This movie requires Flash Player 9

Archive

Archive for April, 2009

Take A Look At Quantitative Trends And Be A Pessimist; Look at Qualitative Trends And Be An Optimist

April 9th, 2009

Wall Street has some great sayings, notable not simply because they are memorable but because they make major points in just a few words. Read more…

The Economy, Political & Cultural Environment

How Do You Run A Revolution In The Age Of The Internet? Ask The People Of Moldova. NO. Twitter Them.

April 8th, 2009

Readers of my blog know that I believe that the protests that are arising around the world with increasing frequency, more participants and wider support from the population as a whole, could explode into something more than protests.  I’ve suggested that maybe it makes more sense to ask how this crisis compares to the period preceding the French Revolution rather than how it compares to the Depression.  That gives rise to the question:  How would you launch a revolution in the age of the Internet? Read more…

Doug's Thoughts On New Media, The Economy, Political & Cultural Environment

Don’t Bet On A Recovery From This Economic Crisis

April 8th, 2009

If you are investing, looking for a job, making (or not making) a purchase, and generally behaving with the belief that a recovery from this crisis is somewhere over the horizon, you may have the wrong premise.  Read more…

The Economy, Political & Cultural Environment

GM, Segway, The Puma, And The U.S. Government

April 7th, 2009

News today:  GM (NYSE: GM) is about to show off a new vehicle it has produced in cooperation with Segway Inc., maker of the upright, self-balancing scooters.  It is a new type of two-wheeled vehicle designed to move easily through congested urban streets. Read more…

The Economy, Political & Cultural Environment

The Differentiator For The U.S.: Political Stability

April 7th, 2009

The New York Times reports this morning that President Obama is enjoying strong support from the American public.  There has been an increase in the number of people who think that the nation is moving in the right direction.  In mid-January, Read more…

The Economy, Political & Cultural Environment

Political Stability, Instability And The Market’s Willingness To Disregard The Issue

April 6th, 2009

Three governments around the world have now stepped down as a result of ongoing citizen protests arising from the economic crisis:  Iceland, Latvia, and Czechoslovakia.  Hungary looks like it could be number four, but there are several other candidates. Read more…

The Economy, Political & Cultural Environment

Do Not Be Deceived By Vigor Of First Time Home Buyers

April 6th, 2009

I am reading an increasing number of posts on blogs and on Seeking Alpha as well as articles by mainstream media columnists asserting that vigorous activity of people buying their first home at distressed prices is an indication of the bottoming of the real estate market.  Do not be deceived!  Read more…

The Economy, Political & Cultural Environment

America’s Next Entrepreneurial Boom Is Starting Now- In The Home Office

April 3rd, 2009

If you are in one business long enough, you start to get known within that business.  I’ve been in the communications business for four decades, about 25 years of which have been spent as the sole or a senior principle of my own firm.  So, I often get contacted by people who have some sort of question or interest, proposition, desire to pick my brain, etc.  Right now, Read more…

The Economy, Political & Cultural Environment

Obama, The New American Dream, And The Economy

April 2nd, 2009

I am 63 years old, born in 1945.  In my life, I have lived with two different American Dreams, and I am now seeing see a third emerge.  The change will carry with it very significant consequences. Read more…

The Economy, Political & Cultural Environment

Four Fundamentals Investors Need To Understand About The Communications Revolution

April 1st, 2009

My perspective on most issues is biased from forty years in the communications business, with twenty of those years being focused on investor relations issues, and all but ten years involved in my own entrepreneurial communications firms (the company I co-founded in 2000 has consistently been ranked among the nation’s fastest growing for each of the past several years).  Over the course of this career, I have seen the communications business change in major ways.  But right now, the industry is in the midst of a truly fundamental revolution.  The investment community clearly recognizes that there has been a major change in the business and also accepts that more change is on the horizon.  But is that view robust enough? Read more…

The Economy, Political & Cultural Environment