Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Last Chance to Hoard Hershey

I'm talking the candy, not necessarily the stock.

March 30, 2011

Hershey to raise candy prices nearly 10 percent

The candy maker says the price increase takes effect immediately.

Consumers may not see the impact on store shelves right away, because many retailers will be able to buy products at the old prices for about eight weeks.


That's an instant 10% return on investment for those who love candy. It won't make you wealthier though. Sorry.

Here's the good news. You won't pay tax on the capital gains. You can simply eat your inflationary profits.

2 comments:

Stagflationary Mark said...

In a related story, long-term readers know that I am a fan of William Pesek. Check out what he wrote this week.

March 29, 2011
Amish Life in Tokyo Will Cause Economic Backlash: William Pesek

Got Toilet Paper?

Rolling blackouts have created a bull market for LED lamps and flashlights. Suddenly, department stores regret not having bigger camping-equipment sections. Really, who knew? Tokyoites are hoarding bottles of water and toilet paper is frustratingly scarce. My local reggae bar owner told me he’s stopped placing extra rolls in the bathroom. His patrons are stealing them.


Have I got toilet paper? Yeah, about 10 years worth! I never take the simple things in life for granted. What's the harm in having extra? It beats earning 0.1% on three month treasury bills.

Bernanke did want me to shop. Right?

Stagflationary Mark said...

Here's yet another person who thinks that food and energy are excluded from the CPI. Behold the power of the Internet to misinform.

March 30, 2011
Inflation or Deflation: Michael Burry and Seth Klarman Versus Robert Shiller

Furthermore, many people criticize the CPI as a flawed metric. Gas prices and food prices have skyrocketed in America, however, theyconveniently are excluded from the CPI.

Why does this myth continue to spread? All it takes is one read of any one of the monthly CPI reports to find the truth.

I work in Business Development for Sum Zero, an exclusive invitation only online community of ~5,000 buyside analysts/Associates/PMs, and over 3,000 extensive investment write-ups.

May I never get invited.

Consumer Price Index Summary

Though the seasonally adjusted increase in the all items index was broad-based, the energy index was once again the largest contributor. The gasoline index continued to rise, and the index for household energy turned up in February with all of its components posting increases. Food indexes also continued to rise in February, with sharp increases in the indexes for fresh vegetables and meats contributing to a 0.8 percent increase in the food at home index, the largest since July 2008.