Economic Indicator

If my time record is any gauge whatever, there’s a mini-recovery in progress right now. I’ve been busier for the last four days than in any comparable period in years. Yes, I work weekends.

On the other hand, historically, my business has tended to be counter-cyclical. I’m a bit like Nanny McPhee—when you don’t want me but need me, I must stay. When you want me and don’t need me, then I have to go.

45 comments… add one
  • Drew Link

    “If my time record is any gauge whatever,……”

    Lets hope. However, and admittedly this is entirely anecdotal,…..at a dinner this past weekend a high producing Oracle type reported that CIO’s are cancelling projects right and left as their CFO’s, CEO’s and Boards start hunkering down.

    And a transaction type reports a monstrous pre-2013 backlog of change of control transactions……….which will mean less cap gains income than visualized.

    And, of course, I’m preparing to meet with my financial advisor to best beat the looming tax hike.

    Did they say soaking the rich will run the government for 14 days? Try 9……………..

  • michael reynolds Link

    Yeah, Drew, you and Papa John’s CEO. Oh, wait…

    Many in the media reported that I said Papa John’s is going to close stores and cut jobs because of Obamacare. I never said that. The fact is we are going to open over hundreds of stores this year and next and increase employment by over 5,000 jobs worldwide. And, we have no plans to cut team hours as a result of the Affordable Care Act.

    Clearly there was some misunderstanding somewhere.

    And Warren Buffett seems to think loud-mouthed Republican threats are b.s. I think he’s right. A lot of posturing and self-pity. To be followed by a sheepish, “Clearly there was some misunderstanding.”

  • Drew Link

    You jest keep tellin’ yerself that, Mikey…..

  • All I know is I’m doing my part to boost consumer spending. A $12.95, a fake sherpa throw from Walmart did wonders for the trip home on my feisty white steed.

    I drove from Terrell, TX, to Natchitoches, LA, this time.

  • Drew, hon, you’re such a bore.

  • “I don’t like you, and Ima take my toys and go home!”

  • Drew Link

    Janis

    I’m sorry I bore you, but I’m the only one with a real understanding of finance and investment, and a real grasp of what it takes to make businesses prosper and employ.

    Others here obviously simply have an infantile objective to “stick it to the man.” I guess we can now throw you into that trash heap.

  • Oh, bullshit, Drew. You just make the same tired comments everyday.

    The big boys are gonna make a lot of noise, then do what it takes to make some money. That’s what they do.

  • If not, then smaller , more nimble firms are gonna pounce and take their market share away.

    Isn’t that what’s called “creative destruction”?

  • Drew, my FIL took a $6 mil bank and turned it into a $250 mil bank. I do know a little about finance.

  • And he didn’t even have a house in Arizona.

  • A truly fine man.

  • He didn’t go to Chicago Business School.

  • Michael and Katherine make money out of thin air.

  • Do you come from Mamou?

  • I keep telling these people not to f**k with me. I even wear black cowboy boots with heavy heels and sharp toes, and they still want to talk down to me.

    I just want to get along.

  • My brother picked up a couple of great Spanish classical guitar CDs that we listened to on the drive home. The tunes were familiar, but I’ll give you the names when I talk to my brother again. One has Rodrigo’s concertos, which are beautiful.

  • michael reynolds Link

    Drew:

    I don’t need to tell myself, I’ve got Warren Buffett telling me:

    SUPPOSE that an investor you admire and trust comes to you with an investment idea. “This is a good one,” he says enthusiastically. “I’m in it, and I think you should be, too.”

    Would your reply possibly be this? “Well, it all depends on what my tax rate will be on the gain you’re saying we’re going to make. If the taxes are too high, I would rather leave the money in my savings account, earning a quarter of 1 percent.” Only in Grover Norquist’s imagination does such a response exist.

    As for this:

    I’m the only one with a real understanding of finance and investment, and a real grasp of what it takes to make businesses prosper and employ.

    What a load of bull. Do you know more than Warren? Because I’m going to guess he could buy you with the loose change under his sofa cushions. And while we’re at it, Dave also runs a business, and is evidently rather good at it. And so do I. (Surprise!) 23 years in business, generating something like 150-200 million in gross sales, (despite taking 5 years off) with never a losing year. I also started up a political media firm, promptly made a deal with the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee and was immediately profitable. (Bored, but profitable.) And I’m getting ready to start a book packaging company that will employ a half dozen people to start and will be profitable from day one. Come to think of it, I did book packaging before and turned an 80% profit.

    So, sorry, Drew, but you ain’t the Oracle of Omaha. And despite being innumerate and just a lowly scribe without so much as a country club membership, I also make a healthy living in an exceedingly competitive field.

    You know, if you would cut the bargain basement Romney act with the whole Businessman Knows Best schtick, people might actually listen to you. No one worships businessmen anymore. Not since 2008. And definitely not since November 6, 2012. The argument from authority wherein you’re the authority? Yeah, that’s over now. Gordon Gecko lies a mouldering in the grave. Or riding rollercoasters at Disneyland.

  • Have you ever read Mark Cuban, Drew? What a Yahoo.

  • So quit being a snotwad, and help us figure out how to get things rolling again.

  • If you want a coup de grace, FIL was on the President’s Council after the S &L crisis.

  • Get it?

  • So who wants to go two-steppin’?

  • Skies in Texas are real big.

  • michael reynolds Link

    Janis:

    How you doing, kid?

  • I’ll be okay. I picked up some bath salts at Walmart today. I’m a little sore.

  • I have another community memorial service on Thursday. They say it’s healing. Whatev.

  • I have received Antifragile from Amazon.

  • steve Link

    “but I’m the only one with a real understanding of finance and investment, and a real grasp of what it takes to make businesses prosper and employ.”

    From the class that gave us the subprime crisis. Who would have ever guessed that housing prices could go down? From the group that has seen their income rocket, while not creating those jobs they are supposed to be creating. You may or may not know how to make an individual business succeed, but that has little relevance to making an economy work, and as a whole, your investor class has little credibility when judgment is required.

    Steve

  • steve Link

    Back on topic, car sales were way up. Highway volume is up in our area. It is taking me longer to get places due to traffic, which had not been a problem for a while.

    Steve

  • Something I can’t say I’m proud of, I did have a seven-year affair with a married man who had retired from the board of directors of Republic National Bank in Dallas.

    My husband knew about it. That started in an art class way back in my 20s. About the time I was using Dave’s word processing program.

  • Corporate counsel.

  • But I didn’t go to Chicago Business School, no. Can’t know a damned thing, right?

  • A is sort of amazed that at 86, he’s selling life drawings through an art dealer. His lovely wife of 60-some-odd years is getting a little dodgy in her mind. That’s a terrible shame. I really, really like her.

  • Drew, where are you?

  • Lord, I wish people wouldn’t piss me off.

  • Where are you again, steve?

  • No, I’m wondering about the car sales. People around here seem to be doing fine in that area.

  • steve Link

    Pennsylvania.

  • A’s wife L was a charming actress, and something of a Shakespeare scholar. An absolutely faithful wife.

  • Ahem. I invited her to drinks at the Knox Street Pub. Don’t look for it, it’s been replaced by a Pottery Barn or something like it.

  • Maybe Crate & Barrel.

  • Men have some tacky impulses.

  • Dolly Parton:

    http://youtu.be/OCZYAeHrBEU

    Isn’t she a great musician?

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