Daily Posts Archive
Since 2004, value investors from across the country have converged on the Value Investing Congress, and this year our very own J. Royden Ward, editor of Cabot Benjamin Graham Value Letter, is going to attend. It’s taking place in New York City on October 6 and 7 (with a pre-conference workshop on October 5) and will be attended by value investors and money managers from around the world seeking to enhance their performance.
Monday’s column, sparked by news of the Amethyst Initiative, the proposal by 129 college presidents to discuss lowering the drinking age, brought some great responses. I’ve reprinted many below (edited to save you time), and I thank you all for reading and taking the time to respond.
While the average September has been a loser, I urge you to take seasonality studies with a grain of salt. They’re not worthless by any means, but they’re more of a small positive or small negative factor. Certainly, it pays to be a bit more cautious than normal in September, but only if that caution is confirmed by other factors.
Today’s main topic is a hot one and a big one ... the question of whether it might be a good idea to reduce the legal drinking age in the U.S. from 21 to 18. The background: a group of 129 presidents and chancellors from colleges and universities have signed the Amethyst Initiative, which states simply that the current legal limit of 21 is not working and asks for an open unbiased discussion of the issue.
I’ve taken a few weeks off from the series I’m writing to help explain Cabot’s publications, but today I’m going to discuss Cabot Top Ten Report.
With biopharmaceutical stocks doing well as a group, I think playing the trend by buying the companies that provide support services just makes sense. It spreads your risk around a little. And in a touchy market environment, risk control should be the top priority on your list.
Today’s investment suggestion comes from a recent issue of Cabot Market Letter. It’s Fuel Systems Solutions (FSYS). With 400 dealers in 60 countries, Fuel Systems Solutions sells the hardware-pressure regulators, fuel injectors, control valves and electronic controls-that allow regular engines to run on alternative gases.
On Thursday night, I saw the movie, “I.O.U.S.A.,” which focuses on the national deficit. It has been hailed as “An Inconvenient Truth,” without a celebrity-type lead like Al Gore, but I found it equally interesting. While it’s not a “sexy” topic (as one man in the film kept reminding everyone), unlike global warming, it’s something we can all agree on: Our nation is in debt up to its ears and way past that.
I’m concerned about the lack of progress made by our elected officials in Washington on the major issues of the day. Where are the solutions for our energy crisis, social security funding or a cost efficient health care system? We have been patiently waiting for decades to solve each of these, and other, problems.
Every now and again I like to do a question and answer issue of Cabot Wealth Advisory--we editors at Cabot spend hours each week answering subscriber questions, so we have a large pool to choose from. I think it’s a good idea to share some of these questions with everyone, as much can be learned from a good question and a good answer.