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Hope all goes well… Lots to be thankful for this year. A feast filled with young families, old friends. A buzzing business, a tenacious team. A world of opportunities, endless mysteries. And while I desperately wish I had more time, I’m thankful that there never seems to be enough. Hope you feel the same. Dusted off an anecdote from Summer 2012 (see below). See you next Sunday with full weekend notes. Week-in-Review:

Hope all goes well… “Show me something hairy, disgusting, distressed,” he said to Singapore’s top real estate deal-maker. And I laughed, having always wondered how my buddy conducted meetings. He runs one of America’s greatest family offices. And we travelled across Asia for 2wks, searching for investment themes, cheap assets, insights, talent. “Nothing’s underpriced,” answered the deal-maker. So I asked if it felt l

Hope all goes well… Spent the week in Singapore. Hong Kong. Tokyo too. And as China’s communist plenum, petrified by distorted demographics, loosened their lonely-only policy, Mara flew out for an impromptu Asian rendezvous. Escaping the consequences of our free-market four-child policy. So we’re heading out now to have a gander at Ginza. Explore a nation in reflation. I’ll see you next Sunday with full wknd no

Hope all goes well… “My father was tough but fair,” said the lovely young woman, in a tender tone, turning back and smiling. Hiking high above Santa Barbara. He marched just behind us – her proud father – one of Scandinavia’s top investors. He’d brought her along, combining adventure with business. As conversation wandered from family, to sports, life’s winding paths, innovation, investment themes, and hi

Hope all goes well… Osama bin Charlie, my 4yr old, wired on Wonka, dressed as a zombie ninja, sporting oversized UGG boots, tripped and screamed. Mummies moaned. Fairies floated. You see, Mara had fired a distress flare. So, dressed as a hedge fund putz, I rushed home early to help with Halloween. And sought solace in an ice-cold Sol. A buddy arrived, dressed as an overworked internet entrepreneur, sharing my stunned

Hope all goes well… “When will grandpa die daddy?” asked Charlie, my four year old, prying an oversized spoonful of cocoa puffs into his little mouth. So I told him I don’t know. “Well, when will grandma die?” he continued, munching away. Of course I don’t know that either. “How about you,” he asked, “when will you die?” I peered into my bowl, at the remaining cocoa puffs, swirling. And reluctantly came clean, admitt

Hope all goes well… “Have you met anyone who doesn’t think stocks will rip into year-end?” asked the CIO, rhetorically, pausing to garner the courage to continue. “And yet despite that, I tend to agree,” he admitted, uncomfortably, squirming atop a prodigious pile of Pounds. You see he’s a Brit, and as such, is imbued with an extra helping of cynicism, skepticism. “This has that feel of the 3rd quarter of 1999, when

Hope all goes well… “In a world of zero rates virtually everywhere, currency movements are random,” explained my big ’ole Greenwich Bulldog, lifting his leg, drenching that fire hydrant. “And new commodity supply keeps coming online, so those markets are going nowhere but sideways to down,” he snorted. “Bonds are now stuck in a range, odds are the bulls can pick up a few pennies, but risk getting steam-rolled,”

Hope all goes well… “Think about the guy you’ve hated more than anyone in your entire life,” said the CIO. You see, I’d asked what he thought was really going on in DC. “Now imagine you have him by the balls,” he growled, pausing, giving me a moment. “So here’s the thing, you’re not exactly sure what you want to do next,” he continued in a tone that made me grimace. “But you’re certain of one simple thing – can

Hope all goes well… “Obama’s a bad trader, simple as that,” explained the political insider, breezing through Santa Barbara. “He adds and adds to losing positions, trades without stops.” Apparently, Summers was never ever going to get the votes he needed. And no votes equals no confirmation. Then we moved on to matters of political intrigue, Yellen, exit options, timetables, the difficulty in trading this thing. “Wel