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Non-Tech : Kirk's Market Thoughts -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kirk © who wrote (24056)	4/16/2025 3:34:30 PM
From: wilywilly	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 26769

Indeed, and someone better tell ICE that factories are going to need more immigrants: Americans want more factory jobs in the U.S.—as long as they don't have to work them \| Fortune

To: Kirk © who wrote (24056)	4/16/2025 4:02:31 PM
From: Elroy	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 26769

First off, where would you put the new plants and where would you find the needed, skilled workers for hire? Hang on. Just how skilled do you think workers need to be to work in a PC, server or cell phone assembly plant? All the factories moved to China because they were labor intensive and labor is less expensive over there than it is in the USA. The Chinese laborers' lives are (compared to lower middle class US lives) miserable, work six days a week, make almost no money, live in a "worker's village" dorm type thing, and the USA is getting the benefit of that low cost labor. The issue is not that skilled workers in the US are not available. The issue is that we're trying to repatriate undesirable jobs. Just because you call it "manufacturing" does not make it a desirable high paying job. Manufacturing tries to pay the laborer as little as possible for an always increasing level of more and more work. That's how the factory generates profit. The US should be trying to ensure that no country (ie, China) gets a monopoly position in manufacturing because then they can use the monopoly to raise prices and we customers got no choice but to pay. However, if there is competition (Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Mexico, etc etc) then the factories compete with each other always driving their costs (including laborers' wages) lower, and the customer (the USA) gets the product at lower and lower prices. It's great to be the USA in this situation. It's a pain in the butt to be the dog eat dog factory, because the factory across the street is always trying to undercut you on price - there goes all the profit! Overseas factories should be viewed as distribution channels for US designed semiconductors and US created software. It's how our semi and software companies sell their products. Why are we destroying our leading companies' distribution channels? Assembling PCs has a gross margin of 15% and a operating profit margin of 4%. It's a lousy business. Let them have it.

To: Kirk © who wrote (24056)	4/16/2025 9:17:06 PM
From: robert b furman	2 Recommendations Recommended By Kirk © sixty2nds Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 26769

No. But historically today's mortgages are not high. Inflation has made home prices high, but weren't they high when we bought as well? The difference is when we bought a home, we knew the minimum needed to satisfy the requirements to be eligible for a loan was 20% down and job stability with excellent credit. THEN, if you wanted a better rate, you had more down. For those who need to make a summer Europe vacation and a $7.00 vende's on the way to work, YOU NEED TO GO ON A BUDGET, and stick with it for 5-7years. The quicker you do that, the quicker you get a 30 year mortgage. The quicker you do that and save even more, the quicker you get on a 15 year mortgage. The quicker you do that, the sooner your savings pay that 15 year mortgage off in 10 years, (which goes amazingly fast). When you finally have your home paid for, you can then choose investments. If you have been studying and beginning to be successful, you'll then sell your starter home and have a dream home, to then again pay off. A 7% mortgage is the average over the years. It is high during the ZIRP time period only. So suck it up butter cup and get after the finer things of life. Bob