The Stock Market and Investing

ljflx

I've got to tell you guys that Apple is going to go further than any of us think. When I think of Apple I think of long lines out the door of its stores on a new launch and I think the everyday consumer. But Apple is penetrating the corporate world faster than I could have ever dreamed and doing so with interconnected growth. This week I had a meeting with our audit firm, Weiser, and all the partners, most of the managers and more and more staff have iPads. In fact they are the staple in staff meetings. They will naturally pair up iPhones now with the iPad. So these two products are not only driving each other forward in the consumer world but they are getting tremendous traction and rapid growth in the corporate world. What is happening is the need for the iPad in the corporate world is spreading like wildfire as the iPad gives personnel a mobile computer, access to the internet, connections to clients/customers/personnel and its the apps and the trust in Apple that is driving it. The partner on my audit told me that this is interconnecting within business in a similar way that Microsoft Office interconnected amongst users all over the place in its day. If that is the case then Apple has not hit a grand slam here, it's hit the grand slam of grand slams. You have to also wonder if Apple's computer sales will get a lift from all this especially since you can now buy them with a windows op system as well.

circlew

MSFT Store opening soon by us. Perhaps the sleeping giant awakens....

Regards,
OW

cyclone4

Oh Tony! I very much appreciate your kind words. To me, the bravest two people I have ever met were the two gentlemen that made the escape from Albania possible back in October of 1954. They obviously risked their lives in doing so. I was too young to realize then how brave these guys were, but as the years have gone by, more and more, I think of what those two had to go through to get us out of that ruthless dictatorship.

cyclone4

Len,

I believe both of us had stated in the past that the sky is the limit with AAPL. Some of us have talked about the stock reaching $1,000 within a year or two. But you know what? The way this company is being run and the huge profit margins that will continue to fill the coffers, why can't we dream that AAPL will reach $2,000 in the future? I could see this number becoming a reality. Why not?

ljflx

From 1000 if it gets there to 2000 is a doubling of the stock. We need to think pf Apple as it gets loftier and loftier in terms of percentage growth not numbers growth. A jump of 1000 points sounds a lot more dramatic than it really is.

tagman

Len,

I agree with that. Percentage is what it is about. A $25 stock that makes a $25 gain to $50 is exactly the same as if Apple was to go from $1,000 to $2,000. Both scenarios are an identical 100% return. So, if an investor held $50,000 of either example, the return would be the same... A gain of $50,000. So, you are right to make that point about percentage.

And, you are also right about the way those large numbers sound more dramatic then they are. When those share price numbers get that large, there seems to be a distortion of perspective, and it is also more challenging for investors, so it starts making sense for a stock split... So, if/when Apple's share price approaches $1,000, I wouldn't be surprised if we were to see a split.

TM

tagman

The story keeps changing.

Now, this latest report suggests the iPhone5 will be basically the same as the iPhone4s with a similar-sized 3.5" screen, but with the addition of 4G LTE and a new micro-dock connector.

I will be terribly disappointed if the screen is not larger. If true, I might just go ahead and get the new HTC "JET", which will be out late Spring or early Summer. It is going to be a gorgeous beast with 4.6" screen and very powerful processor and feature-rich.

C'mon, Apple, get with it!... make that tiny 3.5" screen a little larger... PLEASE!

http://www.macrumors.com/2012/03/23/next-iphone-coming-fall-2012-with-lte-3-5-in- - - - ch-screen/

TM

robr2

I agree with that. Percentage is what it is about. A $25 stock that makes a $25 gain to $50 is exactly the same as if Apple was to go from $1,000 to $2,000. Both scenarios are an identical 100% return. So, if an investor held $50,000 of either example, the return would be the same... A gain of $50,000. So, you are right to make that point about percentage.

But then there's the psychological barrier of a $1000 stock. I have a feeling that $1000 a share is not going to be attained. I predict a split long before it hits that plateau just to make it a more affordable stock for individual investors.

tagman

I think that is true. Here's what I said in the second paragraph of my post...

"When those share price numbers get that large, there seems to be a distortion of perspective, and it is also more challenging for investors, so it starts making sense for a stock split... So, if/when Apple's share price approaches $1,000, I wouldn't be surprised if we were to see a split."

So, we definitely agree about the perception, and the challenge to investors, as well as a stock split happening as the stock "approaches" (not "reaches") $1,000 per share level.

I am probably in the minority here, and maybe even a single voice, but I would not be surprised to see a significant pullback in the share price at some point. I am certainly not saying this due to Apple's fundamentals, but rather the way investors have historically behaved over the years with regards to the stock. There is a level and form of skepticism that lingers, and Apple must intermittently prove itself beyond the point of being an obvious buy... and, IMHO, more so than most other stocks.

Seems to me that investors are often much more willing and eager to put large amounts of money into stocks that do not have neither the financial nor the marketing prowess of Apple. Some of these same investors would even "short" Apple, while at the same time put their "long" money into companies whose financials are nothing more than a bunch of "smoke & mirrors" or "wishful thinking".

TM

kyfdx

I think you have the perception exactly backwards..

The members of this board seem to get very excited over a $10 move in a $500 stock which is 2%... Exactly equivalent to a $1 move in a $50 stock which wouldn't even raise an eyebrow...

It is all about the percentages....

tagman

I think you have the perception exactly backwards..
 
The members of this board seem to get very excited over a $10 move in a $500 stock which is 2%... Exactly equivalent to a $1 move in a $50 stock which wouldn't even raise an eyebrow...
 
It is all about the percentages....

I am quite positive you have not understood my posts. I stated my agreement with Len that it is indeed all about percentages.

Really don't know where the misunderstanding came from, unless I should have somehow used different words... I sure thought I was very clear... But apparently not clear enough, sorry.

Percentages are definitely what matter, as I posted, and hereby post again. Beyond that, the amount of dollars, as Len also pointed out (and to which I also agreed), can seem more dramatic when they are larger numbers, irrespective of the percentage... Thus the "excitement" you just posted about.

Subsequent to, and in reply to my post, "Robr" made further mention of the psychological resistance to investors when the share prices get huge, and thus a possible reason for a stock split.

TM

cyclone4

OK, what is going on?

AAPL was floundering and trading slightly higher until about the past half hour when it has been exploding on the upside. I obviously love it.

I did see a story the past hour about Solaworks (DOMK) designing a new, rugged cover for the iPad which will have a high efficiency solar panel on its back side. This combined with the battery means that the iPad will never need to be plugged in. It sounds pretty awesome. Could this be a reason for AAPL taking off?

tagman

Charlie...

don't know the specifics yet, but I think it has something to do with funds needing to cover themselves before the quarter runs out.

I'll post more when I learn more... unless Len gives us the details first.

Also, "Uncle Ben" gave more signals that he will continue with his monetary policy... low rates, QE...

Nice run! I started the day thinking it would be a good day to "trade", and I bought 1,000 extra shares near the day's low, but then I didn't like the way the stock was floundering around, so I changed my mind and sold them. Hours later, the stock took off, and I would have made an extra $10,000 in a very short time, but I missed that extra gain... Oh well. But, that's OK, because I still got the increase on my LT holdings.

EDIT: Sure looks like the week is off to a good start. Wonder if AAPL will go even higher today or later this week.

EDIT 2: 15 more minutes to go, and the share price is holding fairly steady.

TM

tagman

Here we are with this forum's favorite stock surging to yet another all-time high.

It's amazing.

Len's prediction of $645 is almost in the crosshairs and starting to seem VERY realistic.

TM

tagman

Interesting concept I heard this morning on CNBC. It was part of a discussion that was about the fact that there is so much money on the sidelines, and this recent bull rally has actually been happening with relatively low volume.

So, the whole point was made by a talking head... and it goes like this... He suggested that the bears have not been participating in this recent bull rally, and that they (the bears) will finally realize that the rally is legitimate, and as a result, they would ultimately capitulate and put a lot of the money that is on the sidelines into the market... causing an even larger rally. That sounds reasonable, but I'm not so sure.

I have two reasons I am not sure I agree with that concept. Here they are:

My first reason is that the bears have their own underlying reasons to be on the sidelines, and those underlying reasons (continuing economic conditions: deficit, high unemployment, housing crisis, etc.) may not be changed enough to satisfy and motivate the bears to invest.

My second reason is that the longer those bears continue to wait, the closer we get to the end of the rally. The question, of course, is when the rally will end, and that is an unknown... could be months, or even a year away... but it is perfectly logical and factual that as more time goes by, the end of the rally does indeed draw closer. So, IMHO, that could point to a scenario whereby as more time goes by, it is less likely for the bears to enter the market, not more likely for them to enter the market, as was suggested by the talking head this morning on CNBC.

Anyway, just thought I'd toss it out here, in case any of you are interested, or have an opinion.



TM

cyclone4

A few minutes ago, Maria Bartiromo interviewed him. I was interested to see if Maria would ask him about his MF Global holdings since he and 59 other investors had $1.2 billion in segregated funds. The rest of us (over 25,000 investors) had something like $300 million. She did pose the question to him and he basically brushed it off by saying that it was a small portion of their portfolio. Then she asked him what he thought of Corzine after the latest allegations that he instructed the removal of some customer funds to pay some debt. His response was pathetic. He said that John Corzine was a friend of his and he does not think he did anything wrong. Then he said I should not comment on it because I don’t know enough about it. Weak, very weak Mr. Icahn!

anthonyp

Hi Charlie

As I last understood it you got most of your money back, and now are waiting for the rest?? I sure understand your frustration, but in defense of Mr Ichan, he probably doesn`t want to burn any bridges until he gets ALL of his money back...:) He`s a smart man, and maybe if you could get with him you would get all your money also....I`d also complain the government officials, starting with your senators and representatives...Keep up the noise..

I wonder if we should go away in May, or expect the market to continue it`s rise through the summer....It looks like it will keep going up....Tony

cyclone4

Hello Tony!

We have received 72% of our money to this point from the MF Global fiasco. Who knows when or if we will get the rest? I have heard that the Trusteem will release another 10% in the near future. We'll see.

I just did not like Icahn trying to defend Corzine. He along with some others should be spending at least a few years in jail if there is any justice in the world. There is a new hearing tomorrow. A key assistant at MF Global has already revealed recently that Corzine approved some money to come out of the segregated funds. If they prove this, he will not avoid jail.

gagrice

If they prove this, he will not avoid jail

I'm with you on his guilt. Sad part is his wife who probably pushed him, will probably continue living the life of leisure in the Villa on the South of France. I would like to see them seize all his assets to pay back those he cheated.

tagman

Tony...

Apple is going to release new products later this year. If you go away in May, what would you do later on?

TM

anthonyp

Tag

Thanks for the answer on the ipad, and your recent posts...All are well thought out and give me the impression you are `off and running`

We have all had the discussion--last year--about the HFT and it`s impact on the market, along with the defense of it by those who are profiting from it....What a `crock`....Possibly the bureaucracy who are charged to protect the integrity of the market places, will step to the forefront this year,,,Just in time to influence the election....

I can`t help but think that things are going to be `juiced` from time to time this year, to keep the recovery going.....As I have said `everywhere I go, the economy is flat out booming`, and a little more `juice` should not be ignored...

Having said that, complacency becomes the `danger`.......To be prepared, I have shifted some of my stuff from etf, to funds, simply as I can liquidate an entire position at the end of the day.....I find the etf to be tricky as the HFT can so easily back away from any decent bid.....The answer to the question is `I would come back in with my funds intact` Tony

tagman

Thanks for the answer on the ipad, and your recent posts...All are well thought out and give me the impression you are `off and running`

Tony,

You are welcome, and glad you like my recent posts, although it seems you may be the only one lately... LOL... It's been kind of quiet around here for some reason.

I think ETFs can be very dangerous and are misleading. I remember discovering the truth about ETFs last year when I first gave them a whirl. I will no longer have anything to do with them. Funds are OK, and the only real disadvantage of funds is the usual lag time of a full day to sell out, but that's a minor complaint, if it's a good fund.

I just read an article on my CNBC iPad app... and it referred to the pre-planned "shorting" of AAPL shares Monday morning. Turns out THAT'S why it started to tank... but it backfired on them because Tim Cook had gone to China, and word got out, and suddenly the share price took off, as we saw late yesterday and into today as well.

Apparently, there are traders that pre-plan to short AAPL shares, and they might do it again. They historically pick on AAPL shares during the company's "quiet" periods. I hate that kind of market manipulation. Imagine that... PRE-PLANNED shorting of AAPL stock! :surprise:

TM

anthonyp

You know that the deck is so rigged....If you successfully trade and say make a couple of hundrd,, the tax is whatever your bracket is, say forty or so percent..If you loose the loss is something like three thousand dollars....If I remember correctly , you stuff is in a retirement account so you don't get either a loss or a gain tax......For me it just doesn't make sense to do other than a small amount for the fun of it.....

Then you have the HFT , anll the a logarithms , funds , ETF, the huge sloshing of money from all over the world, Man it is mind blowing.....Apple is so unique at this time , that I truly believe in it........Just remember that the Tulip Bulb had an ending, so keep your wits about you......The question is ---If the stock went to a thousand next month, would you take your profits?----Tony

tagman

The question is ---If the stock went to a thousand next month, would you take your profits?

Wow, great question! My honest answer is... At that point, I would take some of the profits. I don't know how much, but probably a hefty amount, and let the rest of it "ride".

TM

houdini1

In a sense, those ETFs are like bonds. If the price starts dropping and you need to get out, they are hard to get rid of.

tagman

In a sense, those ETFs are like bonds. If the price starts dropping and you need to get out, they are hard to get rid of.

Well, no... (unless I am misunderstanding your post).

Actually, ETFs are more like equities in the way they are bought and sold. They are traded under various symbols on the stock exchange and can be purchased and sold within seconds.

The problem with ETF's isn't that they are hard to sell, because they are quite easy to buy and sell. The problem that I see with them is that they do not accurately represent the values of the stock, or index, or commodity that they claim to represent... especially in real-time, when they can be quite distorted.

Some are constructed to offer multiples of returns, but can also lose your money at those same multiples as well. Very dangerous.

TM

houdini1

I was speaking of ETFs in relation to mutual funds. As Tony said, it is much easier and quicker to liquidate a large position in a mutual fund than in an ETF.

An ETF is a mutual fund, they are just traded differently. Being a mutual fund or an ETF has little, if any, bearing on whether or not it tracks accurately. That is determined by the particular fund in question.

tagman

I was speaking of ETFs in relation to mutual funds. As Tony said, it is much easier and quicker to liquidate a large position in a mutual fund than in an ETF.

Houdini... For the sake of clarity and correctness for all members and readers, I must let you know that in spite of the words he used in his post, I believe Tony did not mean to convey that mutual funds can trade quicker than ETFs... because they do not. It is the other way around.

Mutual funds typically settle at the end of the trading day before they are sold, unlike ETFs which can be sold immediately without delay. This is a huge difference. If an investor wanted to take advantage of a big day's upswing, he could buy an ETF immediately and get the benefit of that particular gain. Also, if the market was tanking, the ETF could be sold immediately to avoid losses. A mutual fund would suffer the day's losses and settle at the day's close... again, a huge difference.

So, I mention this just to be clear for everyone, and with all respect for you and Tony, of course.

ETFs trade easily and quickly, within a split second. Mutual funds typically take an entire day.

But, there are other dangers associated with some ETFs that have nothing to do with the ease and quickness of trading them.

Anyway, I hope you are OK with my intentions here to clarify this common misunderstanding.

On a separate note, I've been wondering if you and your son have decided to purchase and fix-up any more properties. You were both very successful with your last one, and I think you proved yourself to be an amazing Dad, the way you sponsored the investment.

it seems to me that the window of opportunity is still wide open in the real estate market. Heck, even Warren Buffett has publically commented on the amazing opportunities in real estate right now.

TM

ljflx

Charlie,

From todays NY Times.

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/03/27/mf-globals-shortfall-no-surprise-some-say- /?ref=todayspaper

anthonyp

Tag I should have been clearer......The ETFs I was speaking of are not the popular heavy volume type, but the type that are off the beaten path, and have volume of a couple of hundred thousand to a hundred thousand a day......If your position is say fifty thousand shares, worth a million, it takes day or weeks to build the position and an equal amount of time to liquidate......I have already liquidated the ones I feel are shaky, and put the proceeds into a fund that trades once a day.....If and when I get nervous about `things` I can sell the entire lot , and not have to worry about market timing etc.....Tony ps Most ETF are rather illiquid as far as I my experience has been.....

houdini1

Tony, that is exactly the situation I felt you were referring to, and I certainly agree with your strategy. Been there, done that.

cyclone4

That's a great article Len. It tells the story as it is known at this point.

You should all watch to the following interview on Bloomberg. James Koutoulas (Golden Greek) is the founder of Commodity Customer Coalition that is representing thousands of people like myself in this case. This interview was from either yesterday or Monday. It will be very interesting to see how Ms O'brien is treated. According to Koutoulas she should definitely be given immunity. Ok, watch the interview now.

http://commoditycustomercoalition.org/?p=1150

tagman

Tony, Houdini,

Thanks for explaining. I would never have expected you were both referring to a million dollar valuation. More typical valuations would never encounter any delay or challenge to sell the position.

In the case of more typical consumer retail levels, my description is bullseye accurate. Not necessarily the case with 7-digit investments in ETFs? I wouldn't know. I have no experience with investing a million dollars or more in a single ETF. I am surprised it would be so hard to sell, unless it was a highly unpopular lightly-traded ETF... and if so, why would anyone put a million bucks into an obscure or unpopular ETF?

Goodness, sounds like even more reasons to hate ETFs.

TM

houdini1

LOL. Tag, just so you know. I have never had a million dollars in a single ETF. Maybe 150 thousand tops. Depending on the size of the ETF, market conditions, and the type of investor, it can still be a pain liquidating even that much.

On to real estate. We are actively looking for another property. I think the key to being successful is picking the right property so we are being careful. We do currently have an offer in on a REO property.

I do not want to let the bank string me along for 2 or 3 months while they hope to get a better offer so my offer is only good for 2 weeks..the 2 weeks are up on April 1st so we will know soon.

How is your property coming along?

tagman

How is your property coming along?

Great, thanks. All fixed up and I accepted a full-price (monthly rent) offer yesterday for a 1-year lease. Well qualified... high credit score and high income. Starts May 1st.

Just send me the check, please. :shades:

Just kidding, but I am admittedly happy about it, and just hope it works out.

Good luck on getting the property you are trying to acquire. Keep us posted.

TM

anthonyp

Well Mr Tag, I sure hope later in your life you have the pleasure to try and protect your savings with multi million dollar investments.....The thing about the ETF several years ago---, before anyone knew very much about them----, as the market crashed, they appeared to be an attractive way to get (in my case) a very attractive yield, with an instrument that really had no more than two percent invested in any bond....The yields were in the teens, and as things started to stabalise I ventured fourth.....I learned then about the touchy nature of the action in them....and no I sure didn`t buy a million dollars worth at a time, but over time the investment turned out to be worth more than that....Consequently the difficulty in liquidation.... Houdini is right even a hundred thousand dollar shot is hard.... Tony

ljflx

Based on this story a 7" tablet may be a bad idea, which is why I doubt Apple will go there. Note the 7" failures. BTW - I'm amazed at the way certain websites try so hard to talk down both Apple and Google. I've also linked an earlier story on the new iPad from this same publisher which stated the same nonsense about iPad problems as before and emphasized the wi-fi as weak. My iPad picks up every wi-fi on my street (which is 5 homes on 47 acres of land) and the downloading is very fast. I bet folks are forgetting their network passwords more than anything else.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2012/03/28/this-might-be-googles-worst-ide- - - a-yet.aspx

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2012/03/28/whats-really-wrong-with-the-new- - - -ipad.aspx

This story is a good one though and it may be propelling Apple's stock higher this week:

http://seekingalpha.com/article/464201-why-apple-will-succeed-in-china?source=ya- - - hoo

gagrice

Wifi range is a big one for me. The Kindle Fire was very marginal in the master bedroom that is about 80 feet from our office where the Wifi router resides. If it will not work anywhere in the house it is of little value to me.

Have you noticed it being hot? I like the fact that it is 4G capable and only available month to month with Verizon. I am not thrilled with a two year contract. If I decide to take an extended vacation I can buy a months service on Verizon's network.

tagman

WOW Tony... This is so interesting. I sure don't want to pry, but my curiosity is tugging at me about what ETF you are referring to.

Anyway, whatever it is, I am glad that you have such a formidable investment and I sure hope it is an investment you are fond of... but if it is not, perhaps you can work at figuring out a way to liquidate it in a way that works for you.

I remember there was this situation that occurred many years ago... I got cornered by a guy (more like a con man) that sold annuities, and he had this whole investment gimmick that included fees to a mangement company to oversee the investment to make sure it delivered a proper return. I took the bait, and shortly thereafter learned about the scam from some other people that had been burned by this guy, and I was fortunate to be able to get out of it. I recall the meeting when I told him I wanted out, and he told me he couldn't get my money back, and I threatened to kill him. :surprise: I got my money back. It was after that whole experience that I decided to be a smarter investor in the future, and I've given it my best ever since then... although I still learn lessons along the way, even to this day I continue to learn.

I am surprised every day by the experts on CNBC that say to sell Apple before it goes down to half its current value, and other guys who say the stock will soar.

It's crazy out there, isn't it?

TM

ljflx

I don't have any of the reported problems. My wi-fi is excellent whether I'm in the yard or in the furthest away bedroom. I don't believe any of this stuff that is being reported. A laptop gets far hotter than an iPad.

tagman

Based on this story a 7" tablet may be a bad idea, which is why I doubt Apple will go there.

Based upon that story, perhaps, but there is more evidence that Apple will introduce a smaller tablet. And, you must consider that the marketplace compells Apple to compete... and if Apple is to complete, it should likely sell a smaller iPad... but actually the new smaller iPad would probably be 7.85" exactly, for specific reasons that this article will explain.

Why a 7.85" Screen for the Rumored 'iPad Mini' Makes Sense

Tuesday March 27, 2012 8:33 pm PDT by Arnold Kim

Rumors of an "iPad mini" have been persistent over the past couple of years, despite an early dismissal of the 7" tablet form-factor by Apple's Steve Jobs:
There are clear limits to how close elements can be on the screen before users can't touch accurately. We believe 10-inch screen is minimum necessary.

Jobs' dismissal centers around an interface issue that a 10-inch screen is believed to be the minimum necessary to provide a good user interface.

Still, rumors of a smaller iPad have persisted with the latest rumors pinpointing a 7.85" screen for such a device. Apple has reportedly received samples of 1024x768 7.85" screens with rumors of mass production of the device sometime this fall.

AppAdvice digs into this exact screen size and reveals why the 7.85" size is not as arbitrary as it might seem.

The site calculates the points per inch (PPI) of such an imaginary 7.85" 1024x768 display and finds it to be 163 PPI. This is the exact same pixel density as the original iPhone and iPod Touch before the Retina Display. Apple's human interface guidelines for iOS development for both iPad and iPhone outline that the minimum size for tappable user interface elements at 44 x 44 points (0.27 x 0.27 inches on the original iPhone screen).

This 44 x 44 point size recommendation is true for the original iPhone and the original iPad, even though the original iPad was slightly less pixel-dense. (On Retina-enabled displays, the recommendation remains at 44 x 44 points, but with each point represented by 2 pixels)

What this means is that any iPad application that was designed with these guidelines in mind would never drop below Apple's recommended 44 x 44 point (0.27 x 0.27 inches) when displayed on a 7.85" miniaturized iPad. As we noted in our paper mockup of a iPad mini, that the user interface elements seemed perfectly usable on the smaller screen, and this would explain why. iPad apps would run without modification on a 7.85" iPad without any elements dropping below what Apple considers the minimal tappable size.

None of this means that Apple will definitely be producing such a device, but does show the 7.85" size is not an arbitrary decision. Existing iPad apps would run reasonably well without modification on such a device.

why-a-7-85-screen-for-the-rumored-ipad-mini-makes-sense

I think a 7.85" iPad is a very smart and legitimate idea and I hope it makes it to the marketplace to knock those other guys out of the box, and continue to improve Apple's market position and dominance at all levels. No reason to leave the entire smaller tablet market to Amazon or Samsung, or anyone else, especially when Apple can do it best.

TM

tagman

Len,

ditto here. I recently posted to Gary that the iPad doesn't get hot, and Consumer Reports admitted this, and stated that it is not out of the reasonable comfort range. It is comfortable enough, and the whole story is a pile of rubbish. The media has completely twisted that report.

Also, I agree that wi-fi range is awesome! I have never been out of range... and of course my phone offers hotspot, just in case I must be in a location that does not offer wi-fi... bottom line: the iPad is ALWAYS connected.

As far as the battery story goes, that is just another media pile of rubbish. All iOS devices go into a slight drain/re-charge cycle when the battery reaches a full charge. This is programmed intentionally to allow the device's battery to remain plugged in past the point of being fully charged, and remain in optimum condition. Leave it to the media to twist things around! They literally took a good feature and represented it as a problem. Ignorant idiots.

TM

tagman

Check out this article and terrific video!! (scroll down the article for the video, hit the play icon, and it will play after a quick advertisement)

Apple Will Hit $1,650 by the End of 2015: Analyst

Right after the analyst says AAPL can hit $1,650 per share by end of 2015, the next guy says AAPL shares will see $500 / share BEFORE they ever see $700 / share.

This video is a must see.

:surprise:

TM

tagman

As a follow-up, it's weird the way the analyst guy first says the stock will hit $1650, but then next under questioning afterwards, the guy next says the stock will go down to $500 before hitting $7O0.

Here's some irony... The video I posted can't be seen on the Apple iPad or iPhone without downloading and using a special app browser, because the video is in "FLASH"!!

Btw, I use the "Photon" browser app on the iPad to view websites with Flash, and it is awesome, and Photon also has some other cool advantages over Safari, such as split screen, and even triple screen view mode.

So... What will we see first? $700/share, or $500/share????

My opinion.... Still bullish, but less than I was weeks ago. I think my prediction for $700 - $750 / share by end of May was too optimistic. I still believe we will see a significant dip in AAPL share price very, very soon... and it could be smart to take a few chips off the table, and not get too greedy. These last months and especially weeks have been huge. After the dip, continued gains. Consider the large amounts of insider trading at Apple right now... even by CEO, Tim Cook!

TM

gagrice

I thought Tim Cook had to hold his million shares for 10 years. Or is he buying more shares. That would be a good sign.

tagman

...Or is he buying more shares. That would be a good sign.

Hi Gary...

NO! I certainly wish he was buying, as you are right when you say that would be a good sign... but no cigar!

Let's be clear here about the insider selling at Apple. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, has been selling. And so have his buddies.

Especially recently... Timothy D Cook has been selling. His transaction on Monday alone, for example, was the sale of $64,131,000 worth of APPL stock.

He is not the only one. He is in good company. Just on Monday alone, Peter Oppenheimer also sold shares, in the amount of $47,944,000.

And... Let's add Philip W Schiller to the list of high-end guys inside Apple that have been attending the selling party. Monday, he sold $38,662,000 worth of AAPL shares.

And, that's just Monday's sales. There's more. :surprise:

TM

tagman

I just heard about this, and it sounds like it is going to be fantastic. REAL analysis based upon REAL numbers. I like the sound of that. I am going to watch.

Meantime, I took some of my AAPL chips off the table and rang the register this morning in pre-market, when it was only down about 50 cents. Given the recent performance, I feel very strongly that the share price must dip soon, and I want to lock in some of these spectacular recent gains, as well as be ready to buy after the next dip. If I am wrong, what have I lost? I always feel that I can't lose anything that I don't have, and I will still have everything I have retained.

Anyway, try to watch CNBC on Tuesday. I have a feeling it is going to be enlightening, and very educational... based upon real numbers, instead of just talking heads.

TM

gagrice

Best Buy sales disappoint; to close stores, cut jobs
REUTERS — 14 MINUTES AGO

Best Buy Co reported weaker-than-expected sales for the key holiday quarter, prompting the world's largest electronics chain to close 50 U.S. stores and cut 400 jobs in corporate and support areas.

Despite offering bigger discounts and free shipping to lure shoppers from its rivals including Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Amazon.com Inc , Best Buy's same-store sales fell 2.4 percent in the quarter, including a 2.2 percent decline at its U.S. stores open at least 14 months.

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter was looking for a 1.8 percent same-store sales decline in the quarter, including a 1.4 percent decline at its domestic stores.

Its sales rose to $16.63 billion, but fell far short of the analysts' average estimate of $17.23 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Best Buy's shares fell 6.1 percent to $24.98 in early trading.

Best Buy lost $1.7 billion, or $4.89 a share, in the fourth quarter that ended March 3, compared with net income of $651 million, or $1.62 a share, a year earlier. Excluding charges, it earned $2.47 a share.

Best Buy is now trying to focus on its smaller format stores. It will close 50 U.S. big-box stores and open 100 Best Buy small-format, stand-alone stores in the current fiscal 2013.

cyclone4

Anyway, try to watch CNBC on Tuesday. I have a feeling it is going to be enlightening, and very educational... based upon real numbers, instead of just talking heads.

Real numbers my rear end! I was watching this moderator on CNBC (don't know his name but he is mostly bald headed, short, and round) about a half hour ago promoting this hedge fund manager that will be on the show Tuesday morning and how he is so negative on AAPL due to the so called numbers. The headline on the screen was "Don't buy Apple". This is SO manipulative it is sickening. Coincidentally when this bald headed guy started talking about this, AAPL was trading only about $3.50 lower. Within a few minutes it went to almost $8.00 lower. They are full of SKATA!! Let these morons keep trying to knock AAPL down. In the long run, they will have egg on their face.

tagman

Gary...

They need to get leaner.

However, looking at some other data more recent than that... when the new iPad was introduced recently, Best Buy sold approximately as many iPads as did the Apple retail store. That's interesting. Maybe Apple should acquire Best Buy at a fraction of it's value... hahaha.

TM