|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading – August 12th, 2017
Somehow, it's hard to take North Korea's threats too seriously … and don't worry … we still have Dennis Rodman.
Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.
- 5 Books You've Never Heard of that Will Change Your Life. (TheLadders)
- Your Kitchen Sponge Could Have More Bacteria Than a Toilet Seat. (Popular Science)
- Putin Went on Vacation and Released a New Set of Shirtless Pictures. (Slate)
- The Bomb Ended World War 2: and Other Myths about Nuclear Weapons. (WaveFunction)
- American Airlines Admirals Club Installs Two-Way Mirror for Members to Enjoy Misery of Passengers in Gate Waiting Area. (TheOnion)
- Hedge Funds Investing in Cryptocurrencies Exploding — 62 in Pipeline. (BCNews)
- The Long, Unwinding Road of Quantitative Easing. (ZeroHedge)
- Next Generation Investors: How Millennials Will Influence Finance. (CFAInstitute)
- Asian Couple Buys Affluent San Francisco Street Once Restricted to Whites Only. (Huffington Post)
- Markets Have Been Coiling and There's One Big Thing that Could Unleash Volatility. (GUNDLACH)
-
Who Can You Trust? Ranking Your News Sources
Fake news this … phony sources that …
It is harder than ever to know what to trust.
"Noise Reduction" is important in this volatile geo-political climate.
The chart, below, lists the least and most trusted news sources.
via RJIAs someone who reads a lot, this was interesting.
As a side note, I was a little surprised to see the "Internet" on the list as source itself. Darwin would be somewhat comforted to see that people don't trust everything they see on the internet.
The following chart is a bit outdated (it's from 2014), but it's a good study with diverse leanings. It presents the trust levels of various news sources by ideological group.
via JournalismWhich of your news sources do you follow? Were they as trusted as you expected?
Another question worth asking yourself is "Am I getting an idea of what the other side is thinking?" In trading, I always want to understand what the other side sees.
Finally, let me know if there are resources you think I should look at.
You are either growing or dying.
-
Tick … Tock … The Doomsday Clock Is Ticking
With North Korea flexing their nuclear muscles and threatening to strike Guam, and Donald Trump threatening to unleash "Fire and Fury" in retaliation, alarm towards the possibility of military conflict becomes more prevalent.
Could there be a second Cold War? Or, is there really a chance someone pushes the button?
Regardless, it's just another green tick mark on the doomsday clock according to the "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists" who post a yearly update to our doomsday clock (and have for 70 years).
The Doomsday Clock is a globally-recognized model of our planet's health and safety – but who knew it was an actual thing based off of a range of factors?
Now – they want you to donate, and so there's a level of fearmongering, but they do provide some solid data on nuclear stockpiles, global temperature differences and more.
via The Bulletin of the Atomic ScientistsYou can see their full article on this year's prediction here.
And if you're actually worried about North Korea – even if they now have the ability to hit the U.S., I think we need to be asking if they have a real desire to do so?
North Korea thrives off of the status quo – keeping people placated with propaganda and love for their glorious leader.
Despite how it may seem sometimes – It's unlikely Kim Jong Un is trying to start a war with America. It just isn't smart.
But, we know that emotion is not often based on logic.
Which brings us to the Markets. For the first time ever, the S&P 500 Index has moved less than 0.3% for 13 consecutive days.
Meaning, despite all the fervor in the media, and fear/elation surrounding the presidency, not much is happening.
Traders are essentially paralyzed with indecision … a Cold War of sorts – or the calm before the storm?
-
Normalizing and Measuring Behavior – or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Pain
When your doctor tells you that you are fat, it is easy to discount (because you pay them to tell you that). When your massage therapist tells you that you are getting fat, you've got to listen (because they're trying to be nice to get a better tip).
Well, for the past two months, I've been getting back into fitness.
I used to be a competitive athlete. So, exercise was about gaining an edge and competing better. In a sense, that is still true (just on a different field). Now, I work out to stay healthy, fit, and vital while managing the challenges of running a company, navigating an overbooked calendar, and traveling every week (I flew about 140,000 miles last year – and have flown about 5 million miles on American).
In my last post on mindset and action, I talked about the habit of conditioning yourself to take the next best step.
This is about focusing on the right things so you can best measure progress.
Normalizing your habits and picking the right metrics isn't just a habit for the gym. It's a habit you should pick up in life. If you don't set the right measuring stick you'll always be unhappy or underperform.
Plan forward – but measure backward … you have to make sure you're not so focused on the horizon that you don't track what you've accomplished.
Normalizing the result makes this easier and better.
In running, for example, it is the time it takes me to finish one mile, while never going above 170 heart beats per minute.
Meanwhile, in trading, we do this by comparing different opportunities based on a constant risk level (for example, the expected return for the next day of $1M, assuming a 1% maximum drawdown). It doesn't matter what market we trade, or how many trades the system makes … we can make a fair comparison and get better insights about performance.
Hope that helps.
-
Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading – August 4th, 2017
A poorly thought-out plan, executed perfectly, is better than a perfectly designed plan that never gets executed.
Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.
- NFL in Talks with Jerry Jones, Yankees to Combine Event, Hospitality Business. (BR)
- How to Boost Your Mental Health with Nootropics. (PickTheBrain)
- Study Says It's the Cuddling, More Than the Sex, that Makes You Happy. (Flipboard)
- Fukushima Disaster Evacuees Told to Return to Abandoned Homes. (TheGuardian)
- Someone Asked Their Amazon Echo If It Was Connected to the CIA. the Response Was Not Reassuring. (SomeEcards)
- The Secret Economic Lives of Animals. (Bloomberg)
- Bill Gates Invests in Veggie Burger that Bleeds' like Beef to Feed the Masses and Save the Planet. (GeekWire)
- Alan Greenspan: the Bubble is in Bonds, Not Stocks. (Apple)
- Why the Post Office Gives Amazon Special Delivery. (Wall Street Journal)
- U.S. Farmers, Who Once Fed the World, are Overtaken by New Powers. (Wall Street Journal)
-
Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading – July 28th, 2017
Talent is great, but you can have a lot of success without it …
Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.
- What is an Impact Filter? (StrategicCoach)
- Morning Routines and Strategies. (Tim)
- Why Some Smart People Make Foolish Decisions. (Digest)
- How Wellness' Became an Epidemic. (TheCut)
- Trump Reportedly Asked Legal Team about His Power to Pardon Aides, Family, Even Himself. (Slate)
- Apple is Once Again the Most Profitable Company'. (iPhoneHacks)
- The Trump Administration Can't Stop China from Becoming an AI Superpower. (Wired)
- AI Could Revolutionize War as Much as Nukes. (Wired)
- Era of Biological Annihilation' is Underway, Scientists Warn. (New York Times)
- Gold and Silver are down 8% and 21% over the Trailing Year. Blame Bitcoin? (Fool)
-
The Experience Economy: Man Vs. Food Edition
I recently drove several hours (to the middle of nowhere) in order to try the Burger you see below. And, yes, I know you don't have to capitalize the word "burger" … But, in this case, it deserved it! Take a look.
If you are curious, the restaurant is Big Jud's in Rexburg, Idaho. And the monstrosity is Big Jud. No, sorry, it is their "Man Versus Food Burger" (which was featured on the TV show Man V. Food).
It's got 4 pounds of meat and all the accouterments … It's the type of burger that makes you say "Holy Cow!" Even the knife they give you to eat it with is scary.
Obviously, it is not the type of burger you eat because you're hungry … you eat it because you want the experience.
The idea of an Experience Economy isn't new.
Rich people know it makes sense to spend money on experiences.
And smart businesses know that it makes sense to avoid competing on a commodity, and to create something unique. For example, think about Cowboys Stadium (Click to read about the Experience).
Even millennials are spending more on experiences than on physical products.
Something to think about … How would your business be different if you prioritized the experience?
Just another way to win.
