The Philosophical Investor's Blog

Economic Tug of War

Economic Tug of War

Are jobs a lagging indicator? That is the question as last week was a very ugly one in terms of the Apple announcement and other economic reports suggesting the global economy is slowing. At the same time, the jobs report was quite stellar as the economy produced a seasonally adjusted 312,000 jobs,

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From Housing to Labor and Back Again

From Housing to Labor and Back Again

I think this chart is what keeps Jay Powell up at night. If he were convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that we were still in the same low inflation regime that had been present for decades prior to Covid,

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Riding a False Premise: The Hard Rain Scenario

Never did that before

I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken

I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children

And it’s a hard, and it’s a hard,

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Working from the Solution: Lessons from Firing the Pool Guy

Pool Guy Fired

I’m usually a very patient person, and sometimes, it’s to my detriment. It can lead me to tolerate situations longer than I should. On the other hand, when I have reached the end of my rope, then watch out as I can be quite decisive in taking action to change the situation,

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Only Time Will Tell: Hedging Ahead in the Expectations of a Shifting Fed

Only Time Will Tell_ Hedging Ahead in the Expectations of a Shifting Fed

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I’ll pivot back to Jay Powell and the Fed from Pete Townshend and The Who. Two of my favorite subjects 🙂

The minutes of the Fed meetings that took place November 1-2 were released last week.

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The Power of Concentration What You Need to Know

Power of Concentration Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett’s 2014 Letter to Investors – The Power of Concentration

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway’s stock price exceeded $200,000 per share for the first time in August 2014. The company was the world’s fifth most highly valued corporation in 2014 and dropped in 2022 to 6th place. The stock was propelled higher by record earnings (August 1,

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I Hope I Live So I Never Get Old

The Who Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend B

A few weeks ago, I saw The Who in concert in Orange County. On a whim, I decided to see if tickets were available two days before the show, and sure enough, I could find some reasonably priced. It was the third time I had seen the band.

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Seeking Shelter from Shelter

CPI 7.7% - shelter housing B

Last Thursday was an incredible day for virtually all markets. That is when the CPI report was released, and inflation came in a bit lighter than expected which in turn lit a fire under the bond and stock markets. The NASDAQ was up by more than 7%,

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Purchasing Power and Paris

Paris Gary and Heather October 2022

Although the hawkish Fed has made it more challenging for many businesses in the United States, it has also resulted in some beneficiaries. One is just plain old savers who, during Covid, essentially earned 0% on their idle savings. With the Fed aggressively raising short-term rates,

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Four Years Later: Pain, Loss, Growth, and the Wisdom of Nick Cave

Gary pain loss

I’m writing this sitting on a massage roller because I am dealing with some persistent hip and back pain. The unfortunate byproduct of this is that it has become very difficult to play tennis because each time I plant my left foot with any kind of force there is shooting pain is triggered in the left hip.

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