Archive for March 29th, 2013

Nums: What % of stocks actually create shareholder wealth?

March 29, 2013

We’re talking higher long-run capitalizations, not trading profits.

Over the period 1983 to 2007, the S&P increased more than 7-fold. but …

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According to Longboard Asset Management, over the period 1983 to 2007:

  • 40% of stocks lost value
  • 19% lost at least three-quarters of their value
  • 64% underperformed the market
  • 25% were responsible for all the market’s gains.

Conclusion: Statistically, successful stock-picking is more about avoiding awful investments than finding good ones.

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P.S. Tell me that you can look at the last 15 years on the above chart and not feel a little queasy about where the market is these days.

It sure looks like a pattern to me …

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Posted in Stock Market | 2 Comments »

Nums: Did Clinton really end welfare as we know it?

March 29, 2013

Surprised me, but the answer is yes.

But, there’s more to the story.

Clinton’s (and Gingrich’s) initiative to pare the welfare rolls cut the number of people on welfare from about 5 million to under 2 million.

Surprising to me, the number has held pretty constant for the past 15 years or so.

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As I said, there’s more to the story …

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Posted in Disabily insurance payments, Taxes, Welfare | Leave a Comment »

News Flash: Sex doesn’t sell any more … say what?

March 29, 2013

T-Mobile has ditched Carly Foulkes – the pink clad hottie that’s been the star of their ads for the past couple of years.

You’re probably wondering: why the heck would T-Mobile do that?

 

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Blame it on the market research geeks …

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Posted in Mktg - Advertising, Mktg - Brands | 1 Comment »