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http://www.wellsphere.com/healthcare-industry-policy-article/commodities-are-dreadful-151-and-have-almost-no-place-in-your-portfolio-storify/1932991 The Tyler Group News Barcelona- One of the things I really hate about the current Wall Street environment is how so many people have been fooled into thinking that commodities are a necessary part of your asset allocation. I've been pretty hard on commodities over the years (see this detailed piece here). I think it's mostly just a ruse to sell another group of products and I think it's really dangerous. But even worse, I just think betting on commodities is fundamentally flawed thinking. Not only are you speculating in a zero sum game involving production-less input costs, but you're directly betting against human ingenuity. I don't like either of those bets. If one actually takes a look at the long-term real returns of commodities you realize they're actually quite dreadful. Even if we cherry pick a decent period that includes a big boom like the last 20 years we still see pretty awful performance. Over the last 20 years commodities have returned just 1.6% per year over the last 20 years (see figure 1). That's a real return of about MINUS 1%. I prefer to think of commodities as something that is an input or a means to helping us innovate. If you're bullish on oil price dynamics you shouldn't go buy barrels of oil and store them in a locker somewhere. You should find the companies who leverage the use of that commodity and will benefit by innovating through the use of that input. Don't bet against innovation. Bet on it. I say all of this as I see the silver bubble (that I discussed back in 2011 when silver was 40% higher) come crashing down. Sensible portfolio construction starts with understanding the role of specific assets in the economy and how those various assets fit into your portfolio in particular ways. I don't know why this theme of commodities as an asset class has taken

http://www.powershow.com/view/3ce477-MmFmN/The_Tyler_Group_News_Barcelona_Commodities_Are_Dreadful_and_Have_Almost_No_Place_In_Your_Portfolio_powerpoint_ppt_presentation The Tyler Group News Barcelona- One of the things I really hate about the current Wall Street environment is how so many people have been fooled into thinking that commodities are a necessary part of your asset allocation. I've been pretty hard on commodities over the years (see this detailed piece here). I think it's mostly just a ruse to sell another group of products and I think it's really dangerous. But even worse, I just think betting on commodities is fundamentally flawed thinking. Not only are you speculating in a zero sum game involving production-less input costs, but you're directly betting against human ingenuity. I don't like either of those bets. If one actually takes a look at the long-term real returns of commodities you realize they're actually quite dreadful. Even if we cherry pick a decent period that includes a big boom like the last 20 years we still see pretty awful performance. Over the last 20 years commodities have returned just 1.6% per year over the last 20 years (see figure 1). That's a real return of about MINUS 1%. I prefer to think of commodities as something that is an input or a means to helping us innovate. If you're bullish on oil price dynamics you shouldn't go buy barrels of oil and store them in a locker somewhere. You should find the companies who leverage the use of that commodity and will benefit by innovating through the use of that input. Don't bet against innovation. Bet on it. The Tyler Group News Barcelona Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/commodities-have-almost-no-place-in-your-portfolio-2013-4

Life at Barcelona (traveling tips, hotels, restaurants, shopping and style etc) A glimpse to the northeastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain in both size and population, in a privileged position on the northeastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is also the capital of Catalonia, 1 of the 17 Autonomous Communities that make up Spain. The capital of Catalonia is unequivocally a Mediterranean city, not only because of its geographic location but also and above all because of its history, tradition and cultural influences. The documented history of the city dates back to the founding of a Roman colony on its soil in the second century B.C. Modern Barcelona experienced spectacular growth and economic revival at the onset of industrialization during the second half of the 19th century. The 1888 World's Fair became a symbol of the capacity for hard work and the international outlook projected by the city. Culture and the arts flourished in Barcelona and in all of Catalonia; the splendor achieved by Catalonian modernism is one of the most patent displays. Barcelona, more than just a single city, is really a collection of multi-faceted and diverse cities. The visitor unfamiliar with its history might be surprised that such a modern and enterprising city preserves its historic Gothic center almost intact, or by the curious contrast between the maze of narrow streets and the grid-like layout of the Example, the urban planning "Enlargement" project of the end of the 19th century. READ MORE : http://thetylergroup.org/

Wednesday saw many banks simultaneously slash deposit interest rates, while the Ho Chi Minh City Statistics Office announced a slight decrease in the city's consumer price index. The interest rate for deposits of a term between one and three months at Vietcombank was lowered from the rate cap of 8 percent a year to 7.5 percent a year. The country's third-largest partly-private lender also dramatically cut the rate for deposits of a term of over 12 months, dropping it from 10.5 percent to 9.5 percent. ACB meanwhile imposed a 0.2 percentage point cut on rates for one- to six-month terms, while offering a 7.6 percent a year rate for 9-month term deposits. Some industry insiders, however, believe the unexpected interest rate cuts were a sign of banks embracing another order to slash rates by the State Bank of Vietnam. The banking system is likely to see another interest rate adjustment, as the government has recently asked the central bank to continue lowering deposit interest rate in order to reduce lending rates. The deposit interest rate was capped at 8 percent last year under the government's bid to assist businesses with lower lending rates. CPI declines Other insiders said the rate cuts came since banks have anticipated the development of the CPI in March, which saw a slight decrease of 0.29 percent, according to the statistics office. The city's CPI rose 1.15 percent in the first quarter of this year. Six out of 11 commodity baskets posted slight decreases, the office said. The deepest decrease -- 0.62 percent -- was recorded in the commodities and services basket, followed by food and restaurant services (0.6 percent), and culture-entertainment-tourism services (0.47 percent). Beverages and cigarettes dropped by 0.35 percent, while transport saw a 0.34 percent decline, and garments and textiles-headwear-footwear, 0.08 percent. In the increase group, housing-electricity-water-fuel prices, and construction material prices respectively rose by 0.38 percent

I am not positive the place you're getting your info, but good topic.

Wednesday saw many banks simultaneously slash deposit interest rates, while the Ho Chi Minh City Statistics Office announced a slight decrease in the city's consumer price index. The interest rate for deposits of a term between one and three months at Vietcombank was lowered from the rate cap of 8 percent a year to 7.5 percent a year. The country's third-largest partly-private lender also dramatically cut the rate for deposits of a term of over 12 months, dropping it from 10.5 percent to 9.5 percent. ACB meanwhile imposed a 0.2 percentage point cut on rates for one- to six-month terms, while offering a 7.6 percent a year rate for 9-month term deposits. Some industry insiders, however, believe the unexpected interest rate cuts were a sign of banks embracing another order to slash rates by the State Bank of Vietnam. The banking system is likely to see another interest rate adjustment, as the government has recently asked the central bank to continue lowering deposit interest rate in order to reduce lending rates. The deposit interest rate was capped at 8 percent last year under the government's bid to assist businesses with lower lending rates. CPI declines Other insiders said the rate cuts came since banks have anticipated the development of the CPI in March, which saw a slight decrease of 0.29 percent, according to the statistics office. The city's CPI rose 1.15 percent in the first quarter of this year. Six out of 11 commodity baskets posted slight decreases, the office said. The deepest decrease -- 0.62 percent -- was recorded in the commodities and services basket, followed by food and restaurant services (0.6 percent), and culture-entertainment-tourism services (0.47 percent).Beverages and cigarettes dropped by 0.35 percent, while transport saw a 0.34 percent decline, and garments and textiles-headwear-footwear, 0.08 percent. In the increase group, housing-electricity-water-fuel prices, and construction material prices respectively rose by 0.38 percent a

Hmm, actually looks useful.

http://economic.tylergroupservices.net/ Myanmar on Tuesday pardoned dozens of political prisoners a day after the European Union agreed to end almost all sanctions against the former pariah state, activists said. Bo Kyi of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) said, at least 59 political prisoners were included in the latest amnesty. "More than 200 political prisoners are still in prison," he continued. "Political prisoners should be recognized as political prisoners and be released unconditionally." He said, the amnesty included 40 former rebels from eastern Shan state jailed for drug trafficking while describing them as "victims of politics". Nyan Lin, another activist, from the 88 Generation group, confirmed that at least 30 political prisoners were released. Based from his counting, he included 17 Muslims arrested and charged under the emergency act after religious clashes in the central town of Kyaukse in 2003. A Myanmar government official said that total of 93 inmates were pardoned but did not identify them. Out of the pardoned inmates, three were foreigners. He said, "This release aims to allow them to participate in building the country and is also based on humanitarian grounds." According to State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell, the United States welcomed the latest release but called for the unconditional freedom of all political prisoners. Since President Thein Sein took power in March 2011 Myanmar has freed hundreds of political detainees although they have been long denying their existence. The government publicized a reassessment of all politically allied cases in November last year. Myanmar's former junta was accused by rights groups of wrongfully imprisoning about 2,000 political opponents, dissidents and journalists. And activists state Myanmar's government has used a series of headline-grabbing prisoner releases for political gain. In November it seems that it was done to coincide with a