Do Monitoring of Banking Transactions = Stock tips?

[JohnnyBoots]

I admittedly do not know much about the Stock Market, but it seems like playing it is based on patterns. It seems if you collect enough information you can discern patterns from it. Could the collected information have anything to do with that, any of you financial wizards out there know? Is that why they are so outraged, because they got their hand caught in the cookie jar....again? Seems like common knowledge that money is traced in most criminal investigations/surveillances. Not to start any tinfoil wars, but I would appreciate any insight from people in the Financial World on the matter of how collected info could be used to determine when to buy, sell, or trade.
Also, as with the NSA program, how do we know they are only tracking suspected terrorists. They could be watching political opponents finances to get dirt on them as well as well as use it to strengthen their portfolios. Seems like it falls in their MO.

[Norquist Nemesis]

1. Well, it certainly = Political Contributions n/t

[gordianot]

2. Yes. That and there may be some embarrassing facts.

Who represents Bin Laden banking interests? James Bath, Carlyle group,

[JohnnyBoots]

3. It could be a very interesting spider web, I think

that is why they are so mad that it got out into the public square.

[sui generis]

4. yeah, they're looking for tax evaders, not terrorists

of course, if you're not paying all your taxes, you're supporting the terrorists, so you deserve to be labeled a terrorist. :sarcasm:

They're mad because they know that if you scratch below the surface they haven't monitored a single non-American account, that they are in fact monitoring democratic senator's bank accounts, and not terrorists.

Real terrorists know their accounts are being watched.

To answer your question about the stock market - everybody goes through that idea that you can correlate seemingly unrelated market factors to come up with a predictive model, but it really boils down to observing REAL ratios of money-in to money-out (essentially) and having some knowledge of the sector, state of technology, intellectual property, and other potential value channels; i.e., knowing something about the businesses you invest in.

You can't just say every time these three trend lines on polyethylene glycol purchases in Shenzhen, corn futures and transportation insurance premiums tick up for two days in the third month of the year invest in Proctor & Gamble and you'll be rich. That doesn't stop people from telling you they have a "system" that made them rich, and offer to tell you what it is, for a small fee of course. ;)

[pushycat]

5. Cash-paying, tax-avoiding employers who hire illegals could be

found out too?

How about current or recent NSA employees who suddenly do excellent stock trading or dynamite real estate investments and make lots of money? Are the watchers watching other watchers? Can the SEC or the Justice Dept watch the watchers' financial behavior? WHAT A MESS

[JohnnyBoots]

6. Can anyone other than the AG prosecuter or investigate, do you know who

is in charge of the SEC? All of the outrage is coming from the fact that they are now exposed to the public eye, however blind it may be.