Ventures
Last Rapport – Trump has been in office 71 days. He has further divided public opinion and exposed the inherent bias of all news sources. His executive orders deregulate corporate restrictions, and defund Federal programs to push control back to the State. Only time will soon tell if the 2016 economic and stock market growth will remain.
UK has submitted Article 50 to EU starting the process for a British Exit. Scotland requested a 2nd referendum for independence and Lloyd’s of London will open a subsidiary office in Brussels. Will others follow suit, only time will soon tell?
Canada tabled legislation for full legalization of marijuana in Q3 2018, at a time when Cannabis Corps. saw lawsuits on pesticide use shake up market confidence. Germany passed legislation for sale of medicinal marijuana and is looking for distributors. Only time will tell if Canada becomes the world’s largest legal pot distributor.
Ø Oil is stagnant despite OPECs efforts to cut supply 1/1/2017, due to high US Shale supply impacting overall price of crude. Oil Companies (Exxon, Chevron, BP, Shell) averaged a 7% loss.
Ø Gold has increased 9% to $1,250, due to insecurity in global politics.
Ø Netflix outshone expectations with Q4 subscriber’s growth and the stock now holds at $147 – its highest evaluation ever.
Ø Retail – Traditional Brick & Mortar stores continue struggle for relevance in the shopping experience, while Amazon strides forward with e-commerce, and experimental physical locations.
Ø ‘Green’ Ontario Market - Ontario’s Cap and Trade auction was held March 22nd 2017, and the Winners and Losers yet to be determined.
Ø Mettrum Health was absorbed Canopy Growth Corp., who poised to be the biggest player in Canada and the global market.
Forecast
Consider: Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH)
David Gardner (Motley Fool) has twice recommended this as a buy, since its IPO release November 2015 ($15.20). The only other stock he has tapped twice after an IPO release was Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) in 1997, since then the growth was 2000% (+).
Match Group owns a variety of online dating sites OKCupid, PlentyofFish and Tinder. The group is also a subsidiary of IAC/InterActiveCorp. If the next generation of singles and divorcees are looking for a virtual outlet – Match will have an outlet for them.
Consider: Snap Inc. (NYSE:SNAP)
Will the hype prove to be true? Could this be the next Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) opened $38.23 and now $142.05 or another Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) opened $41.65 and now $14.95?
On 3/2/2017, Snap Inc., the controlling entity of Snapchat social network came to market at $24.47 and buzz was abound. The release did not inspire the traditional investor market, with the two Snapchat owners, Evan Spiegel and Robert Murphy retaining 88.5% control and only providing pre-IPO investors the right to vote on company matters.
Snap presents itself as a camera company, and their facial software recognition has the most amount of subscribers to come to market with future products based on its data store.
Trading / Brokerage
Forex trading assistance through ‘CopyProfitShare’ is an interesting company model that allows a subscriber to access its site and brokerage for $200 annual fee. The site allows users to watch their licensed money marketer’s trade on Forex in real time and the user in turn can opt to make the same trade (with a standard transaction fee).
This is not for everyone (myself included), but is an interesting introduction to trading on the Forex. The ‘CopyProfitShare’ team provide support in trades, guidance in the terminology and assist with pattern recognition.
Politics Vs. Religion
The Israel Antiquity Authority (IAA) have authenticated a 12th Dead Sea Scroll Cave site at Qumran in the West Bank, the newest cave found since 1956. The original 11 caves revealed great insight into the 2,000 year old script of the Hebrew Bible, arguably the most significant archeological find of the 20th Century.
The new site reveals stone tools dating 10,200 BCE from the Chalcolithic and Neolithic eras, yet will likely not reveal any new insight into Talmudic literature. The Cave does reveal the remnants of blank parchment hidden by the Jewish Sect of Essenes – which can help identify forgeries of script found on the black market.
The largest significance of this find, is the revelation that additional sites in the region could exist yet undiscovered or looted.
The discovery renews controversy surrounding the ownership of the sites and artifacts. Qumran is a part of West Bank, a territory that Israel won from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War, while similarly the West Bank is considered occupied territory of Palestine (which is not a globally acknowledge State). In 1954, Israel signed a UN agreement that artifacts shall not be removed by any Foreign Occupier.
The discovery reveals a microcosm of the regions larger complexity.
Donald Trump
In America, Donald Trump has abandoned the (Bill) Clinton-led two-state initiative for Palestine and Israel and has opened dialogue for what lies ahead in the region. This could reveal a plan to pull overt US meddling in the region, and give the power to the impact States to decide.
Mixtapes
Top Five
1. Madiba Riddim – Drake (Cash Money, Republic Records, Young Money)
2. Keep Running – Tei Shi (Downtown / Interscope Records)
3. The Heart Part 4 – Kendrick Lamar (Top Dawg Entertainment)
4. Drive – Daft Punk (Soma Records)
5. Cold – Maroon 5 ft. Future (Interscope)
“Hold on, hold on, fuck that. Fuck that shit. Hold on, I got to start this mothafuckin’ record over again, wait a minute. Fuck that shit. Still on this mothafuckin’ record. I’ma play this mothafucka’ for y’all. Ayy y’all get some more drinks goin’ on, I’ll sound a whole lot better”
DJ Moodymann (from Passionfruit – Drake)
Other Playlists, if you have time….
> Feelin’ it Now – Tracks released (re-released) in 2016 just catching the ear now.
> From the Underground – Direct quote from Screwball about breaking in to music industry.
> Where I’m At - A damn mess of tunes currently in my mind.
Artscape
‘To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries’
Aldous Huxley
‘The Walled Off Hotel’ - 182 Caritas Street, Bethlehem, Palestine
The first response to Banksy’s newest endeavor; is this a joke? And no, it is a genuine 3 star art hotel with fully functional ensuite facilities and limited parking. And yes, it is safe (as confirmed by the British Foreign Office). There is access to restaurants, bars, taxis and optional day-trips, everything one would expect to find at any leisure hotel. Opening 3/11/2017, the location is in West Bank Israeli controlled Area C, and is 500 metres from the checkpoint to Jerusalem and a mile from the centre of Bethlehem.
The purpose of the hotel is to bring attention to the Centenary year of the Balfour Declaration in 1917, which has resulted in confusion and regional conflict ever since. The profits earned throughout its run will be distributed among the local community.
The event is not aligned to any political movement, and sets to tell both Israeli and Palestinian stories of from every side of the wall. The Gallery space house contemporary Palestinian art, curated by Dr. Housni Alkhateeb Shehada. The Museum space, curated in association with Dr. Gavin Grindon from Essex University, presents the history and jarring facts about the wall on the Gaza strip.
What makes it a Banksy event, is of course the artwork.
Elton John open the event with a live-tele cast piano session, and future with residence performers range from Massive Attack, Trent Reznor & Atticus Rose, Hans Zimmer and Flea. The artists get the opportunity to present in the Piano Bar, which is created in the vain of a 1917 British Colonial outpost in Palestine, ‘it is equipped with languid ceiling fans, leather bound couches and an air of undeserved authority’.
Finally, the rooms, which are designed by Banksy, Sami Musa and Dominique Petrin, are the true exhibits. A living, breathing art piece for the guest to experience. The options range from Presidential ($225/night) which sleeps 6 and has a tub for 4 made from a bullet ridden tank interior, which is perfect for a corrupt head of state. Then there are The Barracks ($30/night) which provides a bed and locker for residence and is equipped with Israeli military surplus items.
