Marco Van Basten

Yes, I remember that Israel essentially did not have a budget deficit pre 2023 war with Hamas. I looked into it due to my investment in Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange.

@Viking, many of us owe you a debt of gratitude for pushing us into Fairfax. When you are in NY, I will gladly buy you dinner as a thank you.

Amrize (AMRZ)

Clearly reading comprehension is not your strong suit nor is knowledge of history. I did not say that all of Gaza followed f Hamas, however Hamas won 70%+ of the popular vote. Secondly, I never stated that all Gazans deserve to be obliterated. I said that they would not be in the situation that they are in now had they followed Lee Quan Yew rather than Hamas. If you still have difficulty understanding, I will give you an analogy: if somebody routinely crosses the street on a red light, they drastically increase their chances of being fatally struck by a car, however I would not say that they deserve to be struck by a car. Similarly, smoking drastically increases your chances of lung cancer, so I would say that the consequences of smoking are much higher chances of having lung cancer, that however does not mean that I think that all or any smokers deserve lung cancer.

Gaza would be thriving right now had they followed Lee Quan Yew rather than Hamas.

Keep in mind that Russia and Iran have fought against each other a number of times. I would be really surprised if Putin would help Iran get a nuclear bomb. In addition, guys like Putin only respect strength. Iran is now weak and Israel is now strong, so I would not expect Putin to help Iran get the bomb.

In areas where I have the expertise, I often see mistakes, and I did not see these mistakes say 20 years ago. Also, a lot of articles are poorly researched, or the front page is often confused for the editorial page. Or only one side of a controversial/unsettled issue is presented, and not both.

Sorry, could you elaborate? I don't understand the question.

I read NYT, WSJ, FT, Jerusalem Post, New Zealand Herald, and a couple of local rags. I have to say though the quality has gone down drastically in the last three decades for NYT & WSJ & FT.

I may be wrong, but I do not think so. I think it is a poorly phrased press release. I think that they are looking for partnership or sale of their index business, I would be very surprised if they are looking to sell the whole company. Time will tell of course. I would rather that they do not sell the company, since I think the stock can compound at 15% per annum over the next decade, in addition, I bought in December of 2019, so you can see that the capital gains tax would be painful.

Gaza health ministry is Hamas. Hamas lied on numerous occasions. There is no reason to believe them. If Hamas is concerned about Gaza's civilians, then they should just surrender. What I don't understand is this: this is an investment board, yet essentially all of your comments are in politics, and your comments are calculated to outrage most normal people. It seems that the only thing you want to contribute is stress, why? You want to rile people up? Then go somewhere else. People discuss politics here because politics impacts investments, that's why I visit politics section. Your comments in the politics section are not geared towards making better investment decisions, they are repugnant and calculated to start quarrels.

I hope Tehran evacuation is psychological warfare. I can't imagine that weapons of mass destruction or Tokyo fire bombing is contemplated for Tehran. You think that Fordo cannot be destroyed from above? How likely do you think a deal is?

Not to change the thread, but what do you think will now happen with the war between Israel and Iran? Thank you.

Education does not necessarily mean anything. I know dozens of immigrants from former USSR who came to this country with masters and PhD degrees, and yet never worked a day in their lives, all content to sit on the dole (welfare, Medicaid, section 8, food stamps, et all). Why? Because many came in their 50s, without knowing English, and the only jobs they could get would be menial jobs, and hence they felt they were better off on the dole.

Why do you like Wiley? Thank you.

I think it was a left-winger who did, no? I think if you look at political assassinations and attempts in the US in the past several decades, it is generally left-wingers who did it, no? For instance, the attack on the congressional delegation was done by a left-winger on a group of Republican congressmen.

Do you know why the short thesis in GTLB so high (8.4%)? What is WYL? (I cannot seem to find it.) Thank you.

Can you please explain for those who are not too bright what you mean? I clearly missed the meaning behind the name. Thank you.

I don't know if that's right. Oil was at $80 in January and $80+ in July of 2024. OBE was at $9 in April of 2024. Time will tell what will happen to oil prices and oil stocks. Sure, stock will be up tomorrow, however where it will be in 5 years' time?

I took a class in college called Modern Germany, and read quite a few books on the rise of Hitler. Can you please explain what you are driving at? I am clearly missing the analogy.

https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/private-equity/bdt-msd-updated-views For whatever it's worth...

Thank you, but this does not answer the question. How have these investments performed versus say S&P 500 from the time of commitment?

@Viking, why do you think relationship with BDT is valuable? I don't think the returns have been any good? Have you seen any data that indicates high returns, assuming money was invested on commitment date? Thank you.

What brands and models are discounted the most? Thank you. I am in the market for a new car, or at least so I have been told by my wife.

Yes, I sold STZ during March/April, when the price was unchanged/slightly up from where I bought it, meanwhile a bunch of other names went on sale. In addition, and most importantly, I realized that I made a mistake. I expected 2%+ organic volume growth, and instead there wasn't any. So my thesis was incorrect, and when that happens, I usually sell.