Parsad

Yeah, Hamas fires rockets into Israel like a kid playing with fireworks...gleefully, relentlessly until the money is spent. Constant barrages, drone attacks, always looking for a weak spot to maim and kill Israelis. That's what they did this time with the paragliders. Can you imagine living with that in Canada or the United States? The U.S. is exhausted of peaceful, illegal immigrants...what would happen if there were barrages of rockets every month fired on different parts of the U.S.? Canadians have never experienced such a thing since the FLQ in the 70's and that was like a mini, unorganized IRA. Nothing like what Israel goes through daily! Cheers!

Yup, I agree with you on all of this. But the Arab states are going to be against Israel no matter what...unless they are sanctioned and pushed by the West and the rest of the world. And those Arab states not siding with Hamas are playing the Swiss card (neutral). Cheers!

Heck, a centrist government would be great everywhere, including Canada and the United States! We're at two extremes at the moment...time for politicians to come down the middle. Cheers!

Another one bites the dust...and another ones gone, and another ones gone...another one bites the dust! Cheers! https://finance.yahoo.com/news/binance-pay-4-3b-fines-173432179.html

Actually I disagree with you on this...it isn't war. It was a terrorist attack on civilian women and children. Ukraine and Russia is a war, provoked by Russia. This is not a war and I'm not sure why the pro-Palestinian protestors don't get that! If this happened in Canada, I would want the heads of Hamas leaders trotted down in front of Parliament! Just like 9/11...Bin Laden and Al Qaida had to be wiped out! Hamas aren't revolutionary rebels defending their land like the colonies did against the British. They went onto sovereign soil, killed women and children, kidnapped so many others, and then hid behind their own citizens using them as human shields. These guys are pieces of shit! Cheers!

One was an unprovoked attack on civilian women and children by a terrorist organization...the other is an attempt to root out that terrorist organization so it can't do it again. Are there really two views on this? Israel should arm Palestinians who want Hamas out...train them and fight. That is the only way to end this thing once and for all. The other is to acknowledge Hamas as a non-terrorist organization and use diplomacy...do we really want to do that? Turn them into another Sinn Fein? Yes, you have peace but legitimize terrorists! I agree that there is no simple solution. But believe it or not, I'm not of two views on this! Israel has a right to defend itself and rid the world of Hamas. Cheers!

Yeah, I don't get this! Hamas sent in terrorists to kill, maim and kidnap Israeli citizens. No war, no provocation...nothing! Then Israel systematically works their way into Gaza to eliminate Hamas and create a safe zone outside of their border in Gaza. As they did this, they warned and opened roads to allow evacuation of areas they were going to slowly plow through and root out Hamas. I have no idea what the protestors screaming at Israel and allied politicians calling for a cease fire want! Why aren't they protesting to the UN, politicians in Iran, North Korea and Russia for funding and supporting Hamas...a group using human beings as shields, including women and children. How about asking Hamas to release the hostages...whether they get a cease fire or not? Hamas wouldn't go for that! These guys are effing scum! I didn't hear anything about war crimes when Bush and Obama killed over 100K Iraqi citizens as they fought Bin Laden, Al Qaida and ISIS. First, they never should have gone into Iraq...but there was little outcry when they did because U.S. citizens wanted Bin Laden and Al Qaida. Just like 9/11, Israel is not fighting a nation state but terrorist groups using citizens in other countries as human shields...they aren't fighting fair, nor are they inclined to honor anything in the Geneva Convention. There is no way around that. Diplomacy will only provide a short-term solution. You need to cut off the heads of the terrorist group and any funding it is getting. And yes, because of Hamas, there will be war, casualties, displacement, starvation, terror, hopelessness, etc. That's what happens when you provoke a bear...it bites! Cheers!

Yes, I think we agree for the most part. I'm just of the opinion that investing in companies with moats may be a fool's game long-term as we witness the massive disruption from technology, competition and just plain changes in taste. At one time, Sears moat was unassailable...same with The Washington Post...even our love for See's may not be generational going forward. I don't know too many kids who are any more crazy about See's than say Skittles. While I love my Coca-cola, I'm perfectly happy with a Pepsi, Dr. Pepper or A&W Rootbeer these days! I think there are certain businesses where the moat may last longer...BNSF (railroads), Costco, Disney's IP/Parks, etc...but there aren't as many as before or as durable. Cheers!

Very true! But still like only 0.00001% make it to such wealth. That being said, many can still do very well and have a good life. Cheers!

Fully agree! Don't fall in love with any stock. Buy cheap, sell dear! Simple. Buffett was one of a kind...Prem may be too...but most companies will never be run like them. And if they are, it won't be forever and they're too few and far between! Buy investments with a margin of safety. That's it! Cheers!

I'm not sure these moats are as strong as they once were. Look at Disney, Coke, See's, etc. There was a time when people would pay the difference readily for specific products. I think that moat has deteriorated significantly due to competition and third-party products like Kirkland Brand, President's Choice, etc or mismanagement in Disney's case. Do any of us think that the culture at BRK will remain after one or two generations of CEO's? And no controlling shareholder as the Gates Foundation sells their shares. I would imagine the institutional imperative will tear into BRK at some point in the future as well. Berkshire's greatest moat was Buffett! Cheers!

Berkshire's financial strength moat was built over time. There is no reason to believe that Fairfax could not achieve the same thing if they reduced leverage, acquired quality positive cash flowing companies and held more cash at the holding company level. They underwrite as well, and I don't see investment management at BRK being any better than FFH when Buffett & Munger are gone. Question is, will FFH do these things? Cheers!

Prices are higher than 2019, but have come down and continue to come down significantly from the peaks of last year and this year. Especially in areas that are important to consumers...gas, groceries, heating/utilities, some other commodities, retail prices, and I expect mortgage rates to drop slightly next year. That means more dollars in the pockets of people who have been struggling for the last year and had to tighten their belts. When you've been suffering for a while, any money you get in your pockets, you feel like spending...we saw that with travel after the pandemic...we're seeing that in beauty retail sales right now...spending money makes the horrible disappear for a while. Don't know how long the turn will last, but I don't see spending slowing for the next six months. Maybe as mortgages renew later next year, credit limits get stretched...we may see a slowdown...but I don't see that happening in the near-term. Cheers!

I think the list is self-made people...dictators and nation states are probably excluded. Cheers!

Sorry, I didn't know Bezos was an engineer previously. That makes perfect sense. Cheers!

Interestingly enough...all are engineers, engineering background/experience other than Buffett, Bezos & Ballmer. And you could say Buffett's mind works like many engineers, as does Bezos, and Ballmer was surrounded by genius engineers. Even Bernard Arnault was an engineer. Cheers! https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/012715/5-richest-people-world.asp?utm_campaign=quote-yahoo&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=referral

Well the rebound came faster than expected. I don't see it slowing any time soon as prices are falling slowly, interest rates have essentially peaked...long-term treasuries are falling. Revenues might be somewhat flat heading into next year, but earnings should remain strong as many companies tightened their belts. Question should be figuring out when we hit the "top" because the bottom happened around the time I posted the above! Going into an election year, I'm sure the government will keep pumping the gas to consumers. Cheers! https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/20/politics/white-house-thanksgiving-prices/index.html

Is that Chung King Express? If so, I saw it many years ago...a classic Hong Kong movie with a young Tony Leung...one of the great actors of all time out of Hong Kong. Cheers!

Have you ever seen Spielberg's movie AI? After the little boy robot ends up underwater, a new ice age arrives (assume how and why at your own peril), and thousands of years later he's found under the ice by beings from another planet...or more likely AI robots evolved over thousands of years. The little boy robot was the only remaining memory of what humanity was like...so his memories became valuable data for his rescuers. It's likely that humanity will destroy itself one way or another. Our AI robot creations may end up being the only lasting vestige of humanity one day and well outlive our existence. If that's the case...so be it! Cheers!

May go down as one of the greatest board boondoggles in history...especially if MSFT ends up becoming dominant in AI and Altman leading the way! Cheers!

+1! I think the moat is the actual insurance/decentralized structure...float, leverage and voting control. This is what Horn and other analysts who suggest there is no moat don't understand. The business structure is the moat and the way decisions are made. Most corporations cannot act like BRK or FFH, even insurance companies, because they do not have a major controlling shareholder that can make decisions for the long-term rather than the short-term. Most other insurance companies are structured so that the CEO is compensated based on the next 3-5 years performance...not over the next 20-30 years of performance. Their boards are structured to direct those short-term initiatives and goals. Look at how institutional capital is managed at other companies, pension funds, hedge funds, etc. It's shocking and many times irrational allocation of capital. How many insurance companies would have bought BNSF? Looking out 20-30 years on how the railroad business would evolve and grow? No one other than institutions managed like BRK, FFH or MKL would even consider it! So for a supposed "no-moat" company...it's got one hell of a moat! Cheers!

I think Altman's view is that this technology will be developed by someone, and the intent may or may not be beneficial to humanity...like nuclear fission. He would rather be the U.S. and Oppenheimer than Germany and Hitler. Cheers! https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/31/tech/sam-altman-ai-risk-taker/index.html

The thread went completely off the rails...it wasn't criticisms, but just punchlines and nasty comments. I wasn't going to waste my time deleting tens of nasty posts. Keep it to criticisms and you don't have to worry. Cheers!

+1! Cheers!

Board is having second thoughts and apparently asked Altman back! I'm guessing their $84B funding was suddenly going to be at risk, and MSFT might have made a few threats! This board should be replaced! Cheers! https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/18/tech/openai-sam-altman-shakeup-what-happened/index.html