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Excerpt: In the past decade, food has become so cheap and abundant that a gradual trend towards the premium and the obscure has dominated the food-scape. As a result, prostrating oneself in front of a food trend – whether it is flirting with veganism or vegetarianism, eating local (i.e. the 100-mile diet), eating organic, eating cruelty-free, eating seasonal, has become the favourite pursuit of the elitist and upwardly mobile. The politics of food, particularly the inter-generational gap between how our grandparents, versus how we view food, is explored in this excellent essay by Mary Eberstadt. The fictional character, the 30-year-old Jennifer, is…
Social Trends & Investment
Demographics is a powerful barometer of social change. And social change drives much of political and economic changes. Put the two and two together, it is crucial for an investor to be aware of, and familiar with shifting population and geological trends. Here are some to help you out in this department.
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Excerpt: A couple of days ago, a fellow blogger commented on this rather unfortunate Fortune article on his blog. It is interesting for several reasons. First, the ideas are cookie-cutter and stale. Us Gen Yers had been told (to a certain extent) that we were on the cusp of a great demographic shift, where baby boomers’ impending departure would wreak havoc on corporate health. True, some of us were led to believe that our contribution would be valued at a premium, which would in turn translate into lots of choices and result in us hopping through the corporate environment at break-neck speed. …
End World Poverty and Hunger Through Understanding, Not Pity
April 29, 2009
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Excerpt: Bloggers Unite declared today Unite for Hunger and Hope day. I’m sure many posts are going up to get you to donate, to sign some kind of petition for debt relief, or in the least, just to care. Do you care? And with so many problems plaguing our lives, and the world in general, should you care? It’s not a rhetorical question. I am not sure I can overcome apathy. To say that one doesn’t care about world hunger or poverty, is like saying one doesn’t care about the environment or basic tenements of human rights. But the images of…
Don Coxe on Sunspots, Demographics, and Your Investments
April 14, 2009
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Excerpt: Don Coxe is an investment strategist. But unlike most investment strategists that flaunt degrees in mathematics or quantum physics, Coxe is a curious historian. At 73, his curiosity has yet to wane, and his quarterly newsletter Basic Points has followed him from his old employer BMO to his new investment advisory business. He makes investment a fun pursuit, not only of numbers, but of knowledge. In his own word, he studies history to “compare popular views about economics, finance, geopolitics with evidence of what has happened in various eras.” And making money is merely a financially rewarding byproduct of that…
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Excerpt: This is part two of a two part post on the importance of demographics on one’s investment choices. Part one addresses the perils of neglecting demographics, and today’s post will discuss investment ideas backed up by demographic trends. The more sensible consumer mentality may also be applied to investments. For years, we have invested in trends that most people do not understand – many had little fundamental support behind it other than the sheer force of market momentum. The foolishness of that collective decision is reflected in overall market returns: during the past decade, the stock market has not treated us…
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Excerpt: This is a two-part article that addresses economic and investment implications of demographic trends. Today, I look at what happens when we ignore demographics. In tomorrow’s column, I look at some investment opportunities supported by population and demand trends. I still remember presenting David Foot’s book “Boom, Bust, and Echo” in my high school economics class. It was the first time I was exposed to the idea. It was clear, succinct, and for me, absolutely mind-blowing (I was 17, ok?). Its sociological, marketing, economic and political implications kept me engaged and excited for weeks leading up to my talk. I still…
What the forgotten food crisis means for your investment
March 3, 2009
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Excerpt: Do you remember what the most attention-grabbing headline was a year ago? Before the US decided to embrace the “change” administration, before the credit bubble burst, before the cracks in the financial system started to appear for all to see, the Olympic was still in the future, and Michael Phelps and Bernard Madoff were yet to become household names . Yes, that time. Do you remember what dominated the headlines then? The global food crisis. That, along with a general global resource shortage, seemed to be what was on most people’s mind. It was hard not to notice. All around the world,…
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