Sure gold and now silver seem to be on the up and up, but one should also remember there are other hot commodities out there too. Gold won't keep going forever. What are your thoughts on Platinum and Lithium? The LIT ETF has seen modest gains year to date but question is long term is this the ETF to watch especially considering the potential massive growth of battery controlled cars?
It will be interesting to see how gold plays out in the global circus over the next weeks and months. After Brexit, the pound weakened while the dollar and gold gained. Usually gold and the dollar work in opposite directions, but we are now seeing both gold and the dollar rising most likely due to the commonly held belief that they are safe havens. I foresee that eventually the Brexit fears will come to turn to strengths for the UK economy since it has a relatively strong growth and low unemployment. Do you think the pound will rebound, do you think gold will keep rising?
As popular as cloud storage has become there are major concerns about just how safe data is when stored on the cloud. One of the most important factors in determining the safety of the data is whether the data is encrypted. This you might think is always the case, but that is not true. Companies and individuals need to check the small print carefully to determine the level and existence of the this security feature. Here are a number of factors to consider (care of Boston University). These are pointers for students but they apply to anyone considering using the cloud as a storage option for data:
Are their security standards appropriate? Do some research. Make sure that the company has a good reputation and solid security policies. Remember, you are trusting this company to store your personal information.
How much data will you be storing? Search with a realistic expectation of the size you need to store all your files. Many companies charge by the amount of storage you are requesting
Is your data encrypted when being uploaded to or downloaded from the cloud? Make sure that your browser or app requires an encrypted connection before you upload or download your data. Look for the “https://” or the padlock beside the URL in your browser.
Is your data encrypted when stored in the cloud? You will have to read the terms of service to find this out, but often your data will be stored on the cloud server with no encryption, this means that anyone that has (or can get) high level access to that server will be able to read your files. This may not be an issue for many files, but you should carefully consider what kind of information you are storing in the cloud and whether you are comfortable with some other person you don’t know accessing it. At a minimum, no data that is protected by law (medical information, personal identifiers, financial data) should be stored in the cloud unless the storage solution is encrypted and you know who can decrypt it.
Understand how access is shared with your cloud folder. Several cloud storage providers allow you to share access to your online folders with other people. Be sure you know in details how this works. Can they read only or can they change the file? Will you know who changed a file last? If you share the file with a group, do you know who all is in the group? Are you notified if the group changes? Does the service allow you to make files public? If you do are your personal details (name, account, email, etc.) attached to that file if a stranger looks at it?
Understand your options if the cloud provider should be hacked or should lose your data. Services like this require that you sign their terms and conditions before they allow you to use the service. In the vast majority of cases, these conditions state that you have very little, if any, remedy if anything bad should happen.
The other major area to watch other than the Dollar/pound is the reaction of Gold stocks like GDX, GLD etc. If the UK votes in favor of Brexit, it should weaken the pound considerably but potentially strengthen the gold stocks as another safe haven destination for investors. The other area to watch carefully are the volatility ETFs like VIX and VXX which should also see some considerable movement next week.
Year to date, Sony is up around 12% and is looking quite positive overall. Of some concern is the most recent JP Morgan downgrade from Overweight to Neutral on April 21. What will be interesting to follow is whether the continuing strength of the Yen will make Sony's products increasingly more expensive in the global market place especially when compared with Korea and other countries.
Great article, thanks. The market place always has a way of weeding out poor value for money products and the Keurig coffee machine is a good example of that. Home brew coffee machines are a great idea but the pricing had to be right to make it a good option. Soda stream machines on the other hand have always appealed to the convenience factor of the consumer. After all, who wants to schlep heavy bottles of soda home every time they shop? In terms of Coca Cola, sure its a loss for them that Keurig has flopped but I wouldn't be too worried for Coca Cola. with revenues of approximately $43bn last year and a market cap of about $195bn the execs over at Atlanta, GA won't be losing too much sleep I imagine.
China's oil consumption can only increase going forwards as it has one of the strongest growth rates in population and upward mobility in the world. Car sales are growing in tandem with its growth in personal wealth. According to the WSJ: General Motors Co. and its Chinese joint ventures delivered about 295,000 vehicles to Chinese consumers last month, up 17% from a year earlier, citing strong demand for its SUVs. Yet despite this growth, China is only ranked 98th in car ownership per capita. The number one spot for car ownership actually belongs to a tiny country in Italy with a total population of around 32000 called San Marino. It has a highly stable economy, with one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe, no national debt and a budget surplus. It is the only country in the world with more vehicles than people. 1263 cars per 1000 people! Go figure
I think it is tragic that so many oil companies are going bankrupt in the US due to the crash of oil prices. For many, even the steep increases in the price of oil from February lows in the 20's to around 50 today is not enough to prevent their ultimate demise. There's only so much bleeding they can do before completely running out of money. Some smart oil companies will take this chance to merge or buy each other out and take advantage of bargain prices. It seems this has happened much yet though, What do you think, will we see more bankruptcies, or more mergers in the oil sector?
And if you"re wrong, and the Iphone 7 is less of a hit than the hype suggests, the stock could be in a for a hefty crash. I think there's more room for a 10-20% decline than a 10% increase in the stock price. Global smart phones sales are on the decline and after so many repeated new releases of the Iphone, perhaps Apple is beginning to lose its sexiness. After all, its just a phone and there's only so much that can separate the Iphone from its cheaper Chinese competitors, surely? Look out Apple, China is creaping up behind you...
Latest Comments
Brexit! What Brexit?
Sure gold and now silver seem to be on the up and up, but one should also remember there are other hot commodities out there too. Gold won't keep going forever. What are your thoughts on Platinum and Lithium? The LIT ETF has seen modest gains year to date but question is long term is this the ETF to watch especially considering the potential massive growth of battery controlled cars?
Don't Put Away Your Umbrella Just Yet
It will be interesting to see how gold plays out in the global circus over the next weeks and months. After Brexit, the pound weakened while the dollar and gold gained. Usually gold and the dollar work in opposite directions, but we are now seeing both gold and the dollar rising most likely due to the commonly held belief that they are safe havens. I foresee that eventually the Brexit fears will come to turn to strengths for the UK economy since it has a relatively strong growth and low unemployment. Do you think the pound will rebound, do you think gold will keep rising?
Enterprise Tech Leaders At A Crossroad
As popular as cloud storage has become there are major concerns about just how safe data is when stored on the cloud. One of the most important factors in determining the safety of the data is whether the data is encrypted. This you might think is always the case, but that is not true. Companies and individuals need to check the small print carefully to determine the level and existence of the this security feature. Here are a number of factors to consider (care of Boston University). These are pointers for students but they apply to anyone considering using the cloud as a storage option for data:
Are their security standards appropriate? Do some research. Make sure that the company has a good reputation and solid security policies. Remember, you are trusting this company to store your personal information.
How much data will you be storing? Search with a realistic expectation of the size you need to store all your files. Many companies charge by the amount of storage you are requesting
Is your data encrypted when being uploaded to or downloaded from the cloud? Make sure that your browser or app requires an encrypted connection before you upload or download your data. Look for the “https://” or the padlock beside the URL in your browser.
Is your data encrypted when stored in the cloud? You will have to read the terms of service to find this out, but often your data will be stored on the cloud server with no encryption, this means that anyone that has (or can get) high level access to that server will be able to read your files. This may not be an issue for many files, but you should carefully consider what kind of information you are storing in the cloud and whether you are comfortable with some other person you don’t know accessing it. At a minimum, no data that is protected by law (medical information, personal identifiers, financial data) should be stored in the cloud unless the storage solution is encrypted and you know who can decrypt it.
Understand how access is shared with your cloud folder. Several cloud storage providers allow you to share access to your online folders with other people. Be sure you know in details how this works. Can they read only or can they change the file? Will you know who changed a file last? If you share the file with a group, do you know who all is in the group? Are you notified if the group changes? Does the service allow you to make files public? If you do are your personal details (name, account, email, etc.) attached to that file if a stranger looks at it?
Understand your options if the cloud provider should be hacked or should lose your data. Services like this require that you sign their terms and conditions before they allow you to use the service. In the vast majority of cases, these conditions state that you have very little, if any, remedy if anything bad should happen.
What's The Prospect For The "Equity Market" For 2016/2017?
Thanks for the informative answer.
Brexit GBP USD Trading Strategies
The other major area to watch other than the Dollar/pound is the reaction of Gold stocks like GDX, GLD etc. If the UK votes in favor of Brexit, it should weaken the pound considerably but potentially strengthen the gold stocks as another safe haven destination for investors. The other area to watch carefully are the volatility ETFs like VIX and VXX which should also see some considerable movement next week.
Sony Stocks 2016: Hot Or Not?
Year to date, Sony is up around 12% and is looking quite positive overall. Of some concern is the most recent JP Morgan downgrade from Overweight to Neutral on April 21. What will be interesting to follow is whether the continuing strength of the Yen will make Sony's products increasingly more expensive in the global market place especially when compared with Korea and other countries.
Keurig Kold: Down But Not Out For Coca-Cola
Great article, thanks. The market place always has a way of weeding out poor value for money products and the Keurig coffee machine is a good example of that. Home brew coffee machines are a great idea but the pricing had to be right to make it a good option. Soda stream machines on the other hand have always appealed to the convenience factor of the consumer. After all, who wants to schlep heavy bottles of soda home every time they shop? In terms of Coca Cola, sure its a loss for them that Keurig has flopped but I wouldn't be too worried for Coca Cola. with revenues of approximately $43bn last year and a market cap of about $195bn the execs over at Atlanta, GA won't be losing too much sleep I imagine.
3 Factors Affecting Short & Long Term Oil Demand
China's oil consumption can only increase going forwards as it has one of the strongest growth rates in population and upward mobility in the world. Car sales are growing in tandem with its growth in personal wealth. According to the WSJ: General Motors Co. and its Chinese joint ventures delivered about 295,000 vehicles to Chinese consumers last month, up 17% from a year earlier, citing strong demand for its SUVs. Yet despite this growth, China is only ranked 98th in car ownership per capita. The number one spot for car ownership actually belongs to a tiny country in Italy with a total population of around 32000 called San Marino. It has a highly stable economy, with one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe, no national debt and a budget surplus. It is the only country in the world with more vehicles than people. 1263 cars per 1000 people! Go figure
Oil Supply Disruptions & The Global Supply Glut
I think it is tragic that so many oil companies are going bankrupt in the US due to the crash of oil prices. For many, even the steep increases in the price of oil from February lows in the 20's to around 50 today is not enough to prevent their ultimate demise. There's only so much bleeding they can do before completely running out of money. Some smart oil companies will take this chance to merge or buy each other out and take advantage of bargain prices. It seems this has happened much yet though, What do you think, will we see more bankruptcies, or more mergers in the oil sector?
How Apple Is Valued On A Discounted Cash Flow Basis
And if you"re wrong, and the Iphone 7 is less of a hit than the hype suggests, the stock could be in a for a hefty crash. I think there's more room for a 10-20% decline than a 10% increase in the stock price. Global smart phones sales are on the decline and after so many repeated new releases of the Iphone, perhaps Apple is beginning to lose its sexiness. After all, its just a phone and there's only so much that can separate the Iphone from its cheaper Chinese competitors, surely? Look out Apple, China is creaping up behind you...