swissie

The magic of OPM (other peoples money). A good part of the world economy is based on it. More specific: One can buy 10 tonnes of Copper with a downpayment of 10%. Subject to a "margin-call" or forced liquidation if the price drops 10%. Not so in real-estate. If one keeps up with morgage payments, the Bank will not issue a "margin-call". = Market "downturns" can be outlasted as opposed to ones Copper position. As an example. Therefore, no other segment of the investement universe has offered more secure ways to profit from "other peoples money" than the real-estate sector. And: Globally, real estate has become more pricy, no matter where you look. Even in Eastern Timbuktu. Thailand/Tropics: The climate does much harm to buildings. Due to construction standarts, buildings in Thailand age faster than European women. Something to be considered. In the olden days our Grandfathers told us "Go West to make your fortune". They should have said: "Buy some real-estate somewhere and hold on to it" instead. Preferrably in Monaco, when it was a fishing village. Or Pattaya when it was a fishing village.

WINE, WOMAN AND SONG as an alternative. Looking back at my career as an investor. Since 1970. With 10% of my money I traded, the rest I invested Warren Buffet style. The latter turned out OK., Now at 72, "long-term" investing becomes questionable, as I don't have too much "long-term" left for myself. The last time I found true "opportunities" was after the crash of 2007/08. Today "everything" is high, flirting with the upper end of the expectational envelope. I have no children, my inheritance will go to some friends, old geezers like myself. Therefore, the temptation to invest in WINE, WOMEN AND SONG as an alternative becomes stronger by the day. ---------------------------------------------------- PS: The term "expectational envelope" I have created. In the future, economists will use the term "swissies expectatorial envelope" frequently in TV shows. Needless to say, I secured copyrights already.

Most definitely. Go around ringing doorbells. Half of the names are Spanish. Go around and listen to people. Half of them do not *roll* the R anymore like the original "immigrants" from Europe did The "spanish R" sounds like a machine gun in operation. Even in the second generation. Do you think that all those immigrants, that can't roll the "R" properly, will be willing to play "the second fiddle" in the US for the next 5 generations?

I have read the above with interest. Amazingly, few Farang investors will ever get the chance of reading this. The urge to invest something in Thailand would be greatly diminished. (the obstacles for "safe investing" in Thailand for a Farang are too numerous to mention here). For starters: An investemnt in a country where the currency is not "freely convertible" represents a fundamental weakness of an Economy.

Few really wealthy Farangs settle in Thailand permanently. Mostly elderly Farangs that have realised that the cost of living in Thailand is lower than in their home country. The British would call it "lower class citizens". Of course they bring along their upbringing, their mode of communication and the way one behaves in public. To Thais, this is often perceived as "rough and uncivilised behavor". Accepted 20 years ago as the Farangs wallet was the only deciding factor. But not anymore. The general "discruntlement" of Farangs may find it's roots in the fact that "Female Companionship" costs 200% more than 20 years ago. In the meantime, nobody believes that the Thai Temples are the reason to settle in Thailand. PS: By citing "lower-class" is not limited to the UK, as every country has it's "lower-classes".

Next time around: Any presidential candidate in the futue will have to nominate a vice president with hispanic roots. As a pre-requisite for success.

The Democrats wanted an additional 5% of "the black vote".

Ahhh, the "swing states" and the "voting district hokus pokus" etc etc. I have tried to explain the "voting mechanism" in the US to Europeans. Nobody understands it. Still based on "Electorates" arriving by pony-express in Washington D.C.

I used to live in the US for almost 20 years. Current polls show, that it will be a close race, meaning that about 50% of voters will vote for Trump (otherwise it could not be called "a close race").

I venture to say that I know more about them than the average American voter. No, I don't like Trump at all. The problem is that close to 50% of American voters like Trump. The rest of the world wonders "How is this possible". Americans must be totally "fed-up" by the political/financial elte that has governed them since WW2. Wanting to extort the Devil by the Beelzebub.

Yep. None of them have what it takes.

Finally: The Democrats have failed to "build-up" a charismatic (populistic) antidote to Trump. Not enough time left to rectify this. The Democrats have been committing political suizide for years.

"The Bull is well supported by earnings" I hear. Major players are down to 4% cash. Where does the "fuel" come from to keep the party going? Mostly overlooked: The Chinese "Locomotive" is having serious problems, with global ramifications

Just received an alarming phone call from my clairvoyant Romanian gypsie lady this morning: "Institutonal Investors are only sitting on 4% of cash". They are fully invested, where does the fuel come from to support the party"? Got me thingking, as all industrial commodities have failed to rally after a significant decline before. The worst "bull trap" in years. Those commodities hovering slightly above major support lines, if broken on the downside, stock markets will not remain "unaffected".

I never said that buying a condo or a bar today is a good investment. Unless the Thai Government realises that an increasing number of wealthy Chinese Nationals are in desperate need to "shelter their money". Adjusting legislation accordingly, opening certain "floodgates". In such a case there might evolve a drastic undersupply of condos in Pattaya.