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Tech is slightly out of favor at present. Don’t despair. Go play tennis.

I thought Google would pop with better earnings. Wrong.

Tech remains under pressure.:Netflix, Facebook, Amazon and Google. Don’t despair. There’s no other segment that scales, grows and is as profitable.

I wish more CEOs would learn about technology and how it could improve their poor, suffering customers’ experiences.  My local tennis club can’t take court reservations by email! Go figure.

Apple, Google and Amazon shine

+ Amazon: You can now make phone calls with Alexa. It’s really good and convenient. Click here. My favorite Alexa is the Echo Spot – White:

EchoSpotWhite

Click here. 

+ Apple Pay is accepted everywhere. Well, not everywhere. But all our local supermarkets and pharmacies take it. Smaller stores all take Square. Here’s The 5-Minute Bull Case For Holding Square Into Earnings. Click here.

+ Google now has Google Duo, the video calling app that’s better than Apple’s FaceTime and works on any phone, says Business Insider. Click here.

A warning on Business Insider

These people do good work. But their customer service is truly awful. Never, ever pay them any money. You’ll never be able to stop the charges. Never.

We’re still doing nicely, thank you.

Joel Ross of Citadel Realty writes the Ross Rant. Here’s a bit from yesterday’s. It makes sense.

Wall St is continuing its negative response to very good earnings, and its warnings that the bull market is nearly over. You may have noticed there are many Wall Street talking heads who have been saying that for months, and in a few cases since the election. The analysts go thru all sorts of gyrations comparing this data series with that, or the age of the recovery, or ten year yields may hit 3% this year ( virtually everyone has been forecasting that for a year, and it will), or they measure some index of irrelevance and claim it shows whatever. Meantime the real world is churning out great earnings, which of course the analysts say that while they beat forecast, it is not good enough because the forecasts are not even better than the analyst said they should be. It is all nonsense. Ever since I went to Wall St decades ago, analysts think they are God, and they know better what a company should be doing, and it is their superior ability to know better than management is what matters. Nothing has changed in 50 years with analysts.

They are like real estate appraisers. They are mostly youngsters who really do not know much, but they like to convince themselves they do because their spreadsheet says it is whatever they calculate. My point is, the real economy continues to do very well. The tax cuts real impacts have not yet hit. It takes time for corporations to know the tax cut is real and the law, then to assess its impact on them, then to implement plans based on the new rules. It is only 3½ months along, and too soon to really judge the impact. Meantime the economy all across the world continues doing better than ever. In the end it is real economy results, and real earnings that matter over the long term, not some kid analyst who never worked in a real company.

Useful Reading

+ When Rumors on Facebook Spur Hate andViolence. Publicity not good for Facebook. Click here.

+ Which financial documents should you keep?

The IRS anticipates you’ll keep your returns and “any supporting documentation” three years after filing. Make sure you also keep records of your IRA conversions to prove you’ve already paid tax when you withdraw. It’s also important to retain copies of major insurance policies and any estate-planning documents. To cut down on paperwork, scan and save digital copies of receipts for deductible expenses.

Click here.

Useful health stuff 

+ Concierge Emergency Rooms Get You to the Front of the Line.  Click here. 

+ Am I contagious?

Q. Recently, a friend – with a hoarse voice, a cough and a stuffy nose – told me, “Don’t worry. I’m not contagious.” Is she right?

A. It may depend on how long she has been sick. If your friend has a common cold, she will be infectious for about three days after the onset of symptoms. If she has the flu, she will be infectious for about a week.

Click here.

The joys of flying

psychic

New research on hearing aids

A man realized he needed to purchase a hearing aid, but didn’t want to spend a lot of money. “How much do they cost?” he asked the salesman.

“Anything from $3 to $3,000.”

“Can I see the $3 model?” said the customer.

The salesman put the device around the man’s neck, and said: “You just stick this button in your ear and run this little string down into the back of your shirt.”

“How does it work?” asked the customer.

“It doesn’t work.” said the salesman. “But when people see it on you, they talk louder.”

HarryNewton
Harry Newton. “Experts” have limited knowledge. That’s the rule. If you’re the customer or the patient, it’s your responsibility to know all the products and all their pros and cons.  Case in point: Replacement lenses in cataract surgery come in many variations, like different strengths and UV or not UV protection. One out of three cataracts fail in two years, requiring more attention. Most doctors don’t tell you the full story. Remember our motto: CHECK. CHECK. CHECK.

One Comment

  1. Scooter says:

    I’ve heard talk that earnings this quarter are even somewhat suppressed as corporations see very nice profit margins and are taking write-off’s on debt they have been hanging onto. Expect 3rd and especially 4th quarter earnings to be great.