Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Investing in Israel

  • Israel an emerging market? Of course, the challenge investing over there is that "With God's help, the countdown button for the destruction of the Zionist regime has been pushed by the hands of the children of Lebanon and Palestine," Iran's President Ahmadinejad said in a speech.  Well, alrighty then.
  • I wonder if there's a stock criteria for the "countdown to destruction button" to make it into the IBD 100 list?  I'd think once the countdown has started, earnings growth flies out the window.  "Yes, it is trading over $15 a share; however, ..."
  • Nintendo Wii Beats Apple TV. I've been browsing, finding and watching YouTube videos right from my living room couch for weeks now on my Nintendo Wii, which connects wirelessly to the internet and includes an Opera browser. With my Wii, which costs $50 less than the Apple TV, I'm not only able to watch videos on YouTube, but I can browse any site on the net and bookmark favorites just as easily as I can on my computer. Oh, and the Wii also plays some amazing games!  I tried the internet browser on the Wii last night, went to Youtube, and started streaming vids right there.  Pretty slick.
  • Maybe Iran and Israel can settle their differences on the Wii in a virtual Battle For Palestine game.  "Damn it, Ahmadinejad.  This time I want to be Player 1 and be the Palestinians!  You're always the Palestinians!"
  • Trying to think back to sunday school, but "Palestinians" and "Philistines" are awfully close to just be a coincidence.   Ya think?
  • Get this (from the "Israel Emerging markets" link above):  Over the past two years, the benchmark TA-100 of Israel's 100 largest stocks is up more than 60%. The currency, the shekel, is near a seven-year high against the U.S. dollar. Not bad for a tiny country in the Middle East that's smaller than the state of New Jersey and surrounded by hostile enemies that are constantly calling for its destruction.   Can you sell married puts against your Israeli longs? 

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