Short Squeeze

Wikipedia defines a short squeeze as a rapid increase in the price of a stock that occurs when there is a lack of supply and an excess of demand for the stock. Short squeezes result when short sellers seek to cover, or are forced to cover, their short positions, either because they can no longer … Continued

The Last Mile

According to Wikipedia, the last mile is a phrase widely used in the telecommunication industry to refer to the final leg of the networks that deliver telecommunication services to retail end-users.  The actual length of the “last mile” may be more or less than a mile. The “last mile” is typically the speed and cost bottleneck … Continued

“The Middle Way Is None At All”

The full quotation, “In politics the middle way is none at all” is attributed to John Adams, frustrated by holdouts in the Second Continental Congress, who were clogging the docket with useless half-measures and misguided appeasements during the debate over a declaration of independence.  Of course, we know that John Adam’s views prevailed and independence … Continued

The Yellow Vests Movement

According to Wikipedia, the yellow vest movement is a populist, grassroots, political, revolutionary, (take your pick) movement that began in France in October 2018.  The movement is motivated by rising fuel prices, a high cost of living and the belief that a disproportionate burden of the government’s tax reforms are falling on the working and … Continued

“Reports of My Death Are Greatly Exaggerated”

This well-known quote is reputed to have been Mark Twain’s response to news of the publication of his obituary. Investors might want to note that premature obituaries can also occur in the world of stock market punditry.  Recall that throughout the fourth quarter of 2018, conventional wisdom was suggesting that the stock market had peaked … Continued

Don’t Look Back….

The full quotation is “Don’t look back, you’re not going that way.”  This quote is often associated with inspirational or positive thinking messages because looking back at bad things won’t change anything in the present.  There is a message here for investors. Don’t look back at the trades you wish you had made.  Wishing that … Continued

The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth

This phrase, or something like it, is often associated with the swearing in of witnesses while giving testimony in court, and, by extension, in other contexts.  The idea behind this relatively comprehensive approach probably reflects, in part, concern over testimony that may be technically true, but may be misleading, taken literally, due to omissions or … Continued

Subsidies or Surcharges?

In order to accelerate demand for electric vehicles (EVs), the world’s governments have been handing out a wide range of subsidies and incentives.  But in nearly half of U.S. states, driving a battery-powered car now requires paying an additional fee. To date, 24 states have imposed special fees on EVs, usually through higher registration charges, … Continued

Cash or Credit?

We have previously discussed the gradual movement away from cash in many retail establishments (see blogs titled “Is Cash Obsolete?” and “When Cash is Embarrassing”). The movement towards credit-only transactions appears to be driven by efficiency and the problems associated with accepting and handling cash. Now comes government.  San Francisco is about to require brick-and-mortar … Continued

Is The Jig Up For The GIG Economy?

The great recession precipitated relatively high levels of unemployment and a material reduction in opportunities for full time work.  Consequently, people were open to new things, such as picking up temporary, low-commitment contract work.  Workers in this type of work are generally not legally employees and, while they gain flexibility, they lose out on traditional … Continued

Understanding Brexit

In Great Britain you can bet on almost anything through authorized bookmakers.  Currently, the odds on Brexit happening are now, for the first time, no better than even. Trying to explain Brexit is almost impossible.  Perhaps the most interesting effort comes from Jeff Lafferty, a Scottish comedian.  “So the way I understand it is that … Continued

Retirement Planning

How and when to retire may be the most complicated financial decision that most of will have to face.  There are a number of variables, many of which require estimates that are subject to unexpected future events.  Perhaps the most difficult factors include, estimating your (and a partner’s) life expectancy, inflation and investment returns over … Continued