Buy list for end of Feb.

Our buy list is up 1.36% for the month of February.
Overall it is up 6.75%
The S and P 500 is up 8.59%

Rattlesnakes are everywhere...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/02/29/bloomberg_articlesM04YAL3PWT1C01-M0528.DTL

This is an article on Dan Zwirn and the collapse of his hedge fund.

When I go hiking with my children I tell them,  "Watch out for rattlesnakes, they are everywhere...."

Is Apple worth more than all the apples in the world?

This is a article of all the things that Apple (APPL) is worth more than.
http://thingsappleisworthmorethan.tumblr.com/

As far as I can remember, I have never once spent a dime on an Apple product and I do not think I have ever owned shares in APPL either so none of this is my fault.

At $500 billion, Apple is worth more than Poland

This headline is either showing how big Apple is or poking fun at Poland.  I thought poking fun at Poland died in the 80's when people instead poked fun a small company ran by two hippies who sold computers out of a garage in the Bay Area.

http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/29/technology/apple_market_cap/

Dropped with Kustom Paint and Spinning Rims

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/28/boeing-idUSL2E8DSAE820120228

Boeing announced that it's first delivery of the revised 747 is to an anonymous VIP buyer.

Boeing Business Jets president Steve Taylor, who was set to fly the airplane from Paine Field near Seattle, said it will spend about six months at Boeing's Wichita facility - the plant that modified Air Force One - for basic modifications.

From there it goes to a facility in Hamburg where it will spend two years receiving customer-specific outfitting like bedrooms, dining rooms and galleys, he said.

Taylor said the unnamed customer wants the new Intercontinental to be the "jewel of the sky."

"... for the aircraft, which lists at $332.9 million."

What is 1% of 1% of 1%.....?

How big is data mining.....

Stores will know you better than you know yourself.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/

“Then we started mixing in all these ads for things we knew pregnant women would never buy, so the baby ads looked random. We’d put an ad for a lawn mower next to diapers. We’d put a coupon for wineglasses next to infant clothes. That way, it looked like all the products were chosen by chance.

“And we found out that as long as a pregnant woman thinks she hasn’t been spied on, she’ll use the coupons. She just assumes that everyone else on her block got the same mailer for diapers and cribs. As long as we don’t spook her, it works.”

It would be my guess that stores will have sensors on boxes to identity who touched them to figure out what people wish to purchase but decide against. Target the dreams of the consumer and you will sell the Universe.
or maybe extra absorbent diapers.

Feb Option update

See the Feb option update sheet.
10 of our stocks were called because the price on 2/18 was higher than the strike price.
This reflects a lost opportunity of $139,100.03.
I made a mistake with KO.  I placed the strike price below the purchase price. This results in a net loss on the trade.
We now have $5,000,000 to reinvest into the market. I will keep $465,000 as cash profit.(sale profit + option profit.) We will look to reenter our positions if the market corrects and we get a good position into our original purchases.
I will also sell March Calls on the remaining 10 stocks.
Overall, with the exception of KO, I am happy with the results.  KO by the way just announced it's 50th year of dividend increases.

As a side note.  Option contracts are 100 shares.  Each of the stocks I traded would have had residual shares to sell at full price or keep.  I chose to show these as a sale at strike for simplicity.

Buy List up date

Our Buy list is up
8.01%

S and P is up 8.24%

Olympus Scandal........Very interesting story

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/the-story-behind-the-olympus-scandal-02162012.html

Made for TV movie
The CEO of a major international corporation discovers that his company is funneling
$1 billion + out of the company and gets fired by the board of directors.....
He seeks to discover the truth and may pay......with his life..........

If I were Michael Woodford, I would be very worried too.

When to sell?

http://randomroger.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-and-when-to-sell.html

This is a very good blog on when to sell an equity position. There is no easy answer to this.
I have been thinking about LUK lately.  It is up to $29.46. 
On the covered call portfolio, I covered it at $25.00 so we have lost a lot of upside.

Buy List Weekly update

Our buy list is up 8.12%
The S and P 500 is up 6.94%

What you need to know....

about Facebook IPO....
This is a real article about what you need to know about the Facebook IPO....
1) What Exactly Is An IPO?
2) Why Do Companies "Go Public" --Issue IPOs?
3) How Do You Buy Into An IPO?
4) Are IPOs Off-Limits To Small Investors?
5) Are "Hot" IPOs An Easy Way To Make Money?


Fortunately, Brandon in the "comment" section saves the day...
"If you are just learning what an IPO is from this article, you should definitely NOT buy FB or any other stock and should instead at least spend a few months studying the industry before you buy. Its not a game."


Thanks Brandon, but I think you are wrong.  Facebook IPO is the perfect investment vehicle for anybody who is now just learning about IPO.
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/want-buy-facebook-know-ipos-185543383.html;_ylt=Ai2v_Oellm.Tl_yX5q4OhBCiuYdG;_ylu=X3oDMTQ0YmlkZDViBG1pdANGaW5hbmNlIEZQIFRvcCBTdG9yeSBSaWdodARwa2cDZTU4ZDgxMmQtOTkyZS0zNzE1LWJkMzAtMTg4NmRhYjdmY2ZjBHBvcwMyBHNlYwN0b3Bfc3RvcnkEdmVyA2JkMjAyZTAwLTRkMGEtMTFlMS1iZmZhLWRkZWVhNzUxMWNmMQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTFvdnRqYzJoBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3