The Stock Market and Investing

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  • ljflxljflx Member Posts: 4,690
    PS...AAPL looks real good now.

    Charlie, Happy New year. I never doubted Apple and never sold a share. Microsoft scares me a bit but I think its a bigger threat to the Android phones than it is to Apple. Still that company is starting to look to me like an awakening giant. I think I'm going to dump BIDU and buy Microsoft. My BIDU investment has proven a terrible one.
  • cyclone4cyclone4 Member Posts: 2,302
    I think I'm going to dump BIDU and buy Microsoft.

    I only had a very small position in BIDU, but I dumped it several weeks ago at about $132. I had bought it at around $155 I believe. I used that money to buy a few more shares of AAPL.

    The question now becomes, do we sell a little bit of our AAPL just ahead of the Earnings Report on January 24? I would hate it if the earnings disappoint and the stock takes a dive like after the last report. What do you think?
  • cyclone4cyclone4 Member Posts: 2,302
    edited January 2012
    A guy from the CME called me a little bit ago with the following news: The 72% is NOT going to Rosenthal Collins where my accounts were transferred from MF Global, but to Advantage Futures today. They, in turn, will cut checks and send them to the account holders. We will probably not receive the checks until late this week or early next week. It has been an UNBELIEVABLE mishandling of the situation, but at least it now looks as if we will FINALLY get the 72%.
  • slorenzenslorenzen Member Posts: 694
    Congratulations!

    Any chance of ever seeing the other 28%?
  • cyclone4cyclone4 Member Posts: 2,302
    From what I am told, we will eventually see the other 28%. The key word is "eventually".
  • ljflxljflx Member Posts: 4,690
    Biggest quarter of the year for Apple and if its a strong one, I expect it will be, then you'll be sorry as hell you sold. I'm holding on.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 267,589
    .. I received the Steve Jobs biography for Christmas.. I'm about half-way through it..

    Interesting read..

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  • cyclone4cyclone4 Member Posts: 2,302
    You are likely correct Len. I will be quite upset if the report is bullish (probably will be) and I had sold some AAPL. On the other hand, I will also be upset if I don't sell some and for some stupid reason the report does not meet expectations. Hopefully, the stock continues to rally until the report. If so, I may decide to sell a "measly" 50 shares or so.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    He paints a rosy picture. Still leaves out the fact that we owe China massive amounts of money and have allowed them to spend massive amounts in the USA. Also uses the flawed unemployment figures that everyone but Obama knows are false. Yes corporations are making record profits. And rich folks and politicians are doing quite well. But the 50% on the bottom of the food chain are struggling if they have not learned how to play the welfare system.

    Compared to the EU he is probably right. Only CA & IL challenges Greece for the worst run governments.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,531
    Maybe too optimistic, maybe more realistic than the doomers out there. Chinese debt is only so much of a threat now that we can hurt them with it. Everyone knows the unemployment stats lie and that the socio-economic gap has collapsed, but there are still endless positives in the US, with perhaps not some of the long term issues of the EU. I'd feel safer investing here rather than there in the long run, especially if we ever finally pull out and they have to arm themselves against the mess to the east.
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    .. I received the Steve Jobs biography for Christmas.. I'm about half-way through it...Interesting read..

    I finished it about 2 weeks ago. I decided the man must have had some issues with mental illness - bi-polar/clinical depression - or a minor case of Asperger's.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    The No. 1 state, Texas, outranked all other states with its outstanding scores for economic factors and climate. Kentucky and Oklahoma came in second and third, respectively, thanks to a below average crime rate and favorable economic factors.

    http://www.aarp.org/work/retirement-planning/info-09-2010/10-best-rated-states-f- or-retirement.1.html

    Maine finished dead last in the rankings. The high cost of living and harsh climate dragged down the state's appeal to retirees. Joblessness and tax burdens weighed on runner-up Michigan. Massachusetts received a poor ranking because of cold weather and the cost of living.

    http://www.aarp.org/work/retirement-planning/info-09-2010/10-worst-rated-states-- for-retirement.html

    Don't forget retiring outside the USA....

    http://www.aarp.org/home-garden/livable-communities/best_places_to_retire_abroad- /
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 267,589
    Can't argue with that assessment...

    The amazing thing is he decided to self-treat his pancreatic cancer, and dithered around with that for 9 months.... basically signed his own death sentence...

    Not exactly a testament to his "genius"..

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  • circlewcirclew Member Posts: 8,666

    Computerworld - IBM announced Thursday that after five years of work, its researchers have been able to reduce from about one million to 12 the number of atoms required to create a bit of data.

    The breakthrough may someday allow data storage hardware manufacturers to produce products with capacities that are orders of magnitude greater than today's hard disk and flash drives.

    "Looking at this conservatively ... instead of 1TB on a device you'd have 100TB to 150TB. Instead of being able to store all your songs on a drive, you'd be able to have all your videos on the device," said Andreas Heinrich, IBM Research Staff Member and lead investigator on this project.

    Today, storage devices use ferromagnetic materials where the spin of atoms are aligned or in the same direction.

    The IBM researchers used an unconventional form of magnetism called antiferromagnetism, where atoms spin in opposite directions, allowing scientists to create an experimental atomic-scale magnet memory that is at least 100 times denser than today's hard disk drives and solid-state memory chips.


    Go IBM!!

    Regards,
    OW
  • ljflxljflx Member Posts: 4,690
    Charlie,

    I'm about to pull the trigger on buying a 27" IMAC.
  • cyclone4cyclone4 Member Posts: 2,302
    Wow, that's huge. At first I was not sure if this was a desktop or a laptop, but I just Googled it and found out it's a desktop. It makes sense with such a huge screen.

    All the stories I have been reading the past few days suggest that this next Apple earnings report will be a blowout report. It looks like there have been record shattering sales of the iPhone 4S and the iPad2 this past quarter. I am now almost certain that I will not sell any of my shares going into the report on the 24th.
  • cyclone4cyclone4 Member Posts: 2,302
    This stuff is beyond my comprehension. So, exactly what does it mean that instead of 1,000,000 it will only take 12 atoms to create 1 bit of data? Whatever it means, I love it. I don't have to understand how all this works to be able to enjoy the technology.
  • circlewcirclew Member Posts: 8,666
    So, exactly what does it mean that instead of 1,000,000 it will only take 12 atoms to create 1 bit of data?

    Today, to store a single bit — the most basic piece of information a computer understands – a disk drive needs one million atoms. Heinrich and his team have successfully shown that data can be stored in as few as 12 magnetic atoms. That’s 12 versus 1 million and it means a hundred times more information can be stored in the same space. :)

    Regards,
    OW
  • anthonypanthonyp Member Posts: 1,860
    How big is the space ? :)
  • ljflxljflx Member Posts: 4,690
    edited January 2012
    Bought it from MacMall. It's slightly cheaper by about $5-10 then Apple's student store which in turn is $100 cheaper than the Apple store. But MacMall gives you a $100 coupon from restaurant.com or something like that on top of the $105 discount. I took the Microsoft parralel program as well. The 27" display is simply amazing. Tag was also thinking seriously about buying one but I don't know if he was interested in the 21" or the 27".
  • circlewcirclew Member Posts: 8,666
    The space is relative. For instance if you consider 1TB-spaced hard drive (around $70-$100 now), multiply the data X100 on that space!!!!!!!!!

    That drive becomes 100TB. HUGE! Cost is high now but will eventually go down.

    Regards,
    OW
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    I wonder how that effects the access speed to the data? I remember in 1975 when we installed a digital telephone switch. Total memory was 96 kilobytes of 64 bit ferrite core memory. The bays were 11 feet high and 40 feet long. Today it takes more memory than that to store a single low resolution digital photo. Good to see IBM staying at the leading edge of the technology.
  • circlewcirclew Member Posts: 8,666
    I wonder how that effects the access speed to the data?

    Excellent question. That will be one of the many hurdles to bring it to market.

    The process
    Computers' understanding of information starts with the bit. A bit can have just two values--one or zero. IBM says that prior to this development, it was unclear how many atoms would be required to create a reliable memory bit.

    "With properties similar to those of magnets on a refrigerator, ferromagnets use a magnetic interaction between its constituent atoms that align all their spins--the origin of the atoms' magnetism--in a single direction," IBM said in a release about the storage discovery. "Ferromagnets have worked well for magnetic data storage but a major obstacle for miniaturizing this down to atomic dimensions is the interaction of neighboring bits with each other. The magnetization of one magnetic bit can strongly affect that of its neighbor as a result of its magnetic field. Harnessing magnetic bits at the atomic scale to hold information or perform useful computing operations requires precise control of the interactions between the bits."

    In order to achieve this control, Heinrich and his team used IBM Almaden's scanning tunneling microscope to "atomically engineer 12 antiferromagnetically coupled atoms" that were capable of holding on to a data bit for several hours at temperatures as low as 4 degrees Kelvin. And that meant that by leveraging the "inherent alternating magnetic spin directions," Heinrich and his fellow researchers showed that it is possible to place adjacent magnetic bits far closer together than has ever been done before.

    While Heinrich has now shown that storage is possible at many magnitudes smaller scale than ever, it will likely be many years before this results in any kind of marketable technology, he said. It will take quite some time before he and his team can move this new technology out of the lab, and creating products from the discovery is a business decision, not one that will be made by Heinrich and his fellow researchers. "We have the luxury of now worrying about [manufacturing]," Heinrich said. "Our mission is to figure out what we want to build, but now worry about how it's practical" because that's a huge next step.


    Regards,
    OW
  • anthonypanthonyp Member Posts: 1,860
    I have spent the afternoon studying the atom, and then into the realm of `protons` which gets a person closer to `God` in a fundamental sort of way...I love the thought of a single `proton` no mass and traveling at the speed of light.:)..Tony
  • circlewcirclew Member Posts: 8,666
    Very energetic exercise! ;)

    Regards,
    OW
  • ljflxljflx Member Posts: 4,690
    edited January 2012
    Here you go Tony. This is a lot more interesting. This particle existed for about a millionth of a second at the start of creation and physics theory is that it added mass to everything in the universe.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/god-particle-higgs-boson-s- - earch-area-narrowing-cern-scientists-say/2011/12/14/gIQA0xnauO_story.html

    Charlie - Apple at an all time high. Still waiting for my IMAC to arrive.
  • cyclone4cyclone4 Member Posts: 2,302
    This stuff is beyond fascinating. I love reading about the origin of the Universe and cosmology in general. I bet they prove this particle exists within the next several months to a year.

    As far as AAPL is concerned, I'm loving the ride right now. The stock really acts like something bigtime will be forthcoming with AAPL. I am obviously very happy that I did not sell one single share in the past several months, but instead added to my position.
  • anthonypanthonyp Member Posts: 1,860
    It`s all so interesting, and the people who have dedicated their lives, unfortunately will only make so much progress before they run into the brick wall....There are always so many more questions not answered, than answered....One is on one`s own in what is and isn`t .You know where I stand :) Tony
  • tagmantagman Member Posts: 8,441
    edited January 2012
    Friends,
    I apologize for my lack of input here, but I've been overwhelmed. My wife has been suffering from a mysterious injury to her neck and shoulder, and has been unable to do anything at all for over three weeks. She's essentially been in bed over 95% of the time since Christmas. If the landscape "project" wasn't happening at this same time, it would have helped a little, but it has demanded a lot of my attention.

    In addition, my realtor friend came up with some investment properties to look at, and I've had to go look at six different properties. There is one of them I have put an offer on today, and I hope it works out. All this has taken a lot of extra time as well. And, I've been doing a fairly good job of being Mr. Mom, all while running my business, and doing everything that it takes to attend to the kids. Heck, I'm quite a damned good cook, too... LOL.

    I am about out of energy. So, that's why you haven't heard much from me lately. I have noticed that the stock market is doing better lately, and that's certainly a good thing for those of you that are invested in equities.

    I have read that the iPad3 is likely going to be announced in February and come out in March. I will very likely buy it. I met some interesting people earlier in the week while my son was shooting a TV commercial, and there was a couple of them that were huge Apple fans, but they were complaining about their iPads because of the lack of "Flash" support. They said it really ruins a lot of the internet experience. I didn't realize that there was still that much Flash on the internet. What's your experience with this Charlie? Do you surf the web often, and if so, is it really a big problem?

    Maybe I will get the MacBook Air instead of the iPad3. I really like the little 11" model, because it seems like the perfect mobile companion. I read here that Len ordered the iMac, which I believe is the best desktop value out there, without a doubt... and I have often thought I would get one of them for my office. However, more and more, I realize that I don't use my desktop computer nearly as much as I used to, and I wonder if I should just skip a desktop unit altogether. Bottom line, is that I still am undecided what I'm going to buy next, and I am simply waiting for the next products to come out and tempt me enough to buy one or more of them.

    Also, I am getting dizzy with the race for a Republican presidential candidate. To be honest, I had hoped for someone better than these candidates. But, that said, they are all better than Obama, without a doubt. But... c'mon... isn't there someone out there that's got what it takes?

    Lastly, I noticed the posts about the IBM achievement for storing a bit of data on a massively reduced number of atoms. That is awesome, and is really just another discovery in a long string of discoveries that have yet to happen. The pursuit and accumulation of knowledge and the discoveries of the "meaning of life" and the universe goes on and on. Sometimes, I wish I could live much longer to see what the future holds, but ultimately, I expect that at some point, long, long into the future, it will be realilzed that the accumulation of all knowledge and wisdom and love, will show that science itself is not in conflict with the existence of God, but rather will actually prove it one day (for those that need "proof").

    Anyway, wish me luck on my real estate investment. I am excited about it.

    Best to all of you.

    TM
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Apple Kills the Textbook with iBooks 2, iBooks Author

    At the Guggenheim Museum in New York Thursday, Apple announced it would update its iBooks platform to include textbook capabilities, such as indexing and highlighting text. It also added a new platform called iBooks Author, which lets anyone easily create and publish their own e-books. Apple's late co-founder and chairman Steve Jobs had hoped to bring relief to the higher education masses in the late 80s and early 90s, but 20 years later, Jobs's legacy lives on in Apple, which hopes to make yet another dent in the education industry.

    http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/284470/20120119/apple-kills-textbook-ibooks-2-au- thor.htm

    If this ends the Strangle hold on students to buy OVER Priced text books, I will take back every bad thing I have said about Apple.
  • cyclone4cyclone4 Member Posts: 2,302
    edited January 2012
    Great to hear from you TM! First of all, we all hope that your wife's mysterious injury is healed very soon.

    I met some interesting people earlier in the week while my son was shooting a TV commercial, and there was a couple of them that were huge Apple fans, but they were complaining about their iPads because of the lack of "Flash" support. They said it really ruins a lot of the internet experience. I didn't realize that there was still that much Flash on the internet. What's your experience with this Charlie? Do you surf the web often, and if so, is it really a big problem?

    Yes, the fact that some sites are still dependent on flash player, makes it somewhat of a pain. However, as time goes by, this will be less and less of a problem. Let me tell you this about flash: It is causing all sorts of problems on my laptop. It crashes constantly. I am not sure if this is due to the fact that I use Google Chrome or it happens with all search engines. I love Google Chrome. Speaking of Google, wow, what a collapse after the earnings report yesterday. It's probably a good buy now. Getting back to the iPad and the flash problem, it is not going to stop me from purchasing the iPad 3 when it is released.

    In other news, at long last, the MF Global accounts I was managing are starting to get their 72%. My daughter received hers in the mail yesterday. However, as of yesterday, my brother and son have not. I am not sure if mine and my wife's came in yesterday since we are visiting my daughter and her family in Akron, OH. There has been major CORRUPTION taking place in this process. The brokerage house where our money was finally sent to has been trying to solicit our business. Of course, I told them I had no interest in trading any more in a corrupt system. Just send my money back. They still sent all sorts of propaganda material along with the checks to my daughter in this huge envelope yesterday. First of all, this should have never taken place, Secondly, why has it taken so long to get any of our money? You can rest assure that these SOB's are profiting with all the delays.

    Finally, I wish you great success in your real estate endeavors. I truly believe that this is a perfect time for this. I'm happy that my daughter and son-in-law are building a house here in Akron. I wish my son and his wife had waited until now to buy a home in Seattle. I'm sure that the value of that home has to be down at least 10-15% since they bought it.
  • cyclone4cyclone4 Member Posts: 2,302
    Yes, this is great news for Apple. Education from now on will be nothing like you and I knew it to be.

    I think that the bad earnings report by Google yesterday is also affecting AAPL somewhat. Some analysts are worried that sales in Europe will be slow. However, from everything I am reading, I cannot see how Apple will not come out with a fantastic report this next Wednesday. The iPhone4S alone likely sold at least 27 million units in the past quarter. It will be a blowout number.
  • circlewcirclew Member Posts: 8,666
    She is in our prayers. She will heal.

    Regards,
    OW
  • anthonypanthonyp Member Posts: 1,860
    It's always nice to have some
    luck. :)

    Knowing you capacity to -Learn- and enthusiasm, I surely do wish you all the best in the real-estate endeavor....I just caution you that it is sometimes difficult to change your mind quickly......I haven't done any income producing deals, but the first big break in my life was the ownership of a motel....For some reason the income produced made it so that the buildings and land were immaterial in a mental sense....so in one respect if the nine units produce a bountiful amount to funds , you too will know what I am talking about....I mean who wants to sell a money machine? :)

    I recently went through what you are going through-- only two days-- and man that was enough....I'm also going to wish your wife a speedy recovery...So sorry. Tony
  • tagmantagman Member Posts: 8,441
    Thanks Tony, and to Charlie and CircleW for the well wishes, both for my wife's recovery and for my real estate investment. You guys are first class.

    I can't wait to learn of the seller's response to the offer.

    Did you happen to catch that debate last night? It's not very exciting. We've got to choose from...

    1). the rich businessman who's a moderate, not very forthcoming, and seems difficult to trust.
    2). a somewhat pompous, intelligent political specialist, who's a moody hothead, has a questionable character, and also seems difficult to trust,
    3). an extreme constitutionalist, who's also an isolationist, and expresses some rather radical ideas, yet is likeable in a limited sort of way,
    4). the young conservative, with the non-magnetic personality, but possibly a good head on his shoulders,

    Frankly, I'm just not all that impressed with any of them. But, all are better than Obama, however.

    TM
  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,356
    tag, the important thing right now is your wife's health. Help her get better and everything else will fall into place. Best of luck.

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • tagmantagman Member Posts: 8,441
    Thanks Houdini.

    TM
  • anthonypanthonyp Member Posts: 1,860
    Well I see they are calling Newt the winner, but I mentioned that quite some time ago....The thing about S C is about where I 95 runs, to the East of that, is composed of a fairly divers mixture of immigrants --alot from Ohio(strangely) and then NY and Mass....The old Navy base also brought a fair number of people who chose to stay..and of course great numbers of migrants from all over..To the West it is composed of really conservative individuals who were greatly influenced by the textile industry....That industry controlled the workers in a most unfavorable way, imo....

    Further up into Western N C the people are very conservative, because of the hardship of pioneering the nation....They are slowly being overrun by all of the rest of the people who primarily go up there to retire etc....A very slow change

    I personallly think the people just don`t want the process to be over with, as there is no one who can win in that field---maybe it will clarify somewhere along the way, but I have my doubts---as you do :) Tony P S Robaxin helped my wife--look into it...
  • tagmantagman Member Posts: 8,441
    Great playoffs today.

    I would have preferred an East Coast / West coast SuperBowl challenge, but I'm not disappointed too much in the final outcome.

    Patriots in the SuperBowl? Imagine that... absolutely shocking! ;)

    TM
  • slorenzenslorenzen Member Posts: 694
    I know some folks are unhappy about Newt winning in S.C., but conservatives have been getting "out-nastied" for decades, and I, for one, am tired of it, particularly since the MSM is incredibly slanted.

    I'll take the pit bull, thankyouverymuch...

    He's what is needed, for such a time as this.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,531
    I kind of hope he gets it. Politicians have been too PC for too long. He's a hothead and can be really jerky, but he's also amusing. I'd take him over the corporate puppet.
  • cyclone4cyclone4 Member Posts: 2,302
    I have been sticking with all my AAPL shares for what seems like "forever". Am I being greedy/stupid to continue to keep all my shares going into this report after the market closes today?

    From everything I have been reading, the iPhone sales should have gone through the roof this past quarter. Plus, look at all the great products they will continue to come up with in the near future.
  • circlewcirclew Member Posts: 8,666
    Am I being greedy/stupid

    Just the opposite. I expect them to beat estimates. :)

    Regards,
    OW
  • cyclone4cyclone4 Member Posts: 2,302
    You are absolutely correct. It looks like I hit a home run for a change. It was a BLOWOUT REPORT. Earnings were $46+ billion. More than 37 million iPhone4S's and more than 13 million iPads were sold. All amazing numbers. Trading was suspended on the after hours about 10 minutes prior to the release of the report.

    I would think it will trade at least $20-25 higher here in a few minutes.
  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,356
    edited January 2012
    Well, you are wrong on your after hours est....at 4:pm Central AAPL is up $35. at $454.

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • cyclone4cyclone4 Member Posts: 2,302
    edited January 2012
    Well, you are wrong on your after hours est....at 4:pm Central AAPL is up $35. at $454.

    I am very happy to be wrong in this case :) . I actually sold 20 shares in the mid $450's as a symbol that I took a bit of profit. I will likely buy those back probably tomorrow hopefully lower than where I sold them.
  • anthonypanthonyp Member Posts: 1,860
    A good hit Charlie, and I`m happy for you....A smart sale in my opinion also....Tony
  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,356
    I am glad you sold those shares !! Sometimes we can love a stock too much and can't let go. A good move.

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • tagmantagman Member Posts: 8,441
    edited January 2012
    Congratulations Charlie... you were steadfast with your investment in AAPL stock, and it has paid off. Who knows?... maybe it will go to $550 by next summer!

    This is our lucky day... there's good news for me as well today. Looks like I've got my deal on my very first investment property!... and it's a very good deal. The seller has accepted my terms. I'll have a positive cash flow of at least a couple grand every month (net, net... after ALL costs), (all tax-deferred, because I'm purchasing it with my retirement account), and the property is very likely to appreciate over the long haul. I'll be happy when it closes escrow. :)

    You see... I wasn't kidding when I said I was going to invest in real estate. Heck, if this really works out well, I'll consider getting another property.

    TM
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