More of the same this morning with the market – I need more coffee, which I see is not forthcoming. Where the heck is that butler, anyway? Vacation? Who said he could go on vacation?
Just so you know, without my coffee, I am cranky, so here is my blast to reflect my crankiness.
Summer Retail Is a Bust But Watch Out for a Strong Fall
Really? Is that headline serious? Economists (oh boy) projected retail sales in July would rise .3% and they only rose .2%. Whatevvver …
Evolution is real, at least in the world of capitalism. Oh sure, I suspect there are doubters, but let me just say to those folks – if there were an overarching decider of who survives and who does not in the world of business, he/she surely would have allowed Blackberry to survive. True, the innovator and one-time wonder is still alive, fighting for its life, but it appears the end is fast approaching.
- BlackBerry, which pioneered mobile email with its first smartphones and email pagers, said on Monday it had set up a committee to review its options, sparking a debate over whether Canada’s one-time crown jewel is more valuable as a whole or snapped up piece by piece by competitors or private investors.
Wow! The above description is like something from a Nature show. “Snapped up piece by piece by competitors” is phrasing that makes me shudder. After all, Blackberry is iconic in the world of phones, and to see it torn apart and consumed, well, it’s ghastly …
Imagine, if you can, a smart phone without email. So sad …
The good news is that even though Blackberry was once good at filling a niche, there are those today who fill it so much better that they will survive, at least they will of they continue to serve the consumer market well. Hey! I just had an epiphany. There is a grand decider of who makes it and who does not in the marketplace – the consumer. Hallelujah! Praise the consumer. I am now a believer …
The market is trying to find solid ground in the green today, but it is likely enough bulls are on vacation that green today is not in the cards. Okay, fine! Let’s go to Europe for a bit o’ good news.
- The German ZEW survey of investor confidence has climbed to 42 in August from 36.3 in July and topped consensus of 40. The current situation print leapt to 18.3 from 10.6 and slayed forecasts of 12.
- Telekom Austria and Dutch group KPN, the European rivals in which Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim has invested, have joined forces to offer internet-based data services to wholesale and large business customers, they said on Tuesday. The two companies are combining their infrastructure to create a “backbone” optic fiber network across 35 countries whereby Telekom Austria can use KPN’s network for its customers in Western Europe and KPN can use Telekom Austria’s network in central and Eastern Europe.
Somebody must be thinking Europe will find its way back from the economic hinterlands. Germany’s business climate is improving and the innovators are at work. Those same entrepreneurial, risk-taking types are heading in the right direction, especially when they are moving into Eastern Europe. The market there has been building since 1989 and if you look at it today, one should not be surprised that it is a budding middle-class market, one that needs state-of-the-art telecommunications. Oh, and speaking of entrepreneurial, risk-taking types, how about a rather grandiose idea form a fellow who has had some luck with grandiose ideas.
- Elon Musk has published details of the Hyperloop, a transportation system that Musk asserts could send passengers from San Francisco to LA in 30 minutes via aluminum pods enclosed inside steel tubes. Musk says the pods will be able to travel at 800 mph. A people-only LA-S.F. Hyperloop route could apparently be built for $6B and one that supports cars for $10B. That’s well below the $70B quoted for California’s high-speed train. He is best known for founding SpaceX and for co-founding Tesla Motors and PayPal.
Great idea, but I wonder how folks would feel traveling at 800 miles per hour? Is one subject to g-forces going along the horizontal of the earth’s plane? Okay, back to Earth, Ed …
Oh, by the way, the butler might be on vacation, but the fill-in help just brought me a bell to summon them when I need something. Let’s see if it works.
Ding. Ding … Ding. Ding … Hey! Anyone there? Can I get some coffee, please? Oh, come on! … This is going to be a tough day … Please? Anyone, just one cup?
P.S. It appears some bulls just flew in from a relaxing beach somewhere.
Trade in the day; Invest in your life …
