February 25, 2023
Hello everyone.
Have you ever been given a present in the form of a Gift Certificate? Have you always converted it to a physical gift? It seems that in the U.S. there are billions of dollars’ worth of unclaimed Gift Certificates. I presume it is the same in Australia and the world over.
I know my son has a $100 gift certificate that he has not claimed. So, why do we do it?
We’re not interested in the type of gift.
We can’t be bothered to convert it.
Stuck it in the draw and forgot about it.
Threw it out by accident.
Don’t know how to claim the gift.
Whatever it is, companies offering these gifts are doing very well.
Perhaps, we should go back to the cash in the envelope idea. Everybody loves cash, right? Who doesn’t appreciate a $100 or $50 bill in a Christmas/Birthday card?
It might appear that we haven’t given any thought to the gift, or the person is just too difficult to buy for, or we didn’t have time to shop, but remember cash is an asset, and you can do anything you like with that asset. Not so with a Gift Certificate from a particular company. You have to spend it with them.
Anyway, it’s just a suggestion.
To the markets…
And haven’t they been messy of late.
The S&P 500 is in a complex market correction. Corrective weakness can extend towards the area of 3800/3750 before the next bull rally begins.
Gold – the corrective sell-off is still in progress. The same for silver. Likely downside targets in Gold are 1800/1760/1730. Then John will begin sending out trade alerts to buy Gold and Silver.
If you are watching Bitcoin, it is also correcting. We may see the $19,000 area, before the next move up.
The US$ will rally a little more and the Euro, Pound, Aussie, NZ$ will all fall as this takes place. But this move is setting up for a fall in the U.S.$ in the next little while.
It’s been snowing in southern California. How bizarre is that?
And last weekend, I tried my hand at making Sourdough bread without really following a recipe. Not surprisingly, it was not the full quid when it comes to sourdough bread. Too much liquid, I think. So, it’s back to the drawing board, and yes, I will make it by a recipe next time.
The Ukraine/Russia conflict rages on. The one-year anniversary has now passed. Putin – ex-KGB - is into grinding his enemies down. He’s in no hurry. But he knows the consequences of any nuclear attack, and so the war will remain a ground war. It will be a war about access to weaponry, ammunition, about managing mental fatigue, about strategic positioning, and understanding Putin’s perspective beyond Ukraine. We must stay the course.
Britain is in a bit of bother. Supply chains are choking their food supply, so grocery store shelves are starting to appear empty. Vegetables and basics…well…they are just not there. A sad dilemma for a country that was once so great. But still the education system is very good. I cannot argue with that.
Alex, my son, spent five years at an English prep boarding school from 8 years of age to 13 years. He had a ball. The education was fantastic.
Alex coming second on sports day.
Trading cards with a friend.
And you can’t forget about Grub Day on Friday.
Anyway, Happy Monday/Sunday, have a wonderful week.
Cheers,
Jacque
