Archive for May, 2010

Wall Street’s 1000-point air pocket produced widely divergent emotions: shock, confusion, anger, fright – and even humor. As investors, how should we react? »

Everyone hates the US Government’s two-option approach for dealing with supersized companies in trouble. Both choices (bailout and bankruptcy) have large, undesirable consequences, making for a dilemma. On Wednesday the US Senate approved a solution: A third option that allows conversion of one “too big” institution into many manageable companies. This is great news. »

Greece’s financial management has been weak for years. As shown in yesterday’s currency exchange graph, the Greek drachma (pre-Euro) lost over 80% of its value in the 20 years preceding switching to the Euro. Since then, Greece’s finances have deteriorated further due to overspending. In addition, the true financial picture has been obscured by... »

As Europe moved toward a single currency, a chief concern was how to ensure individual countries didn’t rock the boat. Because each country retained its own government and central bank, the worry was that differences could lead to stress within the overall financial system. Europe is now dealing with that situation. »

Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett and Vice-Chairman Charles Munger made some prepared and impromptu statements at last weekend’s annual meeting and press conference. Some of those comments give us an unexpected – and disappointing – look into their thinking. »

Last week left a bad taste in many investors’ mouths. The stock market’s Tuesday and Friday drops created a sense of uncertainty. After steady gains over the preceding weeks, doubt returned. There is one factor that can accentuate this feeling of being at risk – and we can do something about it. »