tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81033172024-03-07T16:40:21.438-08:00The Learning Curve by MuckdogI discuss stocks, investing and the current events that impact your wallet. Then I spice it up with a little politics, sports, and hot babes. I am a warm weather fan, tech geek, TV watcher, news junkie, exercise hound, NFL fan, and I love dark chocolate.muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.comBlogger3723125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-57420557621867024182022-11-09T22:48:00.001-08:002022-11-09T22:49:28.887-08:00FTX, Binance and Crypto<img id="id_cafc_8afb_fe66_48b" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/TzSF7u18VK3qjUIohKfxLlf_K2T3xJ0CSCopwGfw2q_pZH7T2EshR1ivaw-A8LnNmj0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 271px; height: auto; margin: 4px; float: right; display: block;">While everyone is watching election ballot drops and wondering what the hell is going on in Maricopa County, <a href="app:///private/var/containers/Bundle/Application/6F105BAD-B25C-401A-9358-4AD85124BBD9/BlogTouch.app/ui/tablet/html/texteditor/Binance%20backs%20out%20of%20FTX%20rescue,%20leaving%20the%20crypto%20exchange%20on%20the%20brink%20of%20collapse%20https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/09/binance-backs-out-of-ftx-rescue-leaving-the-crypto-exchange-on-the-brink-of-collapse.html" id="id_be5c_5bc7_7fd0_649f">investors in FTX</a> are wondering what the hell is going on with their accounts. This is getting a lot of coverage in the financial channels, but outside of that … not much! Yet, those who are impacted are probably feeling really horrible about what’s going on. Binance is in then out. What are these folks going to do?<div>Overall, what does this mean for crypto? Do people who have money elsewhere invested in various cryptos head for the exits, hold on for dear life (HODL), or what? Bitcoin and Etherium took a beating today on the market, and it will be interesting to see how the whole crypto market holds up in the days, weeks and months ahead.</div><div>Disclosure: Zero holdings in crypto.</div> muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-34778316619154641032022-11-06T11:43:00.001-08:002022-11-06T11:46:30.247-08:00Stocks and Election Thoughts and Elon Musk<ul><li><div style="text-align: left;">Since I last blogged, the stock market went into a bear market. It remains stuck! Every rally attempt has been beaten down by the bears, chief among them Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell. He’s been on a relentless interest rate hike to tame the beast of inflation.</div></li><li>“<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demand-pull_inflation" id="id_619a_5c09_3fa5_542b">Too much money chasing too few goods</a>.” All the covid stimulus, including the stimulus checks, eviction moratoriums, halting student debt repayments, rates near 0%, and government deficit spending and various bills (infrastructure, “inflation reduction act”), juiced spending and inflated asset prices. Meanwhile, the pandemic itself has led to economic shutdowns and supply chain shortages around the globe. And did I mention a war in Europe? Russia invading Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions has driven up the costs of oil and natural gas, while putting pressure on things like fertilizer, wheat, and other things.</li><li>As rates go up, stock market valuations have come down. In addition, corporate earnings reports have been lackluster and future guidance has been poor. We are also seeing companies announce hiring freezes and layoffs. This could accelerate going forward.</li><li><a href="https://fortune.com/2022/10/29/california-tax-revenues-decline-plunging-stock-market-tech-economy-markets/" id="id_2453_3da4_4122_fc13">California’s tax revenues are coming in light</a>! To be expected, as California receives a lot of tax revenue from a small number of people and companies, and if earnings are down and capital gains are non-existent, tax revenues will fall short. So much for the budget surplus of yesteryear!</li></ul><b><font size="4">My thoughts on it all: I’m 100% invested and have ridden the bear market down. I continue to add to positions and reallocate to stocks and sectors that I think will do well going forward. I’m not chasing the hot stocks and sectors that have outperformed during the bear market. I’m more interested in tech and growth that will outperform once the bear market ends and the new bull market unfolds. Patience… Patience… Patience…</font></b><div><br><ul><li><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/elon-musk-defies-management-mantras-with-his-rapid-overhaul-at-twitter-11667730675" id="id_90ea_b080_a4bc_65b7">Elon Musk takes over Twitter</a>, and immediately announces layoffs and upcoming changes to the platform. There are a lot of “hot takes” on how this is going and how this will play out. My hot take is that he makes a lot of changes, the changes are mostly well-received over time, and he takes Twitter public again as a hot IPO. Or maybe I’m just borrowing that hot take from something I read on Twitter! </li><li>NFL Sunday! Another day to remind me that my fantasy football team is a bunch of hits and mostly misses week to week! But at least the Dolphins have a fun offense to watch again.</li><li>Election hot take: I don’t know. Generic polls seem mostly useless, as most House districts are gerrymandered. Maybe the polls have more value in statewide elections. Polls seem close for the Senate. GOP might get the House. I think the GOP does well in local races that are out of the national spotlight. </li><li>The Senate races are going to be close and contested. I’m not an election denier or believe cheating was found in 2020. But, I’m not sure our election systems aren’t designed to allow cheating by both sides. I just don’t know how they would do it, or do do it. We have so many different voting systems around the 50 states, different rules and laws, precincts, polling locations, drop boxes and mail-in ballots. We don’t have voter ID. Signature validation software is sketchy. Again, I don’t think any cheating was found in 2020. </li></ul></div>muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-44965955984704449592022-04-20T11:49:00.001-07:002022-04-20T11:49:13.709-07:00And Then, Two Years Later<ul><li><img id="id_8920_ae21_a730_8325" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Y6K5Zovvf-eipE5wHVdx6MJEXdwKxu05VjTPwTZP7Bs2E8pIJLDL-oFIh4SwwRdDc-8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 348px; height: auto; margin: 4px; float: right; display: block;">Has it been two years since I blogged? We were all so much younger then! Netflix… Federal Reserve… Apple Macs… Let’s gooooo….</li><li>Meanwhile, Joe Biden is President and kinda/sorta hanging in there, with inflation raging, war raging, crisis on the border raging, and the stock market teetering. But it seems like COVID-19 is winding down a bit, right? RIGHT?</li><li>I heard a federal reserve dude, Boston I think, talk about how maybe - just maybe, the Fed wouldn’t have to be so aggressive if the economy was slowing down. Or something like that. We’ve also heard that they feel they need to get to “neutral” faster than anticipated.</li><li>Do we talk about Netflix stock today? That’s a big drop. If you recall from my earlier blog posts and podcasts, I mentioned maybe 20 years ago or so that I didn’t buy Netflix because I was worried about competition. I WAS EARLY, OK??? $NFLX</li><li>I will say about Netflix that it seems like their in-house content is of less quality than some of their competition. Some is good enough, for sure. But some… eh. And the prices have gone up.</li><li>Happy 420 day! </li><li>Netflix is still great though. Watch it almost daily here!</li><li>I bought a Mac Studio M1 Ultra. Probably way more than I need but it was in stock locally so just got it. First time with a Mac, and you always remember the first time! More later. Maybe I will do a blog post on what I think of the thing. Zippy but strange coming from a Windows only user for decades.</li><li>Maybe COVID ended up hurting Netflix, in that the damn virus hurt production releases of some of the hits. It’s hard coming back to a show after a long break. “We were on a break!”</li><li>If the Fed doesn’t hike or hints at a “wait and see” approach, does the market rally?</li><li>If Russia ends up winning in Ukraine at least partially and things wind down, does that help?</li><li>End of COVID dividend? Back to travel? Back to doing things other than just streaming Netflix? (I’ve been traveling a lot lately).</li></ul>muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-486932214865869392020-10-13T11:01:00.001-07:002020-10-13T11:01:25.659-07:00Stocks... Election... ACB Hearings...<p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Stock market mixed a bit today. Earnings season is kicking off. JNJ COVID19 vaccine trial halted.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: 11pt;">What's better for stocks? A blue wave sweep where Biden wins and the Dems take the Senate and keep the House? So says Guggenheim's Scott Minerd.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Disney announces that they're reorganizing and focusing more on streaming! Shares trading about 4% higher as I type.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It's Amazon Prime Day! (If you need another Echo Dot).</span></li><li><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The big question for investors, is whether Disney stock will receive a higher PE multiple on the news. I have owned $DIS for a long time, and it has underperformed this year and recently. Hard for travel and vacation related stocks to thrive in a COVID19 world.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Yesterday, I tuned into the opening remarkds on the ACB hearing for the SCOTUS. I decided not to watch today.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: 11pt;">But I did watch some of the Apple Event on the new iPhone! The latest and the greatest! These things used to be kind of exciting, but it seems like improvements are marginal in the terms of how most of us use the phone.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I watched "Christopher Robin" on Disney+ recently. (Spoiler: No time travel or world ending plague involved).</span></li><li><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I would think investors prefer gridlock, like we have now. The government is basically at a standstill. No legislation can be passed. Status quo! Full speed ahead!</span></li><li><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Blue Wave Sweep would happen if the polls are right as of today. Are they?</span></li></ul></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><o:p></o:p></p>muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-55587832828814708792020-10-12T13:30:00.001-07:002020-10-12T13:30:54.879-07:00ACB Hearings and Stocks Surging!<div><ul><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">The stock market rally continued today... Apple iPhone event? ACB hearings? Amazon Prime Day? Or just general enthusiasm about the economy?</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Yes, the economy isn’t working for everyone - if that’s even a thing. I think a lot of the strip mall shops and restaurants are still struggling due to people wanting to avoid COVD19. But other parts of the economy around tech, remote work and shopping are doing well.</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I’d like to take October off from the movie streaming services. At least the “new releases” lists. There is one Halloween horror movie after another. Not my thing!</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">The Nasdaq is just 1.5% down from all-time closing high!</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Who has had a Beyond Meat burger (or anything)?</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I suppose the COVID19 vaccine and therapeutic stocks are another speculative area. I think we know the major players, right?</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I did watch The Social Dilemma on Netflix. The horror of social media...</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I watched some of the Amy Coney Barrett hearing today. Uh, nobody is going to learn anything watching that. Just looked like a bunch of nonsense to me.</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Amazon Prime Day tomorrow. If you don’t already have 12 Echo Dots around your home, here’s a chance to pick up a few more.</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Started watching Home After Dark on Apple+ and it’s not bad. Kid sleuth tries to solve a crime sort of thing.</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Anyway... Happy Columbus Day!</li></ul></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"> muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-60918759951910221282020-10-11T20:21:00.001-07:002020-10-11T20:21:16.073-07:00Trump or Biden?<ul><li><span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Trump or Biden?</span></li><li><span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Watch the polls!</span></li><li><span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">If the polls tighten over the next 3 weeks to within a few points, then Trump will win. I believe this means that the polls up through today were engineered. And, that the polling companies will have to close the gap to remain credible after the election. </span></li><li><span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">If the polls don’t tighten, then Biden will win in a landslide. Everyone on Twitter who told you the polls are engineered are just batshit crazy!</span></li><li><span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Whoever you want to win, if he doesn’t, relax! There will be another election in 4 years!</span></li></ul> muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-71302348663710941722020-10-11T18:13:00.001-07:002020-10-11T18:13:01.230-07:00Are the Polls Acccurate?<img id="id_8c03_612_3edf_b56c" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/e2uOu7-cs39pU1fqcwEwMpuFu8TrmQoxlp4T8yk0a5qJrUZAtRyVd030sD_kUDc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 236px; height: auto; margin: 4px; float: right; display: block;">Are the polls accurate?<div><br></div><div>If you look at the overall national polls, Biden is up by a large amount. If you look at the polling in the Battleground states, and even some of the usually “safe” Republican states, Biden is up.</div><div><br></div><div>Are the polls wonky? Have the polls been manipulated to show Biden running away with the election to discourage Republican voters?</div><div><br></div><div>I think one “tell” that the polls could be rigged would be if the huge Biden leads start to narrow the close the country gets to the election date. If Biden truly is leading by a significant margin, the polls will remain the same and Biden will cruise to a landslide victory. If Trump is ahead or the nation is closely split, the polls will have to narrow to within a reasonable margin of error to maintain credibility going forward.</div><div><br></div><div>Watch for the polls to narrow. If that doesn’t happen, Biden will probably win big. If the polls narrow, then look for a Trump win.</div><div><br></div><div>That’s my opinion as of today, anyway.</div>muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-47753581037982945852020-10-10T16:20:00.002-07:002020-10-10T16:49:14.925-07:00Stocks... Presidential Election... COVID19<div><ul><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><img id="id_b099_50d5_7fa9_86c3" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/0H9njdL_FXiitwS2XD-GLB7nibfUNHtN8urSVC-zu_sz7NWtXAMtja_K9srQR3I" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 301px; height: auto; margin: 4px; float: right; display: block;">Stocks... Presidential election... Coronavirus (COVID19)...</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">So anyway.</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">It’s been over a year since I’ve written! Up until the COVID19 hit, I was just working, traveling, and the normal kinds of stuff. I started to stay at home when I heard about the virus in late January, as it was spreading. A friend had caught something strange with lots of fatigue and pneumonia, and I had heard the goings-on in Wuhan. I’ve mostly been at home since. Glad I can work from home!</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Hope you’re doing well!</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">In spite of the crazy 2020, the economy has rebounded strongly. President Trump seems to not capitalize enough on the strategy of “we have to take precautions, but we also can’t let the economy crash.” Poverty kills, too.</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">The vaccine seems not too far off. The therapeutics (monoclonal antibodies) seems pretty effective and hopefully those can roll out soon. Trying to be optimistic!</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Stocks have done well. Stay-at-home stocks, tech stocks, and growth kinds of names. Many biotechs rallied with the hopes of vaccines and therapeutics. I sold my travel and vacation related stocks early in the year. Except Disney. Oops.</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I had thought Peloton would be a really crappy stock. Expensive product with high monthly fees. Where is the growth after everyone who wants one gets one, and a few months later it turns into a clothes rack? Lockdown hits, people exercise at home.</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">We are closing in on the election, and all the polls suggest Biden in a landslide. Meanwhile, those who ignore polls and focus on battleground state registration trends and mail-in ballot returns think it will be Trump in an electoral landslide.</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">What do I think? Biden. Not my pick, though. I will go more into that in my next post. But not to change your mind one way or another. </li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">The virus has disrupted most of what I do outside of work, so I had to change what I do. I walk a lot. A lot. Bought some middle-tier binoculars I take with me everywhere, and look at animals and birds. Bought an e-bike and have really explored all over town. Radrover 5 from Radpower.</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">All that and a weekly Walmart grocery pick up!</li><li style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Hope you are doing well and that your portfolio is hanging in there. Many people may have sold out late winter fearing the worse, but I think we’re doing better than that. Some industries will take a while to recover, others already have.</li></ul></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-27056170634411114022019-07-06T12:55:00.004-07:002019-07-06T12:55:52.004-07:00Earthquakes, Tech, TV and Other Headlines<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".AppleSystemUIFont"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<li><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">This past week, everyone was reminded that earthquakes happen in California. </span> <span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">A 6.4 “forequake” and yesterday’s 7.1 earthquake in Ridgecrest, CA...</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">$6000 for an Apple Mac Pro... Seems like a lot. </span> <span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">Who is buying one of those? </span> <span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">And what the heck for?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">IPadOS a little buggy at this point. </span> <span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">Mostly distracting.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">Verizon 5G rolling out to Denver and Providence. </span> <span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">$VZ says customers will be charged an additional $10 per month. </span> <span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">Of course...</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">Amazon Prime Day coming up, so we will all have a chance at Christmas in July. </span> <span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">I imagine there will be lots of discounts on echo kinds of devices. </span> <span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">I have many of them around the house and like playing music on all all of them. </span> <span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">And asking Alexa the current score of ballgames...</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">The Walking Dead comic books come to an ending. </span> <span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">What about the tv show(s)? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">I’m still making my way through season 3 of Jessica Jones on Netflix. </span> <span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">It’s ok, but hard to top the first season’s villain. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">I’m casting an eye over to Stranger Things season 3 next.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">Between Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, CBS, Disney, ESPN+, ATT... </span> <span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">Uh, gee... Can I just combine all these things into one combined package?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Regular"; font-size: 17pt;">Have a good Saturday!</span></li>
</ul>
muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-72820651606157284352019-06-28T16:16:00.001-07:002019-06-28T16:18:04.893-07:00 TGIF, Kamala Harris, Netflix, Taco Bell...<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><ul><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Looks to me like Kamala Harris will be the eventual winner of the Democratic Primary.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">One worrying economic sign reared up this morning, as the Chicago PMI falls into contraction. The PMI fell to 49.7, the lowest levels since January, 2017. Readings under 50 are a sign of contracting conditions. The ISM number will come out Monday, and we shall see if that confirms.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Is Netflix thinking about adding an advertising tier? Ugh! I hate ads! I can't remember the last time I watched anything on real TV, other than sports. Even then, sometimes I record the game and give it about a 30 minute head start, then start watching and fast-forwarding through ads. Anyone else do that? Anyway, ads might bump up revenues for Netflix, right?z</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Speaking of, I started watching the final season of Jessica Jones this week...</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Yo quiero</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://2" dir="ltr" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="misc" x-apple-data-detectors-result="2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824);">Taco Bell</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">! Reservations for the new</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://3" dir="ltr" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="misc" x-apple-data-detectors-result="3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824);">Taco Bell</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">hotel sold out in two minutes. The Bell is located in Palm Springs, CA, and pricing starts at $169 per night. Actually, this is the kind of thing I could see myself doing once. </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://6" dir="ltr" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="misc" x-apple-data-detectors-result="6" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824);">Taco Bell</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">food, too!</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">June was a month for the gold bugs, as the metal had its biggest monthly gain in three years. Why? Fed easing and a weaker dollar? Iran?</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love the week of</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://7" dir="ltr" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors-result="7" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824);">the 4th of July</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">.</span></li></ul><p></p> muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-37109836452684050662019-06-25T18:34:00.000-07:002019-06-25T18:34:06.097-07:00Stocks Fall, National Debt, Netflix and CBS All Access, ETC<br />
<ul>
<li>There are lots of reasons for worry on Wall Street. Stocks pulled back as the Fed said that maybe they wouldn’t be so aggressive in cutting rates as investors had hoped. Interest rates are already really low, right? Seems like “status quo” wouldn’t impede growth.</li>
<li>Meanwhile, on one of the financial TV shows, one of the commentators said today, after Micron (MU) had reported and surged 10% after hours, that he bought $MU recently. Maybe he did. I have no idea. Seems like they’re really good in announcing their positions after the fact. </li>
<li>I just finished the second season of Imposters on Netflix. I didn’t like it as much as the first season. File it under “Well, it was something to watch while I worked out, and it was only 10 episodes.”</li>
<li>Whenever I finish a show on Netflix, I do fall into the show hole and don’t know what to watch next. Usually I watch a movie or two, out of respect to the last series I finished. Once I’ve recovered, then back to binging.</li>
<li>Senator Van Hollen (D) proposing fixing Social Security by “rolling back the most recent boon for wealthy estates in the 2017 GOP tax cuts.” He also supports a House plan on raising the payroll tax on wages above $400,000. Seems like that’s the direction things will head if the Democrats have a big win in 2020.</li>
<li>I subscribed to CBS All Access just to watch the latest Star Trek Discovery series. Wouldn’t mind watching The Twilight Zone, either. And even more Star Trek coming! How can I cancel that?</li>
<li>Yes, I’m on Twitter @muckdog</li>
<li>I’m not sure at what level the national debt breaks the economy. I often wonder if the reason rates are so low, is to keep interest payments on the national debt from destroying the country. The CBO is out with BREAKING NEWS today that the national debt as a percentage of GDP will be at “unprecedented levels,” 144%. It currently is 78%. Imagine if we have to refinance it all at much higher rates. There are no signs in Washington DC of a desire to reduce spending.</li>
<li>I have a Roku, a Roku TV, an Amazon Fire TV and an Apple TV. I think I like the Roku interface the best of all. Just being honest!</li>
</ul>
muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-6059393540846044122019-06-23T17:17:00.001-07:002019-06-23T17:18:51.731-07:00Shaq, Coffee, Oculus Rift, Disney and Stocks<br>
<ul>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">I click on the Apple News Economy headlines, and the first article that comes up is from Yahoo Finance, “Quietest in 20 years: Truckers feel chill of slowing US economy.” </span> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">Do bull markets end when everyone is telling us how bad the economy is?</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">Uh, I don’t think so...</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">I’d expect to see lots of euphoria and speculation.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">Doesn’t have to be that way, but still...</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">Lots of pessimism in the headlines.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">Apple is set to release their first 5G iPhones in 2020.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">Whether or not consumers will get 5G service outside of a 3 block radius in a few US cities is unknown at this time.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">But I hear it’s really, really fast!</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">I watched a YouTube video of a demo of the new Oculus Rift virtual reality game system.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">Let’s just say it was no Striking Vipers.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">(Black Mirror reference ... It’s a joke!)</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">I heard Toy Story 4 was pretty good, but CNN says the movie didn’t top Disney’s high expectations.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">The movie made $238 million worldwide, and $118 here in the US.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">Seems like a lot.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">I mean, it’s more than I made this weekend. You?</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">I’m not sure how many bad things have to happen before people cancel their vacation plans to the Dominican Republic, but we’ve got to be getting close.</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">Shaq has never had coffee?</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">What?</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">If I had to pick the likely winner from the field of Democratic hopefuls, I’m thinking it’s going to be Kamala Harris or Elizabeth Warren.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">I don’t think Biden or Bernie are going to be there.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">First debates this week, right?</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">I expect a lot of Trump bashing!</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">Hope you had a great weekend.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">First official weekend of summer, you know.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span></li>
</ul>
muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-35771168088282564682019-06-22T14:22:00.000-07:002019-06-22T14:54:26.174-07:00Saturday Thoughts!<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-1dad2a7d-7fff-89a6-be66-616e0d7969fa" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The stock market rushed ahead to new market highs this week, on the hopes of a China trade agreement, a Fed rate cut, and who knows what the heck else. What continues to amaze me is the number of unbelievers on the financial TV and social media. Lots of bears. I’m wondering if this is because of social media and our political environment. At any given time, about half of the population is experiencing cognitive dissonance, and won’t accept that the economy could possibly be on solid ground.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Iran’s downing of a drone put a bid under gold, but didn’t seem to phase the stock market.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I continue to be long the stock market. This has been one of the longer bull markets from 2009 on, and the length of it should have us all concerned. But with unemployment rates low, wages growing, low inflation, an accommodating Federal Reserve, deficit spending up the wazoo, and no other places around the world to put money, the US market still looks good.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bitcoin also surged back over $10K. Why? I still don’t own any of it, or any other crypto stuff. Facebook’s announcement of their entry into the crypto currency market seems a bit more interesting than anything else.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">President Trump calls off the ICE raids scheduled for this weekend. Hmm… Think about it. The people here illegally probably were doing something to avoid ICE this weekend. The next time ICE raids are scheduled, maybe these folks will think “Eh, he’s going to cancel it anyway” and they don’t do anything to avoid the ICE raids.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like North Korea, President Trump seems to be dangling the hope of an Iranian future full of economic prosperity rather than a collision course towards war. “Make Iran Great Again” is what President Trump offered. Will the Iranian leaders take it?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was disappointed that this season of Black Mirror was only 3 episodes. I didn’t find any of them particularity interesting, other than “Striking Vipers” was an ongoing discussion amongst friends, and we all agreed we liked “The Miley Cyrus one” as the best of the season.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Lakers made the big blockbuster trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, who parted with Anthony Davis in exchange for Lonzo Ball, Branden Ingram, Josh Hart, and 3 picks. One of the picks the Pellies traded to the Atlanta Hawks for even more picks. On the face of it, as a Lakers fan, looks to me the Lakers acquired a franchise center for their injured list and a bunch of future 19yr old kids. (Remember, Lakers also acquired Wilt, Kareem, Shaq, and Pau). The Pellies do have some maneuvering room, though!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I see Amazon is launching “budget 4K TVs,” joining Roku who has their own offerings. I actually have a Roku TV in a room as an easy and affordable way to watch TV or streaming media. Is the picture as good as a top of the line TV? Nope. Is it good enough and not tragic if it breaks down after a few years like they all seem to do? Yep.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I rushed out and bought an iPad Pro last year, and now see the same model is quite a bit cheaper at Costco today. Lessons learned! Note to self! Just wait a bit. Nothing of consequence is needed on the bleeding edge of technology, and prices will be lower soon…. And an added bonus by waiting: More keyboards, cases and other accessories available.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Star Trek: Picard. Yes, I will probably watch it. Haven’t cancelled my CBS All Access sub yet!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Have a great Saturday!</span></li>
</ul>
muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-72064171967281235692019-06-13T18:14:00.001-07:002019-06-13T18:14:31.744-07:00Blue Apron Reverse Split<img id="id_567a_9ed9_9950_b3b7" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/lt9lyesylKH110YfR_uRDBaFYACI8c-uQeqza1lSEdECY8jSX_BXOu961GE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 259px; height: auto; margin: 4px; float: right; display: block;"><br><br>Blue Apron $APRN - Company announces 1-15 reverse split! Ouch! I subscribed to their service for a few months in 2017. I liked it, but quickly had a hard time keeping up. Between going out, leftovers, and just having a bowl of cereal for dinner, the Blur Apron meals started piling up! muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-45323001873975389992019-01-28T13:35:00.001-08:002019-01-28T13:35:12.482-08:00Monday Randomosity<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></p><ul><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img id="id_f3be_44ab_31c9_4287" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QMNFe3OnSj4/XE91jnaJZXI/AAAAAAAAFek/0uWwZRzyngc_aLUm6uM69TnbxnBJB8JMACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 299px; height: auto; margin: 4px; float: right; display: block;">Boeing and Caterpillar sent the Dow down today. <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">NVIDIA also slamming chips.</span></span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I don’t think the Federal Shutdown had much of an effect on the economy because after it was over, everyone got paid.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Whatever wasn’t spent for a month, will now get spent.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Plus, while there are some examples of hardship cases, many banks give interest free loans of paycheck deposits. (We will know soon). </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Another impact... Chinese trade deal or lack there of.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I’m optimistic a deal will get done, as the sides are meeting and talking.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Apple earnings tomorrow?</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I will be watching on my iPhone XS Max! $AAPL</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">One in three iPhone owners are not upgrading to the XS or XS Max because of price or lack of new features.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Having upgraded two of our device to the XS line, they are nicer but do the same things as the older iPhones.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Will 5G be the next upgrade catalyst?</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I’m thinking... YES!</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">CBS All Access going full Star Trek. In addition to Discovery, there will be a new Patrick Stewart as Jean Luc Picard show, a Michelle Yeoh Star Trek as a Captain, and the animated series.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I started season 2 of The Punisher on Netflix, and ... Like it! $NFLX</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Fourth-quarter GDP scheduled for Wednesday release!</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">What’s the consensus, 2.6%?</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">(Less than whatever Larry Kudlow projects?)</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">CBO estimates always seem to differ... But their numbers have been off recently.</span></li></ul><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"></span>Have a great Monday!</p> muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-20655762328752579482019-01-15T19:32:00.001-08:002019-01-15T19:32:06.197-08:00Rainy Tuesday Randomosity<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></p><ul><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img id="id_e92f_e959_3d4f_a1e8" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bWD8B1OrsQ8/XD6ls-uLQaI/AAAAAAAAFeU/gb9QFd9Ix4wOP3qWxNm8-SwA8xoJk2rfwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 253px; height: auto; margin: 4px; float: right; display: block;">The stock market seems to like government gridlock. This is yet another time when the market is advancing during a federal government shutdown. For now, anyway. I remain 100% long stocks, and worried that we are in a countertrend rally that will end as we go to retest the late 2018 lows. I could be wrong, and we just keep going up. </span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">My first reaction when hearing that Netflix was going to raise subscription costs was negative. It's just another thing that's going up in price. My mind suddenly starts thinking of workarounds... </span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Brexit was on the financial channels a lot today, as the UK Parliament rejects Teresa May's Brexit deal. This is going to go on a while.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Nordstrom didn't do so well this last holiday season. The mall anchor also reduced forward guidance.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Should I switch to T-Mobile, that includes free Netflix? </span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Apple selling a new battery case for the new generation of iPhones for $129.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Not a bad deal if you’re not going to be near power for a long time.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Over 20 hours of use?</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">After having the new iPad Pro 11” since Christmas, I still haven’t used the Apple Pencil.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I downloaded Procreate, but it seems so overwhelming for a newbie. I was thinking this was my chance to pick up where I left off from in 4th grade Art class, and work on my drawing skills. I’d like to draw caricatures. Seems fun.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Should I subscribe to Netflix one month a year and download 500 shows to the cloud, then repeat that process once I've watched the 500 shows? That seems like a lot of time and added technical complexity just to save $2 a month.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Verizon will be offering free Apple Music to</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">customers on the 2 upper unlimited packages, and that makes me consider updating from my 12gig plan to be honest. That also means you have to switch from a credit card to a debit card, losing any airline miles, cash back bonus, or other credit card perks. Plus, I think you also lose any company sponsored discount. </span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Should I just bring my coffee to work instead of buying coffee? Seems like that would save more than $2 a month.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Looks like Star Trek 4 is cancelled.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">To be honest, I think we need a Next Next Generation Star Trek, and stop it with the prequels. What’s next, Baby Spock? Cmon.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Should I quit the water club at work?</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">That seems like a $2 wash.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">And Electronic Arts cancels their planned Star Trek game.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The reality is that I will pay the Netflix pay hike for the convenience. And $2 a month isn't the straw that break this camel's back.</span></li></ul><p></p>
muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-42113946328348508142019-01-12T16:33:00.001-08:002019-01-12T16:36:15.306-08:00Shutdown Saturday Randomosity<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></p><ul><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img id="id_184d_d8e5_35a9_fa92" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_DDcCklIdY8/XDqH_A6MczI/AAAAAAAAFeI/0eaw2OfdYvQAsQUWG5YktI3SvmK6AWMtQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 307px; height: auto; margin: 4px; float: right; display: block;">Is the bear market over? Was that it? Or, are we experiencing a countertrend rally within a bear market that is sucking everyone in?</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Some of my worries include the Fed, slowing economies, trade wars, politic</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">al division, and climate change. Ok, scratch the last one. </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Well... Maybe. It has been foggy here. </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The political division is getting tiresome. I say give Trump the $5B and let a panel of border security experts and engineers figure out how it needs to be spent on the border: wall, fence, surveillance, more border agents, more judges...</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">$5B out of $4T budget is .125%.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It’s like a family making $100,000 arguing over $125.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It happens! Maybe someone sleeps on the couch for a few days, but you don’t shut down the family over it.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Macy’s stock took a beating on reduced sales and guidance.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Online shopping maturity hitting the box stores that are still standing.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I thought Macy’s seemed a little empty last time I was there.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There were people, but kind of sparse.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">On average, workers received 3% wage gains per the data.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Disney CEO Bob Iger dragging up that average <a href="https://apple.news/AIKBZBdfASnCZtfUOgLxXng" id="id_6763_8691_822f_fcb4">with an 80% pay rais</a></span>e.<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Not that Bob hasn’t been great for Disney. But I understand why the Progressive message regarding income inequality gets a lot of play.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="https://apple.news/ARab2G29yQiuEwt8tpAanUA" id="id_cc62_7cf3_a4ed_142a" target="_blank">How has Socialism worked in Sweden</a></span>?<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">After all, the Progressives and Democratic Socialists like AOC say Sweden is one of the examples of how to make it work. </span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">If the economy is slowing, <a href="https://apple.news/AnkF9yjkdNKWIxzJHkW5VxA" id="id_53e8_fabd_ced0_26a4" target="_blank">will casinos take a hit</a></span>?<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> I’ve held Las Vegas Sands for quite a while. Hasn’t been my best performing stock, that’s for sure.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">And that’s when the economy has actually been okay.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Divisional Playoffs...</span></li></ul><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br></p> muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-90285803214613875062019-01-07T14:49:00.001-08:002019-01-07T14:49:36.340-08:00Monday Rally Randomosity<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><ul><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"></span><img id="id_a614_c8b6_eb37_5de0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mDLWDEooSsE/XDPXfjb2npI/AAAAAAAAFd0/WB9ZckNcN38AKOj1wSNyJAAEkSCFRdpkgCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 307px; height: auto; margin: 4px; float: right; display: block;">Stocks rally! Reason du jour: Optimism over US-China trade talks and an agreement hashed out before the 90-day deadline ends in... March?</li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The SP500 will rally 15% in 2019, per <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/sp-500-will-climb-15-in-2019-heres-what-to-buy-now-2019-01-07" id="id_7dd2_1d7b_6336_16b9" target="_blank">Marketwatch Columnist</a></span>.<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> The bottom is in! Rejoice!</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">President Trump to address the nation on Tuesday. We will have to wait and see if he talks about Border Security and the Wall, trade talks with China, or the officiating in the Alabama-Clemson national championship game.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">If you want to know how popular Netflix horror flick "Bird Box" is, just search YouTube for the vloggers talking about the movie, easter eggs, hidden meanings, controversies...</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Amazon takes the lead! The company surpasses Microsoft as the most valuable US company.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">President Trump will visit the southern border on Thursday. I don't know if he will be pushing for $5B of Congressional funding for border security, declaring a national emergency to fund border security via the military budget, or if he'll be bring along sacks of concrete mix with him on his trip to do it himself.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">PGE may be facing $30B in fire liabilities, and may consider filing for bankruptcy. So... I'm saying the stock took a hit today: -22.1%. Hope you don't own any!</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Los Angeles Lakers aren't as good without LeBron James. Just an observation. The losses are piling up!</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There are lots of Op-Eds and media commentaries on why we don't need a wall. There are very few people calling for a team of experts and engineers to decide what goes where to improve border security. But Ari Fleischer joined the latter via a Tweet today.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The State of California doesn't have Governor Jerry Brown to kick around anymore. Gavin Newsome was sworn in today as the new Governor. The last I read, he is promising everything to everybody. That's a pretty popular stance!</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I'm going to write about my experiences with the new iPhone XS Max. I upgraded from the X over the weekend and have some first impressions!</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">ALABAMA!</span></li></ul><p></p> muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-27655156224483217892019-01-06T16:57:00.001-08:002019-01-06T16:57:07.909-08:00Sunday Wildcard Stock Thoughts<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></p><ul><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img id="id_efb5_3640_a047_f6b6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fNtrgsxXKAA/XDKj4c7v-NI/AAAAAAAAFdo/oEeFuKq9bF8lNMS-xusaey8ZI09ec42EQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 192px; height: auto; margin: 4px; float: right; display: block;">Late afternoon on the West coast, and Asian stock markets trading higher in anticipation of US-China trade talks. <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Maybe they’re having a reaction to Friday’s US stock rally as well.</span></span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">US Senator Richard Shelby says the US economy is “best I’ve ever seen.” - <a href="https://apple.news/Al4NSOvXhSNyv5ipfpTXX2g" id="id_e819_68a5_53b7_21f3" target="_blank">Fox News</a></span> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> I have to admit that the economy does seem very strong, but that also worries me because can the economy get any better?</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I’m fully invested in the stock market and anticipate a positive 2019. But, the market may continue to be volatile and I wouldn’t rule out a retest of the lows. I hope we don’t see new lows!</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Whatever happened to Bitcoin?</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It’s 2019, and that means <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2019/01/06/disneyland-resort-raises-prices-on-all-tickets-and-annual-passes/" id="id_8708_ee88_364b_a2dc" target="_blank">Disneyland price increases</a></span>! Disney will be crowded when the new Star Wars attractions open up this summer.<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I’m planning on a Fall visit...</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">While my new iPad Pro 11” from Santa Claus and the iPhone XS Max I bought yesterday still have that “new Apple smell,” it’s never too early to talk about 2019 Apple product releases and Apple envy. Services, hardware, software and a new video streaming service on deck!</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- <a href="https://apple.news/AwKxUTtyRRJ6z45JO39IIng" id="id_3a7c_7b54_b504_3cc8" target="_blank">Cult of Mac</a></span> </li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Man, I picked the Baltimore Ravens at home to beat the Los Angeles Chargers.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It all seems so silly in hindsight.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I spent the last 20 minutes organizing my iPad Apple News sources.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">#truth</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Is Silicon Valley still atop the nation’s tech environments? According to the rankings, Silicon Valley is behind Massachusetts, Colorado and Maryland.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Maryland’s science and tech workforce outranks all states! - <a href="https://apple.news/AV1U5lQqWRQ62gLOor7Z4HQ" id="id_3f3b_52f2_cd0_cc59" target="_blank">Baltimore Business Journal</a></span> (Think they’re biased?) </li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We are finally getting some soaking rain here in California. Looks like the forecast is for a very rainy week!</span></li></ul><p></p>
<div><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"><br></span></div> muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-51548718811839363042019-01-05T14:56:00.001-08:002019-01-05T14:56:27.392-08:00Wild Card Weekend Randomosity!<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></p><ul><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img id="id_1f51_e49f_4aba_a0ae" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h80-kewWT6A/XDE2GU1NNDI/AAAAAAAAFdc/7MnRBUFOe00rfidmjVrz-wvtObQ8McqUgCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 192px; height: auto; margin: 4px; float: right; display: block;">Today is all about football. <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Sure, there are a bunch of politicians posing and grandstanding, while pretending to “represent the American people.”</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But we all know better by now, right?</span></span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I traded in my iPhone X for the XS Max today. Twelve months into the payments, and you can just pay the tax and activation fee, and keep making monthly payments. Hmm, now what were the passwords for this and that and the other thing?</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">When restoring from the iCloud, it seems to remember some but not all.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">When Vice President Mike Pence is leading the White House team negotiating with the Democratic leaders, you almost wish you could just fast-forward to the next meeting.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">New iPhone XS Max is a bit zippier than the X.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Noticeable with Face ID and loading pictures/videos.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Disney won’t make big-budget movies for their new streaming service, although such films will make their way to the platform eventually.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Disney is planning on making a live-action Star Wars show, though. - </span><a href="https://apple.news/AmLonDTffRsqHMqmYdLSJ1" id="id_d523_494e_2236_da18" target="_blank">Business Insider</a></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As a fan of The Walking Dead and a sorta-kinda fan of Fear the Walking Dead, I really don’t care about crossovers. Last year Morgan joined Fear.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This year? Dwight.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I just don’t like rekindling old story lines.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Make new story lines! - </span><a href="https://apple.news/AfhzCQB1xSiyuPGVm_vDU_g" id="id_ac9e_3fce_9db0_713a" target="_blank">Digital Spy</a></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Seems like we’re battered with “what’s new on Netflix” stories everyday.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">My poor movie queue.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Republican Bart LeBon wins the Alaskan Supreme Court ruling on the results of their election recount.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">LeBon won the election by one vote. - <a href="https://apple.news/A9D6TshalRNGLrJLliOpXZA" id="id_6d72_da56_aa0d_c1cf" target="_blank">ABC</a></span> </li><li>Out of the box, the new iPhone XS Max had 48% battery. </li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">CBS All Access has Star Trek Discovery.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">And now Patrick Stewart will reprise his role as Jean Luc Picard in a new Star Trek show set 20 years after Star Trek Nemesis.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">(Ugh, I’m going to have to sign up). - </span><a href="https://apple.news/AqRYkniHEQEaNQP4F-gM1Cw" id="id_9061_2a51_33d2_a249" target="_blank">Entertainment Weekly</a></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">CES 2019 is in the on-deck circle. As a tech geek, I will be following my Technology Apple News feed on my brand-spanking new iPhone XS Max.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I think I have hundreds of movies and shows lined up in Netflix. My coworkers and I often watch the same shows at the same time, and then talk about them during lunch. Ok, sometimes during work, too. Bandersnatch... Bird Box... I’m Sorry... and I think Schitt’s Creek is next up. Kind of fun. </span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So I have another set of iPhone wired headphones to stick in the technology drawer.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">ATT made predictions about the future 25 years ago.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">How’d they do? - </span><a href="https://apple.news/A0NKKos2JTTeH7LTEbUjpQg" id="id_ad23_1d8b_590a_9898" target="_blank">CBS</a></li></ul><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br></p> muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-18111542577618928042019-01-04T17:26:00.001-08:002019-01-04T17:26:00.315-08:00Tag Team Rally!<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><ul><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img id="id_ae12_d3e4_92ea_88df" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-umrU33NW-24/XDAHpUJVWOI/AAAAAAAAFdQ/b6rOJPoXm2A6RQT_DXZsRlSEC4tBURuYwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 192px; height: auto; margin: 4px; float: right; display: block;">Tag team Friday! The combination of a strong jobs number with statements from the Federal Reserve Chairman Powell sent the market up!</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Dow and SP500 up over 3%, and the NASDAQ surging over 4%.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Jobs data was fantastic, beating the analysts’ expectations. Wage growth numbers are good, too. Labor participation is increasing. Consumer spending is at least 2/3rds of the economy.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Remember when some thought manufacturing jobs would never come back? *</span><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Casts quick glances at Obama and Krugman</b><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">*</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">One amazing job stat is the one comparing growth in government jobs vs. growth in manufacturing jobs. The latter surging under Trump, while government jobs surged under Obama.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Netflix up just over 9.7% when Bandersnatch-viewing analysts at Goldman Sachs were asked “Add $NFLX to conviction list?” chose “Fuck yeah!”</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">How are you surviving the partial government shutdown? Seems like the biggest impact is that national parks’ trash cans and bathrooms are overflowing.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">At least the government is meeting and discussing how to resolve the budget and border security. Seems like Trump has the upper hand, though.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Disney planning on opening Star Wars in June at Disneyland, Anaheim. Maybe</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://1" dir="ltr" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); -webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824);">June 21-23</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">? CROWDS!</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I think the biggest Apple issue going forward is deflation on the price of “good enough” smart phones. Why spend $1000 when you can get what you need for much less? Or just replace the aging battery on your older iPhone, and keep on going. Is there a reason to upgrade as long as your current phone functions?</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">5G will be the next upgrade catalyst…</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Kudos to Netflix for Bird Box. People are going to the house in Monrovia to pose in photos! - </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-bird-box-house-20190104-story.html" id="id_ef9b_550b_2602_8e0" target="_blank">LA Times</a></span> </li><li>I’m currently binging “I’m Sorry” on Netflix. Pretty funny in an adult kind of way. Might be too much after a few episodes. But... After Bird Box and Black Mirror Bandersnatch, I was ready for some laughs. Might have to binge season 2 of “Friends from College” next. Despite the critics, I liked season 1!</li></ul><p></p> muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-5732495101426939022019-01-03T17:36:00.001-08:002019-01-03T17:36:55.066-08:00Worst Start in 2 Decades!<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><ul><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img id="id_ab08_1584_ee68_85c4" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ENVeRdW1vtQ/XC64tUb9KyI/AAAAAAAAFdE/rSzIh3G1Prowje_mP0Fzjcmze3v2RjzkgCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 192px; height: auto; margin: 4px; float: right; display: block;">"The stock market logs worst start to a year in 2 decades" - <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-stock-market-was-on-the-verge-of-the-worst-start-to-a-year-in-20-years-at-the-lows-2019-01-03" id="id_2894_50c5_5b19_4b89" target="_blank">USA Today</a></span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I feel as if a good economy or a bad economy is sometimes the result of marketing. Is an optimistic message being sent my politicians and media? Or, are we seeing a more negative message win the day? I think the Trump hatred has the latter "everything is bad news" sentiment winning the day. If consumers are scared, they're less likely to spend money on stuff.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Almost on cue, "Branding in a Recession - A Survivor's Guide." - </span><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidvinjamuri/2019/01/03/branding-in-a-recession-a-survivors-guide/#46d10b0eb0e2" id="id_c620_a768_97ea_9fb2" target="_blank">Forbes</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Meanwhile as I posted the other day, the Fed is raising rates and reducing liquidity...</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">What's old is new again: Nancy Pelosi is the Speaker of the House. And now she makes $223,500. American dollars.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Shutdown yuck: "Overflowing trash and human waste and other unsafe visitor conditions have prompted Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California to close to the public." - </span><a href="https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2019/01/03/kings-canyon-sequoia-close-safety/" id="id_3c96_88c8_fffe_9d9f" target="_blank">CBS Sacramento</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Who is winning the shutdown? Nobody. Maybe the bears in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks as they have free reign over the trash cans.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I watched Netflix Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. Liked it! I wanted to go to the next episode... but... That was it! Have to wait for season 5! No spoilers, but it was fun to interact and make the decisions for the lead character.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Will there be discounts and promotions on new iPhone XS and XS Max phones? I was thinking about getting the iPhone XS Max, but now I want to wait for a deal!</span></li></ul><p></p> muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-16046600048178411732019-01-02T17:34:00.001-08:002019-01-02T17:34:53.384-08:00Random Apple Thoughts<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><ul><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img id="id_1bbc_a794_fa84_33d7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Y1E22Wna1_k/XC1mu8oXw4I/AAAAAAAAFc4/1vQ-sG7ClRgkgE4uuupoEq6c2zyu6wtXQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 307px; height: auto; margin: 4px; float: right; display: block;">The Apple warning hit after hours, and that derailed any rehash of what happened in the market today. Tim Cook blames the slowdown in China, but maybe the larger issue is that iPhones are super expensive, and the only new features in the latest iPhone XS line is a slightly faster chip and a slightly better camera. </span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Yeah heck I still want to upgrade my iPhone X to the XS Max, but I’m a techy and love the latest gadgets. That may not be true for others…</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Other less expensive phones have many of the same features that will do enough to justify not buying a $1000 iPhone. Maybe the components aren’t the top-of-the-line quality, but as long as the consumer can text, watch YouTube and Netflix, and take selfies, does it matter that much?</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I don’t know how the iPad Pro line is selling. I like mine, but other tablets are out there. Many still have their older iPads that are working fine as Netflix streaming machines.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">All that being said, there were some huge lines at the Apple store when I was there Monday. The store remains very crowded. </span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Maybe the rush to 5G in the coming years will be a huge catalyst. But will there be other “good enough” phones that gain market share at the expense of the expensive iPhone?</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Apple also has other offerings such as the app store, music, and cloud storage. Again, other options here for consumers.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I do own some Apple stock, and continue to hold. No panic selling here.</span></li><li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So yeah the market futures down a billion. Tech will take a hit. Not sure what this really means for other tech companies, unless the Apple warning really is about a slowing economies around the world.</span></li></ul><p></p> muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-26559055848008907402019-01-01T10:41:00.001-08:002019-01-01T10:49:24.536-08:00Happy New Year 2019!<ul>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The stock market had its worst year since 2008. Do you remember what happened in 2009? </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Specifically, what happened in March, 2009?</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The beginning of a New Bull Market!</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">(Lets be optimistic for 2019!)</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">While people are quick to give credit or blame to a President for the economic boom and bust, here are a couple of charts I posted on Twitter in a reply to Josh Brown. </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjybdvqfJKIrijdtmuan1d3bc9fOzhN4K7LARuy02qzop1Lhik8wVUxsY973Q4qPDgpgkDhRZ1n6XahXwl2qYXnVFmBZf9lRPb_24DDoW9Gnr9msBPYiUtS-yG-tyv2eCKyYNlW/s1600/BEF92770-BB30-4C78-9578-4327D0E60DFA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1600" height="134" id="id_5b31_5b49_90b4_737c" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjybdvqfJKIrijdtmuan1d3bc9fOzhN4K7LARuy02qzop1Lhik8wVUxsY973Q4qPDgpgkDhRZ1n6XahXwl2qYXnVFmBZf9lRPb_24DDoW9Gnr9msBPYiUtS-yG-tyv2eCKyYNlW/s320/BEF92770-BB30-4C78-9578-4327D0E60DFA.jpeg" style="height: auto; width: 320px;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Oh, and whoever is in charge gets to take credit or accept blame for what goes on while they’re under the roof.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But...</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I feel bad for the workers trapped in the government shutdown.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We need Congress and the President to agree on funding for “border security,” and then let a panel of engineers decide the best way to spend the money:</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Wall, fence, electronic surveillance, or whatever.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">End the shutdown, fund Border Security, and move on... (h/t to Scott Adams).</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">By the way, as long as the economy does not dip into a recession by July, this could be the longest economic expansion in the US in... forever!</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Longest ever!</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Five iPad Pro myths, debunked!</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><a href="https://apple.news/A7cG7ZlPBQJezC7E2cBgyUQ" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="color: black;">Five iPad Pro myths, debunked — Cult of Mac</span></a></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">By the way, the best way to take advantage of the government shutdown, is to visit a national park... For Free! Unfortunately, unless there are private vendors on site, there may not be any bathroom facilities.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Choose wisely.</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Netflix Stranger Things Season 3 to be available on July 4th.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Our young heroes are now 38 years old... (just kidding, but...)</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Here is the most educated town in every state.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But...</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Would you rather be just another person with a degree in the smartest town or the hot shot with a degree in the dumbest town? </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><a href="https://apple.news/AncU-f9YKTy6GzkYOUKcB4w" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="color: black;">Here's the most educated town in every state (Business Insider)</span></a></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">New Years Day...</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We Got Bowl Games and More Bowl Games. </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I haven’t played any games on the new iPad Pro 11” as of yet.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Feels like a time commitment.</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Maybe the most important thing to remember regarding investing in 2019:</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ignore stock market turbulence and stick to long-term goals.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Word. </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><a href="https://apple.news/AOfRUsDkyRrKu83AG-phaiQ" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="color: black;">Fidelity: Ignore stock market turbulence and stick to long-term goals (Fox News)</span></a></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Looking at the Mainstream Media headlines... Well, let me summarize: Russia, Russia, and Russia.</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">By the way, I don’t mind if folks want to support media companies by subscribing to content. But I have to wonder, with Apple News app and Flipboard, do you need a newspaper subscription? I just ignore anything behind a firewall.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">You?</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Happy New Year!</span></li>
</ul>
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<img alt="" id="id_5051_9480_2dd7_1e24" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6F7y4NTJ4L0/XCu1NTFCbQI/AAAAAAAAFco/rR5FsW7LiMU3-rtNPu-XvRpieUsbHzwmQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 307px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
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muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8103317.post-64225890518272726192018-12-31T13:20:00.001-08:002018-12-31T13:22:43.854-08:00Happy New Year’s Eve!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwttYE_oJwvtXoRzruAylg6qzasePHs3W9T5RQy-XyU4olBlq3OJPUtG_dJjIcDyBLC_4H2KMjgDjtd3Cc-Ypr1HPswJM_TlXAl2Ipa0SG_80-nQ_6g438_kr541MDqhzBHEe/s1600/93DEFBCA-343C-4CA4-B5C0-F51B59C92AAE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="1439" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwttYE_oJwvtXoRzruAylg6qzasePHs3W9T5RQy-XyU4olBlq3OJPUtG_dJjIcDyBLC_4H2KMjgDjtd3Cc-Ypr1HPswJM_TlXAl2Ipa0SG_80-nQ_6g438_kr541MDqhzBHEe/s320/93DEFBCA-343C-4CA4-B5C0-F51B59C92AAE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img alt="" id="id_aca1_45d1_d34_89d9" src="blob:https://draft.blogger.com/16db4c1a-3637-49af-af88-1238335a34cb" style="display: block; float: right; height: auto; margin: 4px; width: 336px;" title="" tooltip="" />Stocks 2018... Yuck. A down year! Worst in a decade! <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I think we needed a 6% move in the SP500 to have closed flat for 2018.</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Did not happen! Here are the numbers:</span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">DOW: -5.6%</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">SP500: -6.2%</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Nasdaq: -3.9%</span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">China trade deal hopes is the reason du jour for the stock market increase today. I think we are heading in the right direction for a deal on “fair trade” and the elimination or reduction of tariffs.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">May just take a while, tho...</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">With a peak 19.8% decline in the SP500, was it a bear market? Will we go lower? Retest the lows?</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Stair-step higher to new bull market highs?</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I’m not sure if I should watch Netflix’s “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” now or wait until the cheat sheet on how to navigate to all potential 5, 10, or perhaps 12 endings! </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><a href="https://apple.news/AbwmpAWE6TsCDwriRnhXuAw" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Black Mirror creators are torn over number of endings in Bandersnatch — Daily Mail</a></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">My worst performing investment in 2018 is in the marijuana stocks. Bullish very long term and adding periodically.</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Allianz Chief Economist Mohammed El-Erian said on Sunday that a recession is unlikely to occur.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"It's certainly not becoming a reality," El-Erian told "Fox News Sunday. "You would need either a major policy mistake or a massive</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-weight: bold;"> market </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">accident to push us into recession. But we will slow down unless we build on the pro-growth policies." </span><a href="https://apple.news/A6kJyKqtfQimzy-kUyDno-A" id="id_db10_7807_ea5e_f276" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="color: black;">US recession unlikely, market volatility to continue in 2019, El-Erian says — Fox News</span></a></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">During the last week of any year, we are reminded of the “Best of” stuff of the past year. Where are we these days? “The biggest food recalls of 2018.” </span><a href="https://apple.news/A_-katJJfTn6yxBgIITMfoQ" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="color: black;">The biggest food recalls of 2018 — Fox Business</span></a></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So my thoughts on the 2018 “best of” in the NFL was the rise of the young rookie quarterbacks: Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), Sam Darnold (NY Jets), Baker Mayfield (Cleveland Browns) and Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens). All have been fun to watch.</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">2-years in to the Bob Mueller “Russian Collusion” investigation, it’s important to remember that the Whitewater investigation lasted\ 7 years.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We may have another 5 years to go!</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Let the NFL firings begin...</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Let the 2020 Presidential race begin...</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elizabeth Warren is in!</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Stay safe tonight!</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> Have a great New Year’s Eve!</span></li>
</ul>
muckdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964364454247504787noreply@blogger.com0