stephanopoulos."

Finally, my regular day starts, and these days, it is filled with thoughts about the stock market, cogitating over the week that was and what to do next and why, in addition to calls or emails between other hedge hoggers. ...