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ZenaidaMacroura

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Posts posted by ZenaidaMacroura

  1. Hi Scott,

     

    Can you share some of your ideas re: Facebook with us. I noticed it as one of your core holdings in your portfolio.

     

    Thank you,

     

    TRF

    And if you don't mind could you share say your 5 largest holdings - I think you listed a few earlier in the thread, I remember them being an interesting group.

  2. Didn't the 1920s Wall Street, etc. see a massive new retail interest in stocks.  Seems like China has been a roaring twenties style environment for years now. An unshakable faith in government intervention and markets being able to master all economic problems sort of replaces fear and trepidation and considered second thought. 

     

    In China I imagine that eventually reality will hit and people will realize that they may be in trouble and that the higher-ups will only be bailing out their friends (strategic alliances) and not the little guys.

    It's interesting how the mood has changed in the last month or so - I remember being in China in May/June this year and my cousin who works at GSAM in hong kong mentioned that it was probably a good time to buy stocks since "so much money had flowed into real estate people began to realize that stocks were relatively undervalued" (to me it could also suggest that real estate was relatively/absolutely overvalued lol).

     

    Then today when I asked her what it looked like on the ground over there she replied via wechat (copy and pasted below):

     

    People are fainting in the street. the big boys took off with all of the money, left all of the aunties and uncles holding the bag. its so disgraceful.  its not even close to being over.

     

    I did not remind her she had not 30 days ago suggested an entry into equities  ???

     

     

  3. Isnt Maniere with regards to "federal regulators which allowed institution to amortize goodwill of purchased institution as capital asset"?

     

     

    Were not talking about Coca-colas secret formula or McD's secret sauce...were talking about cold hard cash that was transferred from the companies to the Treasury.

    I think the issue of standing doesn't really care what was taken -just that you didn't own the security at the time the "taking" occurred.

  4. Hyperinsulinemia is what I'm referring to with regards to the sugar in the diet comment.  Too much insulin blocks leptin, so your brain doesn't get the signal to stop eating, and the insulin drives your glucose into the fat cells which leaves you feeling energy depleted.  And you get obese from this.

     

    Also the processed foods lack fiber which would normally suppress the insulin levels.

     

    Yup. Sugar is a killer ...as are processed foods which, very non-technically expressed, effectively breakdown into sugar in your bloodstream.

     

    No way for the average person to get in awesome shape in your late 30s / 40s / 50s without focusing on this.

    Not to derail the thread but I think that all carbs (even the non processed ones such as potatoes and rice) break down into sugars essentially.  The sugar intake might affect health or brain function but as far as fat/lean tissue composition goes I'm fairly convinced that getting into good shape at that age is still a function of macronutrient intake portioned in a specific way coupled with exercise! 

     

    The only difference is metabolism and maybe lower testosterone (speaking to men) at the upper end of the age distribution you listed.

  5. Is it so you get your name on a building when you give it away?  How many people remember the names on buildings at places?  If you're truly doing this for an impact (my presumption) you could probably make a bigger impact by donating your time and life to some mission.  People remember Mother Theresa even though she doesn't have a name on a building.

     

    I would argue that you should be a politician. Basically all Buffett has done is found a really inefficient and incredibly difficult way to tax people and use the resulting taxes to fund health care, foreign aid etc. The same thing Buffett did is accomplished much more effectively by taxing people and funding things through government. One Deng Xiaoping is equivalent to a thousand Warren Buffett's.

     

    I enjoy this forum but sometimes I feel like everyone on here is going 120mph and I'm struggling to go 25mph.  I have absolutely no clue what this means.

    Lol I was about to comment on this too - I'm not sure what the paragraph is getting at or especially how you would go about measuring Den Xiaoping in units of Buffett.

     

    I do however share Den's view on cats

  6. I am with HJ on this. I too am very nervous of the effect of Apple pay on Amex's business model ('the cache'). When you pay with Apple pay nobody cares about your credit card, they care about your phone. (Just my opinion of their brand not the stock)

    I wonder if people in their teens now even have a concept of AMEX's brand...  I have my reservations.

  7. I think  it's likely that being healthy and being lean/skinny/fit do not overlap 100%.

     

    Certainly you can't have a high percentage body fat while maintaining good health - but I don't think low body fat is healthy per say either.  I can probably stay under 8-10% bodyfat while drinking cherry cokes, having Ice cream for breakfast or shin ramen for dinner (this is anecdotal) - but I don't know that it would be "healthy" - even if taking prevalent health metrics/blood work can find nothing amiss...

     

    Edit: On a slight tangent I wonder about certain artificial sweeteners or even supposed organic stuff such as stevia.

  8.  

    ZenaidaMacroura, Would it be correct to guess that you have/had like 40% in call options with negligible short positions?

     

     

    My random number for the year is about 41%.  At the beginning of the year, seeing where the US economy is going I hoped it would be significantly higher. Next year we're going to have, hopefully, good economic environment + volatility = awesomeness. Looking forward to that.

    There is a combination of BAC, JPM and GM Leaps/warrants in the mix.

  9. Size becomes an anchor to risk taking pretty rapidly.  When a week of stock moves can move my portfolio size by my former salary, I take notice.  When a crash in a single stock wipes out what I used to make in a year I start to think more about safety, reliable dividends and things. 

    I soooo relate to this...

  10. yeaa... Remember that scene with Robert deniro, his wife and the bank manager in Casino? He trusted his wife blindly, she was a complete maniac. I think most of the time you are too biased to really judge wether its a good idea. Better to just not sign the contract... If she leaves you because of that, she wasnt all that to begin with.

     

    And besides, with your dream girl scenario, why the hell put a ring on it anyway? If she is so amazing, why do you need a contract to keep her with you?

    In his case the girl had a hand in his success- in a way that is difficult to quantify.

  11. Serious question, why get married? Pressure from family or your girlfriend? Religious beliefs? It seems like a terrible decision to get married if you are a guy. Why do you need some piece of paper that can potentially ruin you financially, and presents no upside at all unless your religious to help you keep your relationship?

    doesn't the same thing come in to play after 2 years of cohabitation?
  12. ELDO needs a market cap of $600m which would be a fraction of Aquafina or Dasani. Eldorado already sells their water at similar premium prices as the major multinational waters (unlike most small water companies or private brands). DPS buy-out?

    Is there any reason why eldorado might be expected to take share from competitors?  Their direct/delivery plan?  Is the distribution channel worth anything to DPS (given dps is already massive)?

     

    EDIT: looking at their pricing for delivery, it seems really expensive per .5L case versus other brands -I guess they are meant to compete with the smart water/VOSS of the world?

     

     

    http://www.walmart.com/ip/Jana-European-Artesian-Water-50.7-oz-Pack-of-12/17197760

    http://www.walmart.com/ip/Eternal-Artesian-Naturally-Alkaline-Water-20.2-oz-Pack-of-24/17197299

     

    http://www.bottledwaterweb.com/bottlersdetail.do?k=615

     

    From what I understand, Artesian water is its own category so think VOSS/Fiji.

    haha my first thought was "they're going to need an original looking bottle if they're going to be taken seriously in the artesian water space."

     

    I guess when you're looking at 100 baggers the common refrain for viewing science fiction movies is also required: one has to allow some suspension of disbelief?  Not to pick on you but I'm actually looking at the idea with genuine interest - I mean I could see a water pure-play trading from 6mm to 600mm.  Are they overlooked or are they doing something that will cause them to take share from competitors?  Or is it that due to the relative scarcity of naturally occurring source for potable water they are worth more than their current market cap - these guys own the access right to the aquifer?

  13. ELDO needs a market cap of $600m which would be a fraction of Aquafina or Dasani. Eldorado already sells their water at similar premium prices as the major multinational waters (unlike most small water companies or private brands). DPS buy-out?

    Is there any reason why eldorado might be expected to take share from competitors?  Their direct/delivery plan?  Is the distribution channel worth anything to DPS (given dps is already massive)?

     

    EDIT: looking at their pricing for delivery, it seems really expensive per .5L case versus other brands -I guess they are meant to compete with the smart water/VOSS of the world?

  14. Not sure that John Carney wrote that particular WSJ article, but he writes others for "Heard on the Street." They reflect the same negative sentiment. I think John Carney has a reputation for being very opinionated. In fact, a bio of him at his ex-employer, CNBC, states that he opposed all bailouts, thinks there was nothing wrong with letting Lehman fail, and favors insider trading. I know people of various economic/political orientations feel strongly one way or the other over bailouts, but favoring insider trading?

    There is an idea that allowing insider trading leads to more accurately priced securities -> more efficient markets.

  15. The narrative is closer to fiction.  Many of the events are exaggerated and the people portrayed are sometimes composite characters with no single real life counterpart.

     

    Some of the named puas are curiously gun shy in person and reluctant to demonstrate any ability whatsoever...

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