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The fact that Harris and Trump were the two best candidates that our country could muster shows just how much danger our democracy is currently in. The 118th Congress, serving from Jan 2023 to Jan 2025, was the most dysfunctional legislature we've had since preceding the Civil War. They passed some of the least amount of laws in the history of our nation, and many of the ones that did pass were quite trivial in nature And for the all the Trumpers who have somehow convinced themselves that our president is anything but a complete disaster, may I recommend undergoing a brain transplant? I've found that the avid Trump supporter is about as sharp as a marble. And while irrationality like that may lead to little personal consequence when practiced politically, it will absolutely kill you in financial markets. The laws and nature of money do not care about you. Truly, they have the capability of destroying you if you remain improperly positioned. The numbers say we're in the greatest stock market bubble in history, there's no doubt in my mind, while at the same time we have a government that is printing debt like there's no tomorrow, all combined with a populace that believes money indeed does grow on trees. False optimism can be a dangerous thing folks. So will Trump end the world? Probably not, though thermonuclear weapons however do exist. I've read that Vladimir Putin is acting increasingly paranoid lately. I believe that humans can be capable of immense success. We have shown, time and time again, that we can be incredible at adapting, and ultimately overcoming, the enormous obstacles that are thrown in our path. In the darkest days of the past, when our species was staring into an abyss so scary that it's hard to imagine, people still found a way to endure. Our potential is limitless. But I also believe the odds of a financial catastrophe are a lot higher than many people think. While I can't prove whether or not there is a god, I do know that he will not be there for us as some form of ultimate backstop. Humans created these problems and we're the same ones that are gonna have to solve them. It's up to us.

@RTWEB8 The financials are distributed to shareholders of Francis' entities but he has been willing to have them posted here when they are available. I can post them as they come unless Francis or @Parsad have a specific concern about sharing this information. Alternatively, you could give his office a call to see if he can give you access as well.

John as far as political discussions this bunch is as gentle as they come. Get past the sensitivity, Reds and I are much alike in many ways, I just think he's being too passive about Trump. Nothing else. Ain't it awful?

I guess they didn't tell those folks to use limit orders? Or they were just desperate to get in? Not like 20k shares is a ton, but way more than normal and the price remained consistent across multiple tranches so am guessing it was a market order that other, like myself ,chose to tag with high limit sells. I've put limit orders back on to start rebuying if we get back down to ~$1.70 where it's been at

There was a VIC write up out the night before.

Reads AI output (0:17). Top comment: "Artificial intelligence meets natural stupidity."

Maybe the question of the thread should be flipped, how can we avoid these companies? It may not be fashionable, but I think the long term chart tells you a LOT about the company. Several of the companies you mentioned I have been interested in but the chart was the clue that something was up. The chart often has priced in all that shitty management and capital allocation and lack of shareholder focus. I know Spek says the chart is one of the first thing he looks at is the chart, I’m the same. I use it as a gut check. There are exceptions of course, look at Citi recently, but it was trading at something like 6x earnings with management being very loud and aggressive about changing.

I agree with 6-7% will be normal again. People still dont realize that these rates are normal and zero was abnormal. I once read, the average human only can remember 10 years back. Still need more time.

Luxury vehicles do contain fair share of value in form of materials and labor. So do boats and private jets. Luxury fashion items on the other hand contain very little besides the label. That is obviously enough for many, but I don't trust this model for the future.

No, he won't end the world...he's too chicken to do that. But what he's doing is setting up the world for maybe someone far worse than him, and fully justified because of Trump's global actions. Hitler didn't show up on his own...he was a creation of nationalistic tendencies that grew and grew and gave him the necessary pulpit. Maybe Trump's actions will spur more global relations...but maybe it will give rise to something far worse than Trump in a world where countries are more and more afraid of their neighbors! Cheers!

Well that's true! The choices were a status quo replacement for a candidate suffering indications of senility or the United States greatest buffoon and narcissist. To suggest the latter, especially after everything we've witnessed, was the better outcome is hardly facing reality head on. Not that the alternative would have been better, but for anyone to suggest that Trump was a wining pick is a real, real stretch! Cheers!

My guess is that both Iran and Saudi Arabia will become nuclear armed states within the next 5-10 years. Everyone by now learned the lesson that without nuclear weapons you just get trampled upon. We are going to see a whole lot more states with nukes in the future. Europe also will seek its own nukes if the AfD Party or Le Pen wins a mandate.

FMCB continues with strong result. It’s still undervalued at ~10x earnings. https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/FMCB/news/Farmers--Merchants-Bancorp-FMCB-Reports-Record-Quarterly-Results?id=528847

Has it ever been on the proxy? I think they own class C shares.

Am I blind or is BDT not on the proxy for UA? Did BDT sell down its stake?

thanks a lot for sharing these. i'm curious where were you able to source these financials? i downloaded the historicals early last year but think the site must've been removed or something.

Adds to DIS, ASR, Buzzi, HONA and lastly Uber at the close

Yup.

Looks like you've got it all figured out. Except the part that a system of values is far greater than any one human being. Not sure where MSFT enters the discussion but tangents often appear when the discussion gets stale.

Water, food and shelter are just life sustaining commodities. There's no shortage of Lexuses parked outside shit-boxes.

Just one - to me material - comment here : I think we've come to a place, point, where it's possible here on CofB&F discuss Politics in a civil way, and on a relatively objective basis, which during some ealier years simply hasen't been possible here CofB&F. That is actually something. - - - o 0 o - - - I still remembe the just pre POTUS 45th period here on CofB&F, where the board was actually flooded with political trolls and what do I know. Very unpleasant. I remember - self imposed - to guide a couple of those culprits to door here, calling them out. You know what you're dealing with, if zero posts in the Investment Ideas forum.

Have to think that crude prices open higher on Monday. The Aramco Jazan Refinery Complex was hit by ballistic missiles last night; burning brightly, and located just off the southern end of the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. https://www.aramco.com/en/news-media/elements-magazine/2022/jazan-complex https://www.reddit.com/r/oil/comments/1v5vyhe/the_aramco_refinery_in_jazan_saudi_arabia_is/?share_id=VGSjl97BiH3r8tTJCSyF1&utm_content=share_button&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1 Supposedly, the US asked for a ceasefire this morning (unconfirmed), and discussions around a US/UK led global coalition to protect the SOH are to begin next week. https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/us-uk-plan-global-coalition-to-protect-commercial-shipping-in-strait-of-hormuz-amid-escalating-tensions-with-iran US marines suddenly being offered early separations to meet budget constraints. https://news.usni.org/2026/07/23/marines-offered-early-separations-to-meet-budget-constraints By now, most would expect that US SPR reserves are near bottom ... lots of 'revisions' last week as to what 'bottom' is, and lots of pressure on the majors to 'return favours', and keep gasoline prices as low as possible. It would also seem that the US is looking to exit, and bring the carrier fleets home. SD

Reds you are a blisteringly clear version of the 1/3rd rule: One third of the country would kill another one third while the remaining 1/3rd watches. Watch and stay aloof dude... ...hell, Mr. Market is going up and its likely your Microsoft may start going back up too!

Hmmm.... a bunch of words that say...... nothing at all. But yeah, many of you believed - and still do - that Trump will end the World as we know it. The only plausible explanation for your obsession.

LOL, no Reds we did not believe Trump would end the world as we know it. We believed Trump would do exactly, that's precisely, what he has actually done. Nothing more, nothing less. To act as if that's OK? That's nothing but pure low level perfectly obvious intellectual dishonesty.