Alekbaylee

NEW DELHI | MUMBAI: A host of potential buyers have lined up to buy global security and protection company Brink's' cash management business in India, as the Richmond, Virginia (US)-headquartered firm looks to hive off the unit as part of global strategic review. Hitachi-owned payment services provider Prizm Payments, Thomas Cook India and cash logistics major SIS Prosegur are among those that have expressed a strong interest in acquiring the venture, according to two sources. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/banking/finance/finance/companies-look-to-acquire-brinks-cash-management-unit-in-india-latin-america/articleshow/46523332.cms http://www.vccircle.com/news/general/2015/03/11/fairbridge-capital-raises-stake-thomas-cook-7477

Could have made a quick buck: 40% up in a month or so. Oh well, too bad!

Sad day... RIP!

Why do most people choose to borrow money from the bank to buy a car, furniture or even a house when they could sell a few shares and pay these items cash? Because they have objectives and a plan and stick to both.

I disagree. I like the divvie and would actually like to see it raised to 3% but don't think it will happen soon. I can use that money for whatever purposes I see fit or reinvest in FFH shares if I want to. Shareholders have different situations, objectives and time horizon.

Bravo Sanj! It's the only board I read and enjoy!

+1

Tidbits from the Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd (OTCMKTS:FRFHF) (TSE:FFH) Financial conference call this morning (from ValueWalk) Prem Watsa Core inflation continues to be at or below 1% in the United States and Europe. Levels that we have not seen since the 1950s. In fact, it may be a surprise to many of you to know that in the second half of 2014 the US had deflation of 1.5% or an annualized rate of 3%. And Europe had deflation of .5% or an annualized rate of 1% point. That what this is saying is that prices went down in the second half of 2014 at an annualized rate of 3% in the United States and 1% in Europe. This is in spite of QE1, QE2, QD3, and now quantitative easing in Europe. Prem Watsa: European bonds at record lows Long-term government bond rates in Europe are making record lows quite often the lowest in 200 years. In Germany, almost half of the German government bond market is yielding negative interest rates. Also six or seven countries in Europe are already experiencing deflation. Thirty-year German government bond rates are below 1%. The spread between 30 year US long-term rates and 30 year German government bond rates is at a record . German rates have fallen much faster than the United States. prem watsa ………….. Just to keep a perspective out remind you that it took five years in Japan before deflation set in for the next 18 years. …………….. Prem Watsa concerned about the prospects for financial markets We purchased Thomas Cook Group plc (LON:TCG) (OTCMKTS:TCKGY) and 50 to rupees per share in 2012 and it is now creating at about Rs.200 . We continue to be concerned about the prospects for financial markets and economies in North America and Western Europe accentuated as we have said many times before by the potential significant weakness in China we have said for some time that we believe it continues to be a disconnect between the financial market and the underlying economic fundamentals . As of December 31, 2014, we have $6.1 billion in cash and short-term investments in our portfolio which is 23% of our total investment portfolio. …………….. That price of oil coming down by the way we think is not only supply in the United States but it’s reflecting decreasing demand in from China. China’s and we took the better for some time — China is a big potential negative. And you never know when it will strike. But you have to be careful about it. …………….. We are maintaining our defensive equity hedges and deflation protection as we remain concerned about the financial markets and the economic outlook in this global deflationary environment. …………….. Long US government bond rates continued to drop and our common stocks did much better than the Russell index which increased 3.5% in the year. We have yet to significantly benefit from our hedges and are approximately $112 billion depreciation swaps. And of course our cash position gives us great optionality.

At x1.3 BV it's not trading at crazy level considering they will make money no matter what direction the economy/market goes. They built an incredible ark that can sail virtually any sea...

http://www.fairfax.ca/news/press-releases/press-release-details/2015/Fairfax-Financial-Holdings-Limited-Financial-Results-for-the-Year-Ended-December-31-2014/default.aspx Book value per share increased to $394.83 at December 31, 2014 from $339.00 at December 31, 2013 (an increase of 19.5% adjusted for the $10 per common share dividend paid in the first quarter of 2014). Best results in 29-year history!

Good! Although... Dunno if Ukraine is the best spot to invest in insurance right now. ???

Looks like they know what they're doing... TORONTO — Fairfax Financial Holdings, which bet on the success of a Greek turnaround last year, on Monday reiterated confidence in the country’s prospects and those of one of its largest lenders Eurobank. “I’m very confident that this current Greek government will successfully negotiate a deal with the troika,” said Watsa, a well known contrarian investor. “We feel certain that by moving forward with the reform program and by remaining in the Eurozone, Greece will very soon achieve significant economic growth that will in turn drive new investment,” said Watsa, adding that Fairfax would be open to the idea of investing further in Greece once the reform program gets going and the conditions allow for it. http://business.financialpost.com/2015/02/02/fairfax-financial-holdings-ltds-prem-watsa-very-confident-about-greece-eurobank-prospects/

Chairman, CEO of Greece’s Eurobank Ergasias Resign Fokion Karavias, a general manager, will be named as the bank’s new CEO, after Christos Megalou ’s decision to accept a position at Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. The Toronto-based fund holds a 13.6% stake in the Greek bank. All other board positions remained unchanged. “Under this new leadership, Eurobank can continue to play a pivotal role in the Greek banking sector, providing value to the Greek economy, the bank’s customers and its shareholders,” Prem Watsa, chairman and CEO of Fairfax, said in a statement. http://www.wsj.com/articles/chairman-ceo-of-greeces-eurobank-ergasias-resign-1422830785

A picture is worth a thousand words.. http://www.google.ca/finance?chdnp=1&chdd=1&chds=1&chdv=1&chvs=maximized&chdeh=0&chfdeh=0&chdet=1422478800000&chddm=2208&chls=IntervalBasedLine&cmpto=NYSE:MKL&cmptdms=0&q=OTCMKTS:FRFHF&&fct=big&ei=mQHJVOSmPISh8waIpYDACA

Thanks for the insight guys! I'm gonna put this in the too hard pile as I realize that on top of my lack of knowledge in valuing this type of business, I'd need to understand -at least broadly- bioscience to assess its prospects. The pipeline looked really great, but c'est la vie!

http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php/sid/229740269 Watsa said he is keen to invest in hardware, tourism, hospitality and power sector in the state. Inviting Naidu to visit Canada, the Hyderabad-born investor said he will host an investors' summit in Canada and help Andhra Pradesh attract investments from the country. That's cool. He does business/makes money and contributes to developing his native country as well.

How does one go about valuing a small biopharma? Prometic Life Sciences (PLI.TO) has come under my radar lately with its promising drug pipeline for metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes which is a major problem in N.A. and elsewhere but I have no idea how to approach this sort of business with no real recurrent or predictable revenues. Anyone care to give some advice? Thanks

If you plan to travel abroad, I'd suggest Sears (yeah!) credit card that allows you to save the 2% conversion or transaction fee on purchases you make in foreign currency, plus you get to accumulate the same points as a standard Sears card. Got one recently but have not used it yet so I can't speak about their customer service. http://www.searsfinancial.ca/CreditCards/SaveonForeignCurrencyChanges.aspx http://www.creditcards.ca/credit-card-news/How-to-save-on-foreign-exchange-fees-1268.php

Part of the recent rise ($50 or so) is due to the weakening of the CND$... I think.

Wonder if Fairfax will hike its dividend a bit next month..

http://business.financialpost.com/2014/12/04/canadas-top-pension-fund-among-big-boys-setting-sights-on-indias-us1-9-trillion-economy/

I've been meaning to ask the question for a while now but kept forgetting. Did I miss something? Is he on honey moon? Did he take a sabbatical? Went traveling the world? The board works well on automatic pilot but I miss his posts. Cheers! :P

Not in the business but my auto premiums didn't decrease this year (all other things being equal) and home insurance increased a bit. What's new though is that my insurance broker is now charging a 3% interest to people who choose the monthly installments option vs paying upfront (most people do I would think). Was free for the past 15 years. Not sure if this is an industry-wide trend, but clearly it's a way for insurance cos to make up for the poor interests rate available in the market right now.

LOL! And do you usually have precognitive dreams?

Getting a first job is still difficult for the vast majority of immigrants in this country. After that it gets easier. Luckily governments have good policies in place to help.