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A man under siege grabs a weapon, shoots. And while all politicians are Man, very few are men – power is nature’s most corrosive agent. Of course, Autocrats turn weapons on their subjects. Democrats point weapons at Autocrats (when it suits). Central Bankers fire on inflation and unemployment in equal measure (well, not quite equal). And investors shoot losers. So it was this wk. Libya’s madman spent decades ex

Hope all goes well. Watched the sad footage, the hopeless flight of tiny creatures, chased by a monstrous wave, summoned by a capricious planet. Moments later I pierced the Zurich clouds, marveled at the heavenly Alps. Pictured the tiny creatures ascending those famous peaks, tempting fate, striving for higher ground. Said a quiet prayer for the low, the high, and everyone in between. ’Cause in life’s fleeting flight

I drank with a buddy, discussed life and death. And evolution. What an ugly business; struggle, pain, defeat, then every so often, blessed triumph. And it never ends, yesterday’s finest creations die, conquered by greater achievements. Darryl’s a tech entrepreneur, gives birth to new life. He’s on biz #5, the first 4 were lesser creatures, either devoured or starved. But this latest is a new species: Magnifico Monstr

Markets hate uncertainty; and that’s the only commodity not in short supply these days. With bulging deficits, oil at 29yr highs, recovering economies, and talk of easy-money exit strategies, investors are edgy. So leaders cut the surplus of uncertainty. Bernanke led a dovish chorus, signaled a continued flow of free paper, hinted at QE3 and stated, “The recovery is not firmly established, monetary policy needs to be

Hope all goes well. Closed a big new investment for April. Booked a solid wk in Switz, fly out tonight, feels like the glaciers are melting and want to drink from that Alpine flow. Overall: Markets hate uncertainty; and that’s the only commodity not in short supply these days. With bulging deficits, oil at 29yr highs, recovering economies, and talk of easy-money exit strategies, investors are edgy. So leaders cut the

On a dark Mar ’09 morning, the world gazed intently into the rear-view mirror. Oh the Horror. But naturally, most missed the view out the windshield. Well, the S&P 500 just completed a 100% rally from that panic low; a feat last achieved in the 2yrs leading to 1937. Hmmm… And now the view in the rear view mirror just gets prettier. S&P 500 Q4 earnings +35% to all-time highs, over 70% beat profit forecasts for

Hope all goes well. I’m off to NY for cold weather & warm friends. Was thinking about heading to the Middle-East but figured I’d wait till the boys change the names on their business cards. Mkts were a bit kinder this wk. China’s Renminbi finally rallied. So did Turkish Lira, Brazil and India. US short-rates softened. Overall: On a dark Mar ’09 morning, the world gazed intently into the rear-view mirror. Oh the H

Mara asked me to give Charlie a bath. He’s our 4th and our last, so naturally I’ve gotten pretty good just in time for my hard won wisdom to go to waste; sadly life’s like that. So I threw lots of things into the tub that Charlie knows he shouldn’t play with; that’s the secret, ’cause he’s human. He zeroed in on a 50-yard roll of dental floss. And with all the talk these days about

Hope all goes well. Left the frozen Canadian tundra, returned to spring in Santa Barbara. Kissed Mara and the kiddies, zipped to the trading floor, hugged the boys. Stepped outside to check our Pension Patch. A Canadian Maple is sprouting, right next to a young English Oak. Somehow, a middle-eastern Royal Palm sprung up too. They each took a long time to germinate, but sink deep roots, grow big & strong. Brought