Portfolio Changes to Vailshire Partners LP Hedge Fund (Week of August 27-31) – $GPN $EA $CTRP $EEM

Highlights: Technology and US-based small cap stocks continue to perform well. Emerging market equities are increasingly volatile and have performed poorly. Our short positions in such companies and funds are performing admirably within Vailshire Partners LP Hedge Fund. Turnover last week was relatively low, with only four position changes in our diversified portfolio. Overall, the fund continues to handily outperform the …

The Market is Putting the Wrong Company in the Bargain Bin

Initially founded by Stephan A. Schwarzman in 1985 with a balance sheet of $400,000, Blackstone (NYSE: BX) has morphed into a behemoth global investment and advisory firm with total assets under management (AUM) of $279 billion as of June 30, 2014. A publicly traded firm since its 2007 IPO, Blackstone can be broken down conceptually into four investment vehicles: Private …

13 for ’13: First Quarter Results

If you joined with me and invested in some (or all) of my “13 for ’13” recommendations at the start of the new year, you may be interested to see how we have faired so far in 2013.  The ride has been exciting … because it’s always more fun to ride investments up than to watch them crash down!  In …

Is the Verismo a Flop? How Starbucks Investors Should Respond.

Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) continues to try to invade our kitchens. This time their goal is to create the perfect home-brewed espresso beverage with their long-anticipated Verismo 580 machine.  After much hype this autumn, the official verdict remains to be seen.  The jury is still out on whether the Verismo will be profitable for Starbucks, or a flop.  I’m betting on the latter. Questions …

13 for ’13 (Part 3 of 3): Thirteen Market-Beating Investments for the New Year

The New Year has now fully arrived and your portfolio is ready to take a serious turn for the better.  2013 promises to be difficult for many traditional investments, with the Biggest Loser being U.S. Treasurys. Remarkably, as with most secular markets, the great horde of less astute investors continues to pile into Treasurys at exactly the wrong moment, at …