A retired American general got on BubbleVision to say that the “eviscerated” U.S. military should be rescued. Buy defense stocks?<\/p>\n
Neither Ukraine nor Gaza will affect the earnings of most public American companies.<\/p>\n
But all of it reflects how dangerous the world has suddenly become. A few of these surface to air missiles in the hands of nut cases and positioned around major world airports could do serious damage to world commerce, perhaps shooting down many planes.<\/p>\n
A little “wait and see” seems to be the best investment strategy.<\/p>\n
“Cheap” commercial real estate seem suddenly\u00a0 to be more available. I’m seeing more interesting opportunities in syndication. I suspect large institutions — like banks and insurance companies —\u00a0 are now more comfortable selling some of their drek, their poorly-performing properties. This is probably because the Fed has succeeded in re-capitalizing them and they now fell comfortable selling drek, which they’ve carried on the balance sheets at twice what it was worth.<\/p>\n
Strengthening the banks (and “the world financial system”) has been a major Fed Reserve goal since the 2008 crash. You were told (and believed) the low interest rates were designed to boost the economy by encouraging the banks to lend you and I money so we could expand our businesses and hire more people. No way, cheap money was designed to let the banks borrow cheap and invest in anything (lots of treasuries) that paid a little yield. That yield margin made the banks rich, got their stocks (and bonuses) up and back. Remember, the Fed, Treasury and Goldman Sachs (and others) are revolving doors. Everyone works at all three in their careers. In their minds they’re the same company.<\/p>\n
My friends in M&A tell me we should expect more mergers and acquisitions in coming months. I don’t like picking stocks based on someone buying them. But there’s a lot of obvious ones out there. I lucked out with DTV.<\/p>\n
The high dividend yielders are holding up. I hold CIM, AGNC, NLY, STWD, HTGC and WSR. Yields range between 7.5% and 11.3% based on yesterday’s close.<\/p>\n
Look what’s happening to interest rates. They’re falling. If they were rising, this chart would be rising. This is one month:<\/p>\n
\u00a027 Australians died on the missile-hit Malaysian plane.<\/strong><\/span> Most came from Western Australia, where my precious Susan was born. Among them Nick Norris and his three grandchildren:<\/p>\n Otis Maslin<\/p>\n Evie Maslin<\/p>\n Several airline-savy\u00a0 friends wondered why Malaysian Airlines sent its plane over a war zone. Bad decision. I’ve personally been on planes that avoided entire countries in the middle east.<\/p>\n The children’s parents were not on the plane.<\/p>\n JPMorgan Chase just put this out.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n It’s good. Here’s some of its advice. Some obvious, but some you never thought of:<\/p>\n CARRY ONLY WHAT YOU NEED<\/p>\n The less personal information you have with you, the better off you will be if your purse or wallet is stolen. For example, do not carry your Social Security or Medicare card with you, since they are rarely needed.<\/p>\n IMMEDIATELY REPORT LOST OR STOLEN CREDIT CARDS<\/p>\n Call each issuer and ask to have the stolen card accounts closed and new ones opened to replace them.<\/p>\n J.P. Morgan-and most other financial institutions-will block payments on checks reported lost or stolen. Review orders of new checks to make sure none have been stolen in transit. (Note: Thieves often steal checks from the middle of a checkbook, so review the entire book.) Also, review your statement for counterfeit checks, and be sure the checks that clear the bank were written by you.<\/p>\n DON’T PREPRINT PERSONAL DATA ON CHECKS<\/p>\n Your checks should only provide necessary information. Phone numbers, Social Security numbers and personal information beyond name and address should not be included. (Harry’s comment. I don’t think you need your address, either.)<\/p>\n GUARD PINS AND PASSWORDS<\/p>\n Do not write your personal identification numbers (PINs) on your ATM, debit or credit cards-or store PINs with your cards. \u0007 Do not create PINs or passwords using information that can be guessed easily (birthdays, addresses or children’s names). \u0007 Create strong passwords with a combination of numbers and upper- and lowercase letters. Avoid using the top five most popular passwords:<\/p>\n 1 Password Set your laptop to require a password when it is turned on, especially when you are traveling.<\/p>\n BE ALERT TO TELEPHONE SCAMS<\/p>\n Be wary about providing personal information to telephone callers you do not know. Don’t respond if you don’t feel comfortable doing so. Fraudsters pose as research or financial firms.<\/p>\n FIND ANOTHER WAY TO PAY<\/p>\n Consider using online bill pay.<\/p>\n OPT FOR PAPERLESS STATEMENTS<\/p>\n Safely print your statements at home rather than having them mailed to you.<\/p>\n PROTECT FINANCIAL RECORDS AND CANCELED CHECKS<\/p>\n Keep financial documents and records in a safe place-away from anyone, such as workers, who may come into your home. Safeguard new or unused checks as well as ATM and credit card receipts. This information can be used by fraudsters to access your accounts.<\/p>\n SHRED MAIL YOU NO LONGER WANT<\/p>\n Consider a home paper shredder to dispose of all sensitive or financial documents, including invoices or unwanted money solicitations. Fraudsters can use these to assume your identity.<\/p>\n USE TRUSTED ATMS<\/p>\n Only use your ATM card in well-lit public places. Avoid any ATMs that look strange, tampered with or out of place<\/p>\n KEEP YOUR INFORMATION PRIVATE<\/p>\n Don’t give out financial information on the telephone, such as your checking account or credit card numbers, unless you initiate the call and know the person or organization to whom you are speaking. Be especially protective of your Social Security number and date of birth. Do not give personal information to anyone who calls you, even someone claiming to be from J.P. Morgan. Legitimate representatives of J.P. Morgan will never contact you by phone or email to request your PIN or password.<\/p>\n ERASE PERSONAL DATA BEFORE DISCARDING A COMPUTER<\/p>\n Completely remove all personal information from any computer or mobile device you plan to replace. Use a wipe utility program to overwrite the entire hard drive or check your owner’s manual, the service provider’s website, or the device manufacturer’s website for information on how to permanently delete information.<\/p>\n CONDUCT ONLINE TRANSACTIONS WITH CARE<\/p>\n Make sure the websites you visit to conduct financial transactions or purchase goods and services are secure and protect your data from Internet theft. Look for websites that use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt your personal information. Such sites use https:\/\/ at the start of their web addresses (URLs).<\/p>\n Refrain from using a public computer for any purpose (this applies to hotel “business centers,” Internet cafes, etc.). Public computers may be infected with keystroke-logging malware, thereby capturing your username and password. \u0007 If at all possible, avoid using an Internet-based email account to conduct bank business. Refrain from storing financial information in email files or sending files via email. \u0007 Avoid using public wireless networks.<\/p>\n BE ALERT TO FRAUDULENT EMAIL<\/p>\n Avoid opening files, clicking on links or downloading programs sent by strangers. Opening these files may expose your system either to a computer virus or to spyware that captures your passwords and\/or other information as you type. \u0007 If a company that claims to have an account with you sends an email asking for personal information, go to its site (avoid using any links in the email; connect directly from your browser), and contact the company through customer service. Or, call the customer service number listed on your account statement. Ask whether the company really sent a request. \u0007 Delete without opening email you receive from unknown senders. \u0007 Be suspicious of emails from a trusted friend asking for personal information; also beware of emails with typos or strange word\/sentence construction. \u0007 Do not respond to threatening emails, such as one saying your account has been compromised. Instead, call the company directly to see if there is a problem with your account<\/p>\n For the full excellent JPMorgan fraud booklet, click here.<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n![\"tbtonemonth\"](\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/tbtonemonth.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/a>and Mo Maslin.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2 123456
\n3 12345678
\n4 1234
\n5 qwerty<\/p>\n