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Best investment advice

I asked my favorite reader and most endearing fan, Dan Good, “What should I write about today that won’t offend you?”

He replied “Your investment strategy for the rest of the year.”

I asked what his was? His answer was “Hold and buy on weakness.”

That’s sound. It assumes we continue to do OK. And we will. Today’s Ross Rant, for example, writes:

We may be entering a period of calm in a growing economy. This is good. Growth has begun again in Q2, the China deal looks like it will happen in May, Brexit will drag on for several months, and the Dems will have accomplished nothing with all their so called investigations. … Bottom line, jobs will remain in high demand, GDP growth and corporate earnings growth will resume, the Fed will sit still, and oil will come back to $55-$60 at some point in the next few months. GDP is likely to be around 2.5% this year. Inflation will remain moderate. Steady as she goes. Right on into 2020. Once the China deal is announced, and as corporate earnings start to improve, the stock market hits new highs in June or July. The economy is in a very good, solid place right now. …

China seems to have bottomed, and will begin to grow again when the deal with the US is signed, assuming it is a real deal. The Chinese stock market has soared lately, and when a deal is signed, it could go up another 10%-20%. There are huge geopolitical implications to the deal. Xi will become a winner at home, and the Chinese economy will improve. Everyone in China will realize it is vastly better for them to cooperate with the US and see economic growth, than to have military confrontations which would lead to the potential of a war that could destroy their good life and new riches they now enjoy. A successful trade deal will change world history in a very good way, well beyond just trade. It will also leave Russia more isolated since they have nothing to trade. I just read a biography of Putin and Russian history under his leadership. He is a very smart, ruthless and tenacious man. He is extremely dangerous since Russia is an economically weak, totally corrupt nation, and is going nowhere good.

The worst thing you can do in this market is to panic — sell good shares that temporarily drop because their own success attracts competitors. Netflix has been hit by all the talk of The Streaming Wars, viz today’s CNBC:

But, to my tiny brain, Netflix has established the number one “go-to” position in everyone’s brain. Not expressed well. I can do better… When you want to escape the world for an hour or two or more, you go to Netflix. We all do. They have all the good stuff, like Medici, Punisher, Narcos, Our Earth, The Crown, Broadchurch, Bodyguard, Punisher, The Highway Men, etc.

Dan’s Netflix favorites include: The Queen of the Desert (movie), Trapped, The Bridge, The Tunnel, Hanna, Versailles, Bosch (AP), Shetland, MC, Fauda and McMafia.

Netflix reports tonight. It’s up strongly today.

You can subscribe to Joel’s Ross Rant here.

Favorite cleaning tools

+ Goo Gone.

+ Windex


+ Palmolive Ultra

Check. Check. Check.

I printed out the wrong label to send my taxes to yesterday.

Check. Check. Check. Good motto to live by.

Game of Thrones is back

Sunday’s return wasn’t that good. I watch the series for the scenery as much as the plot. I watch it in the dark. More fun that way.

I loved a few bits of dialog.

+ Naked whore: If you ever get lonely, I prefer older men.

Older man: She’ll be dead of the pox in year.

+ Queen: You want a whore, buy one. You want a Queen, earn one.

+ Q: What do dragons eat?

pause…

Queen of dragons: Whatever they want.

+ An oracle: Behold an unpleasant truth. Nothing lasts.

This could be your house

We just had a fire in our linen closet when a hot bulb touched the sheets. And they went up big-time and fast.

Fortunately I had a fire extinguisher handy and put the fire out. We were very lucky.

I bought more fire extinguishers. I will soon have them everywhere. Ditto for smoke detectors. I like this $53 one:

You can buy it here. 

This is my first product I’ve recommended as a new Amazon associate. If you buy this extinguisher, I get a commission.

I have no idea how much, but it’s probably better than a slap in the belly with a cold fish. So please buy some fire extinguishers and make me rich.

The desert island

A Jew shipwrecked on a desert island. He’s stuck for years! Using materials from the island, he builds a house, a store, and a synagogue. Eventually, he’s made a whole neighborhood.

One day, he’s rescued by a passing ship. The sailors help him collect his few possessions.

Just before they leave, one of the sailors says, “Hey! Why’d you build two synagogues?”

The man rolls his eyes. “This,” he says, pointing at one building, “Is my synagogue.”

“And that,” he says, pointing at the other, “Is the one I would never set foot in!”

Harry Newton, who continues to be impressed with Home Depot (HD). Sometimes you just gotta visit a store for stuff you need. Their people are super knowledgeable, super helpful and super friendly. I don’t know how they do it, but they do.

Recent stocks I like include AMZN, AYX, CCI, HD, TPL and TWLO.

 

4 Comments

  1. pop says:

    Harry – haven’t seen you link to this article in the Atlantic, but it hits center fairway for you…

    https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/05/the-trouble-with-dentistry/586039/

  2. Lemmy Snoggins says:

    I love how you call it like you see it. If anyone could be offended here, they need to reassess their lives. Stay true to yourself Harry, you’re the best!

  3. gerryb says:

    “What should I write about today that won’t offend you?” Don’t worry about offending anyone. Write what you think is true without slinging personal attacks the way some commenters here do to you. Those who respond in the comments should do the same.