{"id":44105,"date":"2018-09-27T10:06:32","date_gmt":"2018-09-27T14:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/?p=44105"},"modified":"2018-09-27T10:06:32","modified_gmt":"2018-09-27T14:06:32","slug":"how-to-pick-and-not-pick-stocks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/?p=44105","title":{"rendered":"How to pick and not pick stocks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Yesterday: Weird. The Fed says the economy is great. It raises rates a tiny bit &#8212; a quarter of one percent &#8212; which everyone knew it was going to do. And the market croaks. This is Nasdaq:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/yesterday.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44111\" src=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/yesterday.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"583\" height=\"289\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/yesterday.jpg 583w, https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/yesterday-300x149.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 583px) 100vw, 583px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I suspect it&#8217;s temporary.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">You&#8217;re telling me that someone would actually sell their Amazon, Apple or Netflix shares to invest in a savings account at Capital One earning 1.85% or a two-year CD earning the grand sum of 2.60%. They&#8217;re the highest according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bankrate.com\/cd.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>BankRate<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">There are three things this blog &#8212; InSearchOfThePerfectInvestment &#8212; can do for you (my readers) and me (the writer). Namely:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px; text-align: left;\">+ Keep us out of drecky stocks (spelling?),<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px; text-align: left;\">+ Put us into happy stocks, those that go up, (more about picking them tomorrow) and<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px; text-align: left;\">+ Stop us from panicking.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I&#8217;ve made lists for everyone of vast areas I don&#8217;t like &#8212; commodities, emerging and overseas non-emerging markets, cryptocurrencies\/blockchain, cannabis\/marijuana, retailers without proprietary products (like Bed Bath and Beyond), venture funds, hedge funds, distress equity funds&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">There are dangers in this: I miss fleeting explosive booms &#8212; bitcoin, marijuana, etc.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">But these things often explode and then implode just as quickly. I don&#8217;t have the timing skills.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Also the hype in the media makes me sick &#8212; though I recognize the media&#8217;s job is hype. That&#8217;s how it gets viewers and sells ads for dubious products like Prevagen and gold coins.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Here are three predictable drecky stocks. I didn&#8217;t short them. Why not? Because it&#8217;s hard. I send much time\u00a0time agonizing over hotness. I can&#8217;t run two opposing thoughts in my tiny brain. Which is another reason I&#8217;m opposed to long\/short hedge funds. You just can&#8217;t have it both ways.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Searstwoyears.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44114\" src=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Searstwoyears.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"596\" height=\"264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Searstwoyears.jpg 596w, https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Searstwoyears-300x133.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 596px) 100vw, 596px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/GETwoYears.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44115\" src=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/GETwoYears.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"604\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/GETwoYears.jpg 604w, https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/GETwoYears-300x130.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 604px) 100vw, 604px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/FordTwoYears.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44121\" src=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/FordTwoYears.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"597\" height=\"259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/FordTwoYears.jpg 597w, https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/FordTwoYears-300x130.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 597px) 100vw, 597px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Most useful tools.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Yesterday I used them to tighten my glasses, tighten the door hinges (the door now closes) and replace a hard drive in a laptop.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The one on the left is a baby one &#8212; $9.97. Click\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B01EOY7LTA\/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;psc=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The one on the right is for normal screws. About $8. Click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/STANLEY-68-012M-All-In-One-6-Way-Screwdriver\/dp\/B00009V431\/ref=sr_1_5?s=hi&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1537987955&amp;sr=1-5&amp;keywords=stanley+screwdriver+4+in+1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Screwdriver2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44107\" src=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Screwdriver2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"98\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/screwdriver.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44108\" src=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/screwdriver.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"153\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Two screwdrivers. Best investment you&#8217;ll ever make.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Drop your cell phone on a plane<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">+ If you drop your cell phone into your plane&#8217;s seat, don&#8217;t fish for it. Call for an attendant. Phones can get crushed by the seat&#8217;s mechanism and burn up. I don&#8217;t make this up. It&#8217;s happened several times.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>This week&#8217;s favorite New Yorker cartoon<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Gerald.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44126\" src=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Gerald.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"539\" height=\"473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Gerald.jpg 539w, https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Gerald-300x263.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 539px) 100vw, 539px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/HarryNewton.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-21218\" src=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/HarryNewton.jpg\" alt=\"HarryNewton\" width=\"200\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/HarryNewton.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/HarryNewton-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nHarry Newton, who preaches <strong>&#8220;In every investment, there&#8217;s always a gotcha<\/strong>.&#8221; I love this one: We are parking in 15 Central Park West, arguably the most expensive apartment building in Manhattan. It was (or maybe still is) a Goldman Sachs building. They raised the prices of the apartments 19 times on the plan &#8212; before it was even built. Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman has an apartment here. Our parking space is cheap. Why because there&#8217;s no demand from the building. No one drives or parks their own car (except us). Everyone has their own driver! Gotcha. the garage is half empty.<\/p>\n<p>We fixed the email software. Fingers crossed. If you&#8217;re missing columns, they&#8217;re all on the web. Click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><script>\/\/ <![CDATA[\n(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){\n  (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),\n  m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)\n  })(window,document,'script','\/\/www.google-analytics.com\/analytics.js','ga');\n\n  ga('create', 'UA-45200733-1', 'technologyinvestor.com');\n  ga('send', 'pageview');\n<\/script>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yesterday: Weird. The Fed says the economy is great. It raises rates a tiny bit &#8212; a quarter of one percent &#8212; which everyone knew it was going to do. And the market croaks. This is Nasdaq: I suspect it&#8217;s temporary. You&#8217;re telling me that someone would actually sell their Amazon, Apple or Netflix shares [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44105"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44128,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44105\/revisions\/44128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}