RK

Questions Remain on Goldman Sachs / AIG Bailout

Instead of guessing, would it not be possible to interview someone who left GS in the last year and who may be in a position to know the truth? Most of the SA comments and articles contain at best educated guesses and very little true operational knowledge contributed from within the GS complex.

Cramer: Flat Wrong on GameStop

Let me add also that not only are games going with the digital download route (that is inevitable). Games are also going with the freemium model (free to play at some level but with premium content or capabilities). This will make second hand game sale irrelevant. Games retail shops are going the route of record stores.

Mobile Neutrality and the Google Phone

I am skeptical. There are many unanswered questions.

You can't launch a phone in much of the world without carrier cooperations. Is Google handling this or the ODM doing this?

How does Motorola or any other phone maker feel about Android if Google becomes a competitor? Microsoft would be pleased.

Is Google going to handle the customer relationship regarding the phone? What is the distribution strategy? Google has never done retail before. Think customers who spend $600 on a device would be satisfied with low overhead web based (no call center) customer support? I think not.

Novatel: Comparing 'Sell Through' vs. 'Sell In' Numbers

Sell-in refers to shipment to distributors or carriers.
Sell-through refers to shipment to end customers.
Sell-through is a more accurate depiction of real demand.

On Nov 13 08:52 AM Solow46 wrote:

> You still did not clearly defined in both examples the sell through
> and the sell in concepts....

Is Nintendo the Apple of Steve Jobs' Eye?

Apple is likelier to buy a gaming company than Nintendo, which is simply too large. Steve Jobs owned Pixar before. He is comfortable owning game creation. Many game companies (especially emerging) can be bought for under $1 billion, but most of these are not public.

Buffett's Aversion to Gold Could Cost Him

Second guessing Buffet is a favorite topic in SeekingAlpha. It is fair to critique on his buys. It is a little harder to criticize him for his non-buys. Actually this is true for any investor.

There is no way to replay history. If he had bought gold, then Berkshire would have gone in a completely different path and maybe gone bankrupt in a different arc of history. We would never know, would we?

Oracle Fights Back as EU Tries to Tilt Database Market Playing Field

If Oracle drops MySQL, I am pretty sure another company will pop up to support MySQL. The source code of MySQL is after all public.


On Nov 10 04:00 PM dw57 wrote:

> The transaction does not threaten to reduce competition in the slightest,
> including in the database market.
>
> not really sure thats true. if Oracle were to drop MYSQL it would
> reduce competition. and they both run on the same platforms don't
> they? while bad produces reduce the amount of competition its not
> quite so drastic as a competitor dropping out all together
>
>
> "Approve this or Oracle is out of Europe. Who needs your dying statist
> economy anyways?"
>
> I suspect the last argument would only get them kicked out of Europe.
> one of the 7 largest economies on the planet.

Google Is Dead Serious About Chrome

Chrome may be incrementally better than its peers (which is debatable). But it does not matter.

It is like we do not care who has the best TCP/IP implementation or WIFI implementation. They are all good enough.

Google Voice Search Goes to China

I would not count on Google being extremely successful in China. The government does not like Google. At best, the government tolerates Google. It is extremely unlikely the government would let Google to take over a lucrative market in China.

Fannie Mae Plus Goldman Plus Tax Credits Plus U.S. Treasury Add Up to Big Mess

I am not familiar with the complexity of the deal. Why can't AIG just auction off the tax credit? On the other hand, I am enjoying seeing how the government runs GM, Chrysler, AIG, Fannie, Freddie and Citi. While I am sure it will not be good for these companies, perhaps the rest of the country and the pols will learn a lesson and think twice about having the government be a majority shareholder.

If I were an employee (especially a valuable employee) at these companies, I would bail.

Money Multiplier Still Sending Deflation Signal

Is the M1 multiplier the same as money velocity? I read somewhere (can't recall the quote) that money velocity cannot be measured directly. Can money velocity be less than 1 as the graph shows? I thought if there were no credit in the economy, the money velocity would be at 1. Appreciate any clarification.

A Look at Earnings: Visa, Interactive, McGraw-Hill

"one can only wonder how Visa crushed the quarter when carrying the brunt of a declining consumer"

Really? I am surprised by the comment. Visa is a toll booth for credit and debit transactions; it does not lend money to consumers. Same with Mastercard. American Express is different.

As long as the volume of paperless transactions grow in the world, Visa and Mastercard will grow. Hope this helps.

MLPs Keep Roaring Ahead

MLP dividend, I understand, is not tax-free; it is tax-deferred. The taxes are due when the units are sold.

Swap shares of Yahoo (YHOO) for Google (GOOG), Barron's says, noting Google's pulling away from its rival while Yahoo's ad revenue can at best be described as 'less bad.' "With the economy still huffing toward recovery, investing in a turnaround story is only for the brave. The safer bet is Google, which has emerged from the recession seemingly stronger than before."

Ick. I beg to differ. Google already has close to 70% of search market worldwide. It is just a matter of time when governments (EU in particular) begins to police it for antitrust behavior. If you want to get out of Yahoo, fine. Swapping for Google especially when Google share price is flying high is so typical of Baron's: dispensing bad investing tip.

Note: I own Google and Yahoo.

Amazon: Please Drop to $85

I respect you sticking to your model. However, perhaps your model will not bag you growth stocks except in a armageddon scenario. And perhaps you should be content as Mr. Buffet in not owning growth stocks.

As a side note, Mr. Buffet did buy BYD stock. Is that conforming to the FCF of 15 still? I am too lazy to find out the price that Mr. Buffet paid for BYD.