iVestDirectWeekly

Gains, Losses, Next Up!

2006-10-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

Well below is a brief synopsis of our q3 returns. I'm quite disaapointed with the measly 10% gain. I guess considering huge losses in the range of 50% by premier hedge funds I cant really complain. Any who q4 is looking quite fantastic, I'm literally salivating over some of the present opportunites. I'm estimated 20% for this final quarter to close out the yr. I will update you guys on what I'm buying right now in a month or two and I'm sure you can guess why...

(URBN) Urban Outfitters

acquired 25,000 shares @ $16
sold 25,000 shares @ $18.50

+$62,500 gain

(MRVL) Marvell Technology

*2 for 1 Stock Split

acquired 40,000 @ $42
sold 20,000 @ $20.50

+$20,000 gain

(JCG) J Crew Group

acquired 80,000 shares @ $24
sold 50,000 shares @ $30

+300,000 gain

Total Gains for 3Q $382,000
Percentage Gain 10%

J Records Super Star Rico Love...

2006-06-29T08:02:00.000-07:00

J records up and coming supastar Rico Love decided to pass thru miami to take care of some business with his broker and relax for a day... and they say blacks in the entertainment biz only care about rims, jewelry, clothes and cars...

Even though he's only 23 he definitely understands the importance of investing and has the patience of clients 30 years his senior. makes me feel good when individuals our age manage their wealth appropriately.

Check out the spread on him below.

VIBE MAGAZINE ARTICLE

I'm NOT Done With My Christman Shopping just yet!

2006-06-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to spend too much time on this one because I have more shopping to do. You do know the holiday season is right around the corner right? Isn't it true the early bird gets the worm? lol. Well I'll let everyone else wait till the holiday season, I'm doing my holiday shopping now! By the way I don't mean literally in the store, I mean by buying the stock for our client portfolio... lol

(URBN) Urban Outfitters 25,000 @ $16.20

Mighty Marvel Marvell...

2006-06-28T07:26:00.000-07:00

Man did Marvell get hammered yesterday. I've watched my beloved (MRVL) last year move from $40 to $70, and this year which is only half-way over it has basically given back every inch of last years now @ $42 lol. Being the big game fisherman that I am, couldn't resist this catch when it dipped below $42 today.

Yes I know they paid $600 Milllion for Intel's strugglin biz, blah blah blah... However that piece is putting Marvell in hind site of stealing market share away from Broadcom as early as next year. Soooo, on that note also considering the soon to come new rollout of Apple products, the new PS3 due this holiday season, and a few other positives I just couldn't resist, this baby is waaaay to oversold.

40,000 @ $42.13

I choked on steamin CHIPOTLE, Redemtion in J CREW

2006-06-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

Hey I'm a man to admit my mistakes, yea I was an extreme bear on the initial IPO pricing of CHIPOTLE. I thought it was obsurd and the most ridiculous over priced pricing for any restaurant in the history of pricings for restaurants! However, you learn everyday, and you know what... If it wasn't for that experience I probably would have missed this great opportunity for our clients... What opportunity do I speak of you might ask? One letter One word J. CREW!

Yeah baby, 80,000 shares strong @ $24 (more to follow)

CME is on it's way...

2006-04-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

After an overall positive earnings report today with a pinch of not so good news CME is on it's way to looking attractive on the pullback. I may be a strong buyer $450-$465.

Bye-Bye Google, Hello Apple!

2006-04-21T15:25:00.000-07:00

Well well well, i hate to say it but the time has come... As good as goog has been to our clients it's time to say good-bye! We were 6,000 shares strong in goog @ $350 and as of today @ $450 I hung in the hat. I'm not betting against it by any means, I'm sure goog will continue to do well however I personally I have my eyes on overweighting our client portfolio w/ Apple Computer.

If I have to tell you why then you should be a client! 30,000 shares of Apple strong @ $67.

SOBE Wine & Food Festival

2006-02-27T19:56:00.000-08:00

Sunday I made it out to the South Beach Food & Wine Festival and it was nothing short of spectacular. Tickets started at $125 and were completely sold out months in advance. Luckily for me I happened to have a client, George Sepulveda who actually did 3D animation & layout design work for the festival's website and print materials. You can view his work for the festival by simply logging on to to www.sobewineandfoodfest.com or view his complete portfolio by logging on to www.kurious.tv
(Me left, George Sepulveda of Kurious Animations right)

As far as the festival goes, we had an excellent time. Great chef's from all over and there was an excellent selection of fine wines from all over the world. A few Chefs of note were Tim Creehan of DiRoNa located in Destin, Fl. He whipped up a shrimp jambalaya that was utterly to die for and The Master Chef from the Wynn Resort in Vegas put together a seafood dish that has me planning a trip to vegas as early as next month. I highly suggest purchasing tickets for next year this year! That is if you're lucky enough to get your hands on one...

A Brief History

The South Beach Wine & Food Festival is a national, star-studded, three-day weekend destination event showcasing the talents of the world’s most renowned wine and spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities. Hosted by Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida and Florida International University (FIU), the festival benefits the Teaching Restaurant and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center both located at FIU.

Now in its fifth year, the South Beach Wine & Food Festival began as a one-day festival known as the Florida Extravaganza held at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus. For five years, the Florida Extravaganza showcased wines from national and international wineries paired with food from local restaurants and chefs working with students of FIU’s School of Hospitality Management.

In 2002, Lee Brian Schrager, Director of Special Events and Media Relations of Southern Wine & Spirits of America, reinvented the Florida Extravaganza and produced the first annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Relocating to South Beach, the festival attracted close to 7,000 guests to a series of dinners, seminars and the Grand Tasting and Live Auction in its first year. The following year, the festival grew, attracting close to 10,000 people and garnered extensive national and media coverage. In 2004, with the addition of a number of events and revamping of the program, the festival doubled in size attracting over 20,000 guests to the three day weekend event.

Celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2006, the South Beach Wine & Food Festival has become one of the largest and most well-known festivals of its kind, in the country. The festival continues to attract the best in the industry to a three-day wine, spirits and culinary celebration set against the Atlantic-framed, sandy beaches of America’s Riviera, South Beach.

Ahhhh The Good Life...

2006-02-17T06:22:00.000-08:00

We all yearn for it but unfortunately everyone just aren't able, just to be frank about it! When I first heard news that the mangement company behind not only my favorite, but favorite to many affluent individuals, celebrities, business execs and local socialites in Miami, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and London, I couldn't resist being just a little bit curious of the future growth within Morgans Hotel Group who owns or partially owns the entire portfolio of these ultra-chic boutique hotels. To my surprise, well not really.. There's a huge opportunity for growth and MHGC is perfectly positioned to adequately seek it out!

My accountant has verbally assualted me on my lets say slightly lavish spending habits at The Shore Club www.shoreclub.com main culprits being the Nobu and Red Room.

Enough small talk MHGC is moving forward on several growth initiatives that will increase it's number of properties by 33% and is expected to nearlt double the number of hotel rooms under management.

The initiatives include the development of two hotels in Las Vegas, the expansion of the Company's popular Delano in South Miami Beach and the planned acquisition of a boutique hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Quite interesting if I must say. I wasn't too impressed with the company's books but I plan on definitely closely watching these guys. The went public @ $20 and I think thats a bit much right now but I'd be a buyer @ $15 but that could change... I'm starting to like them more & more every day, and NOT because of how much money these guys get from me!

Sunday w/ WSJ & My iPod... No Super Bowl

2006-02-05T11:18:00.000-08:00

I wasn't able to read Wed, Thur, Fri, nor Saturdays Wall Street Journal + I did not read a single page of any book nor listen to an audio book! Thats how it starts, you miss one day, then two, and next thing you know you're totally out of your routine. So today I will spend making up for my sins this week.

Catching up on all the articles while listening to "The Art of War" - Sun Tzu. I've read the book at least 20 times and listen to the audio book 100 times+ but it's NEVER ENOUGH!

Lot of boats out today.

"Dr. Dan the Butt-Man"

2006-02-05T02:01:00.000-08:00

Dr. Dan aka Mr. Proctology finally made it to town to hang out with his and the #1 broker in the world! I love Dan he is by far my funniest and most entertaining client. We were accompanied by his son & daughter.

Dr. Dan and the fam literally wore me out. lol. I could not hang...

Dinner was excellent! Highly recommend the Azul located inside the Mandarin Oriental Downtown Brickell.

Laid Back Lunch Meeting

2006-02-03T21:27:00.000-08:00

Today was a pretty good day however nothing to exciting. Usual work day then had a lunch meeting @ Nikki Beach w/ one of my younger clients. He's 27 and owns a nike boutique shop on the beach. All of their shoes run between $300-$600! He's a great client but thats a lot for shoes but hey they are flying off the shelves because he is constantly adding to his portfolio.

He had a sandwitch and I had yellow tail

Freakin bird would not leave us alone!

Semi Brown-Nosing for the Weekend...

2006-02-02T14:28:00.000-08:00

New client just made it in town, on my way now to the airport. On the schedule tonight dinner reservations @ POST on Brickell. Following by a little more brown-nosing throughout the weekend.

(NTRI) Nutrisystem Pullback...

2006-02-02T08:05:00.000-08:00

Nutrisystem reported seeing 4 quarter revenues between $69-$70 Million, EPS 16c. I absolutely loved what they had to say looking forward into '06 and I'm a buyer here on this pullback pre-market. (NTRI) is trading down 12% @ $43.50.

The Car? or The Book?

2006-02-01T20:18:00.000-08:00

Well... Well... Well... In life we are all faced with dilemmas and god knows I've had my share. The most recent and definitely one of note is that of me chosing to publish my first book or purchasing a new car! I've been saving feverishly, business is booming, doing a little bit of charity work, helping out a few family members, helping out a few friends now it's time tTH do something for myself... I've been waiting patiently and drooling over getting the Maserati Quattroporte, conveniently just when convince my on the purchase my publisher decides this is the perfect time for book 1 of 2.

Damn! Damn! Damn! The Book... The Car... The Book... The Car... I'm just kidding, this really wasn't a hard decision. I live right across the street from the office in downtown miami, our bank is walking distance, our lawyer is walking distance and our accountant is walking distance so no new car this year but definitely early next year.

It's like I'm extremely excited but extremely depressed at the same time. It's costing me $25,000 just to publish the book. I might manage a few million for clients but $25,000 out of my pocket is going to hurt!

No more poppin bottles at the club, no more lavish dinners, no more of anything that costs money outside of business expenses and normal living expenses! Well thats kinda extreme but I really will be watching my spending more tightly throughout the rest of the year. No more living like a RockStar but more so like a StockStar on a budget.

My spending lately has kinda gotten out of hand but I have really worked hard up till this point so I felt why not temporarily bask in the success of my small accomoplishments. Bought a nice lil condo, paid off a family members home, pre-paid for my little sister & brothers college education, new office in the heart of downtown brickell, partied up & down south beach w/ my friends and few other things here & there.

Now looking back I could have cut out some of those expenses and got my car! lol j/k. But anyway I guess I can give you guys a little taste of whats going to be in the book... Many of my friends don't even know this but I was the youngest intern in Fidelity Investment's Corporate history (largest mutual fund company in the world) when I was only 16. I was an intern w/ them all throughout high school, worked for Morgan Stanley when I was in high school as well. The branch managers of both these firms tried to convince me to skip college and while in college urged me to quit offered me.... Gotta get the book to know the rest!

No but seriously I'm not putitng this book out to make money (no one wil probably buy it anyway), I just want to tell my story and hopefully touch a couple people out there... More to follow, but the book will be completed in approx. 90 days.

They Over React While I Act!

2006-02-01T17:15:00.000-08:00

(GOOG) continued from yesterday.

Yes it's tru Google did not blow away eps estimates for this quarter, there it is I said it. I was wrong. However they did actually beat by 3 cents after you subtract and sift through all the mumbo jumbo in the earnings report. I have yet to grasp the concept why shareholders feel the need to panic when things go slightly not so well. One thing I do know is how to take advantage of fear. Fear was definitely what dragged GOOG all the way down to $350 yesterday evening. Even though I was slightly disappointed, I was able to keep my compusure and act accordingly. When GOOG hit $350 I couldn't help but back up the truck once again, added a total of 5,000 shares to our portfolio between $355-$360.

Goole has already made about half of last night's loss back today closing above $400.With now services in the line such as, Google Video, VoIP, Insurance Services and who only knows what else in the near future, I can't help but continue to overweight our portfolio on pullbacks like this.

To the victims of uncertainty and panic last night, thank you! Google $550 by October.

(GOOG) Pulled Back as Expected...

2006-01-31T16:51:00.000-08:00

(GOOG) Reported earnings and I'm still going through nthe nubers and will be for the rest of tonight. From what I have gatherd it's not looking that bad but defintely below estimates. I will be backing up the truck in a day or two. 85% Growth a year? I would be a fool not to, should easily squeeze 50% over the next 12 months. Will update after thoroughly going over the numbers... Looks like a situation where shareholders will near term over react and I will be there to pick up the slack.

Short Of The Decade!

2006-01-31T12:55:00.000-08:00

Wow it really doesn't get any easier than this. Today a few rumors surged of a possible alliance and even a buyout between GOOGLE & Napster. Hey I'm not knocking Naoster but it's a horrible company with a mount load of debt. I won't even waste much time on this but the bottom line is seriously doubt GOOG is buying Napster and it is just a false rumor probably derived from within Napster.

I shorted a massive load of shares this morning around $5 and just now around $4 bucks after Google just denied any validity to the story. My prediction, Napster down between 10%-25% tomorrow. Will follow up w/ tomorrow.

Today Is The Day... However... However...

2006-01-31T09:40:00.000-08:00

Well today is the day! GOOGLE reports earnings after the bell. Just added another 1,000 shares this morning w/ in our client portfolio. Yes thats right almost $500,000.00 on top of our portfolio which is already extremely overweighted in (GOOG). Now don't get me wrong, It would just be flat out arrogant of me to say (GOOG) will take off after this evenings earnings report, I'm arrogant but not that arrogant, however what I am saying is that investors are still not recognizing the earnings potential and future growth potential within GOOG.

There's a possibility the stock could actually tremedously pull back today howver this is not a short term play nor trade. It will prove highly profitable for our clients and that I am positive it's just a matter of it being this year or next. Will up date you guys later this evening...

TGIM! Thank God It's Monday!

2006-01-30T12:35:00.000-08:00

Well Monday is here and it's lunch time right now 12:33 to be exact. I love weekdays soo much more than weekends and the reason why is simple, the mArket isn't open open on weekends, which means I can't work! Well there's always something to do but you know what I mean.

February will be here in two days, lets see where all the stocks I mentioned for the past few weeks are trading...

Mentioned @ $9.25 Now trading up 8% @ $10.00

Mentioned @ $32.50 Now trading up 5% @ $35

Mentioned @ $72 Now trading @ $76 up 6%

Mentioned @ $23.50 Now trading @ $28 up 20%

Mentioned @ $66 Now trading @ $66 No Change

Mentioned @ $17 Now trading @ $18.50 up 15%

lol. Well lunch was great, nothing like writing an entry in your freakin blog instead of eating lunch! Carlos called, wants to go to Mello Monday's later I haven't decided yet... NO time to think about that Back to work!!!

Underworld Evolution was Ok...

2006-01-30T00:15:00.000-08:00

Underworld Revolution was pretty good. Of course they set the stage for part three but hey who could blame 'em.

After the movie hunger struck so we headed next door to a little restaurant/lounge called Funkshion. I've been here drinks before but never dinner, food was actually pretty good.

Well I'm home now and it's about 12:15am. To bed I go!

It's Dark!

2006-01-29T18:57:00.000-08:00

Definitely didn't plan on staying this late. Either way about to try and catch Underworld Revolution. Around 7pm now.

Back To The Real World...

2006-01-29T07:50:00.000-08:00

Well it was a wonderfull weekend but of course it's Sunday and the weekend is pretty much over. I have to prepare for two meetings tomorrow and listen to four very, very did I say very? boring conference calls. So to the office I go just for a little bit. 7:45am right now.

Last night around 8'ish heading over to Wet Willies w/ Carlos and a couple friends.

Carlos & I

Had to leave Carlos and the ladies had dinner reservations w/ my bestfriend from high school Andrew. We were joined by his girlfriend and a friend of mine.

After seeing the check I wish had stayed at Wet Willies. Could have had about 40 Call a Cab's! j/k it was cool.

Confession #1 of a Closet Geek. One must work hard & play even harder!

2006-01-28T11:04:00.000-08:00

Behind closed doors consistently work your ass off like there is no tomorrow. Not just the oh yea the usual 9-5 kinda work, but the 5am-9pm, then 9pm-2am kinda work! You have to work harder & smarter than everyone else in your partucular field day in and day out whithout breaking a sweat. By that I mean doing it discretely and not talking about it.

What comes after hard work? Hard Play! It's almost just as important as working hard. The reason I say that is because if played correctly it could be relaxing, rejuvenating and also "work like". I can't speak for everyone but personally some of my most unique clients & ideas were fostered will out having a good time.

I actually had a little more to talk about but I'm about to be late for a fashion show on the beach... To be continued. Below are a few pics from last night at my place & Mansion w/ a few friends.

Essentials for any gathering amongst friends. Salmon fillets, Large Sea Scallops, Shrimp, Cheese Cake, Chicken (for the non-seafood lovers) and an assortment of booze!

Carlos & Alexis

Chef-BoyarTee workin on the Scallops.

Self explanotory.

Lookin good.

Ughh Huhh, Ok, Ughh Huhh, so when are we going to? %$^@! lol.

Cory (left) & Arturo (right)

Carlos yapping about something...

Outside my building and to the cars we go! Destination Mansion!

Is Carlos posing inside the car? lol. I think so.

Next stop Mansion! See you guys there.

George seems to be having a good time w/ his two best friends Black Label and Hypno.

Thinking about how I could be home working right now!

Our table, bottle of Hypno for the ladies, Bottle of Black Label for the fellas.

Absolutely too many people out there.

Laid Back Evening...

2006-01-26T19:46:00.000-08:00

After rapping up my day at the office I headed home (right across the street) relaxed for a bit then headed down to the bar/restaurant inside my condo unit. Had a drink, calamari and a stogie. Heading to the Hotel Victor on South Beach to meet up w/ a few business associates later tonight.

Guidant Out, St. Jude In...

2006-01-26T12:53:00.000-08:00

Keepin it short. (STJ) St. Jude Medical is starting to look pretty attractive now trading @ $48.75.

It's Easy. 1+1= A Buy!

2006-01-26T12:19:00.000-08:00

I received probably about 40 emails this week from individuals asking what type of research & analytical system do I use for selecting various stocks. When reading some of the emails I felt like I was back in Trig II. Trig it isn't! I keep it quite simple actually. There's no one formua or any formua for that matter that I actually use. However, one thing that raises my left eyebrow are companies who have EXCELLENT management + SUPERIOR IN DEMAND products.

In example, Steve Jobs is in my opinion a genius in his own right and frankly one of the best leaders in business. Add that with a great product which is heavily in demand and growth potential and you have a company that sparks my interest.

Another example is (SNDK) Sandisk has an excellent mangement team and products which are in high demand w/ exceptional growth potential. Just today I figured I'd upgrade my jump drive. After checking them all out I decided on the SanDisk 1GB Cruzer Titanium for $119. So I go to sandisk.com and add it to my cart and I get ready to checkout and it notifies my that the item is in BACKORDER and will not ship for 4-6 WEEKS!
This little encounter made me even more bullish on (SNDK) and I had to pick up more shares and if for some highly unlikely reason they report disappointing earnings I will load up the truck once again! 1+1 = a buy!

You Changed My Mind, Thank You Sellers!

2006-01-26T11:19:00.000-08:00

Didn't really plan on picking up anything today within our cient portfolio however due to excessive over selling in 3 particular stocks I might rethink things. (AAPL) dipping below $72 is looking scrumptious, (SNDK) Sandisk hitting $66.15 today before they report a monster quarter is looking beautiful, and investors are hammering (JNPR) Juniper Networks which hit a multi-year low of $17 smackers.

I just want every seller in these particular issues to know that I warmheartedly really do appreciate the generosity today.

The Heat Is On! Well kinda...

2006-01-25T17:42:00.000-08:00

Made it out to the Heat game last night and it was pretty cool. Stopped by Bongos on the 2nd level picked up a Courvoisier on the rocks, grabbed a grilled chicken sandwich and I was good to go. The Heat started the game off pretty slow but they finished strong. Posey sucks! I had trouble figuring out who was the worse player on the team Posey or Antwan Walker. Who knows, I say just get rid off them both...

(NFLX) Netflix up 15%+ $29

2006-01-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

Netflix up 15% and is approaching $30. Not bad for one day. lol. Work just isn't work for me, it's play! And fortunately I always win! Well maybe not always, maybe about 99.9% of the time...

I LOVE FLIX!

2006-01-23T06:28:00.000-08:00

Yes it's true! I love 'em, love 'em, love 'em! That is (NFLX) NETFLIX by the way... A little risky here though, NetFlix is strickly a trade or a minimum 2 year hold. Now trading at $23.50 I'd be a buyer here. However (NFLX) if not forr the weak stomache it's highly risky here especially leading into tomorrows earnings report.

Pics from Yacht Trip This Weekend w/ Client

2006-01-22T11:43:00.000-08:00

Had a great time out in the Atlantic this past weekend w/ a couple clients. Had a few stogies, caught a few fish, cooked the fish later that night ahhh what more can a man ask for.

(GOOG) SALE OVER!

2006-01-20T17:06:00.000-08:00

(GOOG) Sitting at $399, 1 week till earnings report. Nothing else needs to be said! Well I guess a thank you is due but I'll save for three weeks from now.

Me a Hypocrite? Only When its Profitable!

2006-01-19T18:43:00.000-08:00

First and foremost I HATE Yahoo!!! I think the entire business model sucks, I think upper mangement sucks, I think the site sucks, and if you like Yahoo I think you suck too! In a investment forum last week a gentleman wanted to know whether to buy Yahoo and I ferociously told him NO WAY! "If anything you should short the durn thing" were my words to be exact. Well to make a long story short this is a new week and a new day, same Yahoo, same freakin site, same freakin management, only difference I think it's now oversold. In a matter of days (YHOO) went from $43 to $34. Don't get me wrong I still hate the bastard and sure enough I covered all our clients short positions in it today which leads me to this new found bullish outlook on Yahoo. It makes me wanna throw up just saying it but it's true I think they are now undervalued and I am a buyer between $32-$34.25. I'm literally repulsed by profiting off of these bastards but a profits a profit even if it makes me a hypocrit!

Pier Pressure?

2006-01-18T12:01:00.000-08:00

Pier 1 imports stock has been heavily under pressure over the past year and quite frankly everyone is negative on the durn thing! Personally I think it's ripe for a turnaround and also poised to be taken over. Out of 20 analyst who cover Pier1 17 are bearish and extremely negative on it. Up untill today I've been bearish on it as well but NOT ANYMORE!

Today trading around $9.25, little to no debt ($25 Million to be exact), Dividend yield of 4% and most importantly a company who's customers absolutely love it. What else can I say besides that the Pier Pressure is over! All the negative is priced into this thing therefore it can only get better from here. Don't be surprised if it's up 20% by the end of next quarter. But remember where you heard it first. Funny thing is after it's up 20% that's when the negative analyst will turn positive and start to upgrade it and but of course thats when I will be SELLING! lol Gotta love this game.

(GOOG) Sale is almost over!

2006-01-18T08:24:00.000-08:00

Today's Sale 3% @ $449

Why? Investors selling because of disappointing numbers from (YHOO). Guess they think Yahoo earnings are a reflection of what GOOG's earnings will be on the 31st. News flash... HELL TO THE NO! Yahoo is not GOOG and just because YHOO missed earnings by 1c that has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with GOOG. But either way, I say thank you for today's sale!

(GOOG) Google will be on sale for a few days only!

2006-01-13T06:45:00.000-08:00

I won't make a riot out of it but some individuals not in the know are actually selling shares of GOOG. Considering the earnings announcement coming the last day of this month and considering they are going to annihilate ALL numbers on the street why not go ahead and benefit from the ignorance of those not in the know. Consider it a temporary sale if you will, but once earnings are released get ready for the ride!

(GOOG) closed yesterday around $463 down about $7

(AAPL) $84 Pre-Market

2006-01-11T08:45:00.000-08:00

8:45am

Apple Computer zoomed past $81, $82, $83 and now breathing around $84 Pre-Market. 3 Analyst upgrades.

Mac World '06, Apple $100 before Feb?

2006-01-10T11:24:00.000-08:00

Today the Mac World Conference began and boy was it everything I expected and more! As usual Steve Jobs managed to put yet another smile on my face by CONSISTENTLY producing! Over 14 Million iPods were sold this holiday season!

Apple has released the fastest notebook ever, dubbed the MacBook Pro, featuring an Intel Core Duo processor. Features of the new portable include a built-in iSight camera, IR Sensor, Apple Remote, ATI Radeon x1600 video processor, and a new, innovative magnetic power plug. The new MacBook Pro is available in two configurations:

1.67 Core Duo - $1999
Ships: February
15.4-inch TFT display with 1440x900 resolution
1.67GHz Intel Core Duo processor with 2MB shared L2 Cache
667MHz frontside bus
512MB (single SO-DIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
80GB 5400rpm Serial ATA hard drive
Slot-load SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory
iLife 06

1.83 Core Duo - $2499
Ships: February
15.4-inch TFT display with 1440x900 resolution
1.83GHz Intel Core Duo processor with 2MB shared L2 Cache
667MHz frontside bus
1GB (single SO-DIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
100GB 5400rpm Serial ATA hard drive
Slot-load SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory
iLife 06

MacBook Pro also features a full-size backlit keyboard, AirPort Extreme wireless networking (802.11b/g), Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, ExpressCard/34 slot, dual-link DVI video out, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, FireWire 400, and optical digital and analog audio in/out.

The MacBook Pro is available for preorder at Apple Store.

The new Intel Apple iMac shares the same specs as the unit it replace, but now houses and Intel Core Duo processor. According to Apple the new iMac is 2x faster than the iMac it replaces.

- Up to 2.0GHz intel Core Duo
- Mighty Mouse
- 17" and 20"
- ATI Radeon X1600
- iSight Built in
- Front Row and Apple Remote

Steve Jobs released the newest version of the iWork suite, which includes updated versions of both Pages & Keynote. iWork 06 is available immediately for $79, with a family pack price for up to 5 users of only $99.

New in Both Pages 2 and Keynote 3
- Perform basic spreadsheet-like calculations and formatting in tables.
- Display your data in beautiful three-dimensional charts with life-like textures.
- Add stars, polygons or draw freeform custom shapes with Bézier curves in any document or presentation.
- Mask photos and images with any shape.
- Adjust photos just like you’d adjust them in iPhoto.
- Add comment “stickies” to any document or presentation to capture to-do’s or reminders.

Pages 2
- Start with any one of 66 templates, including 27 new designs.
- Import documents created with AppleWorks or Microsoft Word — from both PC and Mac.
- Export as a cross-platform PDF, Word, HTML, RTF or text-only file.
- Build form letters with drag-and-drop simplicity using your Address Book.

Keynote 3
- Choose from 32 themes, including new HD themes up to 1920x1080 pixels.
- Add gorgeous cinematic transitions, animations, slide builds and more.
- Import presentations created with AppleWorks or Microsoft PowerPoint on from both PC and Mac.
- Export your presentation to PowerPoint, or to iDVD or iPhoto.
- See all your slides at a glance in Light table view and easily reorganize them.

Steve Jobs released the newest version of the iLife suite, which now includes 6 applications. iLife 06 is available today from the online apple store for $79. Additionally, a family pack is available for up to 5 users for $99.

iLife 06 will be included with the purchase of all new Macs.

iPhoto
One click effects - sepia, b&w,
New cards, calendars & books
hard and softcover books
better quality
Photocasting - podcasting for photos
integrates with .Mac
password protected, subscribable with RSS feeds

iMovie HD
Animated themes for movies
real time effects
new audio tools
more than one project open at once
export to iPod
create Video Podcasts

iDVD
Widescreen menus
Magic iDVD
choose theme, drop in movies & photos & select theme
3rd party burner support

Garageband
New Podcast studio
Podcast artwork track
Over 200 free jingles & effects
Speech enhancer
Use iChat for remote interviews
New Jampack - World Music

iTunes
no mentioned changes from current version (6.0.1)

iWeb (New)
Apple web templates
iLife media browser
Online AJAX photo slideshows
One-click publish to .Mac
Podcast publishing

Few Items of note from this weeks Consumer Electronics Show

2006-01-06T11:33:00.000-08:00

Hot Spot on Wheels

Introducing the ultimate road warrior device! The SpeedRay 3000 by RaySat basically turns anything on wheels into an instant WiFi zone. Just place this round antenna onto the roof of your car and you’ll get satellite TV as well as broadband access in a lickety-split. Using GPS, the system will give you an always-on connection —so as long as you have a line of sight to the satellite, you’re golden. Of course, unless you’re living in your automobile, you may not want to drop the $7000 this thing will cost you. Although if you’re a motor home fanatic, this would be your chance to upgrade the old homestead. Look for it sometime this summer.

LCD -Based Board Game from Philips

This was one of my personal favorites. It’s a 30” LCD touchscreen that has speakers built in, and it sits in a tabletop. The game was a kind of silly taxi driver thing. You roll the virtual dice and move these clear cubes around the screen, arrows show you where you can move. Thanks to improved tech, the LCD has very little glare and greater viewing angles. It’s being pushed as a new way to bring back social gaming with people in places like bars and restaurants, but could one day make it into the home. I can see lots of potential for this new realm of board gaming.

XM Passport

Extremely smaaaaaaaall, but I love it! XM has a new solution for bringing your XM radio around with you. Instead of lugging around the insanely ugly XM Car/Home receivers, your XM information is stored in a tiny chip dubbed the “XM Passport”. The Passport works with the new XM equipment coming out seamlessly - all you do is just plug the chip in and you’re good to go. XM says that it’s the easiest way to take your satellite radio with you and I totally agree. Now you’ll be able to listen to XM in your car, get home, take the chip with you, and pop it into your XM receiver or stereo in your home/condo/loft. It’ll be available in March/April if everything stays on track.

SmartDrive from Didigo vivid color w/ out battery! he drives feature a unique BCD (Bi-stable Cholesteric Display) that has no battery or power. The screen displays information such as the drive name, remaining disk space, and a nifty little pie chart showing how much space is being used—all without any power, so the screen still works when you unplug it from the port. It’s USB 2.0 and comes in sizes ranging from 128MB all the way up to 4GB. Extremely handy if you want to throw something on it but aren’t sure how much space is left.

This is NOT a Willy Wonka Treat!

CES overlaps with the adult entertainment expo also in Vegas, so I figured you would want a peek at some of the cool “adult” gadgets featured at the show. The classic Clone-A-Willy allows you to make a copy of your Johnson, and with the optional motor you can even turn it into a vibrator. The latest version is the Chocolate Clone-A-Willy which lets you make a real milk chocolate copy that is 100% edible, lol. 90% Weird 10% Freaky, what is this world coming to? Cloning milk chocolate willies?????

Motorola ROCKR E2, waaaaaaaay better than the first release!
Motorola unveiled the ROKR E2 cellphone at CES and it’s got the much-needed improvements that could make it a great phone. First and foremost, hell froze over and Motorola didn’t use that horrible old interface. The company instead went with its new Linux-based system which is a lot nicer, easier to use, and runs great software like Opera and an e-mail client. (Moto will be bringing Linux into most of its handsets over the next year.) A dedicated music button on the E2 brings up a nice music player that can display album art on its 262k color, 320x240 screen. Your music isn’t limited to 100 songs anymore because you’ll be using your own SD cards along with the ROKR E2 to expand your listening library.

TiVo Series 3, now has Dual HDTV Tuners. More info to come...

Motorola Adds Google Search Button on New Handsets

2006-01-06T10:31:00.000-08:00

Motorola announced plans to add a special button on all new handsets which allows instant access to Google's search technology. The agreement is for 3 years and not exclusive, will be interesting to see where this goes. Everyday it's something new from Goog what will it be tomorrow?

Microsoft becoming a follower? Leadership days over?

2006-01-05T08:59:00.000-08:00

I had to comment on this article from TechWorld Mag. Read article below, my comments are at the end... lol

Eyeing the sweet spot of the digital music market now all but cornered by Apple's iTunes Music Store, Microsoft said it would partner with MTV to release a new online music service known as Urge.

Urge is slated to launch early in 2006 and will be integrated into upcoming versions of Microsoft's Media Player. The service is aimed at leveraging MTV's brands -- including VH1 and Country Music Television -- and its relationships with record labels and the music industry to give Microsoft an instant leg up in the digital music world.

More Than Just Music

The service will launch with more than 2 million songs and offer additional features, such as MTV programming content and tools meant to create what an MTV executive called a "musical playground." It is expected to offer both pay-per-song downloads and subscription services.

"By combining our expertise in digital media with the music leadership and marketing savvy of MTV Networks, we have created a powerful and unique way to experience music," said Blair Westlake, Microsoft's corporate vice president of media technology and convergence. "This landmark collaboration will bring innovative new experiences to millions of music fans."

The agreement -- financial terms were not released -- calls for Urge to be promoted across the MTV Network family of TV stations, which Viacom said reach some 165 million viewers each month. The service will be trotted out at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next month.

Analysts said the move was a coup for Microsoft, since MTV could have chosen to use Apple's technology to operate its music store. MTV is expected to heavily promote the service to its audience base of teenagers and young adults -- the same demographic that accounts for the most digital music downloads.

Are you serious? Maybe I'm the idiot here but I was under the impression that the vast majority of MTV's audience were already the major buyers and users of Apple's iPod's & iTunes Music Store? So basically two years later after Apple single handedly made and monopolized the market, Microsoft thinks they can simply copy the platform and put out their own version? Why has it come to this? First they sale souls to jump into the gaming market by selling XBOX 360's at a loss (cost $700 to make but they sale them for $300). And Sony still dominates the gaming market! Now they want a music store like Apple's iTunes and even worse Justin Timberlake is the poster boy for the launch! Who cares about Justin Timberlake? Microsoft becoming a follower? More to follow.

The $1 Billion Dollar Man!

2006-01-05T07:13:00.001-08:00

Howard Stern evertone knows is going to receive $500 Million in compensation from Sirius over the next 5 years. What many don't know is that he also received $35 million shares of Sirius common stock. (35 million x $6.50) + (500 million) = $727,500,000! Almost $1 billion dollars!!! I initially agreed with the $500 million over 5 years but an additional $300 million in stock is absolutely ridiculous!

Google $200 Computer?

2006-01-05T06:50:00.000-08:00

Google Inc. said it has no plans of developing a low cost computer with a Google Operating System installed on it at the marvellous price of $200. Analysts believed that Larry Page, Google co-founder would announce the $200 computer at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

But Google declared yesterday that it had many PC partners who served their markets exceedingly well and it saw no need to enter that market. A spokeswomen said that Google would rather partner with such great companies.

Another rumor is that Google is preparing some net boxes, not real PCs, able to control home entertainment and connect to the internet and use spreadsheet software. These boxes were supposed, as the PCs from Google, to run some sort of Linux based system, adjusted by Google following its own needs. The popularity of such a device would bring Microsoft, Google's arch-rival, to its Knees.

Rumors said that Wal-Mart partnered with Google to the goal of the $200 computer. Wal-Mart has said that there was "absolutely no truth to the rumor", which is a very categorical denial!

They Ruled This Year, Who Got Next?

2005-12-27T06:17:00.000-08:00

Below are just a few names which derived euphoric like returns for investors this year. Will they continue thru '06 or who's poised to replace them? Let us know your thoughts...

Palm to RIMM? "Just let it happen baby"

2005-12-13T12:26:00.000-08:00

Research in Motion, the company responsible for the Blackberry Connect email service has FINALLY finished the deal with Palm. The deal will bring Blackberry Connect email service to the Palm operating system, at the current time specifically with the Treo 650. The deal will add many features to the Treo 650 including the Blackberry Connect, support for Microsoft Exchange and IBM Lotus, wireless calendar syncing, corporate email directory access, email attachment viewing, and triple DES encryption. Expect to see this merger be fully underway by early 2006.

*A little sidenote here, this is totally irrelevant if RIMM & NTP doesn't settle this patent infringement debacle.

(more talk on RIMM, NTP & PALM to come later)

Jonathan Jacoby you're not slick buddy!

2005-12-13T09:49:00.000-08:00

Bank of America analyst Jonathaan Jacoby today downgraded Sirius. Hey I have no problem with downgrades especially when they are rightfully deserved, however this is but a cheap parlor trick! It just drives me crazy all the madness that goes on in the analyst community.

Here's my take on Johnny boys motives. On exactly July 7, 2005 Johnny boy upgraded XM Satellite Radio instead of Sirius Satellite Radio! XM was trading around $38, XM has been on a consistent down slide since and is now trading at $29. So since he made a horrible bullish call on XM instead of being bullish on Sirius he figures he'll just rain on Sirius's parade by downgrading it, then once it pulls back slightly (only because of his downgrade) the he can upgrade it and then join the Sirius parade. All of this could have been prevented if you would have upgraded Sirius back in July instead of XM.

Johnny boy better luck next time, and you actually had the nerve to mention XM again as a buy? Just admit you made a bad call, apologize to investors who actually listened to your advice and lost 25%, take a pay cut, repent for your sins and rightfully upgrade Sirius Satellite! I can't believe this guy...

Since you aren't in the know Johnny boy, Sirius is a better play than XM. There is a reason XM stock is going down and Sirius is going up. Yes XM is a much larger company and started the whole durn satellite radio idea but Sirius has much better content, is ever so dilligently stealing market share from XM and Sirius happens to be cooler! By 2009 Sirius is going to buy XM. These old guys just don't know how the game goes...

Repent Johnny boy for you have sinned.

Steve Case, bored or crazy?

2005-12-12T11:16:00.000-08:00

~~Stephen Case, right, then Chairman of America Online and Gerald Levin of Time Warner high-five on Aol Time Warner Merger, on this day in '97 Time Warner closed at $107 today it trades at $17.

I stumbled across this 1999 stint by time.com on Steve Case;

"Case cheerfully rubs elbows with Wall Streeters more often than he does with denizens of Silicon Valley--which is why his election to the New York Stock Exchange board of directors in June made so much sense. With a background marketing hair conditioner for Procter & Gamble and testing pizza toppings for Pizza Hut, Case has always had his eye focused on the consumer. His understanding of what users want (simplicity, friendliness) has guided Case through AOL's darkest days. Now the company has finally figured out how to turn its enormous audience (14.5 million and growing) and ubiquitous brand name into real profits by charging advertisers, retailers and publishers premium rates for access to its coveted subscribers.

As cheap PCs and online shopping grow in abundance and appeal, Case's "training wheels" approach to the Internet positions him to profit from a world of new, inexperienced Net users.

1998 POWER PLAY After a marketing blitz put AOL's name everywhere, the company's new strategy is to make the service available anywhere--most importantly on the tube. AOL acquired the Web-based TV company NetChannel in May. Since then, Case has expressed interest in acquiring cable lines.

In June he rebuffed an AT&T overture to buy out his company, but weeks later he was quick to applaud AT&T's TCI merger and to angle for a piece of broadband pie.
PLACE YOUR BETS Case's grand plans are finally being realized. If you're going to share the Web with his millions of newbies, you may as well own a chunk of his success. Analysts call AOL a strong buy."

First of all who ever wrote this article should be fired. Secondly, Steve Case wouldn't know how to give you change for a dollar. Dont get me wrong, the guy is a mastermind when it comes to networking and rubbing elbows with "the right people" however that doesn't translate into 20% growth year over year nor does it benefit shareholders in any way.

Case was actually the brains behing the Aol Time Warner merger. It was his idea! One of the greatest failed deals in corporate history was orchestrated by him. This is what he had to say in Jan '05...

"The merger was my idea. If you wanted to be mad at somebody, I was the one to be mad at." He also added that he was turning his back on tech and the Internet for now, and focusing on new ventures. He's interested in health care, especially preventative medicine and wellness, and is dabbling in real estate. He's working on philanthropic issues and spending a lot of time in Hawaii, where he grew up.

Now this week, 12 months later he adds...

"Although I played a key role in bringing AOL and Time Warner together six years ago, it's now my view that it would be best to "undo" the merger by splitting Time Warner into several independent companies and allowing AOL to set off on its own path."

I can't do anything but laught at this. Why would Time Warner not sell AOL? These guys had six years to get this right and they miserably failed. So common sense and keeping with the main goal which is to uphold shareholder value, why not go ahead and sell the durn thing to Google or Microsoft. They both are sure to pay handsomely for this asset and they can in return make much better use of it. Wall Street will without a doubt react well to it and shareholder value would be resroed. Can you guys imagine where AOL would be if Google owned it six years ago? I tell you what, it wouldn't be where it is right now and they absolutely would not have lost 4 million subscribers in the past 3 years as they have under Time Warner.

I have so much anger towards Steve Case right now but I refuse to devote any more of my time to this obviously delirious guy, but I had to comment on it.

Mark Lanier for President?

2005-12-12T07:36:00.000-08:00

Mark Lanier is by far, in my opinion the best civil trial lawyer in America hands down. The recent rush of media accolades, in the wake of a stunning $253.4 million dollar verdict in the nation’s first Vioxx trial, obscures as much as illuminates Lanier’s true nature and talent.

What the news clips can’t measure or define is Mark Lanier’s commitment to and passion for his clients. Often motivated by injustice and by a sense of fair play, Lanier has sought to even the score whether his client is an individual or a large corporation. In most cases, he’s been successful.

Every time I hear this guy speak I get a huge adrenaline rush. His word usuage is phenomenal, and he's the first lawyer who I've ever felt honored to hear speak. He's definitely a breathe of fresh air over the horrid law industry.

Most recently, The New England Journal of Medicine expressed concern in which it accuses Merck of removing from a key Vioxx study the accounts of three patients who suffered heart attacks. The journal says that untill last month, it believed that the heart attacks weren't known by the authors of the Merck-sponsored study in time to be included in a Novenmber 2000 article on the results, which were published in the journal. Please keep in mind that this journal is read by millions worldwide.

A newly obtained memorandum shows they did indeed know about it before two revisions were made to the article and 4 1/2 months before it was published. And an examination of a computer diskette showed that some of the data was deleted from the manuscript of the study before it was even submitted to the Journal. That lack of inclusion understated the cardiovascular risks of Vioxx, it says, and calls "into question the integrity of the data on adverse cardiovascular events."

It just can't get any worse for Merck. I mean they actually had the balls (for lack of a better word) to completely delete this data! Mark Lanier's exact words on this news was that he was literally "salivating" over it and can't wait untill his next trial against Merck in Feb.

And the merger of the year goes to...

2005-12-11T12:21:00.000-08:00

Members of the New York Stock Exchange decided to merge Wednesday with the electronic trading firm Archipelago and go public. The merger will transform the stock exchange from what's basically been a prestigious membership club, into a modern for-profit company.

Three independent Archipelago directors will join the existing 11 independent New York Stock Exchange directors as directors of the NYSE Group, Inc. The NYSE's John Thain will become Chief Executive Officer of the NYSE Group, Inc. Archipelago CEO Jerry Putnam will join the NYSE's Catherine R. Kinney and Robert G. Britz as NYSE Group, Inc. Co-Presidents. Amy Butte, NYSE CFO, will be Executive Vice President of Strategy and Product Development. Archipelago CFO Nelson Chai will be the CFO and Archipelago General Counsel Kevin O'Hara will be the Co-General Counsel of the NYSE Group, Inc.

Its storied history and iconographic status aside, the NYSE has been under heavy competitive pressure from the Nasdaq Stock Market Inc. (NDAQ) and other electronic trading platforms in the past decade. While the exchange prides itself in its floor auctions, which help reduce price volatility, modern stock traders have been drawn to Nasdaq's transaction speeds, where a penny price difference could mean thousands of dollars made or lost.
Some of that competitive pressure came from Archipelago itself, which has increased its share of NYSE-listed stock trades in recent years, but has also seen intense competition from other electronic trading platforms.

Now, however, the new company will have the capability to not only trade stocks listed at the NYSE, but also Nasdaq-listed and over-the-counter stocks through Archipelago's electronic trading system. The deal also increases the exchange's market share in exchange-traded funds and derivatives trading.

As the NYSE prepares to take on rival Nasdaq, investors are likely to benefit from better transaction speeds as well as lower fees as the two major markets compete for business.
Under the agreement, NYSE seat owners will receive more than $5 million for each seat, though just $300,000 in cash. The rest will be stock in the new company, which seat owners will be restricted in selling for up to three years. Archipelago shareholders will have their shares transferred to the new company on a one-for-one basis.

Although Archipelago shares were down 43 cents at $59.95 in trading Tuesday, shareholders have seen the value of their stock quadruple since the merger was announced April 20. In addition, the value of seats on the exchange rose from $975,000 in January to a record $4 million last week. Two more seats sold for that amount Tuesday before the vote. Seat sales will be halted Dec. 31, as part of the deal's final steps.

While NYSE seat owners roundly approved the deal, a small group of dissidents, led by longtime seat owner William Higgins, had fought the deal in court, saying Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GSPB)'s involvement in advising both Arca and the NYSE led to severe conflicts of interest.

One word minus all of our confusing wall street gibberish, MONOPOLY! And I'm not talking about the Parker Brothers. This is a great move for shareholders of Archipelago, NYSE seat holders, and all investors in equities for that matter. Simply because prices are sure to come down. Within the next 24 months I wouldn't be suprised to see trade commissions drop to a mean of $4.99.

I truly believe this was the single best merger of the year. Everyone wins! This move will also set the stage for future NYSE acquisitions. Without a doubt there will never be a merger between the NASD & NYSE, but I truly believe the NYSE are walking somewhat down a path that will lead to a legel Monopoly while leaving mere scraps for the NASD.

A moment of silence for GOOGLE & APPLE please...

2005-12-10T06:57:00.002-08:00

Usually at award shows you'll find the winners thanking god, producers, agents, mom & dad, etc. Well I'd like to thank Google & Apple! You might ask why? Well it's simple, they made my job extremely easy this year. It is my duty to find the absolute best situations in the market to park my clients money. That's my job! Sometimes it requires hours, days, and months of endless mounds of research and might I add, many sleepless nights. But every so often a company or two comes along and any idiot with an IQ equal to that of Beavis & Butthead can see the green pastures ahead.

Lets start with Google. First of all for their IPO they decide to go "Dutch", that alone raised my eyebrows. Since it was founded in 1998 by Stanford University students Page and Brin, it has always been something of an oddball. Its design had no flashy ads but a simple, quick-loading layout. Its search algorithm out-powers rivals. Its name became synonymous with Internet search.

The Mountain View-based company, which makes money by selling unintrusive text advertising, managed to prosper as a private company even while other dot-coms were collapsing, keep in mind this was all pre-IPO. Now, as the technology industry is just recovering, Google obviously would stand to prosper even more!

In the second quarter of 2004 (pre-IPO), for instance, Google earned $79.1 million, more than double the $32.2 million earned in the same period 2003. Sales also more than doubled, to $700 million in the latest period (pre-IPO). Come on it doesn't take a rocket scientist.

Picture this, an industry filled with nothing but earnings disappointments and share price deflations from $300 to now being bound to the single digit lifestyle! Then you have this private company producing astoundingly unbelievable numbers repeatedly. Lead by a management team with a passion for change and perfection. Lets not forget that everyone in the world were Google users. It was by far the most widely used and efficient search engine long before the IPO.

What really raised my eyebrow again, was that the #1 investors in Google was the competition! Come on now! It can't possibly be this easy. America Online and Yahoo were both early investors in Google and owned millions of shares of the then private Goog. Unfortunately they unloaded many of their shares @ $85 on the day of the IPO, Google now trading at $400+ you do the math. Did it take a genius? I think not, simply a little common sense & minor attention to details. To that I say, thank you Google!

Now on to Apple. Mr. Jobs I think I love you! What many don't know about Steve Jobs is that he dropped out of Reed College to work for Atari! Yes, the PacMan company. He and his future business partner designed video games for Atari.

Simultaneously beginning work in the Job's family garage they managed to make their first "killing" when the Byte Shop in Mountain View bought their first fifty fully assembled computers. On this basis the Apple Corporation was founded, the name based on Job's favorite fruit and the logo (initially used as the unregistered logo of the ACM APL Conference in San Francisco) chosen to play on both the company name and the word byte.

Now that you have a brief history lets get down to it. Can we say iPod! This is the break through product Jobs has been waiting on his entire life. The funny thing is, it's not the iPod persay that is going to position Apple to take over the world the way Microsoft did. The iPod is simply bait! It's beautiful, captivating, sleek, luring and actually useful and fun. Oh but what a great decoy it is. iPod and iTunes are winning over users in the masses. More music is sold on iTunes than record stores nowadays!

You guys are pretty intelligent, I hope at least. Try and guess where I'm going with this... Here's a hint, they have very high margins unlike iPods & iTunes.... Computers & Notebooks of course. Mr. Jobs is betting on a huge switch! He's betting that iPod owners will eventually be Mac users. Genius he is. The reason I say this is because Bill Gates beat him to the punch the first time around even though Mr. Jobs had a superior product. He was just out marketed (is that a word?) and simply did not know how to play the winning hand he actually had in th 80's.

Perfect example of "Failing Forward" Check out John C. Maxwell's best seller "Failing Forward" for a more in depth look. Jobs has been waiting for years for this and he finally got his chance. So what everyone in the world is going to have an iPod, everyone in the world who has an iPod owning a Mac is something to write about. To that, I say thank you Mr. Jobs.

Book of the Week...

2005-12-09T09:28:00.000-08:00

Michael Jordan is the rare global icon whose celebrity extends beyond his original stage and onto multiple platforms.
His relentless determination produced six NBA Championships and some of the most spectacular performances in sports history, while his enduring grace and unique sense of style made him equally famous in the worlds of fashion, business, and marketing.

In Driven from Within, Michael makes it clear that the basis for his phenomenal success came from the inside out, thanks in part to those who guided him along the way. His skill, work ethic, philosophy, personal style, competitiveness and presence have flowed from the basketball court and into every facet of his life.

Nearly three years removed from his last turn as an athlete, Michael's 20th Air Jordan shoe has helped push Nike's Brand Jordan division to nearly $500 million in sales.

"Nothing of value comes without being earned, That's why great leaders are those who lead by example first. You can't demand respect because of a title or a position and expect people to follow. That might work for a little while, but in the long run people respond to the what they see."

This is a book about the power of collaboration and teamwork, the awe-inspiring energy generated when people combine their creativity and passion, and a fearless desire to lead.

Whether waking at 6 A.M. to work out as a high school junior, or spending hours with legendary designer Tinker Hatfield on the intricacies f state-of-the-art shoe design, Michael Jordan has never wavered in his desire to be the best.

Everyone knows the results. In Driven from Within, Michael Jordan and those in his inner circle reveal the philosophy that makes it all happen.

Get Sirius!

2005-12-09T07:58:00.000-08:00

The satellite-radio rivals might find that with growing competition and changing market conditions, a deal makes a lot more sense than a brawl

The idea of America's major two satellite-radio providers merging has been tossed around almost from the moment Sirius launched its service against XM back in 2002. XM (XMSR ) had a year's head start, but as Sirius' (SIRI ) share of the market surged, many analysts predicted a duopoly, with both companies eventually splitting the market in half. After all, Sirius' share has gone from about 11% in 2003 to 26% last year and is expected to approach 33% by the end of this year.

Yet, Sirius' surprising strength suggests it might be time for both companies to consider an alliance again. Continued head-butting could slow down both companies' quests to reach profitability. And they'll need financial stamina in the coming months, as they face a mounting threat from a slew of emerging audio technologies. "Financially, [a merger or an alliance] would make a lot of sense," says Craig Mathias, founder of wireless consultancy Farpoint Group.

Both XM and Sirius deny any talk of a combo. But after a year of hand-to-hand combat over programming and subscribers, the rhetoric between the two players is softening -- and that could indicate they might be amenable to hooking up at some point in the future.

DROP IN THE OCEAN. Indeed, a trickle of alternatives is turning into a flood. Digital radio broadcasts, podcasts (recordings of music or talk than can be downloaded onto PCs or portable MP3 players), and song download services via wireless networks are taking off. Come 2006, wireless-network owner Crown Castle is expected to launch an audio and TV service for cell phones -- a market that XM and Sirius are also interested in developing. Worse yet for the satellite boys, Motorola (MOT ) is planning to bring out an ad-free wireless audio service for the car market -- XM's and Sirius' bread and butter.

Just like that, the $310 million satellite-radio business is looking like a pond compared to the wider wireless ocean -- and the pond is getting crowded. Rather than duke it out, XM and Sirius may find it more advantageous to present a joint front to competitors.

XM believes it'll reach free cash flows in 2006, and Sirius insists it will break even in 2007. Yet the continuing rivalry could push their break-even targets off by a year, but don't take my word for it!

BetchaByGollyWow!

2005-11-28T10:41:00.000-08:00

*This discussion is for informational purposes only, and should not be used or construed as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security.

The Shore Club, one of my favorite spots to sitback and relax with clients and friends is going public, well kinda sorta... Morgans Hotel Group Co, who own or partially owns and manage a portfolio of nine luxury hotel properties in New York, Miami (The Shore Club, Delano), Los Angeles, San Francisco and London comprising over 2,500 rooms has filed registration with the Securities And Exchange Commission for an Initial Public Offering (IPO). Life just doesn't get any better, nothing like mixing business with pleasure. If we decide to participate in the IPO, maybe I'll feel a little better about having a NOBU & SkyBar monthly budget. www.shoreclub.com

Book of the Week.

2005-11-28T04:38:00.000-08:00

From a bestselling author and journalist renowned for his access to the rich and famous comes the epic story of the last great apartment building erected on Manhattan's Gold Coast--home to countless 20th Century icons including Bouviers, Rockefellers and Chryslers, as well as modern Midases like Edgar Bronfman, Henry Kravis, Ronald O. Perelman and Saul Steinberg.
Seven-forty Park Avenue is the best known and most lusted-after co-op apartment building in New York—and so, in the world. Built by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s grandfather, James T. Lee, the building has long housed America's oldest, richest, and most powerful families. Their stories are juicy, startling, and above all entertaining, but no more so than the story of the building itself—and in 740 Park, Michael Gross tells all.

The backbone of the book is the building: the financial, artistic, and social stew that brought it into being. Interwoven are stories of the inhabitants who set the building’s tone and made its social and financial reputation—including Countess Kotzebue, a five-times married multimillionaire; Marshall Field III, whose family was a model of patrician dysfunction; C. Channing Blake, the Friendly Ice Cream heir, whose gay lover lived on one floor of the duplex he shared with his wife; Kamel Abdel Rahman, the Palestinian billionaire believed to have been murdered by his third wife; and many more.

Michael Gross knows this world intimately, having explored its every nook and cranny. More than just a sensational read, 740 Park is rich in social history, providing a glimpse into a world that most of us can only dream about.

Bonds & Bernanke...

2005-11-28T04:34:00.000-08:00

It will be interesting to see how the markets react to continued weakness in the bond market, since Ben Bernanke was named as the successor to Alan Greenspan. Many believe that the bullish environment of the past several years for housing stocks and financial companies has been a result of fed policy that resulted in ample supplies of cheap mortgage money. The bond market is saying it expects that cycle to end as money continues to tighten in the coming months.

Finally...

2005-11-25T01:26:00.000-08:00

Well we finally did it. Derived from a client suggestion, you can now Skype us! Our Skype ID is iVestDirect.

Skype - the voice-over-IP software - is known for offering a way to make free calls anywhere in the world. Its friendly user interface, which you can personalise with pictures just like instant messaging apps, screams 'consumer'. Skype relies on the same peer-to-peer (P2P) technology that gave rise to the controversial file-sharing sites Napster and Kazaa. In fact, Skype was created by the founders of Kazaa. Since its launch in August 2003, Skype says its software has been downloaded more than 23 million times; the company claims 12 million users from every country in the world. The user base is growing faster than Hotmail. Versions of the program work on Windows 2000 or XP, Mac OS X and even on certain Wi-Fi-ready Pocket PCs. A Linux version is being tested. This service is hugely popular in countries all over the world.