The Markets
- Well, I mentioned that this would be a choppy day. In the last fifteen minutes they took ’em up.
- In almost all cases that is a good sign for the bulls. It becomes a very good sign on days that Microsoft, Amgen, Amex and Amazon (something about “A’s” today?) report after the bell. Any one of these market leaders could slap trader’s long positions.
- Conference calls have not begun for these companies but initial reactions to reported earnings was mixed to down; now it is mixed to up. We will see how they open tomorrow.
- It is no secret that Canada’s stock market has been red hot. Leading the charge are their banks. The market and the bank stocks reflect investor’s perceptions that the Loonie (Canadian dollar) is strong and the Canadian economy is struggling less than most. I bought into the story with purchases of Toronto Dominion (TD), Bank of Montreal(BMO) and Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS). Each offers a sweet yield, paid in Loonies but because I would pay a tax on foreign income, I put the positions in a 401k.
Sidebar
Sandy let me use his bike while he wintered in Naples. They have a 42′ RV with all the bells and whistles and they park it on a beautiful (really!) pad. They have flowers all over, a nice shed, fountains, high trees, etc. Anyway, he lent me his bike while away. Upon his return he has tried to sell it to me but I always felt the frame was too big. Sandy is 6’4″. So, on my way to the gym I stopped at the place where he bought the bike. BikeCycle is owned by Sean who seems like a great guy, as do all the guys at the shop. You can tell they live for cycling. All are buffed and show it off with those tight, bright bike shirts. I was continually “blousing” my T-shirt so as to hide any overage. Sean and I got to talking about Sandy’s bike and he put it up on a frame holder and began tuning it up. He ripped off the derailleurs like a donut and proceeded to attach a long metal piece, turning it around the wheel. He was straightening the metal piece that holds the derailleur. Then, he tightened the spokes, then the brakes; he kept spinning the wheels, over and over to see if everything aligned. Sean took the bike off the holder and asked me to sit on the seat. He adjusted things here and there as he “fitted” the bike to me. As I got off I said: That seems great, now lets talk prostates. Without batting an eye or missing a beat he went into this semi-scientific discussion about blood flow to the penis, erectile dysfunction, soft seats vs: hard seats, split seats or not. Evidently, my question is asked all the time. I had no idea. Did you? I can tell you it ain’t a laughing matter. Just ask Lance. We decided on a split, hard seat to replace the soft seat Sandy had installed. The idea with this hard seat is to use your butt bones, not the, uh, other thing to sit on. The seat I am going to purchase even has a sales sheet with a diagram showing the male skeleton and proudly proclaims; 39% more blood flow VS 19%!
I’ll get the bike back in a few days and cannot wait to let you know of any material improvement.
Good Night!
