Yes, but what do you propose as an alternative, CF?
"That said" is shorter and arguably more elegant than the common "having said that", or "that been said", or the bizarre "having done said that".
But they all serve a logical purpose -- they are a way of putting the rhetorical "on the one hand, on the other" into a single sentence. (OK, one could simply omit the one hand and just use the other, but is that really better than "that said,"?)
And while IOS is still the most important platform, it is quite expensive to develop an app for it. Developing for WP is cheaper.
In sum, it seems that developers are liking WP and that this OS is nowhere near to being given up. And don't ever forget what Monkey Man said: "developers, developers, developers!"
Yes, There Is A (High-Yield) Dividend Bubble [View article]
This is a very good article (after about seven others which address the topic of a presumed "high-yield bubble"), because it defines exactly where the bubble might be:
Namely, in high-yielding stocks that have unsustainable payout.
I myself fell into that trap. I normally try to focus on dividend-growers with low payout ratios. But I bought Nokia a few weeks ago, just because I liked the company and I thought, with a 10% yield, what can go wrong?
Everything went wrong, but happily, a lot has gone right in the mean time. And I learned my lesson and won't be fooled again.
Foreign Tax Credit And Withholding Tax Rates [View article]
Good and interesting article, thank you!
It might be useful to add that tax authorities have extremely varied levels of cooperation in terms of refunding withheld tax. The Swiss tax office, for instance, is very forthcoming and quick. Other countries deal with this issue in a fashion that has convinced me not to invest there. Spain, Italy and Portugal are three examples: it can take months, even years, to get anything refunded; Spain even expects you to have an account in Spain for a refund.
Why Staples Is Not One Of My Dividend Staple Companies [View article]
A bit of Peter-Lynch style anecdotal evidence from me:
Eddie the author writes "Staples has been aggressively trying to expand in Europe. And it appears to be hitting significant resistance with that effort".
I can testify that I've visited several Staples in Europe, and in all cases it seemed management has its eyes everywhere but on the ball. In my home town of Frankfurt for instance, service is atrocious. Staff is slow and totally uninformed and it seems their IT is a total mess. Several times I gave up trying to buy a certain product because they couldn't find it in their checkout scanner system. Several times I waited up to ten minutes just hoping to get information on what an item costs.
The stores are large and pleasant and have nice parking, and have a good stock of products. But somebody in operations is doing a good job of scaring customers away.
Is Dividend Growth Investing Enthusiasm Inflating A Bubble? [View article]
You point being: it's a bubble because some people watch price moves every day? (Most DGI's I know don't even do that -- it's buy-and-collect, or buy-and-monitor-once-per quarter for them).
Is Dividend Growth Investing Enthusiasm Inflating A Bubble? [View article]
Excellent article, since it addresses the discussion about a possible bubble, and points to how DGI is actually self-correcting.
Saying dividend-growth investing is a bubble would be like saying that purchasing real estate for rent income is a bubble market.
It's not gonna happen. You can buy a house for rent income, but if you overpay, you get only 2% yield. Not too many people will do that and presto, bubble bursted. The same thing for DGI. If too many people join the bandwagon, then most investable stocks will yield less than 3%.
Of course, there are a few people who will buy any stock that is growing its income, even if it yields only 1% or so. If we hear of *millions* of people doing that, then I'll believe in a bubble. Talk to you then...
General Motors (GM) has grand plans to see the new Cadillac ATS rise to the top of the compact luxury segment. In the hopes of refreshing the Cadillac image to appeal to a younger market, the new model features a new rear-wheel-drive platform and the latest tech gadgetry along with its still-powerful V-6 engine. The ultimate goal for GM is to see the Cadillac brand unseat the dominance of the BMW (BAMXY.PK) 3-Series. [View news story]
Not as good as a 3-series, but a lot more desirable than the C-class Mercedes.
It's nice that Caddy is sticking to the origami styling, which is a lot more self-assured than the squeezed-potato silhouette to which too many other brands still adhere.
Audi hasn't found a new language for around six years: all models have the "I eat other cars" grill and look derivative of each other.
But anyway, who really desires a new car? The city is where the action is, but you can't show off your wheels there. Cars are for hicks or for old people; if you want to look sexy, get a bike.
Nokia Is The Leader In Windows Phones [View article]
I have to agree with Luke here. The Cult of Steve says Android must be destroyed or at least damaged. I do not know whether Cook feels as strongly about Android as Jobs did, but plenty of people at Apple still do, and Cook would be badly advised to acquiesce.
Apple doesn't want to be a monopoly. Since it hates Android, it follows that Apple will gladly share the market with Windows/Nokia.
Of course, Apple's support is not crucial to Nokia's survival, but IMO it can be a pillar in the bridge.
Nokia Is The Leader In Windows Phones [View article]
All I can say is, if my Nokia Pureview 808 were a Windows phone, then it would be a powerful competitor to all things Android and Apple.
Its camera is vastly better than anything else on a phone. And, the Rich Recording technology means you can video or record concerts at much better quality than with an iPhone.
Two unique selling propositions in an upcoming OS that will be as modern as anything else: sounds like a recipe for success for me.
Schumpeter's Creative Destruction And Nokia's 41 Megapixel Camera Innovation [View article]
OK, folks, I bought the Pureview 808 and have been using it for the past two weeks. So, is it a real advancement or just technobabble hype?
1) The camera is spectacularly good. My girlfriend has an iPhone 4S and the Nokia wins in every respect. She loves her iPhone and didn't want to believe me but grudgingly conceded that the Pureview is around two generations more advanced. It also takes considerably better videos than my compact digital camera, a Panasonic DMC-TZ5 which I'll now sell on eBay. It may sound cheesy, but to have a high-quality camera in your pocket at all times is a real improvement in the quality of my life. I have taken dozens of photos that I otherwise would have missed. 2) The viewfinder is much better in sunlight than that of the Apple. Clearer, brighter -- the pola filter works great. Makes a big difference in taking photos in many situations. 3) The camera interface is much easier and more intuitive than in most cameras. Don't misunderestimate this -- I didn't buy a digital SLR because I didn't want to learn how to use the controls. 4) The OS is very pretty and works fine in most situations. 5) Build quality is excellent. 6) Most reviewers complain of the camera hump on the Pureview. Apart from the aesthetics however, it doesn't create any real problem. 7) Rich Recording technology blows every other phone away when you are recording audio or video with audio. 8) The OS has some pretty nifty things you can't get on any other phone, such as MP3 broadcast via FM radio. No matter what car you are driving, it's easy to hear your music on the stereo. No futzing around with cables or bluetooth. 9) Free maps for on-board storage is just fantastic. Pay no more for navigation, no matter which country you are in. Big caveat/disappointment however: Nokia does not do Japan! I found (since I am travelling to Tokyo in September) this a major gyp and unworthy of a global company. Shame on you, Nokia. 10) Apps is so-so. Difficult to get Skype. Whatsapp works like a dream, however. No Instagram, no Hipstamatic, but that stuff is overrated, I'd say.
In sum: this is a fantastic product from a sick company. Truly confidence-inspiring. If the product was a let-down, then I would have sold all my stock, in a kind of Peter Lynch twist. As it is, I am holding on and will sell only if the technical picture truly deteriorates.
Apple: One More Thing [View article]
"That said" is shorter and arguably more elegant than the common "having said that", or "that been said", or the bizarre "having done said that".
But they all serve a logical purpose -- they are a way of putting the rhetorical "on the one hand, on the other" into a single sentence. (OK, one could simply omit the one hand and just use the other, but is that really better than "that said,"?)
Why Nokia Is Rallying Now [View article]
http://bit.ly/PQDuCW
And while IOS is still the most important platform, it is quite expensive to develop an app for it. Developing for WP is cheaper.
In sum, it seems that developers are liking WP and that this OS is nowhere near to being given up. And don't ever forget what Monkey Man said: "developers, developers, developers!"
Yes, There Is A (High-Yield) Dividend Bubble [View article]
Namely, in high-yielding stocks that have unsustainable payout.
I myself fell into that trap. I normally try to focus on dividend-growers with low payout ratios. But I bought Nokia a few weeks ago, just because I liked the company and I thought, with a 10% yield, what can go wrong?
Everything went wrong, but happily, a lot has gone right in the mean time. And I learned my lesson and won't be fooled again.
Foreign Tax Credit And Withholding Tax Rates [View article]
It might be useful to add that tax authorities have extremely varied levels of cooperation in terms of refunding withheld tax. The Swiss tax office, for instance, is very forthcoming and quick. Other countries deal with this issue in a fashion that has convinced me not to invest there. Spain, Italy and Portugal are three examples: it can take months, even years, to get anything refunded; Spain even expects you to have an account in Spain for a refund.
Why Staples Is Not One Of My Dividend Staple Companies [View article]
Eddie the author writes "Staples has been aggressively trying to expand in Europe. And it appears to be hitting significant resistance with that effort".
I can testify that I've visited several Staples in Europe, and in all cases it seemed management has its eyes everywhere but on the ball. In my home town of Frankfurt for instance, service is atrocious. Staff is slow and totally uninformed and it seems their IT is a total mess. Several times I gave up trying to buy a certain product because they couldn't find it in their checkout scanner system. Several times I waited up to ten minutes just hoping to get information on what an item costs.
The stores are large and pleasant and have nice parking, and have a good stock of products. But somebody in operations is doing a good job of scaring customers away.
Excellent Book For Dividend Investors ("The Dividend Investor"/Rodney Hobson) [View instapost]
(If I was Amazon, I would have sold it for no more than €16.99, but I am old-school.)
Is Dividend Growth Investing Enthusiasm Inflating A Bubble? [View article]
(Most DGI's I know don't even do that -- it's buy-and-collect, or buy-and-monitor-once-per quarter for them).
Is Dividend Growth Investing Enthusiasm Inflating A Bubble? [View article]
Saying dividend-growth investing is a bubble would be like saying that purchasing real estate for rent income is a bubble market.
It's not gonna happen. You can buy a house for rent income, but if you overpay, you get only 2% yield. Not too many people will do that and presto, bubble bursted. The same thing for DGI. If too many people join the bandwagon, then most investable stocks will yield less than 3%.
Of course, there are a few people who will buy any stock that is growing its income, even if it yields only 1% or so. If we hear of *millions* of people doing that, then I'll believe in a bubble. Talk to you then...
General Motors (GM) has grand plans to see the new Cadillac ATS rise to the top of the compact luxury segment. In the hopes of refreshing the Cadillac image to appeal to a younger market, the new model features a new rear-wheel-drive platform and the latest tech gadgetry along with its still-powerful V-6 engine. The ultimate goal for GM is to see the Cadillac brand unseat the dominance of the BMW (BAMXY.PK) 3-Series. [View news story]
It's nice that Caddy is sticking to the origami styling, which is a lot more self-assured than the squeezed-potato silhouette to which too many other brands still adhere.
Audi hasn't found a new language for around six years: all models have the "I eat other cars" grill and look derivative of each other.
But anyway, who really desires a new car? The city is where the action is, but you can't show off your wheels there. Cars are for hicks or for old people; if you want to look sexy, get a bike.
Excellent Book For Dividend Investors ("The Dividend Investor"/Rodney Hobson) [View instapost]
2 "Boring" Small Cap Stocks For Growth And Income [View article]
12 Reasons to Keep Ignoring Facebook's Friend Request (Part 2) [View article]
Nokia Is The Leader In Windows Phones [View article]
Apple doesn't want to be a monopoly. Since it hates Android, it follows that Apple will gladly share the market with Windows/Nokia.
Of course, Apple's support is not crucial to Nokia's survival, but IMO it can be a pillar in the bridge.
Nokia Is The Leader In Windows Phones [View article]
Its camera is vastly better than anything else on a phone. And, the Rich Recording technology means you can video or record concerts at much better quality than with an iPhone.
Two unique selling propositions in an upcoming OS that will be as modern as anything else: sounds like a recipe for success for me.
Schumpeter's Creative Destruction And Nokia's 41 Megapixel Camera Innovation [View article]
1) The camera is spectacularly good. My girlfriend has an iPhone 4S and the Nokia wins in every respect. She loves her iPhone and didn't want to believe me but grudgingly conceded that the Pureview is around two generations more advanced. It also takes considerably better videos than my compact digital camera, a Panasonic DMC-TZ5 which I'll now sell on eBay. It may sound cheesy, but to have a high-quality camera in your pocket at all times is a real improvement in the quality of my life. I have taken dozens of photos that I otherwise would have missed.
2) The viewfinder is much better in sunlight than that of the Apple. Clearer, brighter -- the pola filter works great. Makes a big difference in taking photos in many situations.
3) The camera interface is much easier and more intuitive than in most cameras. Don't misunderestimate this -- I didn't buy a digital SLR because I didn't want to learn how to use the controls.
4) The OS is very pretty and works fine in most situations.
5) Build quality is excellent.
6) Most reviewers complain of the camera hump on the Pureview. Apart from the aesthetics however, it doesn't create any real problem.
7) Rich Recording technology blows every other phone away when you are recording audio or video with audio.
8) The OS has some pretty nifty things you can't get on any other phone, such as MP3 broadcast via FM radio. No matter what car you are driving, it's easy to hear your music on the stereo. No futzing around with cables or bluetooth.
9) Free maps for on-board storage is just fantastic. Pay no more for navigation, no matter which country you are in. Big caveat/disappointment however: Nokia does not do Japan! I found (since I am travelling to Tokyo in September) this a major gyp and unworthy of a global company. Shame on you, Nokia.
10) Apps is so-so. Difficult to get Skype. Whatsapp works like a dream, however. No Instagram, no Hipstamatic, but that stuff is overrated, I'd say.
In sum: this is a fantastic product from a sick company. Truly confidence-inspiring. If the product was a let-down, then I would have sold all my stock, in a kind of Peter Lynch twist. As it is, I am holding on and will sell only if the technical picture truly deteriorates.