TOST TOAST Inc.

Long 3,000.    I often buy stocks when they go into NEW HIGH GROUND.

The majority of investors won't buy names when they go into NHG.  That price action brings me into those names like a moth to a flame!

This was one I bought some time ago when it went into NHG.

FARO was another I purchased that day.  Look at the news on FARO this week!

XERS caught some bids yesterday as well.

Yesterday WBD had a corporate announcement that might bring some attention to the name.  Time will tell; it's been dead money for a long time, and I own it by default.   It wasn't a name I purchased, only one I inherited with the buffoonery from the nitwits at ATT.   Does anyone know if the HBS case study on the demise of ATT has been published?   I think it is called, "How Texans eradicated a FORTUNE 10 company's value by billions and cut shareholders' dividend income".   A conservative estimate of ATT shareholder assets squandered specifically from the Time Warner merger ranges from $40 billion to $60 billion, with the higher end reflecting the difference between the acquisition cost and the spin-off value, plus associated market cap erosion. The lack of a single definitive figure stems from complexities in isolating Time Warner’s impact from AT&T’s broader media strategy and market fluctuations.

Been off the desk most of the week, and it's fun to check in when the screen is green.

Remember kids, this too shall pass.   There's pain ahead, like there was from 4/2 to 4/8!

If it were easy, everyone would be rich. 

Most investors don't want to do the work.   I am in MARKETSURGE again this morning doing the work and enjoying my coffee.  Maybe I can make a few bucks before June Gloom in San Diego and I cut risk for the summer.  Why shouldn't I take the summer off?

My golf game needs work.

JASON WHITLOCK Talking..............

"I've spent the week recovering from Covid, taking in the world mostly from my laptop/X. The view is disturbing. Is it a reflection of reality? There's a steady stream of black people behaving dysfunctionally and violently. X is WorldStar. Is this reality? Has the rejection of the nuclear family created this level of chaos and irrational thought? I'm asking sincerely. Before getting sick, I spent the weekend hosting Roll Call. It was the antithesis of what I'm seeing on this platform. I spent the weekend with authentic believers fellowshipping in Christ. It was amazing. We were in three different settings -- bar, venue, and home. There was music, food, alcohol, and people of different skin tones and economics. There was no tension. Maybe I created the fantasy world? This week spent at home and forced to experience life mostly through a social media app has been sobering, chilling, disconcerting. What I'm seeing on this app is unsustainable. It can only end one way -- violent conflict. Not to pick on anyone in particular, but I watched Paul Pierce preach against family/marriage. I saw Joy Taylor brag about the joys of being a 304. These are the voices being elevated. You can't build a sustainable society that is hostile to the nuclear family. The unfathered are completely out of control. I'm rambling. I apologize. This app is disturbing. Is it reality?"

FARO

Why?

Why do I only own 1,000 shares?

Ametek has agreed to acquire Faro Technologies in a deal worth $920 million. Ametek plans to buy all of Faro's shares for $44 apiece, the companies said Tuesday. That represents a 40% premium to Faro's closing price on Monday. The boards of directors of both companies unanimously approved the deal. It is expected to close in the second half of this year. Faro provides 3D measurement and imaging solutions. It logged about $342 million in annual sales in 2024. Ametek provides industrial technology and had sales of $6.94 billion last year. "FARO's differentiated 3D metrology and imaging solutions expand our presence in attractive growth markets," Ametek Chief Executive David Zapico said.

Big Sky Fire

 

The Yellowstone River Valley seldom disappoints. 

At dusk, this fire erupted!

Market Risk or To the Moon?

On a wet afternoon in Tennessee this has been an awful good run.   I feel froth.   This is heating up faster than it should.  I don't feel comfortable with the speed we have moved to the upside.  The bond market is telling me to look around and stay nimble.    

I will be cutting stock exposure this month, before the summer heat.  I seldom make prognostications but this one you can put in stone.  Dean Parisian is cutting risk going into the summer of 2025.

As always, the golf game needs work, and I will be traveling to our ranch on the Yellowstone River and our beautiful crib in Mexico.  It's a grand time of the year to enjoy Montana.

I am surprised at the strength after such a hard pull-back in April.  It has been a stellar run off the April 8 low and I feel sorry for the legions of investors who sold their positions at much lower prices a few weeks ago.  Today, my biggest position, which is in Berkshire Hathaway, closed at an all-time high.

It has been a grand run and it truly started years ago when my first purchase of PLTR was at $3.875.   It has been extremely beneficial to know so many people who have been in this business so long and who share ideas.  I am thankful for the friendship! 

Who was it again who said, "sell" in May and go away?

I'm all ears to that.  It's too hard to make to give it back.

2008 and now 2025............

I grew up looking over my shoulder.   Always looked back to see where I had come from to see where I needed to go.  It served me well.

It is in my DNA.

Yes, optimism is a force multiplier.  Yes, Colin Powell had that right. 

Keep your head up, your eyes open, and keep the head swiveling. 

In my office, I keep these pictures predominantly displayed.  

I never want to forget that the carnage of 2008 can't be repeated.  I think Warren Buffett, a bright and savvy Nebraskan, has his own ideas on what might happen, and he's keeping over $350,000,000,000 in cash to deploy in case SHTF.  Smart guy, what does he know? 

Who is looking out for your money?   You think the SEC is?  You think FINRA is?  You think your accounting firm is?   You think your broker is?  You think your banker is?   

Think again.

After 2008, this was the result of nobody going to jail.  Real estate brokers, mortgage brokers, loan officers, bankers, lawyers, you name it, no one paid except the American taxpayer.

Every few months I watch a movie.  Not any old movie, this movie.  One of the greatest movies ever made.   A movie called, "THE BIG SHORT".  I watch it to keep my guard up.  To be alive and remind myself to look out for my financial welfare.  To think ahead of what "will" happen again, in some form or fashion.  Trust me, history repeats itself.  Greed will never go out of style.   It's been around 10,000 years and kills people daily.

 

What DOGE has uncovered is similiar to 2008.  The lies, deceit, corruption, fraud is easy to see, easier to decipher.  No one is being prosecuted.  Just like 2008.  The level of crime is so off-the-charts and no major media outlet is leading the charge to tell the story.  The criminals are losing the best scam in the history of the planet!

It is truly staggering and unbelievable. 

The NGO's have been havens for theft.  Not just a million here or there.  Tens of millions.  Hundreds of millions.  Billions of dollars of fraud and waste have been built into the fabric of government spending.  Have you seen anyone in orange jail attire?  Anybody in handcuffs?   No, not a chance.   There are too many guilty.  It appears far too many are in on it.  Too many to prosecute.  Too many in high places.  

This photo is one of the first pictures of the crash site of a large aircraft in the Florida Everglades.  A picture of no plane, no debris, just swamp.  Here is what happened.  Often things don't appear to look like what we think they should look like.  No smoke, no fire, no metal, no bodies.  Just a plane devoured in the muck. 

On May 11, 1996, ValuJet Flight 592, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashed into the Florida Everglades about 10 minutes after takeoff from Miami International Airport, en route to Atlanta. All 110 people on board (105 passengers, 5 crew) were killed.

Cause: The crash was caused by a fire in the cargo compartment, triggered by improperly stored and mislabeled chemical oxygen generators (hazardous cargo). These generators, which produce oxygen and heat when activated, ignited, creating an intense fire that spread rapidly. The fire compromised the aircraft’s electrical and flight control systems, leading to a loss of control. The flight data recorder (FDR) showed progressive system failures, and the pilots, Captain Candi Kubeck and First Officer Richard Hazen, struggled with smoke, electrical issues, and a loud bang (likely a tire explosion in the cargo hold). At 2:10 p.m., passengers reported smoke, and the pilots attempted to return to Miami but lost control as the plane banked sharply, rolled, and nosedived into the Everglades at over 507 mph.

 
I keep this picture of a sunken TITANIC to remind me to think in terms of extremes, to not be greedy, to stay focused, to do what should be done, and not to take huge chances that could put my financial future in jeopardy.   

In the markets, as in life, remind yourself of your boundaries. Never think it can't happen to you. I keep this framed picture on an office wall, easy to see, obviously to remind me daily. Don't think it can't happen to you.

There is no reason to be stupid in the markets and kill yourself and your trading equity. Yes, I experienced some tremendous drawdowns, which didn't put me out of business, but the worst one came at the absolute worst possible time. It was bad news on top of bad news on top of bad news.

Never believe it can't happen to you.

I believe the Trump Administration has literally saved our nation.  Putting the Harris ticket into the White House would have been like the Titanic backing up and hitting the iceberg again.

This next picture reminds me of the finest dining venue I have enjoyed with my wife.  Have never forgotten it.  The mountaineering excellence, the views, North, West, East, and South. Incomparable.  That is the Mt. Blanc summit above the restaurant, at 15,781 feet, it is the highest mountain in Western Europe, located in the Alps on the French-Italian border.

I found that restaurant so motivating, so captivating, so inspiring.

I still do.

Wall Street Journal

"As usual, we stand behind our lies and incorrect reporting on TESLA and MUSK."

You can't hate the media enough.

Master's in writing and printing lies to sell advertising!  

They are fake and criminal.