Zorrofan

LOL - that was funny!! ;D

Prem is slowly putting together a truly global company....I feel we will be very happy with the results 5, 10 and 20 years from now ! cheers Zorro

so can we start to speculate on when FFH will hit $1,000? Imagine what happens if the deflation hedges ever pay off!! ;D cheers Zorro

Same for me, but as long as he likes it, I guess he can spend his money however he wants... And now that it's been sold for that much, the signal has been sent to other collectors that it's worth at least that, so Cohen could probably sell it again and not lose money (as long as he's timing the art cycle a bit and doesn't offload it at the bottom)... You guys are looking at this the wrong way, you should be saying "how can i sell a piece of art like that for a cool $100 million?" ;D cheers Zorro

May I second that - I hate scribd..... cheers Zorro

thanks for posting all of these links! Are you betting on another cold winter? cheers Zorro Obviously, betting on the weather is a mugs game but a cold winter isn't looking promising: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.html what the heck is driving natural gas up today? and yes, betting on a cold winter is a mug's game - long term fundamentals are better though....potential for exports, conversion of trucking industry, switch from coal to natural gas to replace aging coal plants, increasing demand from chemical co's etc, etc, cheers Zorro

my guess is Keystone gets approved, hard to say if Obama will veto it though.....

Given many of us are interested in energy related investments, especially natural gas, I thought this might be interesting....take the pulse of the electorate so to speak :D cheers Zorro

Education is important but do you have to go to college? What about something like learning a trade? Does society put too much emphasis on a college education - i.e. become a lawyer, doctor or accountant - and look down on those who choose to learn a trade instead? I believe in Germany (perhaps Frommi or another could comment) that at age 16 you are screened for vocational versus academic training, and there is greater co-operation between business, industry and the educational system with regards to mentoring those interested in the trades.... cheers Zorro

thanks for posting all of these links! Are you betting on another cold winter? cheers Zorro

thanks for posting the link! Cheers Zorro

thanks for posting this - I forgot all about the results being out today. Not like the old days when we were in the seven lean years...... cheers Zorro

At some point didn't Microsoft own a fairly large chunk of Apple?? IIRC they bought a stake when Apple was going through a rough patch before Jobs returned to save the day.......selling that stake would fall into the category of dumb moves cheers Zorro

The argument for conglomerates is that segments (divisions) may be counter-cyclical to each other.....for example at a certain point in the cycle shipbuilding will generate large profits while toothpaste may be going through a low point due to competitive markets. Latter when shipbuilding takes a turn down toothpaste may be entering a more profitable part of the cycle. And why can't each division have a decentralized management team ala BRK? Doesn't value creation have more to do with quality of management than with the number of divisions they have? cheers Zorro

the BBC has some really good coverage..... http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-28754546 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-28755033 hope this helps... Zorro

thanks for posting this - here's hoping Prem does this as long as WEB has cheers Zorro

The problem with OPEC is that they need a certain amount of revenue to fund their budgetary spending. Typically OPEC has counted on the Saudis to act as the swing producer, cut output and rebalance supply and demand. No one else wants to cut production because they need the money. If the Saudis don't cut production and prices fall, the other OPEC countries try to pump more oil to make up the shortfall, driving prices lower in a vicious circle for them. Eventually they will cut back, its in their own self-interest, but prices can still fall further in the meanwhile...... My prediction is that we have not seen the bottom in oil prices. I am hoping to see PWE below $5, then things get interesting.... cheers Zorro

You have to remember that in the short-term the market is a voting machine, in the long term it is a weighing machine (did i get that right?) so eventually the value will be recognized. I think that at this stage the strength in the dollar drives down oil prices and makes investors reluctant to invest. Rumor has it that the US and Saudi's are driving prices down in order to inflict pain on Putin, punishment for his actions in Ukraine. cheers Zorro

According to Albert Edwards the end is near, and (according to Zorro) Prem's big deflation bet might just payoff...... http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-10-02/albert-edwards-says-watch-japanese-yen-and-be-very-very-afraid The one thing you can count on with macro economics is things not unfolding the way you expect. Is Albert a perma-bear or is he right? Thoughts, comments?? cheers Zorro

Given neither party is in the mood to co-operate with the other at the moment, I can't see it passing. What is needed is real and comprehensive tax reform. God forbid that congress actually do something useful....... cheers Zorro

thanks for posting this! cheers Zorro

If I am understanding your question correctly, you want to know if a Us owned company imports something from a Us owned factory in China (or any other country for that matter) if it counts as part of the trade deficit? The answer is yes, even though it is US owned it is still imported and therefore counts as part of the trade deficit. Definition of 'Current Account Deficit' A measurement of a country’s trade in which the value of goods and services it imports exceeds the value of goods and services it exports. The current account also includes net income, such as interest and dividends, as well as transfers, such as foreign aid, though these components tend to make up a smaller percentage of the current account than exports and imports. The current account is a calculation of a country’s foreign transactions, and along with the capital account is a component of a country’s balance of payment. http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/currentaccountdeficit.asp Hope this helps... cheers Zorro

okay, that was funny! ;D

Everyone fears inflation, which means deflation is likely just around the corner....... As other countries in Asia and the EU all race to depreciate their currency the impulse will be deflation - at least for now. Everyone points to the "printing" by central banks as proof that inflation is coming but they fail to realize that the banks are just sitting on those reserves, that's why the ECB had to go to negative deposit rates - to try and force the banks to do something else with their money besides deposit it with the ECB. My gosh, could that deflation hedge of Prem's payoff?? :o cheers Zorro

My guess is a no vote - too many unknowns, but it will be close. Of course I am usually wrong so it may be a yes vote........ cheers Zorro