Most depressing research bit. I posted earlier this year that the Securities and Exchange Commission (the U.S. securities regulators) spent less than 0.5% of its budget on investor education. The rest was spent on important matters-regulation, policy-making, enforcement- but not budgetary items that would impact you and me on a day-to-day basis like a good education on personal finance. Sadly, the same seems to be happening in Canada as well as regulators regulate without asking its primary stakeholders, us, what we want. For administrations paid for and meant to serve us, they sure do miss the point. Expect more enforcement and high-profile cases but no focus on investor education for the rest of 2008 and beyond.

Things that make me worry for the rest of 2008: Softening commercial real estate market could be the final sign the real estate market has completely collapsed in the U.S., choking off of credit earlier this year by the banks will start being felt later this year, lame-duck President means no economic leadership and the continuing de-valuation of the American greenback fueling further inflation, lack of a true carbon emission policy will only create further business uncertainty meaning a slow-down in capital expenditures (businesses can work around bad policies but not policy uncertainty).

Predictions…BCE privatization is agreed at for $36.50/share (as I wrote earlier), a U.S. based mid-tier financial services firm goes under, U.S. banks start making massive dividend cuts (hello Bank of America…), a Canadian bank makes a big acquisition down south, governments finally realize its time to come up with an integrated environmental policy, and not a piecemeal one, after oil hits $160/barrel, steel makes a recovery (yes, steel), Apple finally hits a wall, Yahoo! is sold to MS after the Board and managemet is over-thrown, the stories on the death of the suburbs begin to increase, the T.V. show Lost has a confusing season (you notice it alternates good season, bad season?) and everyone remembers again that cash in the pocket is always nicer than a cheap line of credit.

Anyone care to make a predication?

No post tomorrow.  Have a great weekend.