Archive - 2013 - Blog entry

Argues that despite the growth the of the state in response to the crisis, what characterizes the current investment climate is the weakness of the state.  This asssessment is not limited to the US, where the federal government remains partially closed.   

We identify the six investment themes that look likely to generate alpha over the coming decade.

While it is not surprising to see the apparent supreme dominance of Google and Facebook on the Web, the more important question is global data privacy and the related measures.

It is seriously 1999 all over again here in the Silicon Valley. There's the revival of Kozmo (OK, that's in New York, but still.......), the comic run-up of TWTRQ yesterday, and now, right across the street from where I am sitting, there is Draper University.

Technically, the dollar is looking a bit better.  Here is our assessment.

Toga, Toga, Toga!!!

The zero-nuclear option has a hugely popular and powerful backer in Shinzo Abe’s own party: former Prime Minister Koizumi

“Spies … Can Now, For The First Time, Monitor Everything About Us, And They Can Do So With A Few Clicks Of A Mouse And – To Placate The Lawyers – A Drop-Down Menu Of Justifications”

One of the biggest laughs of the conference came when Smith presented the slide, ‘Emperor … With No Clothes’  which compared how the value of the Roman denarius, silver coin and the U.S. paper dollar have fared during periods of currency debasement. 

The chart shows the silver denarius since Nero and the dollar since Nixon and looked at the level of debasement during the reign of each Roman Emperor and the term of each Presidency.

Turning over new leaves and all that stuff is great if you believe that your true nature can be changed. But, leopards rarely change their spots and Iranian spots are just as indelible as any others in the world. 

Warmongering Continuing Full Speed Ahead

The Mother of all Deficits...

Gold recouped much of Tuesday's peculiar flash crash losses and rose by 2.4% yesterday rebounding some $40 from a two month low at $1,278.24/oz earlier in the session.

At one time it was the Gold Rush that obsessed everyone as there were screams and shouts to be heard of ‘there’s gold in them there hills’. Now, it’s sugar that is creating the buzz in the investment world.

What would you say to working in either Switzerland or Yemen? The choice wouldn’t take too long to ponder over I guess when it comes to providing a healthy environment in which factors that would lead to long-term economic success that might be taken into consideration.