Global Market Comments
July 6, 2015
Fiat Lux
Featured Trade:
(JULY 22 MILAN, ITALY GLOBAL STRATEGY LUNCHEON)
(THE SOLAR ROAD REVISITED)
?The Solar Road Revisited?. Somehow this modernized version of Bob Dylan?s epic folk album doesn?t quite ring true when couched in terms of our hyper accelerating 21st century technology. Perhaps a Millennial bard will improve on this in the future on iTunes, Pandora, and Beats, of course?
Yet, such a futuristic invention has already been created, is raising money through crowdfunding, and even landed a small Federal Highway Administration grant.
We live in an age of exploding technologies. So, when I find some that are especially interesting, offer a potential long term impact on the global economy, or present immediate investment opportunities, I am going to update you in this newsletter.
One common complaint I hear during my road shows is that we are moving into the future so fast, that it is getting increasingly hard to keep up. That is, unless you live within sight of Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG), Twitter (TWTR), and Facebook (FB) headquarters, which I do. These companies all have venture capital arms, which fund many of these things.
Sandpoint, Idaho based engineers Julie and Scott Brusaw are the founders of Solar Roadways, a tiny engineering company that seeks to convert the American highway system from old fashioned asphalt and concrete to tempered glass and LED?s.
They have raised $2 million through the crowdsourcing website Indiegogo, which saw its amazing videos on the project go viral and attract 15 million views (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/solar-roadways ).
Caution: conservatives may want to avert their eyes during all of the global warming, anti gasoline, and tree hugging references. But this stuff raises big bucks in California.
What can solar roads do? Obviously, the green hexagonal panels they are made of convert sunlight into electricity, heating roads so they can remain free of ice and snow all year. I could really use that up at Lake Tahoe.
Surplus power can be sold to local utilities to pay for it. Electric cars, like my Tesla Model S-1 (TSLA), can recharge their batteries just by parking on it, as my toothbrush already does in my bathroom.
You can program the LED?s to embed changeable road signs, borders, parking lots, and crosswalks. They can highlight crossing animals (200 deaths a year now in the US), or impending road obstructions.
They can even display layouts for every kind of sport (basketball, tennis, etc). The glass can be cast to give it a better grip than contemporary roads. Highway deaths would plunge, as would insurance costs.
Driving trucks on glass? The material is so strong that it can support the heaviest, or some 62 tons. My question, can handle steel caterpillar tractor treads used in road repair equipment?
Of course, it always comes down to cost with these new technologies, many of which remain pie in the sky forever. Estimates are that these roads cost 50%-300% more than existing ones. Large-scale construction would bring that down through economies of scale via mass production. The design is really quite simple.
The vision is big. It would probably cost over $1 trillion just to pave over the existing 48,000 miles of the interstate highway system. Tens of thousands of blue-collar jobs would be created. It all sounds like a massive public works project would be required, of Rooseveltian, CCC magnitude.
This just gives you a flavor of the incredibly interesting things going on here in the San Francisco Bay area, which I learn about on a daily basis. Check out the site, if only to see the future of start up funding.
You can contribute $5, or just buy a tote bag.
Somehow, It?s Just Not the Same
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Global Market Comments
July 2, 2015
Fiat Lux
Featured Trade:
(JULY 13 MARRAKESH, MOROCCO GLOBAL STRATEGY LUNCHEON)
(WHERE THE ECONOMIST BIG MAC INDEX FINDS CURRENCY VALUE),
(FXF), (FXY), (FXA), (FXE), (CYB)
(CATCHING UP WITH DOWNTON ABBEY),
(TESTIMONIAL)
CurrencyShares Swiss Franc Trust (FXF)
CurrencyShares Japanese Yen Trust (FXY)
CurrencyShares Australian Dollar Trust (FXA)
CurrencyShares Euro Trust (FXE)
WisdomTree Trust - WisdomTree Chinese Yuan Strategy Fund (CYB)
Come join me for lunch for the?Mad Hedge Fund Trader?s?Global Strategy luncheon, which I will be conducting in Marrakesh, Morocco on Monday, July 13, 2015. A three-course lunch will be followed by an extended question and answer period.
I?ll be giving you my up to date view on stocks, bonds, currencies, commodities, precious metals, and real estate. And to keep you in suspense, I?ll be tossing a few surprises out there too. Enough charts, tables, graphs, and statistics will be thrown at you to keep your ears ringing for a week. Tickets are available for $277.
I?ll be arriving at 11:30 AM and leaving late in case anyone wants to have a one on one discussion, or just sit around and chew the fat about the financial markets.
The lunch will be held at an exclusive mud walled?riad?in the historic Medina district, an impenetrable maze of ancient souks and alleyways. Believe it or not, you can find this place with your Google mapping app. The precise location will be emailed with your purchase confirmation.
I have been assured that the air conditioning there works, as the temperatures can range up to 135 F degrees during the summer.
Marrakesh is a 1,000-year-old caravan stop on the edge of the Sahara Desert on the storied route to Timbuktu. During the 14th?century, it was the seat of the early Moroccan kings.
It has long been an entrepot for the trading of gold, spices, dates, ivory, guns and slaves. With this trip we will be adding investment advice to that list.
The pink city, just east of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains is one of the most interesting cities in the world, and should be on everyone?s bucket list.
Every evening, snake charmers, magicians and acrobats put on a show for the customers of 100 open-air food stalls at the?Djemaa el-Fna?square. The event is listed as a United Nations World Heritage Site.
Palm oases dot the outside of the town. Today, many of the old shops have been converted to designer boutiques. Berber rugs and leather slippers are sought after items. I have been visiting here since 1968.
Morocco is one of the few Islamic countries that has so far been free of terrorist attacks. However, traffic is down from last year, as are prices, thanks to the ISIS invasion of Iraq. French is widely spoken, so be sure to have the app installed on your iPhone.
If you have extra time, be sure to visit the spectacularly ornate Koutoubia Mosque. Women are required to wear a scarf, and men trousers.
It is not advisable for women to travel alone in North Africa.
Marrakesh can be reached via Royal Air Maroc with a transfer in Casablanca (click here for their site at?http://www.royalairmaroc.com/us-en), which will happily bill your credit card in Euros. Alternatively, you can take a sleeping compartment on the overnight Marrakesh Express from Tangier (yes, it really exists!).
I look forward to meeting you, and thank you for supporting my research.
To purchase tickets for the luncheon, please?click here.
Global Market Comments
July 1, 2015
Fiat Lux
Featured Trade:
(LAST CHANCE TO ATTEND THE JULY 2 LISBON, PORTUGAL GLOBAL STRATEGY LUNCHEON)
(THE BEST FINANCIAL BOOK EVER),
(A DAY WITH TOM FRIEDMAN OF THE NEW YORK TIMES)
Come join me for lunch for the Mad Hedge Fund Trader?s Global Strategy luncheon, which I will be conducting in Lisbon, Portugal on Thursday, July 2, 2015. A three course lunch will be provided.
I?ll be giving you my up to date view on stocks, bonds, currencies commodities, precious metals, and real estate. And to keep you in suspense, I?ll be throwing a few surprises out there too. Enough charts, tables, graphs, and statistics will be thrown at you to keep your ears ringing for a week. Tickets are available for $257.
I?ll be arriving at 11:30 A.M. and leaving late in case anyone wants to have a one on one discussion, or just sit around and chew the fat about the financial markets.
The lunch will be held at an exclusive restaurant in the elegant Chiado district of the city that will be emailed with your purchase confirmation.
Take an extra day, and you can explore the hillside capitol?s intriguing neighborhoods.
Stroll the picturesque plazas of the riverfront Baixa area. Get lost in the medina like lanes of Alfama that date back to the 13th century Islamic period. Hit the swanky designer shops of Chiado. Belem still has traces of its 15th century colonial origins.
You can also get a decent workout climbing to the mountaintop Castelo de Sao Jorge and investigate its medieval fortifications. Then end you day with a world class bottle of port or rose.
The lunch will be held at a private club on St. James?s Square, the details of which will be emailed to you with your purchase confirmation.
I look forward to meeting you, and thank you for supporting my research.
To purchase tickets for the luncheons, please click here.
Global Market Comments
June 30, 2015
Fiat Lux
Featured Trade:
(JULY 1 GLOBAL STRATEGY WEBINAR),
(AUGUST 3 ZURICH, SWITZERLAND GLOBAL STRATEGY LUNCHEON)
(THE NEW COLD WAR)
(WHY I LOVE/HATE THE OIL COMPANIES), (XOM), (USO)
Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM)
United States Oil Fund LP (USO)
Global Market Comments
June 29, 2015
Fiat Lux
Featured Trade:
(JULY 31 ZERMATT, SWITZERLAND GLOBAL STRATEGY SEMINAR)
(THE CHINA VIEW FROM 30,000 FEET),
(FXI), (DBC), (DYY), (DBA), (PHO).
(TRIBUTE TO A GIANT OF JOURNALISM, ROY ESSOYAN)
(TESTIMONIAL)
Global Market Comments
June 26, 2015
Fiat Lux
Featured Trade:
(JULY 1 GLOBAL STRATEGY WEBINAR),
(JULY 22 MILAN, ITALY GLOBAL STRATEGY LUNCHEON)
(NOTICE TO MILITARY SUBSCRIBERS),
(CHINA?S COMING DEMOGRAPHIC NIGHTMARE)
Global Market Comments
June 25, 2015
Fiat Lux
Featured Trade:
(LAST CHANCE TO ATTEND THE JUNE 29 LONDON STRATEGY LUNCHEON)
(AMERICA?S NATIVE INDIAN ECONOMY)