In Search of the Perfect Investment

The U.S. economy added a fantastic 250,000 jobs in October. Wall Street had expected 195,000. Unemployment is down to 3.7%. Here’s the chart:

Ladder Capital (LADR) reported great numbers

+ 4.8% dividend hike,  bringing dividend yield to over 8% based on last night’s closing price.

+ GAAP income before taxes of $84.7 million and diluted EPS of $0.67.
Up from $29.2 million and $0.28 in the third quarter of 2017

+ After-tax GAAP return on average equity of 20.0%.
Up from 8.3% in the third quarter of 2017

Apple disappointed in iPhone sales

iPhones were only up half of one percent. But their selling prices were higher, confirming what I see on the streets of New York. Everyone is walking around with top-end iPhones.

Company revenue is up 20 percent and EPS is up 41% to new September quarter records. This is phenomenal for a company of Apple’s hugeness.

Services revenue of $10 billion reaches new all-time high. I love services. Margins are even huger than huge. Services are my classic — cloud/software model.

I’d buy more Apple shares today on the dip. But I already have a bunch. Maybe I’ll still buy more? Mmmm.

Two nice pieces from the New York Times

From the piece:

Cycling was the most popular activity among the Danes in the study, many of whom reported riding for four or more hours every week. Their pedaling was associated with a lengthier life span, adding an average of 3.7 years to riders’ lives, compared to sedentary Danes.

Running likewise was associated with an extra 3.2 years of life.

But these gains were notably less than for playing tennis, which was linked to 9.7 added years of life, or badminton, which was linked to an extra 6.2 years, or soccer, which added almost 5 years to players’ lives. …

The differing physical demands of some sports could play a role, he says, although little of the exercise in this study was heavily intense, whether people were cycling or backhanding a shuttlecock.

Income and other aspects of people’s lifestyles also likely matter, he says. The researchers tried to account for socioeconomic factors, but it remains possible, he says, that people who have sufficient money and leisure time to play tennis live longer because they have sufficient money and leisure time, not because they play tennis.

Still, he suspects that the social aspects of racket games and other team sports are a primary reason that they seem to lengthen lives, he says.

“We know from other research that social support provides stress mitigation,” he says.

“So being with other people, playing and interacting with them, as you do when you play games that require a partner or a team, probably has unique psychological and physiological effects,” he says, amplifying the benefits of the exercise.

For the full piece, click here.

Exercise has had a Goldilocks problem, with experts debating just how much exercise is too little, too much or just the right amount to improve health and longevity. Two new, impressively large-scale studies provide some clarity, suggesting that the ideal dose of exercise for a long life is a bit more than many of us currently believe we should get, but less than many of us might expect. The studies also found that prolonged or intense exercise is unlikely to be harmful and could add years to people’s lives.

No one doubts, of course, that any amount of exercise is better than none. Like medicine, exercise is known to reduce risks for many diseases and premature death.

But unlike medicine, exercise does not come with dosing instructions. The current broad guidelines from governmental and health organizations call for 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week to build and maintain health and fitness. …

The sweet spot for exercise benefits, however, came among those who tripled the recommended level of exercise, working out moderately, mostly by walking, for 450 minutes per week, or a little more than an hour per day. Those people were 39 percent less likely to die prematurely than people who never exercised.

For the full piece, click here. 

Dog do-do

Politicians and diapers should be changed often, and for the same reason.

Please tell your neighbors to vote next Tuesday. As the Economist explains, the mid-terms matter.

The lost cell phone

Mr. and Mrs. Epstein bought a cell phone for their genius son David.

But David kept losing it.

The Epsteins were losing their patience with David.

“Wait!” said David excitedly. “I have an amazing idea. What if we can get someone to invent a phone that is attached to the wall!?

Is that possible?!”

Harry Newton, who eyes incredible tax benefits for real estate in the tax bill. It’s possible now to immediately deduct capital improvements, instead of depreciating them over several years. If you borrow to make those improvements, your numbers look even more awesome. No other industry has this. My friends in real estate are ecstatic.

Latest on head colds: They take three weeks, irrespective of all your fiends’ kind “solutions.” Advil does help the headaches. Antibiotics may help the bronchitis — if you have a chest cold and are coughing up green stuff. I’m feeling better. Time heals this stuff. It’s ultra-boring waiting it out — and not panicking. I’m sick of lemon tea.