The 3 Towns Coffee centre

[Fester]

Nothing wrong with companies that produce nothing except profits, in fact I rather like them

But neither Google or Facebook are sustainable over time. Neither is the one you refer to Merddin. (Betboo.com)
It is entirely naive for people to invest in them over the LONG TERM.
They have no tangible assets, and only exist until the next 'big thing' comes along and makes them irrelevant.

I would sincerely doubt that any Institutional Investors, or Pension Funds will invest in them.

[Merddin Emrys]

Banks were always considered save and look what happened there!

[Fester]

.... and very few pension funds or hedge funds have any investments in banks any longer.

However, as soon as they have rebuilt their balance sheets and passed various 'stress tests', they will once again find investors flooding in.

[Merddin Emrys]

That's a few years away then!

[DaveR]

Nothing wrong with companies that produce nothing except profits, in fact I rather like them

But neither Google or Facebook are sustainable over time. Neither is the one you refer to Merddin. (Betboo.com)
It is entirely naive for people to invest in them over the LONG TERM.
They have no tangible assets, and only exist until the next 'big thing' comes along and makes them irrelevant.

I would sincerely doubt that any Institutional Investors, or Pension Funds will invest in them.

This is an odd argument. Whether a company survives or not depends upon whether it can effectively respond to its customers' needs - whether it produces anything or not is surely irrelevant?

After all, would you rather have shares in Kodak or Google?

[Merddin Emrys]

I just want a company to create a good profit, I don't care what products it makes or doesn't make, a product can be an experience, a service, it does not have to be a physical object. But just a good profit and dividends and I'm happy with that

[Merddin Emrys]

After all, would you rather have shares in Kodak or Google?

For me the Kodak story is very sad, I used to collect old Kodak  cameras and I used to use lots of the old Kodachrome 64 slide film (a long time ago!) But they did not keep up with the times and now we all use digital cameras and no film, this all was very obvious years ago yet  look at Kodak now

[DaveR]

The ironic thing is that Kodak originally developed the digital camera but then sat on it as they were terrified of the effect it would have on their traditional business. By the time they eventually embraced digital, it was too late.

The theory (or rather, fact) of evolution applies equally to business as it does to living things.  If they don't adapt to changing market conditions, then they don't survive.

[Fester]

My point is that certain companies are more sustainable than others over time.

Remember the dot.com bubble?   Which featured fashionable new companies being hailed as worth billions.
It didn't last.

Facebook simply strikes me as that kind of deal.  Facebook destroyed MySpace, and something will surely marginalise Facebook in time.   Some thought it would be Twitter, but it seems that they can co-exist.

[Pendragon]

Twitter is rubbish if I'm honest.  I never could get the hang of it and the worst thing is the people who latch on and follow you people with ridiculous names and foreigners asking if you want to meet up with sex starved housewives etc etc.  I cancelled my account in the end 

[Pendragon]

A friend told me that from today you can get fined for having your dog off the lead.  Is this true?  What happens if youi want to throw the ball for your dog, do you now have to go up the mountain or find waste land?  Or was she just winding me up as I have Socs till Friday.

[Fester]

Never mind what the law says, you need to keep that b****r on a leash Angie!

Remember what happened last time..... Facebook was in meltdown. 

[DaveR]

 

[Nemesis]

Funny that this subject should come up.
I have just been on the North Shore beach with Frizzy ON a long lead. He was haring around like a loony as usual and when I turned round, on the slip way was parked a CBC van, out popped a woman, took a picture and she popped back in and went. I was as far down as the bottom of the boat jetty, nearer shore were a couple with two dogs OFF the lead. Wonder what she was up to?

[Yorkie]

I seem to remember something about the leash not being longer than 2 meters.