It was with a heavy heart that I boarded a plane for Los Angeles a few years ago to attend a funeral for Bob, the former scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 108.The event brought a convocation of ex-scouts from up and down the West coast, and said much about our age.Bob, 85, called me two
?Outsourcing is quickly becoming mostly outdated as a business model,? said GE CEO, Jeffrey Immelt.
Global Market Comments June 10, 2016 Fiat Lux Featured Trade: (JULY 9 FLORENCE, ITALY GLOBAL STRATEGY LUNCHEON), (MY YEAREND STOCK MARKET VIEW), (SPY), (QQQ), (PANW), (GILD), (IBB), (BAC), ?(AAPL), (KBE), (GS), (LEN), (USO), (DIS), (SAN FRANCISCO?S LONG SUFFERING RENTERS ?TAKE ANOTHER HIT) SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) PowerShares QQQ Trust, Series 1 (QQQ) Palo
I hate to be the bearer of sad tidings guys. But I think the choppy, volatile, trendless, trading conditions we are all suffering right now will continue for a few more weeks. The risk/reward ratio for initiating new positions here is terrible. If you are long and right, you might eke out another two or
The San Francisco Bay area?s beleaguered renting class moaned again when the social media giant, Twitter (TWTR) finally went public a couple of years ago.The deal immediately placed $1.82 billion into the pockets of early shareholders, almost all of whom live near the company?s San Francisco headquarters.This is adding insult to injury to those in
Global Market Comments June 9, 2016 Fiat Lux Featured Trade: (JULY 7 DUBROVNIK, CROATIA GLOBAL STRATEGY LUNCHEON) (TACKLING THE INFLATION MYTH), (AAPL), (GOOG), (TWTR), (FB), (THE CALL YOU DREAD TO GET) Apple Inc. (AAPL) Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) Facebook, Inc. (FB) Twitter, Inc. (TWTR)
It was one of those phone calls you dread getting. On Saturday morning, I recognized the area code as coming from my hometown in Los Angeles where I grew up. It was my old friend, Jim, who I went to high school with. He asked me if I was sitting down. I answered, ?Yes.? His
Global Market Comments June 8, 2016 Fiat Lux Featured Trade: (JUNE 29 DUBLIN, IRELAND GLOBAL STRATEGY LUNCHEON), (AN AFTERNOON WITH GOVERNOR JERRY BROWN)
On a recent trip to my lakefront estate at Lake Tahoe, I stopped off at the state capital, Sacramento, to look in on my old friend, Governor Jerry Brown.It is crucial that readers across the country, and indeed, around the world, know what Jerry is thinking. California has always been a ?pathfinder? state, and what
?You are either looking out five days or five years in this market. You?re either a surfer or a yacht. There are no small boats anymore,? said Bob Iaccino, a trader at Yourtradingroom.com.
Global Market Comments June 7, 2016 Fiat Lux Featured Trade: (JUNE 8 GLOBAL STRATEGY WEBINAR),(JUNE 20 LONDON STRATEGY LUNCHEON), (THE MYSTERY OF THE SAN FRANCISCO SUBLEASE)
Commercial real estate agents are baffled. Economists are confused. Even Federal Reserve Chairman Janet Yellen is focusing a great deal of attention on the issue. What the heck is going on with the San Francisco office subleasing market? The question has taken on greater urgency in the wake of Friday?s abysmal nonfarm payroll report, which
?A part of me slipped away?, said former heavyweight boxing champion, George Foreman, when he heard of the death of Muhammad Ali.
Global Market Comments June 6, 2016 Fiat Lux Featured Trade: (JULY 27 BASEL, SWITZERLAND GLOBAL STRATEGY LUNCHEON), (WHAT?S ON YOUR PLATE FOR THIS WEEK), (WHY THE ?UNDERGROUND? ECONOMY IS GROWING),
Economic analysts were sent reeling in the wake of the May nonfarm payroll report released Friday, which showed only a feeble 38,000 in job gains. It appears that the Great American Job Creating Engine has suddenly ground to a halt. You know that big Fed rate rise that was coming in 9 days because the
There is no doubt that the ?underground? economy is growing. No, I?m not talking about violent crime, drug dealing, or prostitution. Those are largely driven by demographics, which right now, are at a low ebb. I?m referring to the portion of the economy that the government can?t see, and therefore is not counted in its
?Financial repression seems to be working. The Fed is pushing everyone into riskier assets. Stocks are the obvious place for that, and it?s driving valuations ever higher.? said Curt Custard, of UBS Asset Management.
Global Market Comments June 3, 2016 Fiat Lux Featured Trade: (JUNE 29 DUBLIN, IRELAND GLOBAL STRATEGY LUNCHEON), (WHY WE DO PUT SPREADS), (ALL I WANT TO DO IS RETIRE), (THE TWELVE DAY YEAR)
Yesterday morning, I used the opening dip to come out of the SPY June, 2016 $212-$217 in-the-money vertical bear put spread at cost. This is being prompted by OPEC?s failure to reach a production ceiling once again. The timing was fortuitous. An hour later, favorable inventory numbers delivered a 3% spike in Texas tea, dragging
I have always believed that if you don?t have a sense of humor, then you better get the hell out of this business. Below is a link to a YouTube video entitled ?All I Want to do is Retire? which covers the decline of the brokerage industry over the last 20 years.The video is currently