LouisEly

Because Cramer was a hedge fund manager 20 years ago? Data is much more available and transparent now, and regulations were passed after the late 2000's financial crisis that increased government oversight and eliminated some regulatory gaps of hedge funds. The definition of "hedge fund" and how it got it's name is because they hedge their bets to create less volatility in expected returns compared to other retail funds with high exposure to the market. They make more extensive use of leverage and derivatives, riskier bets, but hedge those bets to reduce volatility. What I linked to was what is being said by others about Citron, not me.

RIP to former Wisconsin resident Dustin Diamond, a.k.a. "Screetch" from Saved by the Bell. Only 44.

If by "publicly bash" you mean publish opinions based on thorough research on the financial performance, financial stability, competition, and industry, then I guess you can say they "publicly bash" the company they are shorting. Citron Research has one of the best track records of exposing fraud in the corporate sector, and many of the companies that they have recommended shorting were because they were engaging in fraud (including bulletin-board pump-and-dump schemes). Is that "publicly bashing"?

The hedge funds aren't asking others to short the stock as well to drive up their profits; they don't announce anything. They're doing it independently. Their trades may be publicly available information, but they aren't promoting them.

The Rumble would be so much better if the winner got a title shot at the next PPV and not at WM. Because it's WM, it means that it can realistically only be 5 or 6 guys. This year may be the exception, with no/limited fan attendance they may be able to get away with a surprise winner. There's an old marketing saying - "predictability is the enemy of engagement". The Rumble gets a lot of engagement because the entrants and order aren't predictable, but it would be better if the winner wasn't predictable. I think every year for the last several years it's always been whoever was the odds-on favorite in Vegas the morning of the event. The winner eventually leaks out somehow.

How do you know that they didn't take positions before they broadcast their intentions on the internet? How do you know that there wasn't backroom conversation offline before they posted or about when to sell? Because they said so? Because it's on Reddit? They certainly don't have to pool their money for it to be illegal.

Not necessarily. It's not that dissimilar from other pump and dump schemes orchestrated by private parties who buy a bunch of a cheap stock and then use various media channels to try to get others to buy the stock to get it to go up and then sell. The dividing line typically is whether it is an individual entity or multiple entities, and whether it is a coordinated event among multiple entities. It is legal if it is one entity doing it, or multiple entities doing it independently without knowledge of others doing it. Broadcasting the intentions on any type of media is where it gets into a very gray area because it is no longer a single entity or multiple entities doing it independently. It is not known if the people on Reddit bought the stock before or after they announced their intentions; if it was before, then it is probably not legal. "Investment houses" (let's not generically call them "hedge funds" because hedge funds hedge their bets to take bigger risks but also limit their losses) cannot legally coordinate an effort like this with other investment houses; that's where it becomes illegal because that is market manipulation. What's the difference between two investment houses in a coordinated effort (which is illegal) and 200,000 individuals coordinating an effort on Reddit? Both have the same buying power, and both are attempting to manipulate the market for profit. One thing to note, most people who work for investment houses and have access to financial and market information are typically barred from owning individual stocks. A family friend of mine founded and was managing partner of a financial consulting firm that valued stocks and sold that information to investment firms; when he sold the company he said, "Now I can finally become an investor." He couldn't own stocks because of a potential conflict of interest, and that is the case with most people who work at those firms. Individuals who work at those firms are not directly profiting from it; it may affect their bonuses, but it could also cost them their jobs. The other problem is individuals who are buying the stock without access to/knowledge of what is being broadcast on Reddit. If they miss a sell signal from the coordinated effort, then they are the ones left holding the bag. This does not just affect big investment houses; this can also cost individuals (just like every market crash in history). Big losses on one investment lead to selling another... which leads to more losses, and more selling, and that's how crashes start. Also, big investment houses aren't the only ones shorting stocks; individual investors do that too.

I never put anything in a 401k that is pre tax to me it is just a dumb idea to pay the taxes later when you will be on a limited budget. Disagree - take the tax break now when I'm at peak earning years when the tax break will be greater. Plus, if you have an employer that has a decent match (back in the 2000's I worked for a company that matched dollar for dollar up to 10%), it's free money. A tax break of the 401K limit of $19,500 means a lot now, plus my company matched another over $5000 last year. Also, greater accumulation of wealth and compounding of interest now means being on less of a budget later.

To quote Mortimer from Trading Places, "SELL!! SELL!!! SELL!!!!"

Larry King wore white tube socks.

Totally agree, that's why I get Jack's half cheese/half pepperoni. I like Jack's sauce the best, and then I'll add my own cheese - I get a bag of shredded mixed gourmet cheddar (Roundy's brand, about $2.50 on average, enough to enhance about 4-5 pizzas) and maybe put some veggies on if I have them. If I didn't put my own cheese on them, I probably wouldn't get Jack's. But the gourmet cheddar makes a world of difference, and only costs about an additional $0.50 - $0.75/pizza.

Looks like I am going to be moving in a couple of months, and my 2-year xFinity "promo" discount is up thus so is my bill - total now up to $200. If I sign another contract it will get down to $170 (was $156 before). But they are trying to tell me that if I move to somewhere that they don't service I will have to pay the cancellation fee of $220, which is BS - if they don't service the area, I don't see how they can legally charge the fee. I gave YouTube TV a try and am in the 5-day free trial period. Has all of the channels I currently have that I watch (including NFL, MLB, and NBA networks), but it is... a hassle. The "streamlined" remote is a little too streamlined and missing some features that are quite handy. Perhaps my biggest complaint is that the "fast forward" function isn't really fast-forwarding - it skips 15 seconds ahead at a time. There is no 2x/4x fast forwarding where you can see what is going on, just quicker (I like to fast-forward while watching basketball when they are dribbling the ball up the court or have a whistle/in-bound play, etc., to speed up the game; for baseball, I like to fast-forward between pitches). I also dislike the channel guide - the font is too big and I don't need the mini image of the show and would much rather have a smaller font and no mini-image so I can see more channels on the screen and further ahead in time. I think I'll keep it until I move, then go back to cable after I move since I can cancel YouTube TV anytime.

Oh man... that brings back memories. I grew up about 10 miles from there. Vague recollections as a kid. A good friend of mine got married in Ripon (both times) and I think that's the last time I've been there, but that was a good 20+ years ago. I've only ever been to the old downtown location. Technically, Rocky's is Sicilian-style. But yeah, Detroit-style is thicker crust, similar to Rocky's. Agreed 100% - that's why I like Rocky's reheated. Honestly, I prefer a softer crust, and if you reheat on low power in a microwave it tastes just as good.

How do you reheat? It takes a while, but about 3-4 minutes on low power (3) in the microwave does the trick if you don't want to wait for a toaster oven to heat up to reheat it. Because the slices are so thick, sometimes I've had to eat the edges then put the middle back in the microwave for a minute.

Rocky Rococco's. Deep dish, thick crust, cheesy, saucy, sloppy, best sausage I've ever had on a pizza. I'm going to get fat moving back to Madison.

I think cryptocurrency is on the right path, but I don't know that Bitcoin or the others are it. What I think is the value of cryptocurrency is the ability to use blockchain or similar technology to track ownership and be able to "cancel" (for lack of a better word) currency that is acquired by illegal means (such as ransoms, fraud, etc.). Plenty of holes to shoot in that idea, but I think there is something along those lines that is possible.

Uverse. And they stopped their willingness to deal. And to clarify, that was the all-in price (cable/internet/premiums/etc). Excluding internet and premiums, what was the savings? (I assume by premiums you mean HBO, etc., which have no bearing on watching the Brewers/Bucks.) Not sure where you live, but I'm in Chicago and for $200/month I get cable TV (including MLB/NFL/NBA networks), internet, and cellular service (including the $25/mo for the installment payments on my phone) including all taxes and fees. (No premium channels - I have no interest in those, plenty of programming on regular cable.) The internet + cable is $150, the cellular service with installment payment is under $50.

Out in the middle of nowhere between Fond du Lac and Oshkosh is a farm that started taking their dairy and beef products and making frozen pizzas, and they are fantastic. https://www.pocopizza.com/ Some of them have some crazy ingredient combinations; I'm eagerly looking forward to having one of their horseradish beef pizzas. Right now they are showing a summer sausage and cheese curd pizza, a brat and curd pizza, cherry pulled pork, bacon mac and cheese, dutch apple pie, breakfast pizza... they have different varieties each week. Available for "barnyard pickup" - you order on-line by 6pm Thursday evening and then pickup at the big shed out back on Saturday between 11am - 4pm. Comes complete with barnyard smell while waiting in line. They have lots of other stuff - ice cream, veggies, baked goods, beef sticks. If you are anywhere near that area, or will be driving through mid-day on a Saturday, I highly recommend placing an order.

Somewhat related, but wondering what people would think would be the best option for someone who rents an apartment in Eau Claire during the week for work but whose full-time home is in Neenah. Logging in on-line doesn't really work because they limit how many times you can log into your TV service from a different IP address.

It's not by chance in the Whitefish Lake or Flathead Lake area, is it? I just got back from there. It will not be the last time I go there.

The shorter wavelength allows for faster transmission of data, but it also means a shorter range. From what I understand, 4G has a range of about 10 miles; 5G has a range of about 1000 feet. Unless they can make towers cheaply, or turn people's phones into mini-towers, 5G is really only going to be practical in bigger cities.

Amazonl just got FCC approval to launch a boatload of satellites to bring high-ish speed internet everywhere.

One of the Royal Rumbles, I believe 2008, is on FS1 right now. One of the matches is MVP vs. Rick Flair. I don't remember MVP being that big of a deal.

Instant mashed potatoes. How in the world did I not know about this glorious invention? Microwave two cups of water for 5 minutes, stir in the instant potatoes for one minute, and boom - mashed potatoes for little over a dollar a package, covers me for two meals. I've been trying to eat a little less meat without increasing sugar intake by cutting down on proportions but need something else to substitute and keep me from getting hungry. Easy nine months out of the year, I can bake a handful of sweet potatoes and have leftovers for two days. But I don't want any part of baking in my kitchen during the summer, and don't want to grill them on a gas grill for 45 minutes or whatever when I only need 10 minutes to grill a steak or 18-20 minutes for chicken breasts.

Wrap Technologies has almost doubled over the last week due to the protests. I can see significant investments in more humane means of people detainment and control. I'm doing really well so far on that investment. What companies are best poised to benefit from an increased investment in retail security for smaller stores?