Skip to main content

Features of the week

Lots to talk about in this Friday's edition of "Features of the week", especially in the subjects of oil, ethanol, and energy use. Plus, plenty of news besides, so kick back and enjoy.

1. "Another Inconvenient Truth". Puru Saxena feels global production declines in crude oil will result in significantly higher prices and the possibility of shortages and rationing.

2. Meanwhile, George Friedman of Stratfor discusses possible advancements in the field of cellulosic ethanol production and the potential likelihood of a resulting fall off in global oil demand.

3. Robert Rapier discusses, "High Gasoline Prices", in a two-part (one & two) article series.

4. "Energy in a Post-Peak World". A Simmons & Company International slideshow, presented by Matthew Simmons.

5. Bono doubts the sincerity of the G8's pledge for African aid.

6. Secret CIA jails hosted by Poland, Romania, says a Swiss politician's report. This coincides with the CIA secret prisoner trial starting in Italy.

7. Chicago is the "greatest trading city in the world" according to a Trader Monthly survey.

8. PIMCO's Bill Gross, recently turned bearish on bonds, is set to make a fine return in an area that recalls one of the better-known inflation hedges of the 1970's: investing in rare stamps.

9. Railroads are a recently hot investment, but allegations of price-fixing have recently been leveled at the industry by one industrial customer.

10. "A Conversation With an Unusual Man": Charles Davis interviews Ron Paul.

11. Jim Chanos of Kynikos Associates discusses short selling, hedge funds, and private equity with FT's View from the Top. Parts one & two of this interview.

12. Jim Rogers appears in a VPRO documentary, "De Calculerende Cowboy", to discuss his travels, the future of Europe, and his philosophy of investing.

13. Bill Gates gives the commencement speech at Harvard, his alma mater, and takes home an honorary degree. See also, Time Magazine's profile and interviews with Gates.

14. George Harrison talks with Dick Cavett in a 1971 interview. Parts one, two, three, and four.

Have a great weekend, everybody.

Popular posts from this blog

Nasdaq credit rating junked.

S&P cut Nasdaq's credit rating to junk status citing debt burdens and its questionable strategy to buy a controlling interest in the London Stock Exchange. Financial Times reported that the exchange's counterparty credit & bank loan rating were lowered fromm BBB- (lowest investment grade rating) to BB+. The change will increase Nasdaq's borrowing costs should it wish to pursue aquisition targets. For an earlier look at the exchange consolidation trend that brought about Nasdaq's push for a stake in the LSE, please see "Exchange fever" .

Clean Money - John Rubino: Book review

Clean Money by John Rubino 274 pages. Hoboken, New Jersey John Wiley & Sons. 2009. 1st Edition. The bouyant stock market environment of the past several years is gone, and the financial wreckage of 2008 is still sharp in our minds as a new year starts to unfold. Given the recent across-the-board-declines in global stock markets (and most asset classes) that have left many investors shell-shocked, you might wonder if there is any good reason to consider the merits of a hot new investment theme, such as clean energy. However, we shouldn't be too hasty to write off all future stock investments. After all, the market declines of 2008 may continue into 2009, but they may also leave interesting investment opportunities in their wake. Which brings us to the subject of this review. John Rubino, author and editor of GreenStockInvesting.com , recently released a new book on renewable energy and clean-tech investing entitled, Clean Money: Picking Winners in the Green Tech Boom . In Clean ...

Seth Klarman: Margin of Safety (pdf)

Welcome, readers! Signup for free email updates at the Finance Trends Newsletter . Update: PDF links removed due to DMCA notice. Please see our extensive Klarman book notes below. New visitors, please check the Finance Trends home page for all new posts. Here's something for anyone who has been trying to get a look at Seth Klarman's now famous, and out of print, 1991 investment book, Margin of Safety .  My knowledge of value investing is pretty much limited to what I've read in Ben Graham's The Intelligent Investor (the book which originally popularized the investment concept of a "Margin of Safety"), so check out the wisdom from Seth Klarman and other investing greats in our related posts below. You can also go straight to Ronald Redfield's Margin of Safety book notes .    Related posts: 1. Seth Klarman interviews and Margin of Safety notes     2. Seth Klarman: Lessons from 2008 3. Investing Lessons from Sir John Templeton 4. ...