# Amanda Lang - How markets are rigged against you



## Canadian (Sep 19, 2013)

I watched this on The National last night:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/how-markets-are-rigged-against-you-1.2456677

These events and allegations are nothing new but definitely worth a conversation. I found her take on this quite interesting - possibly overdramatized, but nonetheless interesting. I watched an American Greed episode on Raj Rajaratnam a few months ago. It was a lot more in-depth than Lang's showcasing of him. I was never aware of the Goldman Sachs allegations regarding the aluminum warehouses in Detroit. This all makes me wonder what else happens before our eyes.


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

I watched this last night, but honestly, was a little disappointed.
This show was hyped up over the last couple of days.
The CBC advertised it during other programs, incl. the LOLX.
They also tweeted this a couple of times.

But to me, the show was too brief, too superficial, and just a re-hash of old, well-known information.

She did not address many of the other types of market manipulations going on, no comment on the HFTs, no comment on the commodities exchange regulations, the derivatives trading regulations, no comment on "insider" trading by members of Congress, etc.
Ideally, this should have been at least a 1 hour documentary.

The only thing I liked in that was a split second shot of Amanda Lang from 15 years ago on her old business show on ROB TV :rolleyes2:


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## Four Pillars (Apr 5, 2009)

HaroldCrump said:


> The only thing I liked in that was a split second shot of Amanda Lang from 15 years ago on her old business show on ROB TV :rolleyes2:


Now I'm sorry I missed it!


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## Canadian (Sep 19, 2013)

I agree that it was too brief. It could have been a several-hour special. I still found it interesting. I would like if CBC gave Lang a show to share her investigative journalism. That way she would have a full hour to focus on one topic, not 10 minutes to briefly graze over five. They have Marketplace, which helps uncover shoddy retail/service practices. Why not a show that looks into the seedy underbelly of the financial world? - That is, if it's not shut down by faceless puppeteers of finance and politics ig:


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

Four Pillars said:


> Now I'm sorry I missed it!


Here you go, my friend:


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

LOL thanks Harold. I am not sure Amanda would be pleased if she saw your posts in this thread. 

Or as KOL says, 'Thank goodness I'm here'.


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

Four Pillars said:


> Now I'm sorry I missed it!


You didn't miss much FP.

Women [ok., not all], are like a fine wine, and only get better with age, don't u think?. :smile:

IMHO, Ms. Lang looks more beautiful now. And btw, did you guys know that she's single now? I was surprised when I found out. 

*At 43:*


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## Four Pillars (Apr 5, 2009)

Thanks Harold!

Tgal - yes, I do actually thinks she looks better now.

For the record, the hottest thing about her is her brain.

But the rest of her isn't so bad.


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

Four Pillars said:


> For the record, the hottest thing about her is her brain.


Sure u think that. :wink:

And why I carefully selected the above cover for a reason!


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## fatcat (Nov 11, 2009)

first i agree with gal that she is more beautiful now at 43 (i didn't know here age), i confess i have always had a thing for her ...

i agree with harold and the rest, the report was useless, too broad, too non-specific, i almost had the feeling it whitewashed the whole thing and gave cbc cover to say they has done the coverage ... it seemed like a travelogue of amanda visiting all her favorite old places

i don't think 100 viewers could have understood the complexities of the goldman commodities warehousing scam, it almost seemed like a space filler

i would rather have seen them talk about all the light sentences handed out to fraudlent investment advisors in canada, maybe that would actually get something done


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

I recently watched a documentary called "Park Avenue....Money, Power and the American Dream".

It is about the residents of 740 Park Avenue in New York.

It gives good insight into how the powerful elite live and think.

Highly recommended.

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/park-avenue-money-power-american-dream/


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## Canadian (Sep 19, 2013)

Not disagreeing with its breadth and lack of depth. 10 minutes of coverage does not serve justice to the topic. The downside to such topics is that, while markets and general finances impact everyday Canadians in many ways, many Canadians fail to understand how these high-in-the-sky finance ploys impact them in the most basic ways. And with that, many don't find it interesting. Look at how CBC's Marketplace and Go Public blog engage Canadians to speak out about the retail and service industry. Whether its the lack of education or lack of interest, too many of us Canadians are too inert when it comes to finance. If we showed the same passion towards high MERs, commodity price manipulation, or investment fraud as we did towards an overpriced phone bill or poor airline service, Canadian finance could look much different.

The light sentences would also do well with more coverage, but it requires a lot more background information and details for those who don't follow Canadian finance with a keen eye. It would be great if American Greed had a spinoff to showcase the investment fraud in Canada... Canadian Greed.


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

I did not say that she does not look better now ;o)

@T.Gal - I did NOT know she is single now...hmmm....

Has anyone read her book?
I managed to get about half-way through and then had to return it to the library.
It will be back in another 3 weeks or so.
It is not an easy read, unlike KOL's 2 books.

It is about innovation in business and technology, so don't go buy it expecting any personal details or pictures of her


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Television news is about lowest common denominator. I mostly find it unwatchable because it is so superficial and patronizing.


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## Canadian (Sep 19, 2013)

andrewf said:


> Television news is about lowest common denominator. I mostly find it unwatchable because it is so superficial and patronizing.


Haha. This makes me think of CNN - "And here are the top [X] things you need to know to start your morning!" [Very few of which end up being important]


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

Fortunately in Canada, we have a balance of social goals and free market capitalism.

It has stood us well for more than 100 years, and Canadians are watchful to keep it that way.

Any politician that strays too far right or left of centre...........has no chance of being elected.

Unfortunately, the US has lurched too far to the right wing........and has been taken over by unfettered capitalism.

If this is the capitalism that Ayn Rand envisioned.........she can have it.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

I wouldn't be surprised to see Amanda Lang leave the CBC.

It just isn't a good fit, in my opinion.

She is a good financial reporter.........and the CBC has little interest in financial affairs.


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## Canadian (Sep 19, 2013)

I like her take on a lot of things. She has a critical eye. I enjoy watching The National's "Bottom Line" segment and find often times some of the panelists don't have insightful opinions. She's an exception, though [IMO].


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

sags said:


> Unfortunately, the US has lurched too far to the right wing


Eh? They have just re-elected themselves a hard left President for the second time.

If anything, the US has swayed too far left since the early 90s (Clinton era).
They haven't had a real, conservative leader since Reagan, whose term ended in 1989.

I don't want to derail the topic, we can keep talking about Amanda Lang, of course ;o)


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

the thing is, harold goes for those willowy cheekboned leggy-brainy nordic-looking women ...

usually blondes, but he seems to have made an exception for amanda


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Lang seems intelligent, especially in contrast to her blowhard of a co-host on LOLX. On the other hand, sometimes she says something a little naive or soft-headed. Maybe it's just to play devil's advocate to KO'L's cartoonish channeling of Ayn Rand.

I don't know where she would go from CBC. I think they give her a bigger platform than any other Canadian media outlet would. I would like it if she had a show for longer form investigative journalism. Then again, I'm not sure Canada is a big enough market for that kind of niche show. Marketplace, as it is, has to dumb things down a lot to appeal to a broad enough audience.


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## Canadian (Sep 19, 2013)

andrewf said:


> I would like it if she had a show for longer form investigative journalism. Then again, I'm not sure Canada is a big enough market for that kind of niche show. Marketplace, as it is, has to dumb things down a lot to appeal to a broad enough audience.


It's true. Marketplace is dumbed down quite a bit. I like its concept, though. It shows the viewers that looking into what you're buying and questioning it can pay off. I find it ironic that so many consumers are price sensitive when it comes to small/medium-ticket items [likely because they see the price tag in front of them], yet those same people who are enraged by a few dollar surcharge are oblivious to how much they might pay over their life in MERs [assuming they own mutual funds]. I'm not complaining at the ridiculousness of questioning a surcharge [though, some can be silly when it comes to that], but rather how many accept the fact [sometimes unknowingly] that they're being taken advantage of. This all ties back to what I said about the masses that are not adequately educated or interested in the impact of their finances.

The more I think about it, the more I realize how painfully slow a dumbed down investigative journalism series on finance could be to appeal to the masses (if it is possible to appeal to the masses with such a topic). A not dumbed down one, on the other hand...


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## Synergy (Mar 18, 2013)

Toronto.gal said:


> Women [ok., not all], are like a fine wine, and only get better with age, don't u think?. :smile:


I thought that was an age old male stereotype! Perhaps times have changed? Anyhow, the yrs appear to have been good to her.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

That's what the Economist is for. They explain things while not treating you like you're 5 (if that's what you're looking for, there's always Reddit).


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## Canadian (Sep 19, 2013)

I enjoy the Economist but it would be nice to also have something comparable that's more Canada-centric.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

"Unfortunately, the US has lurched too far to the right wing........and has been taken over by unfettered capitalism."

"Eh? They have just re-elected themselves a hard left President for the second time.

If anything, the US has swayed too far left since the early 90s (Clinton era).
They haven't had a real, conservative leader since Reagan, whose term ended in 1989."

You are both right. The US political system today combines the worst features of totalitarian socialism for the rich and unfettered dog eat dog capitalism for the poor and it seems to be getting worse.


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## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

Not to dumb it down here but-I think lang wants k.o,some sexual tension between them!
You can just tell,she always has that side smile for him.(the good girl wants the corporate ahole)
And yes Amanda lang is hot but not as hot as Catherine murray!(damn she looks good!)


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

Amanda shines on LOLX when compared to her substitutes Buckner and Bochove. Also she is the only one that holds their own against O'Leary. But she makes out OK with his many substitutes. I enjoy the break from O'Leary but never from Lang.

The CBC piece was underwhelming but I suspect she had more material but insufficient air time.


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

Actually, I believe Danielle Bochove is the most knowledgeable from the finance and financial markets perspective - much more than Amanda Lang.
I find when she anchors the show, it is more balanced, informative, and interesting.

Dianne Bucker, on the other hand, is mostly a filler, when they can't find anyone else to anchor the show.
She should stick to anchoring the Dragon's Den, no offense.

Among the Kevin O'Leary substitutes, the only folks with good knowledge and insight into the financial markets are David Kaufman and to some extent Som Seif.
The other guys (incl. the Wealthy Barber), just don't fit into that show.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

There are a lot of exposes of financial fraud and no doubt more coming, now that it doesn't matter and it is too late to do anything about it.

The statute of limitations has run out on the crimes that led up to the financial crisis of 2007, the money is long gone and the criminals have moved on to high positions in Washington or to their private islands in the Mediterranean. So it is ok to talk about it now.


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## fatcat (Nov 11, 2009)

i would also add frances horodelski as another beautiful and smart financial tv talking head ...


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## alingva (Aug 17, 2013)

> It may seem uncharitable to note that only .4%--that's 4/10th of 1%--of mutual fund managers outperform a plain-vanilla S&P 500 index fund over 10 years, but that is being generous: by other measures, it's an infinitesimal 1/10th of 1%.


 However if you go to a bank they always tell you you should invest in a non-index mutual fund

They are there not for you!
This game is always rigged

http://financial-articles.ca/view/a...dex-Funds-Beat-996-of-Managers-Over-Ten-Years


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

HaroldCrump said:


> Among the Kevin O'Leary substitutes, the only folks with good knowledge and insight into the financial markets are David Kaufman and to some extent Som Seif.
> The other guys (incl. the Wealthy Barber), just don't fit into that show.


It is an entertainment show. The other guys are a welcome relief from "Mr. Wonderful". I agree with your assessment of their capabilities.


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

kcowan said:


> It is an entertainment show.


Indeed! And that is also why I sometimes enjoy the break from Ms. Lang, rather than from Mr. Wonderful.


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## avrex (Nov 14, 2010)

sags said:


> Highly recommended.
> http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/park-avenue-money-power-american-dream/


Thanks, sags.
Very good documentary.

At some point, I also want to watch Alex Gibney's other documentary, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.


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