September 7, 2023

Still fighting the temporary #inflation Powell so eagerly deemed temporary a couple of years back. Once entrenched, prices hold the throne more than Jerome does the Chair of the #FederalReserve of the United States. Nip it in the bud or soon the bought kills you.

Early May, 2023

Stock market goes up; opportunity goes down. Stock market goes down; opportunity goes up. True of the market, true of individual stocks. Momentum is key, but beware of greed.

April 20, 2023

The government of Russian President Vladimir Putin is increasingly using treason and espionage laws, aka the canons, to stifle dissent and smother criticism of the war against Ukraine and expand his crackdown on opponents.

Per Russian lawyers and human-rights defenders, prosecutors often add more severe charges including terrorism and extremism to acts of dissent that were previously punished with minor fines and other inconveniences. Sentences are also getting longer.

Hold on, are we talking about the same Vladimir who now figures amongst the list of people indicted in the International Criminal Court (ICC)? The ICC indeed issued arrest warrants for the comedian and another senior Russian official accused of war crimes linked to the forced deportation of children from occupied areas of Ukraine. As reported in the Wall Street Journal on March 18, 2023, "It marks the first time the leader of a nuclear superpower has been called to account before the court, an independent institution established in 2002 to end impunity for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide."

The list of individuals who have been indicted on any counts of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, aggression,  or contempt of court in the ICC pursuant to the Rome Statute is available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_indicted_in_the_International_Criminal_Court

It's a zoo. Enjoy at your own risk. 

Meanwhile, the Russian economy has been declining for decades. It used to be the fifth largest economy in the world in 1913, behind the United States, China, Germany and Britain. By 1957, the Soviet economy was the world’s second largest after America’s. Now a simple online search shows it fails to figure in the top ten by GDP, if not top twenty after accounting for currency conversions. It is now risking oblivion because of international sanctions and the flight of businesses. Its isolation may further erode its competitiveness.

Sure, GDP rankings tend to fail to account for health and other social criteria, but the current combination of economic and social stress, sanctions and war decimations, can't help.

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April 9, 2023

The opioid crisis has yet to be overcome. Fentanyl is deadly because it’s so much stronger than heroin, as shown by the photograph available if you click below, which was taken at the New Hampshire State Police Forensic Laboratory. On the left is a lethal dose of heroin, equivalent to about 30 milligrams; on the right is a 3-milligram dose of fentanyl, enough to kill an adult male. For recreational purposes, avoid at all costs.

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Early 2023

A Fascinating Conundrum: The Rift Between Germany and Many of Its allies.

Europe seems to be winning its energy war with Russia. The region’s economy is stabilizing. Now many NATO, specially European (UK, Poland, even France), allies are pushing for more decisive support of Ukraine - including delivery of the very symbolic German-made Leopard 2 tanks to its troops. The idea is to win the war at a time when U.S. support for Ukraine is still clear but may dwindle due to shifting politics in Washington. An election year is coming, after all, and Republican opposition may gain momentum.

But Germany fears Russian nuclear escalation. For good reason. Not too tough to imagine President Vladimir Putin, who's increasingly frustrated with being unable to win the war, losing it. Russia's size of 6.602 million mi² dwarfs that of Ukraine's 233,090 mi². By a factor of 25,000 times, mind you. Ridiculous! The question then becomes, Is Vlad smart enough and, more importantly, sensitive or reasonable or compassionate enough, that he'll find it in himself to be a, how shall I put it, rational, no, human, just human, leader. Oh, come on, let's dream for a minute. Fascinating conundrum. Germany's in a bit of a pickle for sure.

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November/December 2022

Independently of party color or affiliation, President Biden's turning 80 and becoming the first octogenarian to hold the office, as he mulls a reelection bid, should make us all proud of the strides we, as a society, have made fighting age discrimination.

We can only hope that other types of discrimination will cease soon, as well, no matter the race, color, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, social or economic or employment status,
religion, national origin, etc.

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November 18, 2022

NASA’s Artemis I mission's Orion spacecraft is speeding toward a lunar orbit after a historic rocket launch in the early morning hours of November 16, 2022. The mission is part of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to create a sustained human presence on the moon and push on to deeper-space operations. No one has touched down on the lunar surface since 1972; that's just about half a century!

At different stages during the flight toward and around an orbit that will take it around 40,000 miles beyond the moon, before it races back to Earth after about 26 days, Orion will face radiation exposure, use solar arrays to generate power, test communications and propulsion systems and, lucky she, forget about inflation, recession, the war in Ukraine, other sweet geopolitical tensions, FTX's crypto collapse, and so many more delights.

Wondering if stocks can go to the moon too. May Orion take a few shares, please.

Thank you.

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November 15, 2022

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc (HLT) remains a core holding of Bill Ackman's Pershing Square. Nice defensive play. Not buying, though. Tech and long-duration stock collapse is starting to reveal even more compelling opportunities.

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November 4, 2022

Fight Inflation, Save Monies, Eat Avocados

Groceries keep going up, but avocados are down. Thank bumper crops in Mexico and drop in demand from Europe or China, courtesy of the war in Ukraine and Covid curbs.

Guacamole anyone?

Not Everything's Inflated: Advocate Avocados

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First (October 2022)

Russia's defense minister said 200,000 men had entered the army as part of a mobilization drive started in September.

Not one on the front line will be #Putin.

#RussianMobilization