This blog is meant to capture the intersection of business, economics, politics, science, humanities, global culture, facts, figures, ideas, human nature, inventions, technology, health, food, sex...It is really an ode to life and the many things to think about and consider along the way.

Thursday, June 30, 2016

How to Invest During Marco Events & Turmoil

From Barry Ritholtz:

I keep a short list handy to remind myself of all the things investors must remember when these sorts of macro events cause turmoil:

●Markets surge and sell off. This is the ordinary course of events.

●The future is inherently unknown and unknowable. Those who claim otherwise are trying to sell you something.

●What sounds sexy and looks good in a brochure is not what usually makes you money over the long run.

●The gurus and talking heads have failed you. Once again, their forecasts were wrong. They were selling you a product, not providing any insight.

●Emotional reactions are bad for your portfolios.

●“Nobody knows anything.” The William Goldman quote, written about Hollywood, applies to just about everything in life. Get used to it.

●You need a plan. EOM.

●Your brain has evolved to adapt to keep you alive in changing conditions, not to make risk/reward decisions.

●The world is filled with random outcomes. Even more so when people are involved.

●Boring, steady portfolios can withstand about anything you throw at them.

●“Uncertainty” is a misnomer. The future is always unknown and always uncertain. When you hear people using the word “uncertainty,” it is because they are scared enough to briefly acknowledge their own ignorance.

●Adrenaline, it turns out, is not the basis of sound portfolio management.

●That plan mentioned above? You must have discipline to stay with it.

●Bull and bear markets have their own timelines. They do not care about your retirement, your saving for your kid’s college or the new house you want to buy.

●Investing is hard.

●Sometimes, Brexit happens.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/get-there/brexit-this-is-not-a-drill/2016/06/24/d3c1f72a-3a21-11e6-8f7c-d4c723a2becb_story.html

The Battle of the Billionaire Lists

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/26/business/billionaire-lists-are-battling-to-feed-a-hunger-for-rankings.html?_r=0

Why is the US Dollar So Strong?

"Because foreign governments and foreign private investors prefer to use the greenback to pay off debt, invest in financial markets or purchase commodities, economists say, the demand for the dollar intrinsically keeps it 10% to 15% above the value of other currencies."

http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-revitalize-u-s-manufacturing-1465351501

Thucydides Trap

Which ones exist now?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_T._Allison#Thucydides_Trap

1,000,000,000 Club

The apps/platforms with over 1 billion users:

http://www.businessinsider.com/apps-platforms-with-1-billion-plus-users-whatsapp-gmail-google-facebook-club-2016-2

The eight systems with more than one billion users:
http://6toplists.com/top-8-virtual-communities-with-more-than-1-billion-users/

Thursday, June 16, 2016

95% Rule

From Cato's Steve Hanke:

"95% of what you read in the financial press is either wrong or irrelevant."

http://www.cato.org/blog/zimbabwes-hyperinflation-correct-number-89-sextillion-percent



Thursday, June 9, 2016

How Dependent Are US Consumers on Imports from China?

https://piie.com/blogs/trade-investment-policy-watch/how-dependent-are-us-consumers-imports-china