words of the day 8/21/2015

Regular readers/followers probably know my interest in words. Word usage or lexicology blends in well with my interest in song lyrics. What you might not know since I don’t post about it often is my interest in the stock market. For me the stock market is a form of retirement survival.

The following are words I’ve read today, browsing the business news about our stock market correction:

suffers
sharply
plummeted
plunge
tumbled
reassessment of risk
jittery
festering
uncertainty
weigh heavily on investor sentiment
pressure
global rout

=-=-=-= 

meanwhile 

on the other side of the pond 

the UK brings us this 

=-=-=-=

notice the paparazzi

Dismaland

The Guardian offered up some pictures. The above picture of a crashed pumpkin coach is from the Guardian's set of pictures on Dismaland. (link to story)


Dismaland has been billed, by its creators, as "the UK’s most disappointing new visitor attraction," and it's already causing widespread dismay online. (from a Mashable story)

How fitting to learn the new term “bemusement park” on a day everyone in the stock market needs much bemusement.  I might be able to create my own dismaland now.

will it be a sweet tweet

Will twitter get bitter?

This week if you follow any business news at all you’ll hear (have already heard?) about Twitter’s IPO. Now the scary thing I find is people getting interested and hyped up about this and they don’t even know what IPO stands for (Initial Public Offering). I’m not going to rush out and buy any shares of twitter.

In a few months the Twitter stock price is going to be either up or down. I won’t care.

If you bother to read any of the news regarding the IPO you’ll quickly learn that the company has yet to turn a profit. Now that of course doesn’t mean that they will not become profitable in the future. I’m very surprised this service has become as popular as it has. It’s been around for 7 years now and still growing.

Years ago I posted about how Twitter was blamed for the Aniston-Mayer breakup. It was then that I realized that Twitter is a big PR machine for celebrities.  PR is big business but I don't know if it is a highly profitable one.

Many bloggers are on twitter. I’m not. I have been invited. I just don’t see a reason to join yet another network. I would rather save my thoughts for a post where I don’t need to worry about a character limit. I text and I see the advantages texting offers. If I have short thought about to burst if not shared, I have Facebook and G+.

I am probably A Few Clicks Short of a Pageview on this, but I just don’t see a big profitable future for the blue bird.

Alert followers who read more that just short tweets might remember me doing parody song lyrics about twitter.

You're just too good to be true
Can’t tweet my feeling of you
You'd be like heaven to tweet
I wanna hashtag you so sweet
At long last love has a link
I thank twitter I don’t think
You're just too good to be true
Can’t tweet my feeling of you

career ladders

Damn my career ladder just would not stay up.

The corporate games can make your career ladder climb precarious. Did you ever think you would be playing a corporate version of chutes and ladders?

(trivia bit - Chutes and Ladders was derived from an 16th century Indian game called Snakes and Ladders)

About 6 years ago the corporate ladder I was on was kicked over. I didn’t really expect my climbing to continue much more anyway but holding my place on the ladder a little longer would have been a benefit. I could have thrown a little more in my 401K bucket. I wrote about this on the “short background” page if you are interested.

You can't always get what you want. (The Rolling Stones)

It was not the first time outside events knocked the ladder from under me. The first time was back in the summer of 2001. The same loss of job issue but different companies and different situations produce very different results. I jumped onto another ladder quickly after the 2001 ladder failure. (don’t they require ladders to come with warning labels?)

The second ladder crash was a much easier fall. The company was much nicer in the whole process. Now don’t start thinking golden parachute because I never reached that type of level. A decent severance and a better personal situation than the first time made a big difference.

It's not having what you want. It's wanting what you've got (Sheryl Crow)

I picked up a couple of contract jobs since I was pushed into the exit chute. Knowing a contract job is of limited duration at the start has a planning benefit and eliminates surprises. The good ladders had been moved or just packed up.

Since my fall, I have reflected for many hours on the “wanting what you’ve got” idea. Personal reflection beats staring at the rear reflectors of cars in a commuter jam. I certainly saved on gas.

Luckily we (my wife was still on her ladder at the time) did have a modest savings. I attribute much of what we had to our modest lifestyle and probably a bit of luck in timing.

The reduced cash-flow (cash-drip might be more descriptive) forced us to simplify. Part of that was more stay at home time. Honestly, I find many benefits with my home investing vs. tedious cubical subjugation.

I focused on the retirement savings and started to learn more about the stock market. It’s always a learning experience. The account benefited from my attention. There is much more to it than buy low sell high. However that simple low/high idea is the underlying basis for it. Unlike the prices and balances the knowledge you gain doesn fluctuate and keeps growing.

I’ve entertained thoughts of writing up my stock trading adventures. One of the biggest lessons is patience and to think in percentages. The recent run-up in the stock market gets people's notice. The contrarian view is better. You should take notice when there is a downturn.

I just wanted to jot this down and share it. Reflection is funny thing at times.
 

After many drinks at the bar the other evening I pointed and said to my friend, 

“look that will be us in 10 years.” 

He laughed, “That’s a mirror you idiot!”

better IPO - mine

Tomorrow we will see if the buzz surrounding Facebook's IPO was right or wrong.  FB will not only become the shorthand but also the stock ticker for Facebook starting Friday.

I have a better IPO for you. 

My Initial Public Opinion

My Initial Public Opinion on
death -
You can't stop the driving force behind cemeteries which can be peaceful places.





 
My Initial Public Opinion on FB is not to rush in to buy the shares.  Groupon (yes different but still social media related) didn't go too well so far.  GRPN is down over 50% since it's IPO.

Hey I've got my own shares.  So do you.  Ideas and opinions to share.  Blogging is all about sharing and public ideas.

Would you like a few other IPO's on daily matters?

There's over a thousand posts on "A Few Clowns Short".  You'll be able to find a number of opinions in that collection of public thoughts.  You don't even need an app for that - just use the search box on the right side of this page. 

For example, are you looking for a public opinion on drug advertising?  Did you know pharmaceutical company spending on marketing far exceeds that spent on research?  Here's a post offering my IPO on that subject - "pill to shallow".

If you search around you can even find my opinions on FB. 


another circus 

up and down comes and goes

No one would have thought of this back in 06.

Wall Street was flying then not sinking.

Back then (Dec. 2006) I posted about these 6 figure bonuses on Wall Street. That right - $100,000 plus average bonuses. Go back take a look.

Recently with the stock market tanking multiple times a week, most are worried about their job not the amount of a bonus. If you watch it, you'll notice the last few minutes of the market is negative almost everyday.

(There's always money to be made somehow?), somebody thought of a way to make some money commemorating the demise of some Wall Street institutions. They are selling a wall street coffin for your favorite failed company. It even comes with shredded money.

This is where I heard about it. CNBC

scary days

Halloween is approaching but the scary thing this October has been the stock market and the economy. I found this picture on the Chicago Tribune site.

This looks like a stock trader looking at his portfolio.

if your last name was jones

If you had baby boy and your name was Jones would you give him the name of Dow?

Nancy Pelosi said of the recent bailout package,

"We are addressing the real pain felt by Mr. and Mrs. Jones on Main Street."

If Mr. Jones was named Dow then most people would think Mr. Dow Jones lived on Wall Street, not main street.

Of course you could change your name to Nasdaq which many on main street might not recognize. Seems like many "main street" folk (some towns don't even have a main street) don't know or care much about investments. At least that's the impression I get from the media reports on this financial crisis.

Even the Rolling Stones get mixed into financial crisis (from the swamp blog):

In debate on the House floor this morning, Rep. Steve Cohen cited "a great philosopher,'' Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, for inspiration (the actual lyrics are a little different):

"Sometimes you get what you want, and sometimes you get what you need,'' Cohen told the House. "This time, the American economy is going to get what it needs.''

Maybe they need a karaoke machine in the house so they can get the lyrics right. Another colorful description from the house debate:

“It’s like a big cow pie with a little bit of marshmallow inside, and I don’t want to eat the cow pie,” Republican Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia said on the House floor of an earlier version of the bill.

A few days ago, I posted an idea about "Whiskey and Wall Street", well I had the wrong poison. Looks like rum and the bailout are connected. From the Taxpayers for Common Sense (that's a tough sell) I found out the package contains relief for rum drinkers:

Extends until December 31, 2009 a rebate against excise taxes charged on rum imported from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. A $13.50 per proof gallon excise tax is applied to distilled spirits imported to the U.S. Under this provision a $13.25 rebate is returned to PR and the VI, and is retroactive back to January 1, 2008.

crisis news wears on

Just as this financial crisis (bailout) continues to wear me down and I look for a diversion in some other subject like science, I see this picture above - WOW what's this?

Ah, we thought the US financial crisis was scary?


Oh nothing to be scared about it is just a "dramatic illustration" of a destructive planetary collision. (see the APOD page for more science info) I guess the bouncing ball of the stock market (and my retirement money) is nothing compared to planets bouncing together.

Anyway it's hard not to be a little stressed out by the scary financial reports. It makes hopes for job growth a tough leap of faith.

Man the lifeboats!! - Bankers and children first!!

My Irish friend, Philip, sent me this email text he found on a blog the other day. The scary thing is how similar it is to those email scams from third world countries.

SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

DEAR AMERICAN:

I NEED TO ASK YOU TO SUPPORT AN URGENT SECRET BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH A TRANSFER OF FUNDS OF GREAT MAGNITUDE.

I AM MINISTRY OF THE TREASURY OF THE REPUBLIC OF AMERICA. MY COUNTRY HAS HAD CRISIS THAT HAS CAUSED THE NEED FOR LARGE TRANSFER OF FUNDS OF 800 BILLION DOLLARS US. IF YOU WOULD ASSIST ME IN THIS TRANSFER, IT WOULD BE MOST PROFITABLE TO YOU.

I AM WORKING WITH MR. PHIL GRAM, LOBBYIST FOR UBS, WHO WILL BE MY REPLACEMENT AS MINISTRY OF THE TREASURY IN JANUARY. AS A SENATOR, YOU MAY KNOW HIM AS THE LEADER OF THE AMERICAN BANKING DEREGULATION MOVEMENT IN THE 1990S. THIS TRANSACTIN IS 100% SAFE.

THIS IS A MATTER OF GREAT URGENCY. WE NEED A BLANK CHECK. WE NEED THE FUNDS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. WE CANNOT DIRECTLY TRANSFER THESE FUNDS IN THE NAMES OF OUR CLOSE FRIENDS BECAUSE WE ARE CONSTANTLY UNDER SURVEILLANCE. MY FAMILY LAWYER ADVISED ME THAT I SHOULD LOOK FOR A RELIABLE AND TRUSTWORTHY PERSON WHO WILL ACT AS A NEXT OF KIN SO THE FUNDS CAN BE TRANSFERRED.

PLEASE REPLY WITH ALL OF YOUR BANK ACCOUNT, IRA AND COLLEGE FUND ACCOUNT NUMBERS AND THOSE OF YOUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN TO WALLSTREETBAILOUT@TREASURY.GOV SO THAT WE MAY TRANSFER YOUR COMMISSION FOR THIS TRANSACTION. AFTER I RECEIVE THAT INFORMATION, I WILL RESPOND WITH DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT SAFEGUARDS THAT WILL BE USED TO PROTECT THE FUNDS.

YOURS FAITHFULLY MINISTER OF TREASURY PAULSON

bull money

Looks like many of the wall street workers (not to be confused with other street workers) are having a very GOOD year. The average bonus this year will be $137,580. I wonder if any of these firms need some help? I could do some stock guessing if they needed it.

Over at Goldman Sachs the average bonus is even higher. How about $621,906 ? - heck you could divide that by 10 and that would still be a huge bonus.

After this year, I am finding myself on this end of the bull.