I dumped my few shares of Celgene this morning after it took down forward guidance and reported problems with new drugs — like its Crohn’s disease drug.
Down 18%+ this morning, Celgene is probably a bargain. But I’ve had gambling with biotech and pharma companies. There’s no way to predict which cures will work and which won’t. The failure rate is so high. In contrast, technology is actually more predictable. Read CNBC’s story on Celgene this morning, click here.
I also don’t touch stocks where around which there floats an aura of uncertainty. (Horrible writing). But they include GE, Wells Fargo, bricks and mortar retailers, marijuana companies, miners, oil producers, initial coin offerings, and bitcoin, for now.
Yes, bitcoin is up to $6,000, which is 25% above where it was when I wrote two weeks ago. The world is abuzz with bitcoin chatter, hype and enthusiasm. But I haven’t bought any bitcoin. That reflects:
+ My continuing skepticism. Bitcoin is not a value play. It’s pure hype. The latest buzz which you hear on Bubble Vision (CNBC) is that “everyone should own a little in their portfolio. Like gold.” Gold is actually up a little this year, but is down by 27% over the past five years. I just checked.
Want to read more on bitcoin this weekend?
+ What is bitcoin? CNN Tech. Click here.
+ What is bitcoin and how does it work. The New York Times. Click here.
+ Bitcoin is closing on an all-time high. Business Insider. Click here.
Finally, do not open an account with Coinbase. I can give you a thousand reasons.
Stocks that could get cut in half, according to Morgan Stanley
+ Tenneco (TEN)
+ BorgWarner (BWA)
+ United Parcel (UPS)
+ American Eagle Outfitters (AEO)
+ Myriad Genetics (MYGN)
+ Juniper Networks (JNPR)
+ CBL & Associates Properties (CBL)
+ Waddell & Reed Financial (WDR)
+ Norfolk Southern (NSC)
+ Imperva (IMPV)
+ Teva Pharmaceuticals (TEVA)
+ American Axle & Manufacturing (AXL)
+ DSW (DSW) — Designer Shoe Warehouse. Horrible place to shop.
+ Bioverativ (BIVV)
+ Hawaiian Holdings (HA)
+ Castlight Health (CSLT)
+ Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF)
+ Avis Budget Group (CAR)
+ Gogo (GOGO) — they do WiFi on planes
You can read more here.
I bought a handful of 3M (MMM) yesterday. As of now, I’m up the grand sum of $31.12. Actually I’ve always loved 3M. Why it wasn’t in my portfolio all along, I have no idea…
Bank CDs are getting worthwhile
You can now get 1.5% on a 12-month CD if you flatter your banker and tell him he’s almost as handsome as Todd Kingsley.
Safety reasons to buy a modern car
1. A rear camera. Useful for not running over the grandkid.
2. Auto-stopping. It will stop your car while you’re texting.
3. Auto-keeping you in lane. Like not dozing off and hitting the car in the adjoining lane.
4. Alerting you to cars in your blind spots.
5. Apple CarPlay. Does voice texting, etc.
Today, the death count from cars exceeds that from guns.
New car technology gives an opportunity to save lives, including our own. More here.
Neat new technology:
The Gold Wing may be “lighter” but it’s still very large.
I’m a fan of Google Gmail
A Google gmail account is seriously useful. It does a much better job opening attachments than say Microsoft’s Outlook. It’s a great backup. It’s a great parking space for emails you want to read on other devices, e.g. your cell phone.
It’s much more reliable than Yahoo or AOL. It’s far less quirky than your corporate email, which censors (and ditches) emails it doesn’t like — for whatever irrational reason your corporate IT department just made up. You would not believe how many of my columns get “censored” by corporate IT departments. That’s why I use “words” like sh*t and cr*p.
Google gmail will let you send email attachments of 50 megabytes. If your file is larger, Google will link you to Google Drive. Then you can send 10 gigabytes, which is 10,000 megabytes. That’s at lest five times as large as a full-length movie.
Best of all Gmail is free.
How to get a cheap airline fare
I couldn’t decide whether to go to Salt Lake City or Denver for vacation, so I called to get prices. “Airfare to Denver is $300,” the cheery salesperson replied.
“And what about Salt Lake City?”
“We have a really great rate to Salt Lake — $99,” she said, “but there is a stopover.”
“Where?”
“In Denver,” she said.
Harry Newton, who has the world’s worst case of hay fever! Always happens when the temperature changes. Short-term solution: Wash my face in cold water. Long-term solution: Wait till it gets warm again. Life is fun.
Harry, have you reviewed the Trump tax plan? Do you realize what a nightmare this would be for taxpayers who itemize? We’re going to lose all our deductions. The Trump plan is good for large, wealthy corporations and the extremely rich – even richer than you. I’m talking billionaires. But if your earned income is between $100,000 and $1 million per year from active (a job) or passive (investments) this tax plan is a real killer. Especially for a guy like you in a high tax state like N.Y.