John Hjorth

Have you studied the Berkshire 10-Qs and 10-Ks with regard to information about regulatory dividend restrictions for the insurance companies inside Berkshire, and if you have, what does that tell you?

Great analysis, - thank you! To me, it's simply mind boggling what SpaceX has been pulling off here! By now - only four test flights with this sucker, and we have more than just the contours of that the concept might end up being both feasible and operational.

#metoo. With good long term investments it's seldom too late to engage. About USD 55 per share by now.

@scorpioncapital, Yes, absolutely positive on that, too. However I would give it a very low probability, for a couple of reasons. First, I think she would set up an escape to Western Europe, if she felt that kind of heat was building up from her Boss, and I think she would react immedially, if so. There is to me no doubt that she has access to and control over funds and other means to do so. Second, she's a true hardballer and badass herself. Since taking office, she has closed about 400 Russian banks owned by russian oligarchs and other good and entrepreneurial people, involved in all kinds of criminal activities, money laudering etc, - you name it. Every time somebody has threatened her, she just ramped up on personal security. No sweat. A genuine red head with regard to temper and all that!

That's the paradox related to Elvira Nabiiullina : Why is she doing this? -Staying at helm of Bank of Russia as Govenor when she actually disagrees with her boss on material matters. Possible answers that I can see : 1. Personal considerations, related to maintaining her position, privileges, competencies and power allocated to her by her Boss. 2. For the sake of Mother Russia - the country and its population, letting these vindicate her own ambitions and desires. Personal submissiveness to obtain the privilege of active damage control. - - - o 0 o - - - Personally, I speculate it's # 2. And I speculate she really has a hard time doing it. But what do I know about that.

Greg [ @Gregmal], This morning I spent the needed almost two hours listening to this interview of Bruce Berkowitz. It's really great. It turns out that my loose [and subjective!] perception of this man has been totally wrong, based on some of his past doings. He appears fairly straightforward, well connnected to Mother Earth, and most of all he appears very clarified and settled bout his business and what else matters to his own life, - I would say in an uncommon degree, even considering his age. I would personally even call him a bit humble, while it's evident, that he has done very well. I like him. Thank you for sharing.

Thanks, @Pelagic, Great read. - - - o 0 o - - - A bit more about Bank of Russia Govenor Elvira Nabiiullina : The Economist actually has a piece about her by now in the 1843 Magazine : 1843 magazine explores the “Shakespearean” complexities of Elvira Nabiullina, Russia’s wartime banker : The Economist - 1843 Magazine [May 31st 2024] : Meet the poetry-loving banker who keeps Putin’s war going How long can Elvira Nabiullina work her magic? - - - o 0 o - - - To me personally, it's actually at least just a bit comforting, that there is at least one person with real influence close to Vladimir Putin in the Russian Government, who try to act based on actual data and reason, constantly trying to get the best out the situation.

Great read of a decompression for me early on a cloudy summer Saturday!

Bloomberg - Politics [June 7th 2024] : Putin’s Wartime Central Banker Tells Him What He Doesn’t Want to Hear. Bank of Russia Govenor Elvira Nabiiullina is on a Mission Impossible to make ends meet in the Russian economy. I can't imagine anyone envy her job and responisibilities. Exports revenue trimbling, collapsing and diving O&G taxes, enormous frozen reverves abroad [the worst nightmare of every beancounter], enormous budget deficits that she has to make sure to cover. More debt, more debt, more debt, all the time, which eventually will cause the RUB eventually to crash, again causing inflation to rage the whole country, causing dire straits in weak households and among the poor, the elder generation and among children, who did not win in the ovarial lottery. It is just so depressing to think about.

Still absolutely friggin' awesome how SpaceX is pulling this off! I'm sure the company will achieve its goals, visions and dreams, hell bent as it is, if the shareholders stay excited about the vision, too!

It seems like so, but what do I know about that, by now?

I think I mean basic valuation metrics for these companies by now are streched beyond my personal limits.

So much for that @Luca, Microsoft, Apple and Nividia now constitutes ~20 percent of the SP 500. Kisses aren't low hanging for my part here.

Thank you, @gfp - geez, what a cartoon figure and unpleasant personality!

What is that above, @gfp? From a PM to you, or what?

Reinvested received miscellaneous dividends into INVE A.STO [Investor AB, Sweden] today.

Thanks, Mike [ @boilermaker75 ], Simple, but effective advice.

I'm chewing and brewing on a post in this topic to elaborate on my sour outpourings above in here. This Saturday is however earmarked to struggles with a rollator and crutches etc.after operation Tuesday [-A fight which I'm determined, - hell bent -, to win, but things take time!].

Putin is the agressor here. He thought he would get away with it. He didn't. Plain and simple. Already incurred damages to the economic future of Europe are already gigantic, and still uncontained, evolving and spreading as ripples. I would really like one day to read your personal vision for Europe for the next, say 30 - 50 years in this topic, based on European values as you perceive them personally, @Luca. [ ]

Here we go again. Opinion obviously based on no clue of the structural consequences, including taxes, capital levers, financing terms group wise, insurance and reinsurance capacity and float. Also, please see topic title.

- Good humor, @ValueArb, Add to that the strategic loss of the Russian Northern Fleets ability to access the North Sea and the Baltic Sea [because of Sweden and Finland now NATO members], thereby the fleets access to Moscow and Stalingrad, if Russia does not behave in that area.

The way float is defined makes the inner workings of customer insurance deposits and its nature, mechanics, regulations etc. totally different while compared to ie. bank customer deposits. It is generally about the fundamental properties of those - of the fundamental properties float is uncallable except in the case of the incurred damage or the loss to certain asset or assets owned by the insurance customer, where bank deposits in general stipulates and states a certain amount to be paid at any time, specified by the deposit contract with the bank customer.

It's true, Greg [ @Gregmal ], However, in practice, how many cases do we each, separately, actually know, where this long term scenerio ends up as being the final screnario? My best guess is : Few! The financial solution for first time homeowners is sold on the sucessive building of a home equity, that also serves along the way as a capital buffer. Then pratice sets in at some point in time, [and always in good times!] - the bank suggests you to use it, to a bigger or newer car second car, or both, new kictchen, bathroom, or whatever, and the perfectly shaped matethematical annuity loan balance profile gets transformed into the ugly profile of an endless whipsaw by banks ... You do it too, I mean the refinancings, but to buy more rentak real estate - rinse and repeat, which is a totally different matter, because of the long term built-in componding. And I just happen to like owning banks, despite some parts of them are ugly. *shrugg*

Thanks for sharing, @RedLion, Is not only a matter of perspective and some other more or less rational considerations. It's a matter of the answer to the question : Where is the best place to install the waterproof shutters in 'the ship'? 'The ship' here understood as your or your familys total economic sphere. The only question that really matters, when the ship may be in frothy waters, and that in end separates the sheep from the goats when it really matters. I have come the conclusion that the RE leverage - alone for this reason - always, - if possible - should be in the investment sphere, if non recourse possible [as in listed in general]. Personally, I've been thinking quite a bit about related to investments European listed real estate, where I have started slowly - very slowly - to dip toes. The separation criteria has so far actually to a great part been related to the initial assessment of intelligent, and thereby sustainable financing for the long term, or not. It is about staying power, too.

So true, Sanjeev [ @Parsad] ! If one hasen't tried and experienced it, I think it is actually to a certain degree hard to really explain. I would say, that it in a way is a trigger for an internal change ['revision' is perhaps a better word here?] of own personality, may read solemnly and self-celebrating to some. Great example of having F***U* money, James [ @james22] , It felt good, right