Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.
@David_Snowball, Thanks for your reminder of perseverance and goodness for 2026.
Your commentary (including the lucky raccoon) for January 2026 reminded me of a poem I first heard at a Clancy Brother concert in college back in the 1970's (dating m…
Yes, they are good little boys. Tiny dogs who have been snipped.
I wonder if trump is ushering in a new era of terrorism on U.S. soil? All the old players and a host of new ones?
Peace In Our Time is surely right around the bend.
intervention in Iran's internal politics went so well last time! Those who ignore history, are doomed to repetition. No matter how people may feel about their own, they hate outside meddling even worse. Change that doesn't come from within never has…
Wow, @Vic_C that is an impressive turnaround story.
We are on the same page IRT risk/reward going forward. GPGIX sounds interesting. Appreciate the ideas.
Psychologically, this was inevitable. As trump devolves, and becomes more impotent, he will need to use the military as personal henchmen to bolster his ego.
History has taught that long term negative events follows such interventions. Our escapades in the Middle East can be directly tied events like 9/11. Iraq told us to hit the road, after a concerted effort to control their politics. Afghanistan drove…
despite the gerrymandering war, there is a lot of positive things at almost any level outside the current trump admin. its too easy to get bogged down only in whether dems will fail again at the executive level.
red-state iowa got the ball rolling…
Does the cessation of howling mean acceptance is coming? Pass! It’s your house … Gag me.
As the message of a professor, who teaches Propaganda, I am 100% certain that is not what was implied. Only that we proceed with more rationality, less emoti…
Good professor, I see your point but I hope that you don't believe that "howling" is all we do. Howling seems to work at times for example when you're tearing down the White House, renaming buildings, erasing history, abusing immigrants in the worst…
I wonder if the next move from Navarro, Bessent and the gang is another overture or olive branch, to try and entice China back to the table? Which would, of course, be viewed by China as further weakness.
As such, I would not expect any positive movement in resolving this issue, that is having such a deleterious impact on input costs of so many small, and large businesses, in the U.S. While China has many domestic economic challenges, they appear to…
Peter Navarro is just another trump clown.
Navarro seems driven by emotion, and of limited vision. China appears to have a strong bench, as it pertains to strategic trade. The phrase "poking the bear" comes to mind.
"Beijing is well aware that the “Busan Consensus” is a tactical truce rather than a permanent settlement. Consequently, it is using this window to accelerate the acquisition of technologies it cannot yet produce at scale."
The unexpected consequenc…
A bit more; "By lowering barriers to high-tech components and advanced materials now, China is acting to fortify its industrial base before any potential shifts in the geopolitical weather. This is a policy of preemptive resilience."
yep. i used 'checkers' because it doesnt require any complex scenario vs the gop braintrust.
they have aspirational economic wishes with no ability for a viable strategy nor execution...plus kleptocracy keeps them fairly busy.
https://www.nytimes.…
Interesting aside. While on Ebay recently, I saw sellers (i.e. - Liberty Bullion Co 0% positive feedback) hawking 1oz .999 pure American Eagles for around $20. Obviously this is a scam, as the price should be tied to silver directly.
With due respect for the intensity of passions, both here and nationally, I really do wonder whether it's time to move past the vituperation of Mr. Trump? I teach Propaganda which forces me to pay rather more attention to our current politics than, …
@gman57 Fallout is excellent! I enjoyed Man On The inside. Loved Ted Lasso. Cheesy doesn't bother me, if also entertaining.
If you haven't seen Severance, I highly recommend it.
Nice summation. Thanks @yogibearbull
Just to be clear, as these are "contrarian indicators", their positivity implies one should proceed with caution?
If so, preaching to the choir. Should we get a 5% gain short term, I will drop ~10 of my equity…
An Ordinary Man looks interesting.
Saw the new Knives Out over the holidays. Not bad.
And the new Frankenstein. Long. Slow first half. Decent second half.
@Observant1
Sorry to hear that. Their loss, I am certain. I hope you are/were able to parlay that into improved circumstances, better job, better pay, early retirement...
@Observant1
Yes, telecom hardware/software is my specialty field. I retire with 45 years at essentially the same corporate entity. A job that I truly enjoyed for most of that time.
I expect that many countries, our competitors and adversaries, will quickly move to fill the void in demand and technology production.
Probably help to boost China's export juggernaut even more.
...
Clarence Thomas is the poster boy for most corrupt judge of the century. Fits in nicely with the current White House where services are up for sale to the highest bidder.
If the thieving pervert were a Dem, it would be the topic of nightly dis…
Thanks @davidmoran
1950's murder levels in NYC! Amazing.
Meanwhile the homicide rate "top 10" is filled with states like GA and TN.
https://www.thirdway.org/report/the-21st-century-red-state-murder-crisis
Crazy world that we live in.
Meanwh…
If someone was interested in speculating a bit. Did not want to hold physical silver and was looking for top 1-3 funds, what would be recommended at this point? All usual disclaimers apply.
My portfolio and returns are quite close to @Observant1. I had almost no INTL equity allocation, so TR was about a percent lower. Same footnotes, basically. I had slightly more equity and slightly more cash.
Will be moving some MMF/TBUX to bond oe…
It is not about drugs. trump pardons drug kingpins. Opioids ran rampant during the first trump administration, they did jack squat as it tore through the nation.
...
Just don’t call it Kentucky. While one of the reddest of states some of our politicians here, notably Thomas Massie and Rand Paul are the rare breeds in the GOP who boldly and repeatedly stand up to that fellow in the White House.
I knew I mig…
