Category Archives: Quick Blurbs

[EFX] Equifax

[EFX – Equifax] Investment Implications of Breach Fiasco
September 18, 2017

When an apparently moaty company eagerly renders itself the object of public opprobrium, my greed[...]

Podcast Blurbs

Podcast Blurbs [Chinese internet, Consciousness, Passive investing]
September 18, 2017

Planet Money, Ep. #647 (Hard Work Is Irrelevant) “To get a job [at Netflix] and[...]

[CB] Chubb Ltd.

[CB – Chubb Ltd] A Port in the Storm
September 13, 2017

[Re: Harvey/Irma disaster relief efforts, here are three charities that have been given top marks[...]

[SNA] Snap-On Podcast Blurbs

Podcast Blurbs [Snap-On short, Amazon black hole, Illusory self, LP incentives]
September 13, 2017

Invest Like the Best, Ep. 53 (Meb Faber – Factors, Dividends, and Angel Investing) Meb[...]

[FAST] Fastenal Quick Blurbs

[FAST – Fastenal] Notes from CFO Convo; [ASHG – Ash Grove] Constructive Cement Pricing, Stock Is Cheap
September 8, 2017

[FAST – Fastenal] Fastenal’s dense branch network affords scale advantages in distribution and service relative to[...]

[FAST] Fastenal, Quick Blurbs

[FAST – Fastenal] Notes from CFO Convo; [ASHG – Ash Grove] Constructive Cement Pricing, Stock Is Cheap

Posted on by scuttleblurb
[FAST – Fastenal] Fastenal’s dense branch network affords scale advantages in distribution and service relative to Grainger, which has 2.5x Fastenal’s sales but only ~1/10 its branches and ~1/7 its field employees.  Local market density is especially important because fasteners, which comprise nearly 40% of the company’s sales and a greater proportion of gross profits, is […]
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[PYPL] Paypal, Quick Blurbs

Quick Blurbs [MSCI, Paypal, S&P Global]

Posted on by scuttleblurb
[SPGI – S&P Global, MSCI – MSCI Inc.] New indices are created every day as passive strategies flourish and investors invent ways to track exposures across asset classes, geographies, sectors, and market caps.  They are stamped with the imprimatur of a well-known provider, validated with fresh pools of capital, and before long, become indispensable benchmarks or […]
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[SAP] SAP SE, [TRIP] Tripadvisor, Quick Blurbs

Quick Blurbs [SAP, Tripadvisor]

Posted on by scuttleblurb
[TRIP – Tripadvisor] This stock had a few crazy trading days last week, opening down 8% before closing up 2.5% on the first full trading day post-earning and then rallying again days later, apparently sparked by rustlings of a take-out [TRIP’s chairman Greg Maffei stoked such hopes a few months ago].  At least one investor already […]
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[EQC] Equity Commonwealth, [OAK] Oaktree, [PPG] PPG Industries, [UAL] United Continental, Quick Blurbs

Quick Blurbs [Equity Commonwealth, Oaktree, PPG Industries, United Continental]

Posted on by scuttleblurb
[EQC – Equity Commonwealth] A few weeks ago I read Am I Being Too Subtle, authored by real estate maven Sam Zell and infused with the unquavering bluster I’ve come to expect in these business autobiographies.  I thought it was great.  I think he’s great.  Inspired by the book, I briefly revisited EQC, a US office […]
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[AHT] Ashtead, [FAST] Fastenal, [URI] United Rentals, Quick Blurbs

Quick Blurbs [Ashtead, Fastenal, MSC Industrial, United Rentals, Zion Oil & Gas]

Posted on by scuttleblurb
[ZN – Zion Oil and Gas] Heard about this stock on a podcast; I doubt you can find borrow.  What is it?  Oh, just your run-of-the-mill $240mn+ market cap Nasdaq-listed oil and gas concern whose drilling activity is guided, nay, “inspired” by the Old Testament.  Here’s an excerpt from the company’s 2016 10K: Zion’s vision, […]
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[CF] CF Industries, [SIG] Signet Jewelers, [UHAL] AMERCO, Quick Blurbs

Quick Blurbs [CF Industries, Signet Jewelers, Amerco]

Posted on by scuttleblurb
(2,536 words) [SIG – Signet Jewelers] I have zero interest in this stock, but sometimes it’s fun to reminisce on missed calls.  About a year ago, a friend who manages a long/short fund was considering shorting SIG and asked for my opinion.  I said I thought it was a bad idea.  At the time, the […]
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[AMZN] Amazon, [OAK] Oaktree, Quick Blurbs

Quick Blurbs [American Airlines, Amazon, Alphabet, Oaktree, Public Storage]

Posted on by scuttleblurb
(2,596 words) [AMZN – Amazon] Per this PYMNTs article, Amazon Pay, which represents yet another instance of Amazon broadening and then tightening its grip on the e-commerce ecosystem, seems to be gaining rapid adoption.  Amazon Pay – like PayPal, Masterpass, and Visa Checkout – is a button placed on an e-retailer’s checkout page that enables quick […]
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[ADS] Alliance Data, [IBKR] Interactive Brokers, [KMX] CarMax, Quick Blurbs

Quick Blurbs [Alliance Data, American Express, Bank of America, Interactive Brokers, CarMax, Supervalu]

Posted on by scuttleblurb
(4,146 words) [IBKR – Interactive Brokers] Partly due to an exceptionally low volatility trading environment, which has made it difficult to earn profits and which Petterfy says may continue “indefinitely,” the company is winding down its options market making operations. While the company will use the excess capital from market making to further support its brokerage […]
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