It was a challenging year in many ways, and the stock markets had to digest a significant shift in interest rates, which negatively influenced almost all asset values. 2022 is now over, and I can lock this year up in the far corners of my memory where it becomes history and hopefully sits still and does not come back to haunt me.
Q3 2022 Update
Recently I have been reading up on what primatologists have to say studying primate apes’ behavior and see if we can learn anything from them that explains our behavior as humans today. The great thing about studying primate apes, with which we share 96% of our DNA, is that you can only study their behavior. They don’t sit on the couch telling stories, don’t fill out questionnaires, and cannot skew the narrative towards a forlorn conclusion like most of us.
Q2 2022 Update – Transitions in the Markets continue Part 3
Was it only yesterday we were staying tuned to all the news surrounding Covid-19, which, so it seems, in a flash changed to the news surrounding the current war in Ukraine and its implications for globalization?
Q1 2022 Update – Transitions in the Markets continue Part 2
Was it only yesterday we were staying tuned to all the news surrounding Covid-19, which, so it seems, in a flash changed to the news surrounding the current war in Ukraine and its implications for globalization?
What is anything worth? Investing with new paradigms.
I just completed a real estate transaction and am now the proud owner of another piece of land. And you know what is so cool? It is adjacent to where Snoop Dogg, the famous American musician, and rapper, bought his mansion. I marvel at the chance to waft the smell of my famous slow-cooked BBQ ribs over to Snoop Dogg and entice him to come over and join my party. I have been eying this lot for more than two years, but I could never convince myself to put the monies down. My discontent grew as the asking price almost doubled in a few months, and I told myself how crazy this was to let it go. I convinced myself prices would fall again, a reverse to the mean sort of thing.
Full Year 2021 Update
First and foremost, our thoughts are going out to all of you affected by Covid-19. It has been a difficult second year with this virus around us and some of us are back into lockdown. We will only know the full psychological, biological, and economic effects of the virus years from now. Nonetheless, one thing is for sure in our minds: we will get past this epic period, adapt if necessary, and the sun will shine bright for many days to come. We wish you and your close ones a Happy New Year!
Alpha, the search for sustainable competitive advantage in a company
A daily glance or two in a mirror softens the transforming and deepening grooves of our life’s journey on our skin. The changes are subtle and hardly noticeable on a daily basis but there is no fooling ourselves in the long run. Change is inevitable and surely quite visible.
Change is a constant in all that exists: our universe, our planet, our nature, our families, our careers, our companies, our work, and ultimately our lives. Most of us prefer a status quo, the same, it is predictable, it is easy, and does not require a lot of mental energy – routines have become automatic and known. Staying in our comfort zone is so much easier, so why change?
Meme stocks, the long road home, compound interest and patience
Who would have thought we would be talking about meme stocks and who would have thought that the stock market could become an entertainment platform for not only the weekend warrior investor but for everybody who is not on Zoom doing something semi-serious, armed with a Robinhood API and fully loaded with Reddit and Twitter accounts ready to go to battle?