I have always liked the underdog. I usually take to defending the one who has the lesser chance of doing well. Occasionally, though, an underdog jumps into a contest against such a superior force that defending is not an option. When this happens in the arena of the really big tech dogs, it truly becomes Darwinian. No, I am not talking about the survival of the fittest; rather I refer to the Darwinian principle pertaining to the slow elimination of a species because it cannot find its niche.
- Facebook Home, the new application that takes over the front screen of a smartphone, is a bit of a corporate home invasion. Facebook is essentially moving into Google’s turf, taking advantage of software the search giant and competitor created.
Yup, FB has thrown out the challenge, dissed Google in its own crib, steeped onto the field and said, “Let’s play.” The problem with this is that FB is out of its league. It is out classed, out matched, and out gunned. In short, in its quest to find some way to be financially viable, it has decided to pretend it is relevant in the big-dog world of technology.
As you might guess, I am not a market fan of FB. I still don’t understand how its stock trades anywhere near its current price. Then again, when Amazon came out back in the day, it traded on no earnings for many years. So maybe I have FB all wrong. Maybe it will come up with something innovative, something that will justify its market existence, something that will make money, and lots of it. For now, though, I see it taking a dangerous risk. I see it teasing the big bully on the street.
Normally, I would root for the little guy taking on the big bully, but in this, case, I just can’t find the motivation. I understand that FB needs to do this. It needs to find out if it can find a viable niche in the world of high technology. The question is: if it can’t make it here, can it make it anywhere?
I am not finding motivation in the market today either. I am in one of my funks about the market. I know where it is headed long term, but this constant back and forth has worn me down. I can’t seem to find a play that works. All I want to do on this gloomy and rainy day is take a nap. I have no energy to do what I do every day – try to understand the market.
Let’s face it. Some days are like this for everybody. We want to accomplish something, but we just cannot get motivated. We feel as if the day itself is simply larger than we are, that we have bitten off more than we can chew, that we are in over our heads, overmatched.
Now that I think about it, I bet this is how FB must feel. Well, maybe not, as they most assuredly understood the game when they entered it. No doubt they have confidence. Nevertheless, if they don’t feel overmatched, they should.
Trade in the day; Invest in your life …
