To: maceng2 who wrote (280722 ) 3/20/2004 5:19:43 PM From: Knighty Tin Read Replies (3) | Respond to Barron's Mini Review. Not much good, but what was was very good. 1. In Abelson's column, Doug Kass shaked his head at CPI. 42% of CPI is housing costs. Housing costs, based mostly upon something called rental equivalence, were only up 2.1% last year. That must be why everyone is running out to buy houses. Yeah, we're gonna make 2.1% on money we're borrowing at 5.5% or whatever. Such a deal. All the folks who think housing prices went up only 2.1% last year, have another drink of the lime Kool-Aid and make certain to use your disinfectant so there is no infection of your lobotomy scar. <G> 2. A piece on Richard Russell, who looks like Saddam coming out of the Spider Hole in the photo. Make Barron's inspect your teeth, Dickie. Oh, they're not your teeth. Sorry! <G> Anyhoo, he sees the dollar down another 50% and the US slipping into a Depression. He is only a bird guts and squiggly line watcher, Dow Theory flapdoodle, not a real analyst, but, somehow, his voodoo has him on the right track. We live in an age of wonders. <G> 3. An article about stocks to hold forever. One is the only stock I've held forever, MDT, so I hate the fact that Barron's has cursed it. Another is TEDMX, which I own in my 401K. I'm scared, Mommy! 4. A short fluff piece on small biotechs, which I agree with. Small biotechs and nanotechs are the way to get rich if you know how to pick 'em. Oops, so far, none up my nose. <G> 5. In Market Watch, another Dow Theory geek says we're in a bull market. Hmmmm, is it possible this stuff is not a real science? Or even a legitimate art? Nah! 6. A map of where it's safe to travel and do business in the world. It looks like Street, Illinois and Lobo, New Mexico are o.k. 7. Some cranky letters in Mailbag. William Benson is wondering why the govt. is borrowing short when long rates are at lows since 1958? Pssst, Bill, it's because they're stoopit! And crooked. Eugene Wolfson says that we have a $500 billion deficit and $400 billion growth in GDP. Where's the other $100 billion? When you find out, Gino, remember that you spell Halliburton with two "ls" and sheikh has a silent "h". Mary Eitel says to cap CEO pay at $1 million and salary and dividend increases for all employees should grow at the same rate. Guess who isn't a CEO? 8. Three doofus portfolio managers playing golf in the snow and putting a quarter of their portfolio into Berkshire Hathaway. 9. The commodities section touts rubber. We don't trade it here in a murica. I'm not awake at 2 AM when it's trading in Malaysia and Singapore. However, I can be awake for a $25 million account who likes a lot of activity. <G> Dat's it.
