The Blues on the First Workday After a Long Holiday

We are all familiar with the Monday blues. But there is something much worse than Mondays — It is the first workday after a long holiday. What makes this day specially bad?

  • There’s a lot of work to do – because tasks didn’t just miraculously accomplish themselves during the holidays.
  • Long lines in banks and government offices. It’s permit and licensing season in the Philippines as well, so expect mayhem in queues everywhere.
  • A lot more shoulda woulda coulda from people who just slept through the break and didn’t make any plans
  • For those who actually made plans, a hoilday mood that will take longer to shift to work mood.
  • Specifically for the Papal visit, a lot of people got drenched in the rain during the record breaking mass. They may be ill now. Those who are not ill will have more work to do, since the ill ones will call in sick.
  • Specifically for the Papal visit, a lot of people were on their best behavior while the Pope was here. Your co-worker may suddenly unleash the nasty side that he’s been suppressing all week long.

 

What about the markets? Do they do well after a long break or did they also get the blues? — or since this is finance related — the reds? Continue reading The Blues on the First Workday After a Long Holiday

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Papal Visit Philippines 2015 Special: Investing in the Haiyan – Ravaged City of Tacloban

This is a post, a part of a series, to commemorate the Pope’s visit to the Philippines on January 15-19 2015.

 

The highlight of the Pope’s visit in the Philippines was his trip to Tacloban, otherwise known as ground-zero of the Haiyan devastation. On the day the Pope visited Tacloban, another storm hit the city. Interestingly, the storm was named locally as “Amang”, which translates to Father in English. The storm cut the Pope’s Tacloban visit short, killed a woman volunteer, and caused a plane carrying government officials to skid off the runway.

The Pope in a raincoat, as he waves to a crowd after holding a mass in an airport in Tacloban City, Philippines on January 17, 2015. Image from Damir Sagolj/Reuters

 

The Pope’s visit gives residents of Tacloban hope and inspiration as they continue to rebuild their city.

There’s another thing that Tacloban needs — Investment. As the parable goes (and I am paraphrasing here), the people of Tacloban don’t only need fish, they also need the means to fish. On the 20th of November 2014, another event gave the people in Tacloban hope. It was the opening of a large mutli-level grocery store. Continue reading Papal Visit Philippines 2015 Special: Investing in the Haiyan – Ravaged City of Tacloban

Papal Visit Philippines 2015 Special: Invest in the Pope and Earn Big Returns

This is a post, part of  a series, to commemorate the Pope’s visit to the Philippines on January 15-19, 2015.

 

Since this website is about investments, don’t you know that you can invest in the Pope and earn big returns. When I say returns, I am not talking about those of the spiritual nature (that would be too obvious), but financial ones. Do you know someone who had done it?

I did. Here’s how I earned by investing in the Pope. Continue reading Papal Visit Philippines 2015 Special: Invest in the Pope and Earn Big Returns

Papal Visit Philippines 2015 Special: Catholic Based Investing, Anyone?

This is a post, part of a series, to commemorate the Pope’s visit to the Philippines on January 15-19 2015.

 

Faith based investing, anyone?

Religion and religious leaders can influence their followers which businesses and investments to support, and which investments to avoid. Many often associate religious based investing with Shariah investments for Muslims. There are even Shariah-based stock market indices for Shariah compliant companies.

There are also many Catholics who try to abide by the teachings of the Catholic Church in their investment decisions. This is the reason for the existence of Catholicism compliant investment funds. These funds usually implement negative screens in order to avoid companies that have activities that go against the Church’s teachings. These funds may also choose to invest in companies that promotes or has a long track record of compliance with Catholic teachings. Continue reading Papal Visit Philippines 2015 Special: Catholic Based Investing, Anyone?

Who’s Fracking What?

Wonder why gas prices are low nowadays?

It seems Fracking has a lot to do with this phenomenon.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the process of extracting natural gas from shale rock layers deep within the earth. Read more about Fracking at  http://www.what-is-fracking.com/.

 

This is how they Frack. Image from www.biggerpieforum.org

The Fracking revolution in the United States has been cited as the cause of lower crude oil prices in 2014. See the graphs from the Motley Fool website.

However, in 2015, these low prices may eventually put pressures on Fracking as firms struggle with lower profitability. It seems that Fracking is becoming a victim of its own success.

 

Reality or Myth? – An Investment Banker’s Lifestyle

Do you think an investment banker lives like this?

I found this on Instagram. I assume that an investment banker will be too busy to take pictures of his possessions and post them, but not for this guy who projects an image of one. Honestly, I think he uses too many hashtags.

The Investment Banker’s Lifestyle?

 

If you want to see more of his version of the investment banker’s lifestyle. Check out his Instagram page.

Seeking Alpha

Investors seek “alpha”.

Alpha is the measure of investment performance over a benchmark.

If your portfolio earned 11% and the benchmark (e.g. S&P 500, MSCI world, PSE All-Shares Index) earned 10%, your portfolio has an alpha of +1. If your portfolio return is 9% and the benchmark return is 10%, your portfolio has an alpha of -1.

If your portfolio has a negative alpha, it might have been better (and cheaper) if you just invested in a portfolio that tracks the benchmark.

This is probably why a very popular investment website is named Seeking Alpha.

http://seekingalpha.com/