5-30-08: In today’s current market condition, there are very few places to hide. It seem no matter where you decide to invest, you will likely be impacted by the high price of oil. As we have mentioned before, oil make this economy run as many aspects of our lives are tied to crude price. It all starts with the price of gasoline which trickles down to things like food. All of the sudden, your dollar doesn’t go very far. In the face of economic uncertainly, there are some companies which remains to benefit. Two companies we like, Visa (V) and Mastercard (MA). In our view, these two companies will continue to grow and benefit despite the dismal macro economic picture.
4-23-08: As gas price approaches $4 per gallon, everyone is hurting. Some folks have turned to politicians in the hope of some magic solution. To the dismay of some folks, there is little that can be done in terms of legislation. We are at the mercy of the market. It doesn’t matter who is in office, being a Democrat or Republican, they won’t be able to lower our gas price. This is the hard truth, we should just get used to it.
04-09-2008: The Microsoft/Yahoo saga continues to get more interesting by the day. One thing is for sure, something is going to happen in the next few weeks. After scouring the net, it appears most analysts believes Yahoo is just employing a delay tactic to get Microsoft to increase its bid by cuddling up with Google (Yahoo to test out Google adsense). While this might be the ultimate goal of Yahoo, we believed there is more to it than meets the eyes. Although there have been no other bidders, we do believe Yahoo does have viable alternatives.
04-05-2008: The Microsoft (MSFT) and Yahoo! (YHOO) saga continues to get interesting. This morning, hot headed Steve Ballmer got up on the wrong side of bed and decided to exercise his wide mouth. In today’s letter to Yahoo! Board of Directors, Ballmer’s tone got even more hostile. Microsoft is now officially threatening a proxy battle if Yahoo fails to engage in a formal negotiation in three weeks. For some reason this reminds us of when George Bush gave the ultimatum to Saddam Hussein in 2003 (we all know where that has gotten us). Microsoft is at it again, doing what it does best in these situations, blowing smoke and using scare tactics to gets its way.
04-04-08: Everywhere you turn around; it seems everyone is trying to save this economy. Politicians are scrambling to put forth a plan, any plan. The truth of the matter is there is little the government can do. We believed the current environment is just part of the business cycle. We’ve been steadily growing the last 5 years; it’s time things slow down. The latest evidence that recession is upon us; employers fired 80,000 people in March. The real number is probably higher when it is adjusted later this month. The actual number might be over 100,000. This of course leads to a common question everyone is asking these days. In a time where the future looks bleak, where can one find some haven?
4-01-2008: With the U.S economy is in the tank, where can one look to invest? Some would suggest the usual suspects such as China or India, but these two countries appear to be tapped out. Don’t get us wrong, there are still plenty of opportunities, but you won’t find the same level of return. Instead of only looking at the Far East, our research suggests South America could be the next area of growth. We have narrowed it down to Brazil.