Alex Salkever

Apple Netbook Will Fill Newspaper Void

Have no idea that this post means. Apple Netbook will replace / save newspapers? That's like saying Elephants will replace / save microwaves. The forces making newspapers go extinct have nothing to do with the arrival of Netbooks and much more about the leveling of economics of information distribution and resulting competition, the arrival of free classified advertising, the encroachment of PPC and online display ads on far more lucrative areas of print media. News will survive. Newspapers have nothing to do with it. And Netbooks from Apple probably have even less.

Harley Davidson: Plan for More Downside

Maybe they can start making primo electric bikes of mopeds -- though it'd be hard to call them hogs, no?

What Will Happen to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s Print Advertising Dollars?

I think the money goes to Google and others and the bulk of local journalism goes to a community supported model -- meaning smaller but more closely aligned with needs of the community.

The Good and Bad in Hedge Funds Today: A Manager's View

Hedge fund performance, in my mind, has always been fungible in terms of comparisons. That's because when a fund blows up, it gets removed from the tally. Further, funds are self-reporting returns so naturally, they don't report when they have bad returns. If funds were FORCED to report, then claims that they collectively outperform the mutual or index funds would be validated. Without objective comparisons, hedge fund claims that their returns are superior as an asset class, should be taken with a grain of salt.

Fallout from the Great Newspaper Implosion

It's to the left of the story. Please read more closely. :)

The Three Riskiest Banks - American Banker

Agree with Dee. I remember not long ago people were saying that WFC was a "safe" bank but apparently its balance sheet rapidly degraded from Tier 1 assets to lesser grade. The only way you can find that type of thing out is by closely reading SEC documents and doing deep research. Relying on ratios is like driving a car using only the rearview mirror.

Google AdWords in the News - Literally

Google is fine. They are totally fine as one newspaper after another goes bankrupt while Google reaps the benefits in traffic and, now, in ad dollars. I just think that Google is Googling itself out of a viable part of its news product. At a minimum, Google better figure out how to share some revenues with newspapers. The papers drove themselves into a ditch by giving it all away. But Google, the Web traffic cop, merrily waved them on. What do you think Google should do to save newspapers or at least the original creation and research of news beyond blogs (which are useful but are mostly a layer on top of original news reporting and commentary)?

Google AdWords in the News - Literally

Google is fine. They are totally fine as one newspaper after another goes bankrupt while Google reaps the benefits in traffic and, now, in ad dollars. I just think that Google is Googling itself out of a viable part of its news product. At a minimum, Google better figure out how to share some revenues with newspapers. The papers drove themselves into a ditch by giving it all away. But Google, the Web traffic cop, merrily waved them on. What do you think Google should do to save newspapers or at least the original creation and research of news beyond blogs (which are useful but are mostly a layer on top of original news reporting and commentary)?

Google AdWords in the News - Literally

Google is fine. They are totally fine as one newspaper after another goes bankrupt while Google reaps the benefits in traffic and, now, in ad dollars. I just think that Google is Googling itself out of a viable part of its news product. At a minimum, Google better figure out how to share some revenues with newspapers. The papers drove themselves into a ditch by giving it all away. But Google, the Web traffic cop, merrily waved them on. What do you think Google should do to save newspapers or at least the original creation and research of news beyond blogs (which are useful but are mostly a layer on top of original news reporting and commentary)?

Two Valentine's Day Sweet and Steady Stocks: Hershey and Coke

You might be right but if chocolate prices crash (entirely possible) and other commodities prices stay low but they are able to maintain prices then a lot of upside appears that is not currently priced in. Chocolate production coming online right now is skyrocketing. Dairy prices have yet to return to previous levels. Sugar, likewise, has been seriously spiking. Regarding Coke, its not cheap but it's a remarkably stable business with a dividend yielding stock. If the S&P snaps back at all, it will carry KO up with it. :) Have a Coke and a smile!


On Feb 13 09:02 AM Marcap wrote:

> Unfortunately, I think Hershey is an extremely overpriced stock poised
> for a big tumble. With a share book value of a mere $1.40 per share,
> and virtually no inside shareholders, its current trading price of
> $36.54 is just not realistic.

Amazon's Kindle Is No iPod

Couldn't agree with Jenny more. :)


On Feb 11 01:30 PM jenny wrote:

> The Kindle will never be an iPod ever. The price of it alone is enough
> of a deterrent. And to the first comment, I would never read my textbooks
> on this thing. While textbooks are expensive, I take comfort in knowing
> that at the end of every quarter I will recover more than half that
> money back by selling them back. You can't do that with an electronic
> book. Not to mention there is something about having the physical
> book that I could never give up. Sentiment was actually extremely
> bearish at the beginning of this week, quickly ticked up and is now
> back on it's way down (www.predictwallstreet....).
> The Kindle alone is not enough to help AMZN from diminishing consumer
> spending.

Gaming Outlook: Multi-Player Online, Used Games Gain in Popularity

I think you are looking backwards and not forwards. Look at China, where MMO is driving the market. In general, Asia tech has floated over here eventually. Korea was way ahead of U.S. with WiBRO, Asia ahead with 3G data and use of mobile devices. MMO is the natural extension of ongoing trends in the sector around dispersed relationships and online friendships. With Nintendo, you miss the point. I admit it's the Wii that's driving that growth, not MMO. But what made Nintendo grow so well is it is a team play that has mainstream appeal. The rest of the pack is confined mainly to gamers, which, face it, runs out of cash after only so long when games cost $50 a pop.


On Feb 12 03:09 PM speculawyer wrote:

> The more I think about it, the more I realize how wrong you are with
> MMOs. EA tried MMOs with the Sims and a racing game . . . both failed.
> And there is no big console MMO at all . . . a star wars MMO from
> Bioware may do the trick through . . .or not.

Stanford International Under Scrutiny

I suspect there are many schemes like this that will quickly come to light now that people are paying attention again.

In Praise of Suze Orman

I personally think the Suze Orman is not simplistic enough. Here's a much easier set of rules. 1) Spend less than you earn 2) Automate your savings 3) Buy low cost, broad market index funds on a regular schedule 4) Splurge every now and then but not too much. Can someone pay me a bazillion bucks and put me on Teevee?

High-Tech Votes for the Future

INTC's decision to me was mystifying. Most of the growth in global markets for electronics and semis is in Asia. Almost all of the production is there now. The only alternative would be to boost production in Mexico but the border regions have all turned into war zones. I'm all for investing in the U.S. but I'd think investing more in R&D or other forward looking things would make more sense. Unless INTC sees something we don't and figures manufacturing will snapback in the U.S. in the electronics sector, which could actually happen, given a rapid appreciation in Asian currencies against the dollar.