Parsad

I don't agree with David Rosenberg on alot of things, but this is a pretty good short interview and I think he's correct on this. Cheers! http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/living-modern-day-depression-david-rosenberg-121332909.html

Yeah sorry Rabbit. I should not have said global expansion, but rather expansion. I think these are probably domestic loans as well, not unlike the other ones. Cheers!

He's very impressive! I think we'll definitely see more things from him over time. Cheers!

Article on Market Cap versus GNP. Cheers! http://pragcap.com/buffetts-favorite-valuation-metric-says

BAC has picked up an 18-year Goldman vet, who will co-head BAC's European, Middle Eastern and African investment banking. Cheers! http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fae19eac-bee0-11e1-8ccd-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1ypixRIfj

Well's continues their global expansion. Cheers! http://www.forbes.com/sites/halahtouryalai/2012/06/25/wells-fargo-picks-up-6-billion-loan-portfolio-from-another-struggling-euro-bank/?partner=yahootix

LOL! That's pretty funny too. Although I would have only thought of Jurassic Park if Paul Allen had bought the island! Cheers!

If KO's moat is consumers' brand loyalty to the syrup, why could KO not just sell the syrup directly to us as consumers so we can make it ourselves in a "KO-branded soda maker"? As long as it tastes the exact same, I'd pay whatever it takes to buy real Coke, not some knock-off, sugar-substitute garbage. Bottom line, given the tremendous power of KO's brand loyalty, I don't see how KO couldn't protect its margins. PLUS, say you're having a huge party and you need 72 cans of Coke - who on earth would want to stand there and hand-make all 72 cans? Wouldn't whatever cost savings obtained via making it yourself be trumped by the convenience of a read-made can of Coke? Great question, the answer is very simple... By selling to you through retail distribution channels coke and pepsi are able to command a higher margin than if they were to sell you the syrup. the SODA business model is entirely built on cannibalizing the market for point of sale soft drinks. So is SODA's syrup the equivalent of a $1 can of Coke or thereabouts? Just seems like the price difference isn't great enough to induce me to switch. It's one thing to go from a $5 latte at SBUX to a $1 K-cup (pulling numbers out of the air) but from a $2 can of Coke down to $1? Let me ask everyone a couple of questions here: - What did Starbucks do when McDonalds started selling gourmet coffee? Their margins shrunk after they dropped the price on their hand-made drinks and brewed coffee. - What happened to Coca-cola's margins when Walmart started selling their own brand of Cola and Sodastream started selling their carbonated beverage machine? Nothing! People don't go into Starbucks and ask for a "Starbucks mocha"...they ask for a "mocha". When people go into McDonalds or pretty much every other restaurant in North America, they ask for a "Coke"...not a "carbonated cola". Waiters and waitresses around the world are taught to say "Sorry, we only have Pepsi, is that ok?" An apology because they don't have Coke...how would you like to be Pepsi? ;D The ugly sister with two left feet, even though if you look at their list of ingredients, you would assume they are nearly the same! Sodastream is just another ugly sister and this one has even less to offer! You cannot discount the brand or the Coca-cola taste, as well as every other nostalgic impulse that comes to our minds when we order a Coke. There only a few things in life that we do that with, and none have such a dominant market share or are as ubiquitous in our daily life...Band-Aid is another but not nearly as universal or global, and certainly not as impregnable. I'm sure there are a few more examples. But you go to any part of the world and say the word "Coke" and people know exactly what you want. No one has a moat like Coca-cola! Cheers!

A few counter points: COTT and JSDA were competing in a completely different way than SODA. K Cups didn't have to be disruptive to do quite well. I would be careful to not underestimate the environmental consciousness of people. Most will do un-economical things in order to do their part in saving the planet. The new marketing of the cage is genius. KO is really playing into SODAs hand. The big company is picking on the little guy, who is trying to help the environment play is a good one. I hate to say it, but, this is one growth story that I might actually buy into. Just like K-cups and Starbucks entering the market with their own machines, what is to stop Coke from doing the same to Sodastream? They aren't going to just sit back and watch this unfold. Either they counter or they buy them out. As far as the environment goes, I would not count on that. Tell me any companies that have solely profited from the environmental benefit aspect of their business and where their competition hasn't changed their practices to match? The big guys will always come around if they see anyone making inroads. They tend to adapt and make the necessary adjustments...in most cases anyway. Cheers!

Sodastream won't even make a dent in the softdrink market. They will have far less impact than the generic store brand cola's did, and it won't hurt Coke or Pepsi's margins at all. Remember Cott? How about Jones Soda...not being sarcastic here Moore! ;D Softdrink products remain cheap enough where the average consumer couldn't be bothered with making their own soda. The fact that they use sugar substitutes in their products will also keep away many people, and existing products are already available for those in calorie-reduced diets or watching their blood sugar levels. I won't be buying and I consume a fair amount of that tasty beverage! Cheers!

I've read his blog in the past. He's kind of a douche and then sometimes he's pretty good, so it's a love/hate thing. His investment in Facebook and his past short in Fairfax make me wonder about his abilities...I'm prone to categorize him alongside Paul Allen as another "accidental billionaire"...and when you throw enough money around, you tend to get lucky. Regarding ESPN showing the video, I was also surprised. Bayless' colleagues certainly didn't step up to his defense, which was equally interesting to note. Cheers!

You can hear the Greeks in the bars tonight..."First they screw us financially and now they screw us on the football field!" Replace "screw" with you know what and you will get the right tone! :o Cheers!

Is that me or deleveraging continues big time? Assets are shrinking and they are repaying LT debt at an astonishing rate but that does not seem to be their choice but the fact that they can't put that money to work and get returns on it. So if BAC can't put their money to work, who is, and most importantly... at what costs/risks? This article should answer that: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/insight-wells-fargos-mushrooming-mortgage-201150179.html;_ylt=AgtzGQCsW5AwCpc4O7UiybiiuYdG;_ylu=X3oDMTNyYmNpcjA3BG1pdANGUCBUb3AgU3RvcnkgTGVmdARwa2cDYjExNmQ5MzctZDYxNS0zYzFiLWJmNjItNmYxNDY3Nzg3Y2E1BHBvcwMyBHNlYwN0b3Bfc3RvcnkEdmVyAzQ2NDM5M2UwLWJjYjItMTFlMS05ZTdmLTQ4NDNhZDk1MTFjYw--;_ylg=X3oDMTFpNzk0NjhtBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3 It will depend on what happens I guess. If housing has stabilized and is going to be moving up, then Wells is going to make a killing. If things continue downhill, then Wells better have hedges in place and BAC's deleveraging would have been the way to go. Regardless, I think Moynihan is just doing the simple and smart thing by reducing debt until the costs are on par, or less than, their deposit investment returns. He's keeping it simple...which I really like! And they are keeping it relatively simple at WFC too...credit quality is high, costs are low, there is a vacuum they are filling presently and can shut it down pretty quick if things start to go in the wrong direction. I think they are both very well run banks...one is getting its health back, and one is exploiting investment oppportunities because it always had its health. Cheers!

Chalk up another newspaper...when he says something, he usually does it. Cheers! http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-57459240/buffetts-berkshire-buys-waco-newspaper/

I'm no fan of Mark Cuban, but I love the way he tore this sports reporter up. Cuban knows his basketball! Cheers! http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/mark-cuban-absolutely-destroys-espn-skip-bayless-air-202818568--nba.html

Not sure if anyone had seen this yet, but this was BAC's presentation from a couple of weeks ago. It's attached as a file. Cheers! BAC_Morgan_Stanley_Presentation_-_June_12_2012.pdf

I don't think we are that far off from Merkel relenting...it is coming...just exactly how much more pain and angst does she want to endure from her peers? And once they start down that road, the whole deleveraging process will take 3-4 years...but the primary wall would have finally been breached. We'll see what happens. Cheers!

Here's another one. Cheers! http://www.cnbc.com/id/47903627

As many of you know, one of the non-profits we support is "The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of Canada". This year in Toronto, we raised $13,000 for the CCFC. Alison Obrecht, Chapter Development Coordinator For British Columbia, is spear-heading and coordinating the first ever fundraising gala in BC. I've been asked to assist her in any way possible and am more than happy to do so! The Gala is set for November 22, 2012 at the Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle. Corner Market Capital will be buying a table, and I encourage our boardmembers, especially those who live in and around BC, to try and attend. Individual tickets are $200 and tables are $2,000-2,500, with sponsorship all the way up to $15,000. They are also interested in any donations, including prizes for the auction. Everyone my age or older will also be happy to hear that Vancouver's own 54-40 is playing the Gala...one of Canada's best bands that disappeared too soon! Details for the Gala are below: http://www.kintera.org/site/c.4nJIJXPrEbKSE/b.7990773/k.DA83/2012_Vancouver_ICE_Gala__Home.htm Cheers and see you there! AllThatGlitters2012InviteNov.pdf

As many of you know, one of the non-profits we support is "The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of Canada". This year in Toronto, we raised $13,000 for the CCFC. Alison Obrecht, Chapter Development Coordinator For British Columbia, is spear-heading and coordinating the first ever fundraising gala in BC. I've been asked to assist her in any way possible and am more than happy to do so! The Gala is set for November 22, 2012 at the Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle. Corner Market Capital will be buying a table, and I encourage our boardmembers, especially those who live in and around BC, to try and attend. Individual tickets are $200 and tables are $2,000-2,500, with sponsorship all the way up to $15,000. They are also interested in any donations, including prizes for the auction. Everyone my age or older will also be happy to hear that Vancouver's own 54-40 is playing the Gala...one of Canada's best bands that disappeared too soon! Details for the Gala are below: http://www.kintera.org/site/c.4nJIJXPrEbKSE/b.7990773/k.DA83/2012_Vancouver_ICE_Gala__Home.htm Cheers and see you there! AllThatGlitters2012InviteNov.pdf

Article on housing and Buffett. Cheers! http://www.trefis.com/stock/buffett/articles/128178/further-evidence-that-a-housing-rebound-is-imminent/2012-06-21

What did they get right about the device? The design, the processors, useability, it's efficient, keyboard/cover, etc. Other than the display, which isn't on par with the retina display on the iPad3, it pretty much covers all of the bases. And the display is still on par or better than all Android tablets and the iPad2. They will probably have a retina option some time next year. Not to mention the fact that it will run Office efficiently and most gamers will probably prefer this machine to the Apple iPad. There definitely is a market for the Surface. Cheers!

Isn't that obvious? The promise of an iPad and a PC in a single device. If they do a good job of executing on this promise, then I think it's a clear win for customers. People who want an iPad will get a PC for "free", and people who want a PC will get an iPad for "free". I say "free" because we don't know the price point yet, but clearly without competitive pricing it's not going to work. Or they'll get device that is neither a good tablet nor a good pc. Never know. So far with the Surface, they've gotten the device right, but not so much the software. The Windows Phone 8 OS looks pretty darn good on the software side, and apparently there are rumours that they are working on their own phone. If it is anything like the Surface hardware, it may be pretty good. They are late to the game, just like they were with the video game console. Give them some time. They don't need to kill Apple, but just remain competitive and make inroads. It's Google that may need to worry more than Apple. Cheers!

Only about 2,600 shares traded hands...it's pretty illiquid still. Once the new shares are issued, you will probably start to see a little more consistency in pricing. They are raising $11M to pay down debt and fund the expansion of Hooters Restaurants internationally. Go to their website and they have a ton of information...www.chanticleerholdings.com. Mike, Joe, & Matt, have a good time ringing the Nasdaq bell on the 26th! I'll be watching the live feed. You guys have done a ton of work to turn this thing around over the last four years, and it's all up from here! Cheers! http://finance.yahoo.com/news/chanticleer-holdings-ring-nasdaq-closing-165500089.html

LOL! Very funny. Cheers!