Reaching a Desired Audience with Precision

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Why Facebook has a $300+ billion market cap ... it's all about cashing in on the precious information that "users have chosen to share" (bold and bold italics mine):

"We generate a substantial majority of our revenue from advertising ... We allow advertisers to select relevant and appropriate audiences for their ads ... We believe that a more valuable advertiser and user experience is created through our ability to match the most relevant ads to each of our users based on his or her connections, demographics, and expressed interests ... Advertisers can specify that we show their ads to a subset of our users based on demographic factors such as age, location, gender, education, work history, and specific interests that they have chosen to share with us on Facebook or by using the Like button around the web or on mobile devices ... Performance-based online advertising has typically involved advertisers seeking a specific user behavior such as a click on a search ad or a keyword-based content ad, a response to an email campaign, or an online purchase. We enable new forms of performance-based advertising, where advertisers can connect with users who are likely to have demand for their products based on the information that our users have chosen to share. We believe that performance-based campaigns on Facebook allow advertisers to offer their products to users with inferred intent and enhance users’ experiences by showing them relevant ads tailored to their specific interests ... We also have a global sales force that is focused on attracting and retaining advertisers and providing support to them throughout the stages of the advertising campaign cycle from pre-purchase decision making to real-time optimizations to post-campaign analytics."

(From their Prospectus)

Girls Talk

Added on by C. Maoxian.

I like quite a few of Elvis Costello's songs, including this one. No good live version so I'm forced to embed this:

Any Old Lie Will Do

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Fleet Foxes ... I like several of their songs, including this one, Ragged Wood.  Recorded at some Mighty White Festival. I bet that lead singer has a hard time finding girls:

Chairman's Grocery Cart

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Another unwanted glimpse into the Chairman's life. Typical grocery shopping for me:

Forgot to label the hummus, it's $4 a tub.

  1. Olives: Castelvetrano (unpitted) and Nicoise-Coquillo (pitted), $8.50 a pound
  2. Cucumbers: organic, seedless, $3 a piece
  3. Avocados: $2 a piece 
  4. Green Pepper: organic, $2 a piece
  5. Radishes: $1.50 a bunch
  6. Broccoli, not organic, forget how much, will check
  7. Asparagus, pre-cut means $6.49 a pound for the lazy
  8. Cauliflower, ditto
  9. Kale, Chard, Spinach greens: $5 a box (11 oz) (triple washed for the lazy)
  10. Kale: baby greens, $4.70 a box (11 oz) (triple washed for the lazy)
  11. Almond milk: original, unsweetened, $3
  12. Olive oil: extra virgin, Lucini brand, $18 (lasts awhile)
  13. Vinegar: also Lucini brand, on sale for $8 (also lasts awhile)
  14. Eggs: organic, jumbo, $5
  15. Fish: varies, but I get cod, swordfish, flounder, salmon, etc. 
  16. More fish
  17. Chicken: organic, breasts, $8.50 a pound
  18. Shrimp: farm-raised in Belize, $11 a pound

This will last me three or four days and then I have to go shopping again. 

Biotech Index and Apple Should Both Rally From Here

Added on by C. Maoxian.

I'm seeing a lot of buy set-ups on the weekly charts ... among the 20 or so that I've spotted, I'll only feature the ones that I think hold the most popular interest: Biotech (represented by the XBI) and Apple (AAPL).

Risk-reward in the XBI is around six times off the weekly, but day traders should be able to reduce their initial risk very quickly once in the position.

Click to enlarge

Apple's pattern is a bit more complicated and the minimum expected risk-reward (at the $120 target) isn't great off the weekly low, but if it got back to $140, that would be nice.

If both of these set-ups fail, then you'll know we're in for a "bear market" and you should adjust your expectations accordingly. 

Click to enlarge