The 2011 Bespoke Roundtable
Bespoke Investment Group, a popular and valued source of investment research, has once again conducted a virtual roundtable featuring financial bloggers. This is the second year for this great idea, and I appreciate the opportunity to participate.
They did a wonderful job, starting with an interesting list of questions. I am enjoying reading the answers of my blogging colleagues. It is a nice range of opinion. The question format seemed to get each of us onto themes a bit different from our regular posts.
To get some specific investing ideas, you should read the individual responses as well as the summary article.
Here is a segment from the article, just to get started.
At the end of each year, the big financial media outlets typically conduct roundtables to get outlooks from key players in the financial markets. Over the past few years, the individuals that run the best financial blogs and websites have become key players in their own rights, and their opinions are highly regarded by millions of loyal readers. Below is our 2nd annual Bespoke Roundtable with some of the major names in the online financial community, and it's all available for free to anyone with Internet access!
Twelve of the most popular financial blogs/websites agreed to participate in the roundtable. Each participant was asked to respond to the same 34 questions regarding their 2011 outlooks and their take on 2010. Once again we got some incredibly insightful commentary from each participant, and we feel that readers will thoroughly enjoy it.
Below is a list of our roundtable participants. We have created a page for each of them that has all of their responses, and we encourage you to visit their websites as well if you haven't already done so.
- A Dash of Insight - 2011 Bespoke Roundtable Q&A
- Crossing Wall Street - 2011 Bespoke Roundtable Q&A
- Financial Armageddon - 2011 Bespoke Roundtable Q&A
- Footnoted.org - 2011 Bespoke Roundtable Q&A
- Paul Kedrosky's Infectious Greed – 2011 Bespoke Roundtable Q&A
- Investment Postcards - 2011 Bespoke Roundtable Q&A
- The Kirk Report - 2011 Bespoke Roundtable Q&A
- Random Roger - 2011 Bespoke Roundtable Q&A
- The Reformed Broker - 2011 Bespoke Roundtable Q&A
- VIX and More - 2011 Bespoke Roundtable Q&A
- Wall St. Cheat Sheet - 2011 Bespoke Roundtable Q&A
- World Beta - 2011 Bespoke Roundtable Q&A
The matrix below summarizes some of the specific forecasts. The article itself is the place to start, since it provides a good sense of the range of opinions. If you want more, you can click through on the list above. You can see every response to every question.
It is the season for taking a look ahead. The 2011 Roundtable offers some healthy debate and some specific ideas, all in a user-friendly format.
Jeff, thanks for the linkages. I read them all and find you bloggers, in the main, of a quite-bullish tilt. Hardly anyone worries about Europe and no one worries about $4 gasoline. David Merkel writes of two kinds of stability in the financial system — the table kind, with legs solidly on the floor, and the bicycle kind, where things in motion need to stay in motion for the bicycle to remain upright. Everywhere I look, I see bicycle stability only.
scmo — There are many other possible worries. New ones are raised every week as we put old problems behind us. If there was nothing to worry about we would have a higher market multiple right now, maybe approaching Dow 20K. Deciding how much to invest requires an analysis of your personal goals and the current risk/reward. Most people that I meet are paralyzed by fear, giving insufficient credence to the most likely outcomes.
As to the bicycle — David has written a great deal about what he thinks is wrong with our policies and our leadership. I am watching Meet the Press where they are reporting a poll saying that 63% say the ‘nation is off on the wrong track.’ It is popular to write about.
I try instead to emphasize a descriptive approach. Call it a bicycle or whatever you want, but leaders do not stand by and watch depressions take place. Every crisis is met with an active response, no matter who is in power. As a country, how do you think we have done?
I appreciate your taking the time to raise concerns. Sure, I see them. I right about the good, the bad, and the ugly nearly every week.
Thanks for joining in.
Jeff
Jeff, I wasn’t clear, but I tossed out Europe and a gas price shock as risks to the present “bicycle” stability that I suggested describes our market. The solvency issues among nations and banks in Europe are well-known and don’t bear rehashing. Spiking gas costs, though, are still not getting much attention from the CNBC crowd. And yes, I totally get that there are /always/ wall of worry items. Sometimes, though, they actually matter, to the detriment of one’s capital!
You probably wouldn’t agree with my answer as to how I think we’ve done. Let’s just all be thankful (I know I am) for central bank liquidity. And let’s hope it makes for a solid round of real growth, and people going back to work, soon.