Brokers, placement agents, middle men, promoters, consultants, financial intermediaries…call them whatever you wish. They have existed in the financial space since man invented a way to exchange one thing of value for another. Some do a fine job, provide a valuable service and deserve every penny they earn. In my experience however, and that of [...]
May 9, 2013 By 1 Comment
Agricultural Streaming
In a bull market one of the most profitable businesses to be in is that of financing. This is largely due to the leverage available, not only financial leverage, but equally important are the leverage of skills and technology. Financial services, banking, insurance, brokerage, investment and merchant banking all fit the bill. These aren’t the [...]
April 2, 2013 By 1 Comment
“Pre-emptive Rights” and “Anti-dilution Provisions” – In Language Anyone Can Understand
After recent discussions with some of our subscribers it occurred to me that many of our readers may find some very common industry terminology daunting and/or confusing. Mark and I recently participated along with our CPAN members in a deal whereby we had the opportunity to take up pre-emptive rights, which is what brought the [...]
February 5, 2013 By 4 Comments
The Efficient Market Hypothesis: Misconceptions and Implications
A few months back I received an email from a reader who called me to task on my comment that the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) was complete bullshit. I was referring to the public markets in general, and the ill-conceived comment was made based on my opinion that the market is rigged, and therefore there [...]
January 10, 2013 By 2 Comments
Tales of a Track Record
Now that we’ve said goodbye to 2012 we thought it appropriate to reflect. Specifically, we want to go back and review the trades and speculations we picked to outperform in 2012 and beyond. Chris and I are speculators first and foremost. We trade, but we make a few longer-term investments from time-to-time as well. I [...]
June 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Kickstarting a Disruptive Technology
Yesterday I introduced you to Michael Joyce, and the concept of 3D printing and why I thought it would change global manufacturing forever. If there was ever a disruptive technology, I believe 3D printing is it! Michael is an inventor. He designed his own 3D printer and funded the development using Kickstarter. The first units [...]
