David Neubert Homepage

Even if you don't own any stock in a bankrupt company, your portfolio is still at risk.

Regulators recently let CIT Group (CIT - $0.26) fall into bankruptcy.  When a large company goes bankrupt creditors (bond holders, lenders and vendors) can usually get part of their money back, stock holders are nearly always completely wiped out.

Last year Bear Stearns avoided bankruptcy by selling to JPMorgan (JPM - $42.58).  Shareholders were basically wiped out.  A slow panic ensued and prices of all financial institutions began to fall.  Fund managers and traders were selling << MORE >>

Brother Jimmy's BBQ, where I am currently a member of the board and investor, was named as a "Next Big Chain" by AOL Small Business. Well, AOL from your writing to God's ears.  As someone who was a vegetarian until I was thirty most of my old friends find it ironic that now I'm a huge fan of pulled pork.  Congrats to Josh Lebowitz (CEO of Brother Jimmy's Restaurants) and his team of managers for yet another positive review.

Here's a photo of Jimmy Goldman (founder of Brother Jimmy's) at his son's bris.  Yeah, Brother Jimmy was founded  by a New Yorker who went to college in the south and fell in love with best North Carolina has to offer.

This is from the first ever bris I attended and I have to say I got pretty quezy.  But I thought the ceremonial aspect of a boy becoming part of the community was pretty cool.

        

I'm trying to archive some of my video appearances on this blog.  This was a fun appearance on the Fox Business show Happy Hour set in a a bar.  In 1991 when I first moved to New York the big Latin American Debt traders (I was a little time trader) took me to the Bull and Bear bar in the Waldorf for "claritos".  A clarito is South American for vodka martina.  Funny, that I ended up in the same bar on Fox Business 17 years later as a pundit.  Who would-a-thunk it?

        

I have recently become a fan of napping at the office.  My office in Little Italy near lots of espresso bars but it also has a sofa. 

I feel a quick nap does more to improve my mood than caffeine and it turns out there is a study that agrees with me.  It turns out that a 5 minutes disco nap can be better than a couple cups of coffee.  I'm hoping to nap every day.  This write-up at productivity site, 43Folders.com has a cool info graphic and lots of tips and scientific facts about how to nap.  Most people, power nap at lunchtime in their cars.

The office in Little Italy where I'm working/consulting you ask?  Well, we are busy designing the software but we still don't have a name.  When we do I will start blogging on that too.

Full Disclosure: The photo is posed.

        

George Bliss, an advocate for pedicabs in New York City is featured a short film about his work.  Oddly, because of a lawsuit by a passenger he cannot get insurance to operate a business.  Instead he works to get all the ugliness that cars create in New York off the streets. 

The video is sponsored by Puma.  Since the site doesn't allow specific linking to a video, use the watch more button to find the video called Bliss And The Wheel.  

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My friend, internet goddess and design guru Emily Davidow shared a link about this potential toy with me. 

I had no idea that the FAA created a new type of pilots license called Sport Pilot's license.  So you can't fly at night, only on instruments or in bad weather or land at major airports.  Who cares?  I just want to get in, fly around and return to earth.  There is a flying license for that and now a company taking advantage of it.  I'm sure there will be more.    I think I'll wait until these little ...<< MORE >>

I saw two sonnets above the urinal at a Wall Street software company in Boulder, Colorado last week. The company was running an in office contest to pick the best sonnet of the day. I thought it ironic and refreshing that two sonnets concerning a woman's loss of love would be what these computer men read while standing at the urinal.<< MORE >>

I had what I thought was a somewhat revealing interview on Radio Netherlands last month.  The editor of The Panelist, Michelle Haimoff,  describes the Radio Netherlands interview.



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The Panelist Media board member and friend Ace Durjoy Bhattacharjya got some friends to together to tell us all about his new venture.  We ended up meeting and making a lot of connections over tricky, hard to understand but easy to drink cocktails.   Reservations and entrance to the speakeasy Bourbon and Branch were complicated but worth it.

I met several New York to San Francisco transplants and bloggers like communications blogger Renee Blodgett, technologist Deborah Shultz, search diva Vanessa Fox, Natala Menezes from Microsoft and photographer Gene Hwang.

Do I get photos?  No.  Did I get video?  No. Did I get a hangover?  Yes.

        

I went thirteen months without a blog entry and somehow turned of my payments and lost my blog at Godaddy.com.  Imagine my horror when I realized that DavidNeubert.com was blank.  After much begging and lots of "no sorry that's impossible" the people at Godaddy managed to recover my lost blog entries.

Since I co-founded ThePanelist.com with Michelle Haimoff and Undici Design last year I've focused most of my stock picking blogging on my blog, Neubert's Trades. 

Since my last entry thirteen months ago I have joined The Board of Performance Space 122, a non-profit edgy theater in the East Village of ...<< MORE >>

Among several new financial posting at The Panelist is this one on my views about Bernanke, inflation and interest rates.

If you are authorized to share this content (for example SeekingAlpha.com) please do not link to davidneubert.com but instead to http://thepanelist.com/blogcategory/Neuberts_Trades/
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You can read  Karen Salmansohn's Daily Love Happiness Carrer and Money Empowering Blog entry about my segment here.  I keep getting promised that Lime.com will post the podcast of one of my three appearances soon.  Don't worry, I'll announce it. 

I will now be a weekly guest on Just Be Happy Dammit Radio.  Every Wednesday between 8:00 and 9:00.  My segment is called The Panelist for the new location of my financial blog website/magazine to which I am dedicating most of my time.
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I wrote this blog on my Intel (INTC) trade at the Panelist.  Read and tread with care, this one is full of options.

The link to my blog (Neubert's Trades) at The Panelist is: http://thepanelist.com/blogcategory/Neuberts_Trades/  You can subscribe to it using RSS. ...<< MORE >>

I'll be on Karen Salmansohn's show, Be Happy Dammit, on Lime Radio tomorrow from 8:00 - 9:00am.  I think I'll either be in the 8:15 or 8:30 slot. 

I'll be talking about markets, personal finance, money and happiness.  Not sure exactly where the conversation will go but I know Karen's been asking about housing prices and recent mortgage market shake-ups. ...<< MORE >>

Why did I sell Verizon and buy G.E.?  See my blog entry at ThePanelist.com.

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See my financial blog called Neubert's Trades at The Panelist (this is my personal blog) for my recent entry on CitiGroup (C). I just couldn't help myself but buy. ...<< MORE >>

Burning Man! Heck no. Blogger Ethan Zuckerman in Western Massachusetts proposes Freezing Man Festival. Bet you won't see any naked hippies at his arts festival.Well, I'll be looking for his photos from Freezing Man 2007. In the meantime, here's the link to my photos from Burning Man 2006. ...<< MORE >>

A short entry on my Japanese Yen position at ThePanelist.com.Here's the RSS Feed for Neubert's Trades at ThePanelist.com ...<< MORE >>

Added to my position in Home Depot (HD) blog entry at The Panelist here. ...<< MORE >>

Blog Entry on my purchase of Amgen Inc. at ThePanelist.com. ...<< MORE >>

I wrote about New York Times Company (NYT) on my blog at The Panelist.Disclosure: I am the principal shareholder, publisher, founder and a blogger at The Panelist. ...<< MORE >>

A couple of articles I wrote at ThePanelist on TXU:The Panelist: Environmentalists Change TXU corpThe Panelist: Did Neubert buy TXU? ...<< MORE >>

My trading blog has moved to Neubert's Trades at ThePanelist.com.See today's entry on my sale of April gold futures at 684.40. ...<< MORE >>

I wrote about selling half my position in Stoneridge Inc. (SRI) at ThePanelist.com. Here is the link.Blog address: http://thepanelist.com/Neubert%27s_Trades/Neuberts_Trades/ ...<< MORE >>

I am writing several times a week in my blog for The Panelist. The title of the blog is "Neubert's Trades".Here is my reaction to today's ratings cut by Lazard on Seaspan (SSW) I also mention Knightsbridge Tankers Limited (VLCCF).Disclosures and Confessions: I own SSW. I have bought and sold SSW in the past two years. At current prices I am unlikely to buy or sell Seaspan. I own VLCCF. I have bought and sold VLCCF if the past two years. At currently prices I am more likely to buy ...<< MORE >>

I wrote about today's treasury auction and US Saving Bonds (I-Bonds) on my new blog at ThePanelistLink to Treasury Auction BlogLink to Entire Blog Called Neubert's Trades ...<< MORE >>

I wrote this one up at Neubert's Trades at ThePanelist.com. Pfizer (PFE) just keeps looking like a value stock.Disclaimer: Nothing in this trade log is meant to be specific financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell. I do not give investment advice. Do your own research. Do not rely on anything in this weblog to make investment decisions. I do not log all my trades here. I only describe or mention those that I think might be interesting. Consult an investment professional familiar with your specific ...<< MORE >>

As I go over Yahoo (YHOO) earnings data I was happy to see a decent increase in revenues even if earnings disapointed. However, it does seem that Google (GOOG) looks like the better value. Forward P/E of xx vs. xx for Yahoo. Then I came across the following blog entry by Jay Meattle at Compete.com: He shows the top 20 US website usage ranked by time spent on line. MySpace, owned by Newscorp (NWS), come in first at 11.9%. Second place belongs to Yahoo at 8.5%, four times the amount of time spent on Google ...<< MORE >>

I like this commentary on Forbes.com by Martin T. Sosnoff. Among the many stocks he mentions, the companies in my portfolio are WMT, HD, LEH, and AAPL. He is on the side of the shareholder activist and corporations treating shareholders like owners. He also talks about Walmart trying to improve its public image through deeds not just advertising. This op/ed would fit nicely into the editorial mission of The Panelist (where I am the founder/publisher). I wish we could afford him as one of our staff writers.Disclosures and Confessions: I own Wal*Mart (WMT), ...<< MORE >>

Life is an accumulation of experiences, not an accumulation of money. ...<< MORE >>

Found this little tidbit on the website of a woman from New Jersey (Kate of Hoboken) who lost her husband and wrote a lot about it. What follows is her four year old son Bucky's take on war:ONE DAYBUCKY Do you know why there is war ma?MOM No Bucky, why?<< MORE >>

I bought Vonage (VG ) at the beginning of the year as (documented on my personal blog - Jan. 3 2007 paid $6.65 - now $5.85) expecting the shares were the victim of tax loss selling and that I'd see a big snap back as soon as those who bought the stock at the IPO for $17, sold to recognize tax losses and offset gains. While sellers may have been hitting Vonage it would seem no such snap back was anywhere to be found. I'm still holding while I try to get a better handle ...<< MORE >>

Eric Jackson's Campaign to create shareholder value at Yahoo (YHOO) continues. It's still small relative to the total size of Yahoo but I hope he will continue to gather momentum. He's even created a Wiki for the campaign and has commentary from people. In expectation that this campaign might gather more momentum and seeing that it is getting more press coverage, I recently added to my Yahoo (YHOO) position through a buy/write. On Jan 17th I bought Yahoo shares at $28.97 and sold Jan 2008 35 strike calls for $1.95. I have a net cost ...<< MORE >>

Some business associates from the film industry were talking about financing film credits and asked me what I thought about a conversation they'd had at The Sundance Film Festival going on right now in Utah. Here's what I said:"I worked in finance for fifeteen years and there is a huge competition for the BS factor with Hollywood going on. 'Yes, we can do that deal' before you see a term sheet is the finance industry's version of 'We'll do lunch.' " ...<< MORE >>

Selling a European Utility Scottish Power (SPI). With p/e ratios roughly equal to that of the general market I think utilities in the US are vastly overvalued. As a result of the of the recent merger mania among utilities in Europe, I now think same is true of European utilities. On Jan 16th (yesterday), I sold my long time holding in Scottish Power ADRs (SPI) at $58.43. Disclosures and Confessions: I first acquired Scottish Power through my participation in a Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP) at PacifiCorp in ...<< MORE >>

Grandma called from California gloat and let me know that Imperial Sugar (IPSU) announced a special dividend of $3.00 per share. I thought the stock was getting too much attention because of ethanol prices had driven up sugar prices in the short term and that the stock would eventually suffer. When I wrote my entry on September 25th IPSU was trading around $29. It had fallen all the way to just under $21 in December. The stock is now trading at $26 and holders on December 26th get that extra 3 bucks. So I'd be ...<< MORE >>

The Inelegant Investor Summarizes Munger's Comments to the LATimes.Munger derided compensation consultants, declaring that “I have always said that prostitution would be a step up for these people.” Munger pointed out that the problem was not that CEOs were evil, but that “… envy-driven compensation mania … brings out the abosulte worst in good people.” ...<< MORE >>

Sorry Warren Buffet , Eric Jackson is my new investor hero. This guy is leading a campaign of individual investors from his blog to push for a restructuring of Yahoo (YHOO ) for the benefit of shareholders. In his blog and embedded video posted on YouTube Mr. Jackson describes a ten point plan to increase returns for shareholders and remind Yahoo Management who they work for. He then asks shareholders to either buy shares or use their current holdings and commit to vote them with his proposals. This is shareholder activism ...<< MORE >>

In early June, I bought Mastercard (MA) around $47.00. I thought I was buying a stock with a forward p/e of 15 which compared nicely to American Express (AXP) at the time. That seemed low and I thought that the stock deserved a p/e multiple of closer to 20. I sold half my position in November at $89.46. Today, I sold the rest at $101.40. Both August and November had positive earnings suprises that help goose to the stock to a forward p/e of 23 according to First Call estimates and today's ...<< MORE >>

Exxon (XOM) gets caught trying to supress science and hurt the planet for profit. (See Reuters article) If I want exposure to oil and it's a big part of the world economy. Energy will only get more important as China and India continue to industrialize and become consumers. Luckily at a p/e of 11.1 and a growth rate no better than other huge oil companies I can find better value and better morals (if only slightly sometimes) picking other energy companies. The Oil companies and the P/E ratiosof companies I do own are as follows:Conoco ...<< MORE >>

David Andrew Taylor, currency trader and blogger at dismally.com has the best disclaimer I've ever seen. I try to be painfully honest and even funny in my "disclosures and confessions" but this guy wins. I wonder what law firm he used to write his disclaimer?His Disclaimer begins like this:I have never made money in the markets. If you follow my advice, that is akin to strapping on a a piece of fishing line to your ankles and trying to bungee jump off a 1,000 foot bridge..... (read the rest) ...<< MORE >>

Holiday parties, working on ThePanelist.com and family visits have curtailed by writing but not my trading. Here's a list of value stocks that I picked up at year. These stocks seem cheap either because they are out of favor, the victims of year end tax selling, or simply value that I think will come back with the New Year when value managers start going over income statements and running screens again.I bought all of these names for myself or for friends in the last week of the year. Yahoo (YHOO) $25.51Home Depot (HD) $39.90Amgen (AMGN) $68.40Andarko (APC) ...<< MORE >>

I grew up playing in this Volkswagen. My mother got it in 1965, the year of my birth. I used to play house with Stacy Spung in the back on this when I was 5. In 1981/82, I learned to drive in this . . .<< MORE >>

Photo by Rahull J Young via Creative Commons and Flickr I had to add to my Chubb (CB) position. This property and casualty company is so cheap at a p/e of 8. They've had this low p/e for years as the stock has climbed. People are worried that global warming and terrorism mean that there is another unexpected disaster out there that will hurt insurance companies. While global warming is bad for me, you, the planet, the oceans, all the species that will go ...<< MORE >>

I posted this entry on July 24th, 2006 (Wait 'Till Winter) on buying semi-conductors and online retailers the summer and waiting for winter. I paid $24.75 for IAC/Interactive (IACI) - now $36.67$17.39 for AMD - now $20.80$17.10 for Intel (INTC) - now $20.84Last week I sold part of the IACI position at $36.64 and sold calls against another part. (Jan 2008, 37.5 strike).At a p/e of 38 trailing and Disclosures and Confessions: own and previously owned IAC/Interactive Group, Intel and AMD.Disclaimer: Nothing in this blog is meant to be specific financial advice or a ...<< MORE >>

Central Vermont Public Service Corp (CV) is an interesting utility. Though I don't own it right now, I've owned it on and off over the years. Like most Vermont companies they are pretty innovative when it comes to the environment. They currently have an interesting program around recycling cow manure to make electricity. Farmers are paid a premium and the earth is saved from methane."To create energy, manure and other farm waste are held in a sealed concrete tank at the same temperature as a cow's stomach, 101 degrees. Bacteria digest the volatile components, creating methane ...<< MORE >>

I'm starting to think that Microsoft is reaching the top of it's valuation. Perhaps we get a bit of a kick into year end. I'm not selling right now but I'm looking to sell April 30 calls against about a quarter of my position. When I picked up the position in the summer I was looking at just above 30 as my target price. At a p/e of more than 20 against next years earnings, I'd be ready to sell.Stock Traders Daily, Thomas Kee, sets out all the arguments to short MSFT. While I'm not ...<< MORE >>

An article on the growing disparity between charitable organization CEO's and large corporate CEO pay. The article, by Harvy Lipman, is from Business Week Online but first appeared in The Chronicle of Philanthropy.Why are heads of charitable organizations salaries growing more slowly than the CEO's of large corporations? 1. Donors watch how their money is spent much more closely than shareholders.2. Big Corporate CEO's have less shame about their greed.3. Philanthropic CEO's have enough awareness and humanity to accept that the returns they receive for their talent are way beyond money. I feel sorry for ...<< MORE >>

The US dollar declines and the US market is down. This is the exact opposite of usual medium term effects that occur when currencies move.I traded Mexican equity derivatives in 1994 during their currency crisis, I was trading Brazil (equities, futures and bonds) during many of their currency crises in the 1990's. I was trading emerging market debt in 1992 when the UK Pound broke from tand fell. In every case where these currencies fell the local stock market indices were up immediately and continued to go up after the currency breaks.Why do do markets go ...<< MORE >>

Found this interesting blog entry on the changes that happened at the Starbucks logo to make it less sexy and more mainstream. The first full body mermaid/siren must have offended somebody so we only get her bust now.See Blog From Dead Programmers' Cafe on The Starbucks SirenOh, my opinion on the Starbucks (SBUX) the stock? It's expensive, it stays expensive. And Starbucks keeps turning in phenomenal growth. I have bought it over the years in a hug pullbacks then bail out as soon as the stock recovers. This is the the classic, "I wished I owned ...<< MORE >>