In Search of the Perfect Investment

I bought one of Cramer’s picks — AVY — this morning. It’s Avery Dennison.

My friend queried, “You bought it at a new high?” Here’s year to date:

Yes, I answered, because it has a yield – 1.98%. And its P/E ratio is still only 23.89.

In today’s world that’s a “bargain.”

I bought breakfast at the Spencertown Country Store. They put my first purchase on my MasterCard through Square’s card reader and attached tablet.

I signed. It approved by giant $14.27 purchase. I entered my email address. And I received an emailed receipt.

When I bought some more goodies (a half pound of Muenster cheese) for $4.90, it accepted my MasterCard and emailed me the receipt — without asking for my email address. It remembered my email address.

OK. I’m a sucker for small customer pleasing goodies.

Hence, I continue to love SQ. Here it is year to date:

I also bought some AMJ which follows the index of MLPs. It has a nice yield — 6.5%.  I tried to understand why it shouldn’t go up as MLPs schlepp more and more oil. But I’m confused. So I’m watching.

My friend wants to buy Costco as it falls. But I’m afraid of retailers without proprietary product which Costco does not have. Look today: Best Buy and Abercrombie and Fitch cratered.

I got censored by the New York Times

Nicholas Kristol wrote a piece called Did Putin Have Trump for Lunch?

He argued:

The best card the U.S. has to play is its credibility and its soft power. These have been eroded with the Iraq War and Guantanamo and so on, but they still are hugely important in a crisis. Yet President Trump has almost no credibility before the world, and not much at home. The upshot is that we will approach the next crisis with less soft power, less credibility, less consensus—and greater risk that it spins out of control.”

Hence Trump should “turn our foreign policy right side up again.”

I tried to comment on Kristol’s piece. The Times refused to publish my comment (I don’t know why.) This is what I wrote:

The Trump organization borrows money from, partners with, and sells real estate to Russian interests. Trump’s two sons have admitted to this publicly on TV. Most American financial and real estate organizations shy from Trump because of (1) His extensive history of business failures — from casinos to an airline to a “university” etc, (2) His litigious nature (everything ends up in court) and (3) His poor treatment of contractors and subcontractors. But he’s perfect for Russia. Rich Russians need to move their money out of Russia and launder it. Putin, allegedly now the richest man in the world, probably has the same need. He must be worried that something untoward might go wrong with his absolute 17-year rule. He could probably be jailed for “corruption.” In many countries what Trump is running is called a kleptocracy. The U.S. Government has already become a major tenant in many Trump properties, paying seriously above market rents. There’s an old expression: “Follow The Money.” I don’t understand why anyone is surprised, or expects any different behavior. The Presidency of the United States is a good place to run a global real estate empire. Especially if you want Trump hotels in most places. Follow the money.

You can read Kristol here. I wouldn’t bother.

Australia’s ABC Network covered Trump at the G20

The reporting achieved a huge world-wide following. Worth watching:

Watch it here.

How does America find the things it wants to buy?

It used to Google what it wanted.

Now it skips Google and goes straight to Amazon.

This is a shift of tectonic proportions.

Tomorrow is Amazon Prime Day. That means cheap deals, especially on the Echo, which I’m finding increasingly useful.

Click here.

Two things I can’t live without

The world’s best shaver with vibrating motor:

Click here.

The world’s best suntan cream:

Click here.

Three cartoons I love

Harry Newton, who has been playing tennis every morning at 6:20 AM. Blue skies. Cool weather. And an amazing array of heavy duty trucks schlepping stuff hither and thither. I’ve never seen such intense economic activity in rural Columbia County, just 100 miles north of New York City. You can’t find a contractor for love nor money up here.

My friend tells me housing in Seattle is going crazy. Her house appreciated 10% in the last month alone. Meantime, there’s a new specialty on the west coast — building $50 million plus houses for super-rich tech Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. Trends among the super rich: Compounds of multiple houses. Custom finishes. Exotic wood. Wine cellars built of real Italian bricks — bricks imported from Italy! Bricks. Imagine the shipping costs. Just imagine.

Wimbledon is on. Murray is playing. Federer is coming up. ESPN.