I’ve always been of the opinion that inflation is a lot higher than stated by the CPI numbers. Here’s QE explained with a Jim Rogers/Peter Schiff sort of slant.

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Image from studentbrand.com

For the second time this semester my wife’s has been tasked with the challenge of getting people to click on a link (ex: http://tinyurl.com/nyumarkconf) as part of a contest for her brand strategy class.  Her professor, Scott Galloway, is a Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing for NYU.  He founded Red Envelope and Firebrand Partners so he has proven himself to be very successful in creating brands and is obviously very knowledgeable about marketing.  My wife even tells me he has a reputation for no nonsense (read his email to a student that became a viral sensation) and his lectures often draw visitors who aren’t enrolled in the MBA programs.

Still, I can’t help but wish my wife’s assignment would be more challenging than to get someone to click URLs about marketing and innovation conferences they probably could care less about.  Sure, it takes some acumen and a bit of ingenuity to get a large number of people to click on a URL, but I’d argue that this is more akin to spamming not branding.  If one were technically inclined he could even mask proxy requests to the URL, but this would likely be better reserved for a class in computer science.  Now I confess I do not know much about branding myself, but I would have expected that a branding exercise would at the very least:

• Convey some sort of message
• Make some sort of connection (emotional, intellectual, spiritual, etc.)
• Create some loyal following

I fail to see how getting others to click on a tracking URL accomplishes this.  Now perhaps I’m a bit biased because of my background in tech, but I wish these MBA students learned more technological skills and created some brand strategy utilizing a combination of social media, web services and open source software.

For example, why not teach the students how to implement a CRM strategy using something like SugarCRM?  The students could be given the challenge to write about some particular subjects they are passionate about using something like blogger from Google.  They could then setup an AdSense account to see if they may even monetize web traffic and generate a little income.  They may even purchase keywords on AdWords to drive traffic to their blog.  Using Twitter, they can cultivate a following and direct people to complete lead forms into SugarCRM.  With these leads in hand, they can create targeted email campaigns to keep their users informed about their blog and even track activities with such followers.  I believe that such a broad exercise utilizing various technologies will better equip the students with experience in branding and give them more technical skills.

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Based on China’s strong PMI numbers reported two weeks ago and the continuing uptrend in commodity prices – metals and agriculture, I think Chinese stocks are poised for further gains.  One particular company that could benefit from the high corn prices is Origin Agritech [SEED], a company that develops hybrid crop seeds.  Mosaic [MOS] and Potash [POT] have been the beneficiaries of the boom in agriculture prices so SEED should benefit as well.  SEED has a nice 10% pop last week when it was awarded a patent by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences for the Bt-gene.  I would take a small position on any pullback this week.

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Still haven’t found time to write much lately. I’m taking some profits this week. Sold SuccessFactors [SFSF] and a 3X Real Estate ETF [DRN] this week. Thinking of exiting my Dendreon [DNDN] soon as well. China’s PMI numbers this past week were impressive. Perhaps it could explain why some Chinese small cap stocks have continued to rally these past two weeks (SDTH, CCME, FEED, AUTC)

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Today marks the second anniversary of my mother’s passing.  It’s true that time has brought some healing.  Still, not a day has passed without me thinking of my parents.

Not too much commentary on the markets.  $FEED and $ONP have been a disappointment.  I’d say raise some cash where possible.  Don’t buy short ETFs; instead buy gold via $GLD.

This post was done via WordPress for Android phones.  =)

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Orient Paper Inc. [ONP] has been in the mix of daytraders’ chatter the past few weeks.  It all began with a report from Muddy Waters (a hedge fund, not the late musician) that claimed ONP was conducting fraudulent accounting practices.  The stock nosedived a few weeks back to about $4.  The same roller coaster ride occurred a few days ago and again today.  Each time the stock seems to be making lower lows and lower highs.  Today’s sell off is based on rumors that some analyst may suspend its rating for the company until an investigation is completed to either verify or disprove Muddy Waters’ claims.  I read a good article on SeekingAlpha.com today that mentioned the fear of Chinese small cap stocks and also a hypothesis about how American based hedge funds are giving these companies the good ole’ wall street f*ck.  I also read a recent 8-K form released by Orient Paper  to counter Muddy Waters’ allegations.   I watched this recent video from Doug over at Wall Street Media Company about his trip to Orient Paper’s headquarters and saw how large of an operation this company conducts as well as its expansion plans.  Lastly, I did some browsing around and read other articles concerning the recent allegations.  It all checks out for me and I think the fraud allegations are bogus.  If you’re a speculative investor this one is for you.  If Muddy Waters is found guilty instead ONP should go up to $7-8.

Disclosure: Long ONP at $4.42.  Remember I have to hold for 30 days too.  This is not an endorsement for you to purchase ONP.  Please know that risks are inherent in investing in Chinese small cap stocks.

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Image from www.simpsontrivia.com

Tonight I read that Matt Garza pitched the 5th no-hitter of the 2010 season.  The way the 2010 season started it seemed as if we were on pace to see the total number of no-hitters games fall outside the three-sigma rule of statistics.  My initial suspicion was that something had changed about the baseball that was giving pitchers an edge.

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Image from bigsislilsis.com

Okay so by now you have probably already felt first hand this seemingly unrelenting hot weather.  Studies indicate that last month was the hottest June recorded.  So are there trades to take advantage of this hot weather?

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Here’s a link to download the PDF file for AgFeed Inc’s presentation given this week in San Francisco.  The main theme to note is that they are continuing to integrate the full hog production cycle (womb to tomb) to realize maximum profit margins.  They are estimating full-year revenue for 2010 to come in at about $200-205M.  This is roughly a 15% increase from last year’s $173M number.  For full-year 2011 they are currently projecting $295M or so.  So from 2009 you’re looking at a projected 30%+ CAGR.  I doubled up on my FEED position earlier this week at $3.06 (average price of all positions is now $3.22/share).

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“You don’t stop running because you get old.  You get old because you stop running.”

- Jack Kirk (a.k.a. Dispea Demon)

I stumbled upon Christopher McDougall’s “Born To Run” by chance at the library last week.  When I got around to reading it I found myself hooked and wound up finishing the book in three days.  This is an excellent book that reads like a combination of an adventure, science, philosophy and biography on ultramarathon runners and the Tarahumara Indians.  I became fascinated with some of the characters and events mentioned and wound up doing additional research as well as over the internet so as to put a picture to a name.  The mention of the Divine Madness running cult was also very interesting and led me to Google around for articles related to that.

One of the themes in the book is this sort of Zen-like approach to life these ultramarathon runners have.  The title of the book indicates that running allows us to realize how human beings (Homo sapiens) were engineered to be efficient runners.  McDougall spends some time discussing the benefits of running without the fancy shoes and all their advanced microchips, springs and air pockets that companies like Nike promote.  In fact, the case could be made that these very shoes are the cause for the injuries many runners are afflicted with.  The reader also gets a sense of how these incredible athletes, despite having the chutzpah to run 100 miles in the desert, have a meditative outlook of life and are dedicated towards training their bodies solely for the pure bliss that may be captured when enjoying those special moments of simple joy when running.  Some reject materialism and turn down commercial sponsorships.   The Tarahumara Indians with their spartan lifestyle would be the epitome of the runners who grasp the birthright of running.  If you’re considering training for a marathon or are already an avid runner, I would highly recommend this book.

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