Each time Facebook gets hit with regulatory problems, it’s a great buying opportunity. Here are the last five days:
Picking stocks, I stay away from companies that do stupid things — typically buying into an industry they don’t understand. Finding a way to give stupidity a whole new meaning.
Two examples:
+ Altria spent $12.8 billion to buy part of JUUL. It’s now writing off $4.1 billion as JUUL has all sorts predictable problems. Read more here.
+ Verizon bought Yahoo — a business it clearly didn’t understand. After all, it’s a telephone company. It’s now launched a TV finance channel to compete with CNBC, Bloomberg and Fox Business. Is Yahoo or Verizon nuts? Or are they both nuts? Verizon has already written off $4.6 billion. More coming.
Here are Verizon’s priorities for 2020, as explained today in their earnings deck today:
Can you believe this nonsense?
5G presents Verizon a huge opportunity. But it’s a long ways off. And I don’t see them having the marketing skills to drive enticing applications — like the Internet of Things. There’s no mention of IoT (Internet of Things) in this deck. Click here.
The best way to play 5G at present are the tower companies, especially CCI.
Huge Google scam
They call you constantly. They say your business needs to be “registered” with Google.
They take information from you — your name, your phone number, your business, what categories it fits into.
They tell you all this information will move you up the Google chain.
Then they ask you for $350.
Turns out they’re not Google. And it’s just a gigantic scam.
The scams are getting cleverer and cleverer.
Give up shaking hands, for now
Try fist bumping instead. Safer.
Keep washing your hands. Don’t touch your face. If you have breathing problems, be extra cautious. Maybe you need some stents? Visit your doctor and have your innards checked out. I have two friends who have new stents to speed up blood flow to their heart. They were having trouble breathing.
There are indications that the coronavirus virus is much worse than our governments are telling us. Read Kristof on how China’s Xi bungled it:
Coronavirus Spreads, and the World Pays for China’s Dictatorship
Xi used his tight rule to control information rather than to stop an epidemic.
Click here.
Favorite cartoons
What a shopper friendly store!
I can relate to this:
I find this one calming. I bet they both vote.
A dear friend rented an Airbnb with stairs like these
No hand railing on the bottom two stairs — the most dangerous ones!
Powerful thought
If it works, don’t mess with it. Another day I’ll tell you the story of my new faster, better, laptop.
For now, I commend Microsoft on changing everything it touches –including things are working.
Oih vey.
The Australian Tennis continues
The semis and the finals are on. ESPN2 and The Tennis Channel. Thiem will play Zverev in a semi-final at 3:30 AM tomorrow morning. Djokovic destroyed Federer, sadly. The men’s final will be Novak versus the winner of the Thiem/Zverev match. The women’s final is 3:30 AM on Saturday morning — Kenin versus Muguruza. The latest matches are replayed during our day. Don’t watch the news for the results.
Today in the market
Today Mr. Market is wiping off some of our gains.
I’ll go play tennis and focus on my down-the-line backhand. See you tomorrow.– Harry Newton
