Saturday, May 30, 2009

Thoughts on Markets, Investing and Life

Second only to "Super Karate Monkey Death Car"** in the depth of it's profound understanding of the market is NewsRadio's Season 3 Episode 9:

Jimmy: Be careful, Beth, because the stock market can be a cruel mistress.
Beth: Well, so can I, but that's not how I want to make my money any more.
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Bill: Have you ever lost something very dear to you?
Dave: Yeah, when I was 12, we had this dog...
Bill: I was actually thinking more along the lines of a large sum of cash.
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Jimmy: [about a stock ticker] It's just like television, except without all those people doing stupid things to a fake laugh track.
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Bill: Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish...
Jimmy: ...and he'll spend all his time in the basement tying flies and neglecting his personal hygiene.
-NewsRadio: "Stocks" at IMDB
Here's the video via Hulu, the stock market stuff starts about five minutes in, mouse over the screen for the controls:

**Great. Here I am calling for a midweek pop in the market and Dow futures indicate down 52.
Will this thwart my plans for world domination? In the words of Jimmy James (News Radio):

Mr. James:
"The original title of this book was 'Jimmy James, Capitalist Lion Tamer' but I see now that it's... 'Jimmy James, Macho Business Donkey Wrestler'... you know what it is... I had the book translated into Japanese then back in again into English. Macho Business Donkey Wrestler... well there you go... it's got kind of a ring to it don't it?

Anyway, I wanted to read from chapter three... which is the story of my first rise to financial prominence...

I had a small house of brokerage on Wall Street... many days no business come to my hut... my hut... but Jimmy has fear? A thousand times no. I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey strong bowels were girded with strength like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo... dung.

...Glorious sunset of my heart was fading. Soon the super karate monkey death car would park in my space. But Jimmy has fancy plans... and pants to match. The monkey clown horrible karate round and yummy like cute small baby chick would beat the donkey."
-Episode #57 "Super Karate Monkey Death Car"
By way of EvilZero.com
Well there you go. Pretty much says it all.
-From our Wednesday April 1 post "U.S. stock futures slip to start second quarter".

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 152.68 that day and a further 216.48. the next.
The run actually started a day earlier than I thought it would, with an 86 point advance on Tuesday.

Mom used to say, "It's great fun to fool around, just get your homework done first."

Spoiler ahead!


The stock Beth chose?

Amalgamated Turbine.

Wiped her out.

The market call referred to was a March 30 post, "Getting Ready for the Wednesday/Thursday Market Pop"