Parsad

Hi Eric, Thanks very much for the donation. Much appreciated! Cheers!

LOL! Kraven, if you think Road House is a classic film, then that would make Footloose the 80's "Singin' in the Rain!" Glad you invest and don't produce films! ;D Cheers!

LOL! That's pretty damn funny. I know you guys would eventually have a Stanley Cup playoff team. I knew that the day you guys hired Brian Burke...because as soon as he eventually gets fired, Dave Nonis takes over the team with the same guys and makes the run. It's happened before here in Vancouver. I love Burkie and was hoping that he would bring his show back to Vancouver after our collapse this year. He would tear it apart, piss off the owners and media after a few years, and then Dave Nonis would probably come over from Toronto and take over. I won't be surprised to see the Leafs go all the way this year...a Nonis team with some momentum is usually tough to beat. Cheers!

He actually remembers me of Tony Stark from Iron Man. Billionaire, inventor/engineer/etc of course tony is way cooler... Oh you are really going to hate hearing this. It goes straight for the inner boy in all of us. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-09-13/elon-musk-the-21st-century-industrialist "Jon Favreau, a friend and the director of the Iron Man movies, has called Musk the basis for his version of comic book hero Tony Stark, the playboy inventor who builds a flying weaponized suit." Agh! Now tell me that does not hurt ;) Really, isn't Richard Branson more like Tony Stark...he's not an engineer, but is taking people into space or funding alternative energy sources. Plus he's got the daredevil-marketing ploy angle covered as well...and the hot babes! Finally, isn't the Stark goatee alot like Branson's? Cheers!

More Tesla S vehicles sold than Mercedes, BMW or Audi's top vehicle. Cheers! http://money.cnn.com/2013/05/13/autos/tesla-sales-bmw-mercedes-audi/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

While I'm still nursing an open wound from the Canucks premature demise from this year's playoffs, I am happy to see the Leafs take Boston to game 7. Go Leafs go! Please knock out those Boston a-holes from the playoffs...yes, I'm still bitter after two years! ;D I hope Phaneuf speedbags Marchand's head tonight. Cheers!

I agree Matjone, I think excess cash on the balance sheet is what is making investors pay up right now. But if you cannot distribute the excess cash, then your ROE is going to be lower. Corporate net profit margins are high...probably not sustainable at current levels, but that doesn't mean they will revert to the historical 6% range either. I think as rates start to rise, inflation creeps into input costs, you will see a reduction in corporate net profit margins as interest costs will also escalate. Presently, I think markets are enjoying a golden era in net profit margins...low interest expenses, no real inflation, low labor costs due to excess workforce, high profit margin businesses dot the landscape in another era of technological innovation, solid balance sheets...you name it, things are good for Corporate America. But not sustainable long-term! Cheers!

This interview took place in 2012, not 2013. This year's interview took place in a aircraft hangar. ??? Did you look at the date...March 4, 2013? I think I may have confused you because I said just before Berkshire weekend. I should have said a couple of months before Berkshire weekend. Cheers!

Here is the interview just before Berkshire weekend. He says that stocks are a better investment than other asset classes, but that doesn't make them cheap...just cheap in the current low interest rate environment. Cheers! http://www.cnbc.com/id/100515743

Was the Reuter's quote out of context then? Is there some place where Buffett said that he's only talking about relative to the risk-free rate? Additionally, I know I've asked this elsewhere before, but I'm immensely curious as to why everyone has seemingly jumped on the bandwagon of an "imminent crash" happening. Is this just because we've had a "summer selldown" in the each of the last three years? (April-June '10, July-September '11, April-June '12) Is this because people are still burned from the '08-'09 years? Also, why does this matter when we can buy GM @ $31.42? No one said imminent crash...just that prices are getting more and more speculative. And yes, the Reuters quote was out of context, but do you really need to know that, or can people figure that out rationally and what is quoted becomes irrelevant. Overall asset prices are always influenced by interest rates and the assumption becomes that rates will stay low forever...it never happens. Here is an article with Buffett discussing equities...how he sees no imminent crash...that stocks are reasonably priced based on interest rates. Cheers! http://www.moneynews.com/StreetTalk/Warren-Buffett-Fed-Stock-Market-Bernanke/2013/05/06/id/502897 "When interest rates are low, and people expect them to stay low for a while, it pushes up the value of all other assets," he said. "Interest rates act like gravity for all other asset prices."

Or is it profitable so you can put it in BAC? Just kidding :) It is profitable, and I will be upgrading the site over the next year. Cheers!

Buffett is saying that stocks are not overvalued relative to the risk free rate. That doesn't mean that stocks on a historical basis, especially when considering the risk premium investors are willing to accept at the moment, aren't high. Risk premiums on both equities and corporate bonds are now at the same levels they were at in late 2007. Margin debt is as high as then. I don't think investors need to bail on stocks, but they should be careful in what they buy, and holding significant cash shouldn't feel like an anchor. Cheers!

The other statistic I pay attention to is margin debt. It is at the highest level since October 2007. The two previous times it was this high was in 2007 and early 2000. That being said, another statistic I pay attention to, railcar loads is flat or improving in many areas. So it may be a bit of time before we see any correction, but the spring is compressing. Cheers! http://www.yardeni.com/pub/ECOINDRAILCAR.pdf

Thanks for the donations guys! I don't have a tablet, so I had no idea that the new ad was creating problems. I think I will just stick to Google Adsense and Amazon...they seem to work the best without much interference. Cheers!

Ok guys, that ad is gone and the usual Amazon ad is back. Let me know if that is back to normal on the tablets. Cheers!

Which ad in particular is causing the grief? I switched over to that text ad at the end of the posts to try something new...is that the one? If so, I can get rid of it and go back to the smaller Amazon one. As for the last ad on the bottom of the page...that one stays. Cheers!

PS - I'd be happy to contribute to an "ad free" forum! People always say that, but few, if any, do. Cheers!

Whether they are logged in while you are logged in is not private. But, when they last logged in is indeed private - as far as I remember. Yes WarrenWatsa, you are correct. Which answers the question asked by Valueorama. It was a privacy breach...the reporters should have known that...unless it was sanctioned by Bloomberg. Cheers!

I think some of these reporters should be fired as well! Cheers! http://www.cnbc.com/id/100728847

Funny interview of Icahn, and he takes a shot at Chanos. I love it when these guys fight amongst each other. Cheers! http://www.cnbc.com/id/100727811

KeyCorp has acquired BAC's commercial servicing portfolio and will be sub-servicer to Berkadia as well. No numbers given other than the assets. Cheers! http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/05/10/keycorp-to-acquire-commercial-mortgage-assets-from.aspx

Yeah, that one caught my attention too. That would be the perfect life if you could top off the bacon with a can of Coke! ;D Cheers!

I think if you make independent decisions, then this is irrelevant. I've attended every Fairfax AGM since 2005, and I was fully invested in 2009 and 70-90% invested in 2010, 2011, 2012...we're still about 65-70% invested in 2013. If an investor is swayed by other investors or what they hear on the news, then they've got a problem, because they are going to partake in things that will not have the full confidence of their own analysis. Cheers!

...Patrick Wolff Uses Buffett as His Guide. Cheers! http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/chess-master-fund-manager-patrick-wolf-uses-buffett-174642576.html;_ylt=AoKRveonqNGoSlTrCylp372iuYdG;_ylu=X3oDMTRwMTFjbnEyBG1pdANGaW5hbmNlIEZQIFRvcCBTdG9yaWVzIG1peGVkIGxpc3QEcGtnA2RjY2U3YmY5LTJmYmItM2ZiNy1hYTRlLTY3MWFiMTg0NDY0MwRwb3MDMQRzZWMDTWVkaWFCTGlzdE1peGVkTFBDQVRlbXAEdmVyAzhhNTk4OGYzLWI4ZDMtMTFlMi1iNWY5LTEwYzBmMTI0MzE5NA--;_ylg=X3oDMTFkcW51ZGliBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3BtaA--;_ylv=3?vp=1

Article on the 5K and Brooks. I bought myself a pair of those commemorative Berkshire Hathaway Brooks running shoes. Very, very light like the Nike flex shoes. Cheers! http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2013/05/09/warren-buffett-5k/?source=yahoo_quote