Value

Value investing works when downturns weed out the nonviable growth companies.

The Fed, ECB,BoJ, and many other CBs are making sure that downturn doesn’t come. Their actions aren’t pure successes, but in the financial markets, they are kings.

This results in value lagging growth, and will continue to do so until the CBs stop their adventurism, the negative consequences of their actions outweigh the good, or the tidal wave they’re holding at bay builds until it cannot be resisted. Make no mistake, it is building. WeWork was a classic example of froth. Softbank’s Vision Fund would be right at home in 1995. The rise in economic inequality induced by CB adventurism is probably what will get them in the end, for the relentless pumping of leverage works at economies of scale that make the rich richer. It doesn’t make the poor poorer except in comparison, but other things do that. People will begin to wonder why they’re paying taxes and interest to make the rich richer if they don’t get any benefits themselves.

However calling time is a fool’s errand and I won’t do it. The CBs are powerful, and they’ve defied every prediction of limitation so far.

Until they stop putting their oar in the markets, their oar breaks, or the wave sweeps them aside, they will ensure the failure of value vs growth.

Spam

My spamfolder is mostly scams, dating sites (scams), sundry websites (scams), and my power company sending me marketing emails.

Why is Xcel Energy sending me marketing emails? I’m already a customer. I keep unsubscribing, and they keep subscribing me right back up.

Squirrel

So I’ve heard the reason squirrels run back and forth on a street when cars are coming is that they’re trying to escape predators. The zig-zags work for evading hawks, but they’re not so good with Fords.

There’s still no explanation for why my brain does that when I’m trying to write.

Doings

Mended some fences with the neighbors. Had only had a mild bit of friction, but I got in front of it. In the past I would leave such matters alone, but I’m coming to believe that’s not wise.

Working from home is really challenging, so it’s an opportunity to excel.

I understand the Apple tax more now. While some of it is pure profit, a lot is testing and bug fixing. Software like Firefox and anything Microsoft are often loaded with bugs, glitches, and errors. Such problems are uninteresting for developers to fix as well as slow and costly. So fixing those errors doesn’t get done.

Apple fixes their problems. My Samsung phone has a lot of problems with simple functions like texting and making calls, and I just don’t hear about that from Apple products. So do you have to pay more to get something that works?

It seems so. I wish Apple’s production wasn’t so vile.

Modern Fantasy

The problem with modern fantasy in the real world is that in the real world, there is only gun.

Seriously, that’s it. No one fights for real with anything other than guns unless they can’t get guns. So if your Harry Potter character is in a fight and they’re not shooting, why don’t they upgrade their game to gun?

Weekend

I’m taking the Great Book of Amber and going into the mountains. Good luck everyone, and try not to start the apocalypse without me.

LotR

Just in case there was ANY question, this is a fantastic line:

And into this ring, he poured his cruelty, his malice, and his will to dominate all life.