freewillybird

Why the FCC Wants to Smash Open the iPhone

If AT+T pays big bucks to build out its wireless network (eg cell towers) then how do they recoup the investment, and if Apple designs and manufactures an iPhone, how do they recoup their investment, and if Apple gets paid more by the exclusive carrier and less by the end user to pay for the cost of the hardware, then how does the carrier recoup that investment? It seems like the carrier (ATT in this case) has to make $$ to make the whole thing work. So, if Google figures out a way to bypass a ATTs call-based revenue stream, and ATT is forced by the FCC to let the Google app have access to the internet via the iPhone through ATTs network, then it makes the whole scheme not work for ATT, atherefore not work for Apple. Does this mean that I now have to pay many hundreds of dollars for the iPhone? Maybe as a consumer I like things the way they are now. ....

Why Physical Gold Is Superior to Mining Stocks for Long-Term Investors

Nice article, but he talks early on about PHYSICAL bullion being better than an ETF, then goes on to develop only the advantages between bullion and miners. I would like to see his analysis (with data rather than just speculation about what would happen during a crisis) on the difference between a gold ETF like GLD and owning physical bullion. It would be important to know if obtaining and holding physical metal is deemed to be worth the inconvenience.

The Next President Will Be Trapped by History

Both McCain and Obama had good points in the debate. For example, McCain rightly stated you can't get to independence from foreign oil without nuclear power. On the other hand, Obama is very smart and is less tied to past directions than McCain, and Obama has more youthful stamina, both of which we should intuitively realize will be key in these interesting times. The baggage that Obama does carry stems from his left leanings for social spending for the poor, which does not help them in the long run. Free markets and good education are all that is needed. Now I favor Obama, but I hope he learns from McCain. Both men are far far better than GW, seeming to point out the deep weakness of our democracy, because we elected GW not once but twice!?

Peak Oil, Crude Price and Equity Correlation

"in the end, it boils down to the health of the economy"

that's it in a nutshell....

The New Peak Oil: Peak Demand

Vikram, your last paragraph about Iranian crude stored in ships glossed over the fact that this was due to seasonal maintenence at the few foreign refineries which can process high sulfur crude. There are not many of the latter, hence the Iranian storage issue. You did NOT note the important sulfur issue, and implied the glut is generalized, while the article suggests that other OPEC countries (I would guess with the exception of VZ) produce more light crude. I question whether the Iranian situation is generalizable.

G-7 Central Bankers Stymied By 'Crude Oil Vigilantes'

Nice analysis, but I have 2 questions that you did not cover. First, is the Fed worried about deflation (eg real estate deflation), and is this partly behind all these rate cuts? Second, given the liberal margin requirements for crude futures contracts, do you think that oil producing nations are bidding up the futures contracts to help their bottom line?

Oil Hits New Record - Is $125 Next, or $100?

Since they are not allowed to buy companies like Unocal, China is exchanging its central bank dollars for oil futures. The process can continue for quite some time. Do not expect relief anytime soon....