“Think hard about what you would like from your new coach and what you are prepared to give him,” I told Jackson (15). He’d requested a meeting with Darien’s head coach, a lacrosse legend. “Imagine two young people walk into my office,” I continued. “Person A says: I’d like you to help me build a great career. I’m really ambitious. Please help me.” Jackson nodded. “Person B says: It’s such a privilege to have this op

Hope all goes well… “Did a frog just hit the window?” I asked Mara, as the riot raged. “If they’re having a frog fight, I’m gonna to kill ’em,” she replied. We’d sent the kiddies to paddle in the pond with neighbors, so we could have a quiet drink. “But no going in the water, you’re in pajamas,” Mara had ordered. In stormed Charlie, covered in algae. “We all accidently fell in,” he declared, shocked, breathless. “How

“Imagine you and I built a hotel 40yrs ago,” said the CIO. “We knew it’d be hard. Hotels need lots of workers. There’s constant wear and tear.” Rooms need remodeling. “We hired 25yr old’s, trained them well. Those early years were dynamite. The place hummed.” Our workers formed unions. “They had a monopoly position against us, that’s basically what we call democracy.” It worked fine. “We agreed to pension plans. Room

Overall: “Free expression is the base of human rights, the root of human nature and the mother of truth,” said Liu Xiaobo, R.I.P. “To kill free speech is to insult human rights, to stifle human nature and to suppress truth,” continued China’s Nobel laureate, caged. “I’ve viewed the West as if it were not only the salvation of China but also the natural and ultimate destination of all humanity.” America’s stock market

Hope all goes well… “Do you want to live there?” asked Charlie (8), pedaling next to Mara, skirting the border of our local farm, “You love barns Mommy.” And she laughed. “I don’t think so Charlie, I love our home, and besides, this farm costs a fortune.” 63 waterfront acres offered at $175mm. No one told the farmer that 2 & 20 was last season’s crop. “What if I just gave it to you mommy, what would you do then?”

Hope all goes well… “Understanding 2017 performance is simple,” said the investor. “There are two distinct groups,” he continued. “Managers trading the turn and managers riding the wave.” Professional investors all acknowledge we’re late cycle. But we differ on where late-cycle meets land’s-end. “Most managers have been trading the turn this year, while a few are giving the market more time – mostly emerging market g

“Oh dear,” said the CIO, from Tokyo. “No sooner have we declared that Japan is no longer experiencing deflation than we are looking to pre-empt inflation.” We were discussing Kuroda, who in a recent speech quoted Ralph Hawtrey, pioneer in the field of central bank expectations management. “In his book ‘Monetary Reconstruction’ published in 1923, Hawtrey stated that “it is not the past rise in prices but the future ri

Overall: “Absolutely,” answered Trump, as sure as sure can be. You see, the reporter had asked if Mexico would pay. She couldn’t help herself, we’re fixated by walls. We need them; to build, to topple, to scale. They define us, give us purpose. Walls surround us, they’re everywhere, literally, metaphorically. “We are showing that the world doesn’t have to go 100 years back in time,” announced Tusk, symbolically isola

Week-in-Review (expressed in YoY terms): Mon: Italian E17bln bailout of 2 banks, EU iTraxx financials 51bps (below EU corporates at 53bps for 1st time since 2011), UK conservatives strike deal with DUP, UK consumer credit growth decelerates, German business confidence record high, US May durable goods orders drop 2nd month, Supreme Court rules to partially impose Trump’s travel ban, Senate healthcare bill to cut 22mm

Hope all goes well… Dusted off an anecdote from 2015 about taking shots (see below). Back next Sunday with full weekend notes. Happy 4th of July! Week-in-Review (expressed in YoY terms): Mon: Italian E17bln bailout of 2 banks, EU iTraxx financials 51bps (below EU corporates at 53bps for 1st time since 2011), UK conservatives strike deal with DUP, UK consumer credit growth decelerates, German business confidence recor