Baltimore — Who do you trust more, the Chinese government or the politically connected folks at the helm of Goldman Sachs?

For years, the Street has looked at any Chinese economic data with a weary eye. Without the checks and balances of a democratic government, Beijing had plenty of reasons to manipulate its growth figures.

Baltimore: If today’s action from the markets is any indication of what investors think about Uncle Sam and his Washington minions, the upcoming mid-term election is going to get interesting.

Nothing talks in Washington any louder than money.

By Andrew Snyder, TodaysFinancialNews.com

Baltimore — (TFN): Want to know when a specific trend has no legs? Simple, when the government backs it, you know its DOA.

Just ask the folks that dumped millions into the biofuels industry. I have never seen an industry fall off the map as quickly as ethanol, except maybe clean coal, but that’s a whole different story.

The stock market is due a bounce after the election, regardless of who wins. But after that, the voter’s choice will have a big impact on industry winners and losers. Rick Pendergraft says biotech and alternative energy stocks should get a lift under Obama, while defense and oil will benefit from a McCain victory.

Brazil has had some good fortune lately. On April 30, Standard and Poor’s upgraded the entire country and nine of Brazil’s banks to “investment grade.”