Ventures /
Closed Minds = Old History
Last Rapport – Since last time, business news and speculation has been rampant about the Cable and Streaming Media Market with corollary impact to stock prices. Tesla’s Master Plan, Part Deux underwhelmed investor’s, a controversial buy-out of SolarCity, and Elon Musk’s plans to move to Mars has created concerns about future solvency. The U.S Cannabis Venture Market could triple to $18 Billion, if 9 States vote to legalize this November. Finally, gun violence remains a daily occurrence in America, but the media attention wanes and gun manufacturer prices appear to have peaked – regardless as an ethical investor one should consider investment where their values lie.
Ø Cable and Streaming Media
o Netflix (NLFX: NYSE) (Buy / $130 for Dec. 2016)
§ Investor prediction on 9/2 from RBC (Buy / $122) resulted in 2.87% growth, whereas on 9/13 Macquarie’s (Sell / $85) prediction dropped stock 2.99%. A reminder that speculation is as powerful as company reports.
§ Investors are split on whether they can properly price the product to continue its high cost content and develop local content. Suspicion is competitors will prevent their goal of a 17.5M global subscription target for 2019.
o Amazon Prime (AMZN: NASDAQ)
§ advised on 9/10 their plan towards sports streaming
Ø Automotive Market
o Auto-pilot technology backlash and competition affects, Tesla (TSLA:NASDAQ)
Ø Cannabis Venture Market
o Partnerships in U.S. and Canada growth, will drive local leaders Mettrum Health (MT:TSXV), Canopy Growth Corp. (CGC:TSX), Aphria Inc.(APH:TSXV) and Organigram Holdings (OGI.TSXV).
Ø Gun Manufacturer’s
o Summer peaks of media attention wane for Smith & Wesson Holding Co. (SWHC: NASDAQ), and Strum, Rugers and Co. Inc (RGR: NYSE)
Forecast
Forest Walks
Ø The Green Market (in Ontario) is under renovation with suspension of the Large Renewable Energy Procurement (LRP II) from 2014. The 2017 Long Term Energy Plan (LTEP) will be tied Nuclear and Hydro grid upgrades. Will the subsidies from the Cap and Trade Carbon Legislation passed July 1, 2016 veer away from renewable like Wind, Solar and Energy-from-Waste?
Ø Golf Apparel Market – as Nike notified of their closure their Golf Unit (8/4/2016), who stands to take over what remains of the market? Adidas (Taylormade), Callaway, or a new player?
Ø Foreign Exchange Markets (Forex - FX) in terms of volume this is the largest trading market at 3.2 trillion USD/day and is comprised of ‘interbank’ trades. Individuals can trade in this high risk market as well. Here are some basic tips from xe.com.
Green Market (Ontario)
Ø Our focus is on Electrovaya (EFL:TSX) will lead Ontario’s Green Market. Other renewable sources are strong but do these models match the Liberal plan? Does Celestica’s (CLS:TSX) solar modules, Siemens Canada’s (SIE:ETR) wind manufacturing plants, and Pond Biofuels inc.’s NGC Algae Carbon Conversion fit in 2017?
Ø Electrovaya is in the global energy storage market, expected to be worth $230 Billion by 2020. The local Mississauga based company has big plans to rival Samsung and Panasonic in the Lithium Ion battery market that powers laptops, cars and ferries.
Ø CEO Das Gupta plans to scale up to trailer-size units to store power for utilities.
Ø Electrochemist solid-state physicist Jim Jacobs defined a toxin-free production process that can be manufactured in an urban environment. The process has garnered 150 patents unique for the company.
Review:
The stock price rose 300% in relation to Ontario Cap and Trade legislation; despite this the company has room to grow. With a subsidies auction March 2017, and leading Lithium Ion tech, they could continue to growth to from $3.10 to $7.75 in 1 year.
In North America as a whole, there is Strength in Green Market.
Partnerships are ample with American Corporations who hedge on a future of Cap and Trade markets. The company’s have electively set high GigaWatt (GW) targets with renewable energy partners. The foresight presents them as industry leaders and provides soft power strength to ethical consumers. Vancouver based; Alterra Power corp. (AXY:TSX) sees this as a great opportunity.
Sport & Combat
The Chicago Cubs have not won a World Series in 107 years; this is the longest drought in North American professional sports.
These ‘Lovable Losers’ lost there last World Series to the Detroit Tigers in 1945. Many attribute the drought to the Curse of the Billy Goat, in which Billy Sianis and his goat ‘Murphy’ were ejected from Wrigley field in game 4 of the series. Billy was quoted as saying ‘Them Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more’ and this has remained true for years.
2016 is a strong follow up to their post season year with the Chicago Cubs holding the best record (103-58) in the league. They were in a class of their own as they clinched their division 17 days before the end of the season.
Will Murphy’s Law strike again?
Mixtapes
Top Five
3. Kaytranada –Lite Spots (2016 Polaris Prize Winner)
4. The Arkells – My Heart’s Always Yours
5. Leonard Cohen – You Want it Darker
Another set of Playlists, if you have time to be killed….
> It Bleeds Slowly - the ominous synth sound for a younger generation.
> Attrahere / Repellere – For cool blue grey days.
“Jungle Still Life” Acrylic on Canvas (2015) with Kristin Liu Wong
Artscape
Luke Pelletier (born 1993) is a painter, printmaker, musician and skateboarder who grew up in the tourist town of Brevard, North Carolina. In 2015 he graduated from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago (SAIC), and is currently associated with the New Image Art gallery in Los Angeles.
His first solo show “Tourist Seizin’” (8/8 -8/29/2015) captured the manic high’s of a tourist town, with the depressive post-season grays that follow. His work finds a duality between the dependence and resentment that locals have with tourists.
Luke’s work is playful, masculine and a presentation of kitch-Americana, which is why it was superbly paired with Kristen Liu Wong (his now girlfriend) in a dual exhibit at Superchief, in Brooklyn, NY “Hanging Out” (2/26- 3/9/2016). Their exhibition of collaborative paintings is balanced by Kristen’s neo-futuristic bizarro feminism.
For his second solo exhibit “If It Floats” (8/20 – 9/10/2016), Luke continued to focus on the blurred “lines between celebrating and condemning a culture that agrees to be taken advantage of while it takes advantage of others”. He constructed a Tiki Bar setting within the gallery space, as a backdrop to present his pieces. His style has gained definition, and his integration of design symbolism hints at future progression similar to the hard edge abstraction of Robert Indiana.
New Image Art (7920 Santa Monica Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 90046) was established 1994 by Marsea Goldberg. This leading Los Angeles contemporary art gallery has showcased the talents Ed Templeton, Faile, Retna and Shepard Fairey. The objective of the gallery is to provide a platform for youthful artists to present their work and help them gain experience and encouragement.