Hello
These are interesting times and I start with an area I focus on: dividend stocks. NBF came out with their all-star list and a couple analysts I work well with; each had a number of their names on it.
The drop in Nat Gas prices has surprised many and hence I added a summary from RBN Energy (pdf attached).
Smarter Markets has Ben Hunt on and with the explosion of CNBC and Bloomberg TV, he teaches why it is important to be overweight the narrative when it is growing, and being underweight when it starts to fade. He finishes talking about the major problems with higher education in the US, as he points out that tuition costs have gone up 3.5 times the rate of inflation since 1980. With the costs going up, you have $1.6T in student debt financed by the government (this ticket to a better life is going to find a reckoning and he says this is the most important narrative). He sees financial depression with every area that is connected to higher education, and it will have to adjust as education is what will fix the country in the end.
The real estate market in BC is always interesting. It is expensive but so many are moving here, and Steve Saretsky has an update.
These balloon stories are confusing to all, so I thought I should include what two of the top geopolitical analysts say about it. George Friedman and Peter Zeihan weigh in on the subject.
What is also confusing is what’s really happening in China and Freddie Sayers sat down with one three experts on the country. Louis-Vincent Gave is always good.
I have been reading for some time about how the governments want to control the digital currency market and UnHerd had a great piece on that.
I thought I should share a story on the retirement of John Horgan. Many may not agree with all his policies but he was always a good guy and he truly was the main cheerleader for LNG growth in BC.
Patrick Mahomes won the Super Bowl again and I think a number of GM’s should have read his letter before the 2018 draft day.
David Brooks provided a very important and emotional story about his longtime friend….it is a great one to read and one to share ….I would be grateful if it just helps one person connected to this top ten list.
Have a great weekend.
David…..
PS… Ben and Matt are back again together in….. ‘AIR’….the story of Nike and Michael Jordan.
Number 2 - RBN Energy - Natural Gas
Stepping back to look at the bigger picture set up for natural gas as we move through 2023 and into next year, some commentary from RBN Energy worth noting
Number 3 - Ben Hunt, Author of Epsilon Theory & Co-Founder/CIO, Second Foundation Partners
“What drives our behaviors to buy and sell? A story. Why should we do something? That’s story creation. And that’s what Hollywood and Wall Street do better than anyone else. Once you start thinking of it in those terms, it really changes how you can be an active participant in markets.”
https://www.smartermarkets.media/a-smarter-way-episode-5-ben-hunt/
Smarter Way series concludes with Ben Hunt, author of Epsilon Theory & Co-Founder/CIO of Second Foundation Partners. SmarterMarkets™ host David Greely sits down with Ben to discuss how the narratives and stories we tell ourselves shape our decisions and may be one of our biggest obstacles to finding a smarter way forward.
Number 5 - Mysterious Balloons - George Freidman
Peter Zeihan– It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s a Chinese Spy Balloon…(good summary of the weird things going on in China)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuGLQZ646o8
The fundamental question is how objects this large, at altitudes allowing enhanced visibility, could go unnoticed if U.S. and Chinese charges are even close to true. From available information, the craft move with the grace of an elephant and could be shot down by aircraft, missile or a well-aimed slingshot. They must be stunningly advanced, which would explain why the U.S. government is withholding answers. If national security requires it, then it should be. But the price is that the U.S. government is shooting down aircraft and, knowing from the beginning that they are Chinese, is unable to tell us what it found in the wreckage.
Number 6 - Louis-Vincent Gave: China cancels lockdowns...where's the disaster?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J10eXxepzIE
UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers and Louis-Vincent Gave discuss the current COVID situation in China. Read the accompanying article: https://unherd.com/thepost/louis-vinc…
Number 7 - The tyranny of digital currencies - UnHerd
Central banks are creating their own surveillance state BY THOMAS FAZI
https://unherd.com/2023/02/the-tyranny-of-digital-currencies/
Should we really be surprised that the Treasury and Bank of England are exploring whether to launch a state-issued digital pound? Sunak, after all, was the chancellor who first floated the idea of backing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) — already dubbed “Britcoin”. Nor was he alone: 11 countries, including China, Nigeria, The Bahamas and Jamaica, have already launched their own digital currencies, while more than 100 others, representing over 95% of global GDP, are deciding whether to follow suit. In the United States, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has launched a pilot programme; the European Central Bank hopes to make a decision about the creation of a digital euro this autumn.
One might think that, amid a global cost-of-living crisis, these bodies would have other, more pressing concerns. But central bankers are never ones to miss an opportunity — and in fractious times like these, uncertainty is the most profitable opportunity in the business.
Number 9 - Patrick Mahomes NHL Draft Cover Letter
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/patrick-mahomes-ii-texas-tech-nfl-draft-cover-letter
Career Objective…Win football games
“I may make mistakes along the way. And I won’t win every single game I play during my career. I won’t retire with a perfect passer rating or zero career interceptions. But I’ll try as hard as anybody. I’m ready to start the journey to a championship. And, more than anything else in the world, I’m ready to suit up and play some football. The sooner we can get to it, the better. Just wait until you see me in the huddle.”
Number 10 - How Do Your Serve a Friend in Despair?
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/09/opinion/despair-friendship-suicide.html
Over the years, Pete and I often spoke about the stresses he was enduring over the management of his medical practice, but I didn’t see the depths of what he was going through until we spent a weekend with him in the spring of 2019. My wife noticed a change immediately. A light had gone out; there was an uncharacteristic flatness in his voice and a stillness in his eyes. One bright June afternoon, he pulled us aside and told us he wasn’t himself. He was doing what he loved most — playing basketball, swimming in the lake — but he couldn’t enjoy anything. He was worried for his family and himself and asked for our continued friendship and support. It was the first time I had seen such pain in him — what turned out to be severe depression. I was confronted with a question for which I had no preparation: How do you serve a friend who is hit with this illness?
I tried the best I could, but Pete succumbed to suicide last April. This article flows from what I learned from those agonizing three years and that senseless tragedy. It reflects a hard education with no panaceas.
We hope you found the Top Ten interesting this week, and are looking forward to another selection of articles, stories, and commentary next week. If you know of anyone else who would be interested in receiving our weekly note, please let me know.
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