LesPaul

I didn't know what to expect when searching Magic the Gathering on this forum. But since about the last 10 months or so, most of the 'old' cards or the cards they no longer print any more have appreciated about 3x. I sold 10 of my biggest 'graded' cards on eBay a couple of months ago as somehow Magic cards became larger than any individual position I have over any holding. I get it, nostalgia is a hell of a drug. EDIT: Some cards a lot more than 3x or so.

Thanks for noticing that and letting us know A Uruguayan news source has reported that Aurora is in talks to acquire the ICC business. Haven't seen anything from a Canadian source yet. https://www.busqueda.com.uy/nota/una-empresa-productora-de-la-marihuana-oficial-negocia-su-venta-la-principal-compania-de No idea of the legitimacy of the article or report, only thought it might be interesting for Dundee followers.

And there is absolutely no responsibility from Canadians for any of this? The people who keep telling me I should be buying a house aren't the banks...its other Canadians. I don't really see why banks should be blamed for any of this. The government and the regulators are another story. I think Canadians actually get a good deal on banking. Sure the banks make high profits but at least we don't have banking crisis like the States does that require huge government bailouts. Even Europe has problems. The Canadian banking system is the only one in the world that actually works. +1 We love our banks and dreams of home ownership. I'm in my late 20s and feel the itch too, to be honest.

I bought a small piece of CBL.TO in the high 17s. Let's see if a deal gets done!

Interesting to read about coercive tied selling so plainly. Take a look at this first time home buyer mortgage offer from BMO - they'll give you $1000 but they deposit it into your BMO chequing account. Want the cash but don't have a BMO chequing account...? Well, I guess you'll just happen to sign up for one now! https://www.bmo.com/main/personal/mortgages/special-offers/first-home-offer I've never worked in the industry so my guess is that this doesn't technically apply as coercive tied selling, but I mean come on, for all intents and purposes, it really is tied selling!

A bit of an aside... many banks cross-sell credit cards with their mortgages. I find it humorous that today a homeowner will have to qualify at a rate of 4.64% to get that five years fixed rate of 2.64%. After crunching the numbers, the branch representative informs the customer they can afford not a cent more than $X under the new mortgage rules. Then upon signing the documentation in the branch, "Oh, you've also been pre-approved for a $5/10/15,000 credit card at 19.99%!" I know they're different products with different rules but still, kind of worth a chuckle.

Downloaded this. Thanks!

http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/legalfeeds/3273/environment-future-of-companies-take-back-seat-to-creditors-in-oil-well-case.html Thought this was interesting; although the implications of the case may need some time to play out.

Cool! http://www.amazon.com/Permanent-Value-Story-Warren-Buffett/dp/1681840227/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1460824382&sr=1-1&keywords=of+permanent+value+2016

Nice. That's been on my list for a while. Just picked this up through Amazon - if anyone else decides to as well, don't forget to go through the Amazon link at the top of the page!

'Bespoke Tranche Opportunities' Such a deliciously pompous name...

I will keep an eye out for the book. Scott, I thought the video was very funny (can't speak to the points regarding WWF all that well) and you obviously have the self-confidence and the sense of humor where you're unafraid to put that video online!

No idea how big this market is - but I've seen a few of these deals on the desks of an acquaintance - private 2nd mortgage with a 9% or 10% interest rate and a 1% fee upfront - interest only payments for 12 months or so. Personally, if this was something I'd want to invest in, I'd probably just put my money into a First National (FN.TO - 7.5% Yield) or MCAN (MKP.TO - 9.5% Yield) today. At least most of those mortgages are backed by CMHC...although who knows how far that would get you in a crisis!

Nothing new. This happens in US also. In fact you can buy these loans online at sites like http://www.loanmls.com/content/buy-private-mortgages.html I don't understand the point how this is threat to the system as most of the lenders are individuals or small entities. Their collapse has very little impact on the system. I'm inclined to agree. The term 'Shadow Banking' even sounds like it was written to generate attention/worry. I know a few people personally who offer these private funds and appear to make a killing. On the other hand, I've heard stories about rather unsavoury characters (both lenders and borrowers) and deals that have gone very wrong. It's comforting that none of these mortgages are CMHC or Genworth/CG insured. I don't know enough to share why these borrowers don't just go to HCG, perhaps someone else here can describe that with greater knowledge. At the same time, I kind of cringe when I see a Toronto pawn broker offering mortgages on TV.