I’d like to see just one article in the weekly Motley Fool e-mailings not mention Warren Buffett.
Could you imagine ESPN never going without mentioning the New York Yankees once per hour? That’s kind of what it’s gotten to be like over there at Motley Fool. Foolishness with a small ‘f.’
I ran across this gem at the Motley Fool this morning while speeding through my e-mail. It was a post called Sizing Up Banking’s New Giants and was written by Morgan Housel. I emphasized my favorite part of the quote.
Back in August, I wrote, "If something is too big and complex to fail, perhaps we should make it smaller and less complex." Now’s probably not the time to throw another wrench in the financial system, but someone, someday is going to have to realize that if something’s too big to fail, it’s also probably too big to bail.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbK3RhCQoI8
Here’s an academic take on the financial crisis. This is 58:19 long, so grab a break and a cup of coffee if you mean to watch this! [Update - Sorry, for some reason embedding it did not work this time.]
I also just ran across a new favorite quote by Brian Rogers, T. Rowe Price Chairman and Chief Investment Officer: "Statistically speaking, the world does not end that often."
In case you were wondering, seventy-nine is 2008 minus 1929.
Update 2 - Attempt 2 to embed is below:
If it’s not one problem for American consumers who purchase Chinese products, it’s another.
Anyone who likes these new digital photo frames as much as I do, take heed!
Are any of the companies that make these digital frames publicly traded? I haven’t been able to find out.
I know the market is going down. I’m just happy it’s finally stopped going sideways. I personally don’t sell short or deal with put options (or options in general). I had quit looking at my accounts for the past six months (I’m exagerating) because it was always the same number.
Now, where is all the money going? I used to suspect that when the big money started selling, the money had to go somewhere else. That may be true to an extent, but I was reading one prospectus that said the fund could invest defensively (to put it in a nutshell), but I wonder really how many funds invest in commodities, precious metals, etc. Or do they mostly just go into cash or bonds once they’ve sold their holdings?
I clearly need to get better at reading prospectuses (or is it prospecti?).
I haven’t written about investing for awhile. I recently sold my holdings in Apple, it gapped up about a week ago and the volume seemed to be drying up. I made my 20% gain on it, although not in the IBD-recommended eight weeks or less. So I sold, making a small profit.
Other issues I’ve been scoping out have been Crocs and Force Protection. They’ve done well this week, but they went up on extremely light volume yesterday while the rest of the market chugged higher. That leaves me a tad concerned. Crocs is the maker of the shoes everyone seems to be buying. The danger there of course is that everyone who wants them has them, and earnings will dry up. Force Protection makes the Mine-Resistant Anti-Ambush vehicles that are in-demand in Downrangeland. They’re going to be facing some competition from Oshkosh trucks at a minimum, and depending on which team wins the most contracts, Force Protection may go nowhere. I’d consider it a fairly good risk, but I’m prepared to have to sell later on with no profit.
I’ll offer the standard disclaimer: I’m an amateur investor. You must do your own research. I tend to buy things late and have to sell early, making only a little profit. By the time you read this, there’s a good chance the stock will be on the way down.
Question of the Day: If AOL service is basically free now, why do they keep requiring me to give them my credit card information in order to sign on?
I’m happy to report that Avis made good on the problem of the parking attendant who tried to make me park anywhere else but where I was because she thought she could. Management actually got in touch with me and asked some questions, and offered a discount on my next rental.
I’m happy now. I wonder if the parking attendant is, too?
I was in my hometown of St Louis last week. There were a couple of issues that came up that I thought I’d vent about. There isn’t necessarily any rhyme nor reason to it, they’re just little things I found bothersome.
First, I rented a car while I was home. Now, the auto rental place was kind enough to upgrade me to mid-sized from the compact/economy rate, as there were no smaller cars available. This was great! The problem was not with the rental company at all. The problem was that the car I got to drive (a 2006 Pontiac Gran Prix) had been damaged in an accident at some point earlier. Whomever damaged it got some body work done and had it substantially repainted. The only way we figured this out was because the right rear brake and signal did not work. Lucky for me, I run an aggressive cross-check before changing lanes (a habit learned from substantial time on the Autobahns in Germany), so I never ran into any danger. But who busts up a car and doesn’t take responsibility for it? If you’re going to get body work done to it, at least have the courtesy to get the critical electrical components working again, too!
Second, I had to park near the exit of a different car rental agency (Avis) while I waited for my German in-laws to drive out so I could lead them to their hotel through an unfamiliar city. I did a superb job parking, was in nobody’s way, and remained with the vehicle in case I needed to move it. As it happened, the Avis security guard ended up directing me to move anyway. I calmly explained my situation. She didn’t care. She told me several times I was blocking the exit. I looked at her with as much incredulity as possible. It was clear from any vantage point I was not in anyone’s way whatsoever. No matter! She was in charge, and she would not be gainsaid. Luckily for her, my in-laws appeared, and I was able to drive away before I had to get management involved.
I wish I could say that was all that bothered me, but that’s all I’ll write about for now. This particular article has been in ‘Draft’ for two weeks now!