Aalan

58 Comments

    • Liquidity (Literally) [view article]
      80-90% of the costs of most of these items is packaging. If you could buy Red Bull from a pump, without the bottles, it would be cheap. WalMart is getting smart about demanding that its suppliers reduce packaging costs. Other retailers could, too. Sep 03 02:30 AM
    • ETF Pick of the Week: Claymore S&P Global Water [view article]
      The correct comparison is not with PHO, but with PIO, which is even more global in outlook.

      Most of the companies in PIO are Euro-based, making it even cheaper.       Sep 02 02:42 PM
    • Hong Kong To Face Challenging Second Half [view article]
      You seem to be saying that the _exchange_ will be having trouble, due to reduced commissions--not that the _stocks_ or the ETFs mentioned at the beginning will face headwinds. If that's the intent, it should be made clearer-- not too many people invest in the exchange, and the tags might lead people to think you're talking about poor performance by the stocks. Aug 29 12:52 AM
    • Five Good ETF Ideas That Have Yet to Catch On [view article]
      Good article, but for the typo noted by Jimstam, and one omission: there are not two, but _three_ new ETFs focusing on the Middle East; the third being Wisdom Tree's GULF. And a couple of others just for Africa. Aug 28 12:27 PM
    • The Strange Case of Dr. GLD & Mr. Bullion [view article]
      I hate to step into the line of fire in what seems to be a religious war--can I wave a white flag and declare neutrality before posting?

      When GLD (the ETF) goes up, HSBC is supposed to issue more shares and buy more gold bullion. If my understanding is correct, this is necessary (as with all ETFs) to keep the share price consistent with the market price of gold, rather than having its own supply/demand dynamic (like a CEF). Thus, massive investments in GLD reduce the supply.

      So, with the recent dive in gold prices, more investors are selling GLD. Did HSBC sell its bullion? If so, they might be hard-pressed to meet the demand when the market reverses suddenly (i.e., now?). If not--if they kept an extra supply as a hedge--it could explain some of the reported shortages.

      I've seen the opposite argued, that brokers have issued shares of gold-related assets without actually collateralizing them with physical gold; they would then have a motive to manipulate the price downward, so they can buy the collateral more cheaply. But I haven't seen any hard evidence for either scenario.       Aug 22 02:23 PM
    • Merrill Lynch’s Taiwanese Laundry [view article]
      I can't tell what your point is. Are you saying to disregard the suspicion cast on MER, because the reporter didn't get the story right? Or are you saying that this is just the tip of an iceberg of corruption that could put the brokerage into a large cauldron of hot water? Aug 22 03:39 AM
    • Russian Oil Exports: Dropping, But Why? [view article]
      "It ain't necessarily so" should be credited to Ira, the lyricist, rather than George, the composer.
      8-D       Aug 21 05:40 PM
    • Goldman: Readying Short Position Initiation Sequence [view article]
      Wow-- I took the plunge as you suggested, and it's looking good so far.
      Do you have a cover price in mind?       Aug 21 01:05 PM
    • Cash Is King: Accrual Earnings Stock Screen [view article]
      This is a terrific idea. My only problem is... where do I find a screener that has the accrual ratio listed as a criterion??

      Failing that, it's a good method for evaluating financial statements--doing the calculation by hand for a stock while researching it. But I'd love to have the luxury of just running a screen. Got one?       Aug 20 11:08 AM
    • New Hedge Fund ETFs Are On the Way [view article]
      "I can't believe how many strategies ETFs follow already, this was such a simple idea and product when they first rolled out. "

      That's a good starting point for another discussion: ETF assets and liquidity. Currently, 40% of ETFs (on the Schwab screen) trade less than 15,000 shares daily. If you ever want to sell those shares in a hurry--good luck! The more products and the more specialization, the fewer buyers. So even if the concept is great, even if the returns are good, it might be a risky investment.       Aug 19 06:47 PM
    • Climate Exchange: Uniquely Positioned to Benefit Carbon Credit Trading Expansion [view article]
      I've been trying to buy the stock on OTC ticker CXCHY, but nothing trading. Aug 19 05:58 PM
    • Forensic Analysis of Lehman Problems [view article]
      Huh? Data points and conclusion, with no analysis to connect them? That wouldn't rate a C in my high school class. Aug 19 05:28 PM
    • Time To Gradually Reaccumulate Energy Stocks - And Gold [view article]
      Emerson-- I assume he means go to quantumonline.com/Pare... and read all the fine print before you buy. Aug 19 04:43 PM
    • Clean Energy ETFs Face Off [view article]
      What, is that all??
      I switched from PBW to GEX after doing some homework and learning that PBW has a substantial weight in biofuels (ethanol).
      If you're going to publish an article about it, you could at least go that far... and maybe compare performance, currency exposure, and market caps?       Aug 14 09:51 PM
    • Three Secular Shifts Changing Markets [view article]
      I read the book and had a hard time distilling the essentials from the thickets of rhetoric. Mr. Price, you've done a fine job of making the most vital points both cogent and easy to grasp. Aug 14 02:26 AM
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