+ It’s makes no sense to go with many of the “fashions” that we hear on BubbleVision — e.g. stocks that benefit from a newly open economy, like cruise and airlines.<\/p>\n
+ Some financials, like GS and MS, have done well. I missed them because I’m singularly unimpressed with the service I personally receive from them. That has rarely been a good reason to own or not own stocks. I like the service I get from Amazon, but it hasn’t gone anywhere this year.<\/p>\n
It’s 2:54 Thursday morning. I’m bare on investment tips. Except I like what we have. See our list in the right hand column on the web site. Click here.<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n What you don’t like is critical.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n For months I have warned against owning Chinese stocks. I’ve been right. Here’s the miserable “performance” of the top five (biggest) Chinese stocks year to date:<\/p>\n Some\u00a0 stock gurus are now saying Chinese stocks have now reached bottom. (Double “now” for effect.)<\/p>\n Personally I don’t like catching falling knives.<\/p>\n Crypto update<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n An amazing number of my otherwise intelligent friends are putting a piece of their portfolio into crypto — especially\u00a0Bitcoin and Ethereum. One especially intelligent fellow, JIm, tells me his cryptos were his strongest gainers in\u00a0the past year.<\/p>\n I asked him who he used? He said Coinbase. The following day I see this headline on CNBC.com:<\/p>\n Cramer says you should have 5% of your portfolio in crypto. I’m dubious, since I continue not <\/strong>to understand why Bitcoin is worth $50,000 or Ethereum $3,2150. Or why they’re worth anything. I have this notion that value in investing is created by old fashioned things like growth in earnings and dividends. I know the world has changed. We are now all entitled to easy, fast money, especially if we’re under 30, which I’m not. Sadly.<\/p>\n Personally I might be encouraged to buy a little crypto if I could get more comfortable where it is. Coinbase is not my level of comfort. Nor is Grayscale which is heavily advertising its crypto ETFs – namely GBTC and ETHE. I’m not impressed with their performance this year. But I am impressed with Grayscale’s fees which are<\/strong>\u00a0irmpressive.<\/p>\n Inspiring true story<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Two 17-year old Portland high school students bought a local email list and emailed their willingness to come to your house and detail your car. Two hours of hard work. They bring all the tools, including a shop-vac. $150. Michael, my son, had his car detailed. It’s not like new. But it’s better than a slap in the belly with a cold fish.<\/p>\n Politics and meritocracy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Michael turned me onto this silly book. I did learn that all the people who made stupid decisions on Vietnam and Afghanistan all had Ivy League educations.<\/p>\n Biden, who’s doing the right thing and getting us out of Afghanistan has a decidedly non-Ivy League education:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>College of Law – Syracuse University<\/a>\u00a0(1968),\u00a0University of Delaware<\/a>\u00a0(1965),\u00a0Archmere Academy<\/a>\u00a0(1961).<\/span><\/p>\n I do believe in meritocracy — the ascent of practical skills. My present mission is to find useful skills my grand kids can learn — which they probably won’t learn in their pricey schools. Start with finance, investing, deductive reasoning, mechanics, woodwork, programming software… and best of all, questioning the “experts” (i.e. the value of doing your own research). Any ideas?<\/p>\n The best Leatherman<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n It’s the Leathernman Style CS. Its primary tool is scissors, which I find far more useful than pliers. It’s $29.95. Click here.<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Sadly this place isn’t still around<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I saw this on our recent trip out west. This was in Montana.<\/p>\n In praise of lying flat<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Work is boring and exhaustive. Hence we have a new “religion.” It’s called “lying flat.” People are now making a lving teaching and writing about lying flat — i.e. sittng on your porch doing nothing, except napping, which rejuvenates.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Chinese-Stocks.jpg\")
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