redbaron's Comments RSS Syndication from SeekingAlpha.com http://seekingalpha.comuser/167365/comments http://seekingalpha.com/article/174639-global-outage-at-ebay-seller-confidence-shaken-as-holidays-approach?source=feed#comment-772809 772809
Our thanks to you for what you do, Scot.]]> Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:37:58 -0500
Our thanks to you for what you do, Scot.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/174639-global-outage-at-ebay-seller-confidence-shaken-as-holidays-approach?source=feed#comment-772803 772803
For those uninformed on recent eBay changes, the Diamond Sellers are those sellers of mass merchandise, mostly from other corporate sites, who pay little or no fees to get their millions of items listed, thus raising the total listing numbers, while the small sellers get their listing rates raised, and their search results lowered to near to nothing.

Thanks again, eBay.]]> Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:29:48 -0500
For those uninformed on recent eBay changes, the Diamond Sellers are those sellers of mass merchandise, mostly from other corporate sites, who pay little or no fees to get their millions of items listed, thus raising the total listing numbers, while the small sellers get their listing rates raised, and their search results lowered to near to nothing.

Thanks again, eBay.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/174517-ethanol-producer-cds-equity-relationship?source=feed#comment-768880 768880
This question is at the economic heart of all the talk about biomass alternate energy, ethanol, algae energy, and all the other alternate fuel sources.

If at the end of all the research on this subject, actual economic realistic solutions are found to some of these currently researched proposal and ideas, and it cost more in terms of energy input to dry the material, and move it around the country than the actual energy recouped from the developed process, the economic reality is that you have developed a money losing process.

I have been involved in many of these economic models, and many of these research projects input the cost of ingredients as next to zero in the formula calculations. I understand that when we are throwing something away, one is tempted to rationalize the cost down to zero, or close to zero, but the reality is that when you begin to process this material by drying it, and moving it around the world, or country, or county, or wherever, the actual cost of the material is no longer zero.

As an example of this principle at work, consider the cost of moving corn from the corn belt, to another location outside of the corn belt. When a former employer built a feed plant in southern GA and found the local corn supply to be less than satisfactory (due to aflatoxin content) for animal feed use, corn had to be hauled from the Ohio River region, all the way to southern GA. That transportation added close to a dollar a bushel to the corn (at that time), and substantially increased the cost of corn in the feed formulas. The same principle is at work with some of the recently constructed ethanol plants that were built away from the corn belt and have already been shut down.

Again, how much do you spend to move something that is essentially worthless? Can you afford to move it around the world?]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:10:39 -0500
This question is at the economic heart of all the talk about biomass alternate energy, ethanol, algae energy, and all the other alternate fuel sources.

If at the end of all the research on this subject, actual economic realistic solutions are found to some of these currently researched proposal and ideas, and it cost more in terms of energy input to dry the material, and move it around the country than the actual energy recouped from the developed process, the economic reality is that you have developed a money losing process.

I have been involved in many of these economic models, and many of these research projects input the cost of ingredients as next to zero in the formula calculations. I understand that when we are throwing something away, one is tempted to rationalize the cost down to zero, or close to zero, but the reality is that when you begin to process this material by drying it, and moving it around the world, or country, or county, or wherever, the actual cost of the material is no longer zero.

As an example of this principle at work, consider the cost of moving corn from the corn belt, to another location outside of the corn belt. When a former employer built a feed plant in southern GA and found the local corn supply to be less than satisfactory (due to aflatoxin content) for animal feed use, corn had to be hauled from the Ohio River region, all the way to southern GA. That transportation added close to a dollar a bushel to the corn (at that time), and substantially increased the cost of corn in the feed formulas. The same principle is at work with some of the recently constructed ethanol plants that were built away from the corn belt and have already been shut down.

Again, how much do you spend to move something that is essentially worthless? Can you afford to move it around the world?]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/174220-ethanol-vs-natural-gas-or-coal-comparison-not-even-close?source=feed#comment-766915 766915 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:39:39 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/173447-jamie-dimon-makes-best-case-for-not-breaking-up-big-banks?source=feed#comment-761646 761646 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:10:03 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/173209-the-compelling-case-for-converting-adams-express-into-an-active-etf?source=feed#comment-758589 758589 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:36:44 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/173209-the-compelling-case-for-converting-adams-express-into-an-active-etf?source=feed#comment-758301 758301
If converting ADX is good, would not converting PEO (Petroleum and Resources) to an ETF be even better? PEO is a sister fund to ADX. I'm long PEO also. PEO is one of ADX's largest holdings.]]> Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:32:49 -0500
If converting ADX is good, would not converting PEO (Petroleum and Resources) to an ETF be even better? PEO is a sister fund to ADX. I'm long PEO also. PEO is one of ADX's largest holdings.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/172973-algae-biofuels-have-a-promising-future?source=feed#comment-758285 758285 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:08:25 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/172049-skype-s-legal-drama-ends-it-s-time-to-start-innovating?source=feed#comment-753868 753868 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:11:10 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/172168-former-citi-ceo-john-s-reed-mea-culpa?source=feed#comment-752070 752070 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:49:10 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/170441-for-your-perusal-the-glory-of-free-market-oil-supply?source=feed#comment-739970 739970 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:15:18 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/169300-finding-small-smart-grid-plays?source=feed#comment-733617 733617 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:35:51 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/168495-betting-on-natural-gas-part-ii-investing-ideas?source=feed#comment-726762 726762
Natural gas has to be part of our country's overall energy policy, or so we think, because, 1) we have so much of it, 2), it burns clean, 3) we don't have to import it. We need to be doing more working toward adapting this fuel for transportation uses. We are also long CLNE, but that of course does not generate any income.]]> Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:05:41 -0400
Natural gas has to be part of our country's overall energy policy, or so we think, because, 1) we have so much of it, 2), it burns clean, 3) we don't have to import it. We need to be doing more working toward adapting this fuel for transportation uses. We are also long CLNE, but that of course does not generate any income.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/168059-bove-s-wells-fargo-call-sinks-markets?source=feed#comment-724856 724856 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:56:47 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/167227-now-we-re-really-due-for-a-pullback?source=feed#comment-720216 720216 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:27:36 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/167155-galleon-group-s-50-largest-holdings?source=feed#comment-719351 719351
I need a good short in my portfolio now, given my overall long positions, so may have to give this some more thought. Better think quickly!]]> Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:46:53 -0400
I need a good short in my portfolio now, given my overall long positions, so may have to give this some more thought. Better think quickly!]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/166178-the-end-of-the-oil-age-not-quite?source=feed#comment-713852 713852 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:02:39 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/166204-oil-producers-lower-cds-spreads-higher-equity-prices?source=feed#comment-713665 713665 A nice review, but I was waiting for a recommendation, or conclusion, which seems to be missing. Does the author have some final thoughts?]]> Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:36:13 -0400 A nice review, but I was waiting for a recommendation, or conclusion, which seems to be missing. Does the author have some final thoughts?]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/166174-conocophillips-plans-two-year-makeover?source=feed#comment-713631 713631 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:09:10 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/165266-faber-rogers-dent-and-celente-collapse-dead-ahead?source=feed#comment-706595 706595 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 07:58:56 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/164278-can-bud-climb-higher-with-natural-gas-in-the-tank?source=feed#comment-698213 698213 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 08:31:18 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/162321-ebay-takes-a-step-backwards?source=feed#comment-684326 684326 Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:45:30 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/161938-looks-like-a-v-to-me?source=feed#comment-680373 680373 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 06:47:30 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/161517-investing-what-to-do-when-the-music-pauses?source=feed#comment-677098 677098
I still am cautious about October, and once we get beyond that there will be more emphasis on window-dressing portfolios going into the year end, or so I think. As a money manager, would you want to be 80% in cash, when the market was up 50%? I think not, and at some point, there will be some additional window dressing bringing more cash into this market, as we approach the end of the calendar year.]]> Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:34:31 -0400
I still am cautious about October, and once we get beyond that there will be more emphasis on window-dressing portfolios going into the year end, or so I think. As a money manager, would you want to be 80% in cash, when the market was up 50%? I think not, and at some point, there will be some additional window dressing bringing more cash into this market, as we approach the end of the calendar year.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/161446-markets-reversion-to-the-mean-or-a-really-mean-reversion?source=feed#comment-676494 676494
I took some money off the table a couple of months ago,and the stocks I sold continued right on up without me, so I got back in and have not been sorry. I have some cash in reserve, but this advance seens relentless to me. Why not enjoy the ride?]]> Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:02:34 -0400
I took some money off the table a couple of months ago,and the stocks I sold continued right on up without me, so I got back in and have not been sorry. I have some cash in reserve, but this advance seens relentless to me. Why not enjoy the ride?]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/161442-gold-and-oil-part-company?source=feed#comment-676435 676435
I invest only in stocks, so while the commodity trends are interesting, they don't tell the whole story for me.]]> Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:38:59 -0400
I invest only in stocks, so while the commodity trends are interesting, they don't tell the whole story for me.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/160089-layne-christensen-stretched-valuation?source=feed#comment-672387 672387 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:17:19 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/160834-has-ebay-turned-a-growth-corner?source=feed#comment-670238 670238 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:30:33 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/160736-golden-rule-easy-oil-production-means-cheap-oil-difficult-production-means-expensive-oil?source=feed#comment-669921 669921 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:32:03 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/160548-why-is-congress-agnostic-about-natural-gas?source=feed#comment-667772 667772 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 08:16:54 -0400