I am talking about the rules that China does and doesn’t play by. China has developed an alternative to Western style democratic capitalism. Call it authoritarian capitalism if you will. China does not feel that it has to adapt and accept the standards from the West. It is developing its own viable, and it thinks, […]
Eric Hanson
What Should We Be Doing Now?…
There is a general level of unease in the stock market today. Investors are not panicking but everyone is wondering, how long can this stock market rally continue? As the chart at the bottom shows, this current Bull Market is the longest in history. A big shoe has got to be about to fall or […]
Is The U.S. Overdue For a Recession?…
I will do my best economist impersonation here and answer – yes and no. The yes part has to do with age. This recovery is nearly ten years old and if we keep going past July, as we almost certainly will, it will be the longest recovery in history. But age alone does not kill […]
The All China Edition…
I spent the month of March in China, travelling from the deep south to the mid section of Shanghai/Hangzhou/Zhoushan. My economic thoughts are detailed on pages 2 and 3, my reflections on culture and life on page 4. And here is my ‘Lonely Planet Guide’ to the not-miss sights. 1. Wherever you go use the […]
“China is a Great Country But the People Are Poor…America is a Very Disorganized Country But the People Are Rich”…
This line from a cab driver in Hangzhou, China. The implication is that China is organized and safe and even though the people are still poor, the country is on the march. America on the other hand is wealthy but unorganized and it will suffer because it cannot move as quickly or as efficiently as […]
Piecing it Together, Understanding the New China …
A month in China gave me plenty of time to see the sights but also time to see some of the unique and yes, quirky aspects of Chinese culture. Here are a few. 1. A great place to go both early morning and at dusk is a public square or park. Older Chinese congregate in […]
The Passing of the Torch…
I will admit to being a Baby Boomer. It has been a good run. We have always thought of ourselves as very important. Our music is, of course, the best, and our opinions have mattered the most. So it comes as a shock to realize the baton is passing. Millennials now outnumber Baby Boomers. It […]
“Every Picture Tells a Story”… (Rod Stewart & Ron Wood, 1971)
Albert Einstein once said “everything should be as simple as it can be, but not simpler.” Pictures often tell a very simple and very clear story. We are worried today about the stock market. The economy has been up for almost a decade and the market has marched right along in line. Shouldn’t we be […]
Are My Glasses Too Rose Colored?…
It’s January and time for the traditional start-of-the-year predictions. Well, not this time. We have learned painfully over the years how confusing this world is and how predictions are often more about hope than reality. So this time we are going to look backwards and, surprisingly, learn some really important things. Nicholas Kristof in his […]
An Old School Financial Analyst Rant…
A company can basically do three things with its net after tax income. It can pay dividends. It can reinvest back in the business through plant and equipment spending, research and development expenditures, and the acquisition of other companies. Lastly, it can buy back its shares. Pretty simple. Spoiler alert, we are not big fans […]
Our Chocolate Recipe Pivots to the East…
Hooray – our annual Chocolate Dessert for this Holiday Season. And just to impress you with our effort, listen to this vetting process. Jordan Lafayette here at the office supervised a rigorous Test Kitchen to get to our final result. From early November two employees a week prepared a chocolate recipe. In early December we […]
Competition and Innovation in the Middle Kingdom…
Twenty years ago China was already an export juggernaut but it was difficult to see it becoming a consumer powerhouse. It did not have credit cards, banks were backward in their technology, there was no credit rating system, and above all there was no delivery system for internet shopping – no UPS or FedEx. Well […]
