cwericb

Jeez, does anyone here really think that this is the end of Putin’s expansion plans? REALLY? Have some people not learned anything from WWII? In 1939 the U.S. dithered around for two long years before entering the war and only then because they were asleep at the switch and got attacked at Pearl for their isolationism. Where do you isolationist guys draw the line? Romania? Hungary? Poland? Germany? France? Great Britain? Canada? Alaska? Hawaii? New York? Last time around, Germany marched all the way through to France and the Middle East and then aligned with Japan to cover the Pacific. Germany/Japan in WWII kinda looks like Russia/China moving forward. The only thing that stopped them was a generation of heros and the fact that long range weapons and aircraft were not available. We now have the latter but few of the former. I also agree that Biden made a serious mistake in taking US troops off the table. That just leaves Putin free to absorb more territory.

An Open Letter to the Global Media by Olena Zelenska Recently, an overwhelming number of media outlets from around the world have reached out with requests for interviews. This letter serves as my answer to these requests and is my testimony from Ukraine. What happened just over a week ago was impossible to believe. Our country was peaceful; our cities, towns, and villages were full of life. On February 24th, we all woke up to the announcement of a Russian invasion. Tanks crossed the Ukrainian border, planes entered our airspace, missile launchers surrounded our cities. Despite assurances from Kremlin-backed propaganda outlets, who call this a "special operation" - it is, in fact, the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians. Perhaps the most terrifying and devastating of this invasion are the child casualties. Eight-year-old Alice who died on the streets of Okhtyrka while her grandfather tried to protect her. Or Polina from Kyiv, who died in the shelling with her parents. 14-year-old Arseniy was hit in the head by wreckage, and could not be saved because an ambulance could not get to him on time because of intense fires. When Russia says that it is 'not waging war against civilians,' I call out the names of these murdered children first. Our women and children now live in bomb shelters and basements. You have most likely all seen these images from Kyiv and Kharkiv metro stations, where people lie on the floors with their children and pets – trapped beneath. These are just consequences of war for some, for Ukrainians it now a horrific reality. In some cities families cannot get out of the bomb shelters for several days in a row because of the indiscriminate and deliberate bombing and shelling of civilian infrastructure. The first newborn of the war, saw the concrete ceiling of the basement, their first breath was the acrid air of the underground, and they were greeted by a community trapped and terrorized. At this point, there are several dozen children who have never known peace in their lives. This war is being waged against the civilian population, and not just through shelling. Some people require intensive care and continuous treatment, which they cannot receive now. How easy is it to inject insulin in the basement? Or to get asthma medication under heavy fire? Not to mention the thousands of cancer patients whose essential access to chemotherapy and radiation treatment have now been indefinitely delayed. Local communities on social media are full of despair. Many people, including the elderly, severely ill and those with disabilities, have been debilitatingly cut off, ending up far from their families and without any support. War against these innocent people is a double crime. Our roads are flooded with refugees. Look into the eyes of these tired women and children who carry with them the pain and heartache of leaving loved ones and life as they knew it behind. The men bringing them to the borders shedding tears to break apart their families, but bravely returning to fight for our freedom. After all, despite all this horror, Ukrainians do not give up. The aggressor, Putin, thought that he would unleash blitzkrieg on Ukraine. But he underestimated our country, our people, and their patriotism. Ukrainians, regardless of political views, native language, beliefs, and nationalities, stand in unparalleled unity. While Kremlin propagandists bragged that Ukrainians would welcome them with flowers as saviors, they have been shunned with Molotov cocktails. I thank the citizens of the attacked cities, who have coordinated to help those in need. Those that keep working - in pharmacies, stores, public transportation, and social services – showing that in Ukraine, life wins. I acknowledge those that have provided humanitarian aid to our citizens and thank you for your continued support. And to our neighbors who have generously opened their borders to provide shelter for our women and children, thank you for keeping them safe, when the aggressor has rendered us unable to do so. To all the people around the world who are rallying to support Ukraine. We see you! We’re here watching and appreciate your support. Ukraine wants peace. But Ukraine will defend its borders. Defend its identity. These it will never yield. In cities where shelling persists, where people find themselves under debris, unable to get out of basements for days, we need safe corridors for humanitarian aid and evacuation of civilians to safety. We need those in power to close our sky! Close the sky, and we will manage the war on the ground ourselves. I appeal to you, dear media: keep showing what is happening here and keep showing the truth. In the information war waged by the Russian Federation, every piece of evidence is crucial. And with this letter, I testify and tell the world: the war in Ukraine is not a war "somewhere out there." This is a war in Europe, close to the EU borders. Ukraine is stopping the force that may aggressively enter your cities tomorrow under the pretext of saving civilians. Last week to me and my people, this would have seemed like an exaggeration, but it is the reality we’re living in today. And we do not know how long it will last. If we don't stop Putin, who threatens to start a nuclear war, there will be no safe place in the world for any of us. We will win. Because of our unity. Unity towards love for Ukraine. Glory to Ukraine!

I essentially agree with this. I also think that those who constantly attempt to discredit the MSM by calling them ‘scum’ simply live in a world of their own where they primarily expose themselves to media that only support their own limited views. The hope today is that main stream media and social media will be able to penetrate the new Iron Curtain and get the word out to the Russian people as to what is really happening in the Ukraine - as opposed to the fiction that the Putin controlled Russian media is spouting about how the Ukrainian Forces have been attacking Belarus and Russia. Your last sentence is a scary, scary thought. But unless Putin can be replaced by a modern day Gorbachev, I don’t see how we are to avoid this scenario. Anyone who believes that Putin will stop at the Crimea and the Ukraine is very naive and ignores history.

Bought a Kia Telluride SX Limited one year ago. Probably worth more today than what I paid for it in March 2021. Excellent vehicle that competes well with SUV's by Volvo, Land Rover, etc for thousands less. The first problem is finding one and some dealers have been charging thousands over MSRP. Kia has never been able to keep up with demand. It was introduced in 2019 and is still rated as the top seven seater by Car & Driver or Motor Trend. This is my second Kia SUV and zero complaints. A Kia/Hyundai advantage is that they use a higher grade of steel - helps when you are the only car maker that produces its own steel.

Sometimes it is interesting to see how others (non COBF members) see Fairfax. Here is an article from Seeking Alpha. “Fairfax Financial Holdings: Further Growth Possible, But Catastrophe Losses Pose A Challenge” https://seekingalpha.com/article/4488164-fairfax-financial-holdings-further-growth-possible-catastrophic-losses-pose-challenge?mailingid=26752043&messageid=2800&serial=26752043.1154&utm_campaign=rta-stock-article&utm_medium=email&utm_source=seeking_alpha&utm_term=26752043.1154 While it seems that the writer doesn’t quite grasp how a P&C insurance company operates, but I thought some might find it interesting. Certainly Cat losses and inflation are a concern but one would assume that Fairfax is well aware of that and accounts for it in its premiums. Glad to see a number of CBOF members responded to the article.

Haha I saw that and was thinking WTF? What, how, am I seeing things? Now that I have my breath back, I wonder how embarrassed SA will be over this? Perhaps this headline will produce a great buying opportunity tomorrow AM? Wishful thinking I'm sure

Ditto. I am in the same position, I keep telling myself to be satisfied and look for other opportunities but ...

P.E.I. is the smallest, but most densely populated province in Canada. However, the province must be doing something right. The U.S. death rate for Covid is 254.88 deaths per 100,000 population. PEI's population is 165,000 so if we apply the US death rate to that population (254.88x1.65) = 420 deaths. To date PEI's total covid deaths are 0. Safest place in North America?

My largest holding as well. Management has been doing very well recently and as far as some of FFH's more controversial holdings are concerned let’s give the team some more space. We may criticize some of the holdings, but surely the management team at Fairfax are in a position to know a lot more about those business than those of us here. While we may feel frustrated at an apparent lack of progress at Blackberry and other holdings, one would think that Fairfax management know considerably more than any of us. My main criticism of Fairfax is that I feel Prem Watsa’s ego has too much impact on the share price. You almost never see a headline saying “Fairfax did this or that”, it is always “Prem Watsa does...” Or “Prem Watsa’s Fairfax .....”. I think it would help if there was more emphasis put on the whole management team that runs the company rather than give the impression that Fairfax is one person. JMHO.

Nothing spectacular, but with a gain of 33.88% I am quite satisfied. I had three oil stocks that produced 400-500%. Unfortunately they were very small holdings. SNC, a relatively recent addition was my only loser of 17 stocks and I hold out high hopes for it

So let’s see if I have this right. Increasing catastrophic weather events, rising prices for materials and labour, combined with oncoming inflation, insurance premiums must rise to cover those factors. So like most businesses, profit is a function of cost, ie if I sell a widget for $3.00 and my margin is 33% I make $1.00. But if my cost increases to $6.00 and margin is still 33% I now make $2.00 for selling the same widget. Assuming that insurance functions in a similar manner, rising insurance premiums to cover pay outs should result in increased profits? I realize the above is a rather simplistic view, but as long as premiums rise in advance of rising pay outs, then the future of the insurance business looks quite profitable, assuming it doesn’t become unaffordable?

Well someone had to start it. Wondering about the impact climate change will have on the insurance industry over 2022 and the next few years. Not only are we having more weather related incidents, but those events are becoming more and more severe. Floods, fires, and winds all seem to be setting records every month. We are in a hard market, but is this an indication of the industry preparing for anticipated increased future claims? If so, would that indicate increased premiums are not funding increased profits but simply funding increased claims in the future.

Are you perhaps confusing Alkaline batteries with standard carbon batteries? The biggest difference I have found between different brands of alkaline batteries is that Duracells are often considerably more expensive, but they don't seem to last any longer than other brands that cost a lot less.

One would think that the overhead in eliminating or reducing a company's office space would be quite substantial. What is overlooked is the social aspect of not having people congregate in offices. For instance, how many people meet their future spouses at an office? However, society changes. What we are seeing today as Covid seems to be easing, is that these people have been working from home for almost two years are quitting rather then returning to the office. This may create a situation where employers have little choice but to allow employees to work from home if they want to retain talented workers.

Just got off the phone with my son who has an insurance agency in Calgary. He no longer has the expense of maintaining an office as he and his agents now are able to work from their homes and do much of their work online. He has also been able to set up an agency in Toronto and other areas without the expense of having to maintain offices. He can also live pretty well wherever he chooses. The idea of working from home is nothing new but Covid restrictions have proven to millions that they can do this quite successfully. Depending on how widespread his shift turns out to be, it could have a major impact not only on office space, but also on residential real estate in cities. Here on the East Coast we are experiencing a major influx of immigration from other parts of the country as these people no longer feel that they have to live in large cities close to their offices.

Yes I think the 9% was probably was speculation. And yes, I doubt that OMERS sees Fairfax as a charity. Nice jump in FFH share price today.

Did I read somewhere a few weeks ago that it was 9%? Or am I imagining that?

Rarely see a "For Sale" sign around here any more, and when you do it usually has "SOLD" plastered across it.

RBC yesterday.

There was a thread here about how the housing bubble was about to burst. Numerous posters echoed the above sentiments. Sell. Don't buy, rent. Prices have to come down soon. That was seven or eight years ago. How has worked out so far? The world population in the mid 1970's was 4 billion. Today it is 8 billion. Don’t ignore the law of supply and demand. People gotta live somewhere.

I think the original theory was simply that he would share profits on the same scale as every other shareholder, although he certainly has a few more shares than I do. I don't find much about Fairfax that does to be 'normal' though.

In his defense, Prem's salary from Fairfax has been set at $600,000/year for decades. Considering that he is founder, chairman and CEO of a rather large conglomerate, his salary looks pretty paltry compared to others in that position. The fact that he gets dividends from the shares that owns ... well, so do we.

While that seems reasonable, I doubt we will see anything change in the foreseeable future.

I believe the theory behind that was that Prem was on a low (relatively) fixed salary and instituting a dividend would provide him with a substantial income that would ensure his salary was in line with what other shareholders received. However, that doesn't seem to be a reason for not increasing the dividend other than the fact that some might criticize him for increasing his own income.

Haha. Rum runnin has long been a Maritime tradition. Friend of mine's grandfather was a very well known rum runner back during prohibition. He built a very successful roadhouse out in the back woods that straddled the Maine/New Brunswick border. They always kept a spotter outside and when the U.S. officials made a raid, they would shift the booze to the Canadian side. When the Mounties raided they would shift the booze to the US side. Don't know if the two countries ever coordinated their efforts, but I do know for a fact that the family still has a lot of that money made back nearly 100 years ago.