Still Investing

"Still" is and has been one of my favorite investing terms. I can't even begin to tell you how much I trust/distrust it depending on its usage. There must be some part of the brain that knows to use it when we try to rationalize something away.

For example, if I knew that the weather was expected to be sunny and warm for the next week then I would never say, "The weather is still nice." Some might, but you'd have to think they are being a bit pessimistic. It would be much more appropriate to simply say, "The weather is nice."

Therefore, when I can see someone trying to be optimistic but they are using the word "still" as a disclaimer, I get extremely skeptical.

The Bright Spot in a Gloomy Market

While high by modern American standards, the unemployment rate is still around 7.2% (the Great Depression saw levels closer to 25%); gasoline prices are back down to reasonable levels; and food price increases are finally moderating.

He could have simply said that the unemployment is around 7.2%. That would have been just as true. However, I'm suggesting that in all good conscience he had to use the "still" word. The word was not optional. Deep down he either knows or suspects that unemployment will rise. I think we all do.

Mass-affluent investors are still optimistic about green investing

Despite the economic downturn, investors with more than $100,000 in assets were still optimistic about investing in green ventures, according to a survey released today by Allianz Global Investors.

Still optimistic? I'm already extremely skeptical of the word still used in this way. Tacking on "optimistic" is a recipe for turning me into a basket case, lol. In sharp contrast, I'd be tempted to embrace coal. I suspect we'll be literally begging for energy someday, dirty or otherwise.

Collapse of the Clean Coal Myth

Coal is certainly an important fuel, providing just over half of the nation’s electricity.

Let me get this straight. I must not understand it correctly. Dirty coal will power more than one half of our green electric cars? Seriously? I nominate THAT idea for the Perfect Solution to a Crisis Award. I rank it right up there with creating a housing/credit bubble to replace a dotcom bubble, lol.

Jan. 18, 2008
Bush Says U.S. Needs Plan to Boost Economy

Paulson shrugged off concerns that Thursday's stock market plunge was a warning sign for the economy's long-term outlook. He said that right now there are risks for a downside, but that the underlying economy was still strong.

The underlying economy was still strong, but then the weather changed. Okay, okay, the economy wasn't really strong. It just appeared to be strong. Nobody noticed that we'd actually entered the recession in the previous month. You get the idea though.

Welcome to the financial storm. We're "still" in it!